Yorkville Mayor Gary Golinski joined the Brownie Quest Journey, Troop 1441 in a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony March 7 for the new Little Library at the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Building , 201 W. Hydraulic St. Inspired by their need for a Take Action Project, Troop 1441 felt that a Little Free Library would benefit the community for many years to come. The Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone can stop by and pick up or drop off a book or two. The “little free library” movement began with a replica of a one‐room schoolhouse built by Todd Bol in Hudson, Wis., in 2009, as a tribute to his mother, a former teacher. (Photo courtesy City of Yorkville)

Aurora

Aurora creates community mural

Earlier this month, more than 50 people came together to make Aurora beautiful by creating a temporary mural during the Draw on the Wall event aimed to make Aurora beautiful.The mural is part of the Aurora Mural Project, the Draw on the Wall event invited the public to use permanent markers and chalk to create public art along Downer Place, west of Route 31 on Aurora’s near West Side.

The wall will eventually be primed and prepped for a permanent mural by artist Josh Schultz, of Oswego. Schultz, along with Brittany Tripp, Marissa Amoni, Uly Diaz, and Vicki McCoy are working cooperatively with the city to bring the mural to Downer Place by Memorial Day.

Sandwich

Call for poetry contest submissions

The Sandwich Public Library District is hosting a month long poetry contest for all ages. Beginning April 1, interested participants can stop by the library, to pick up a cover sheet explaining the contest rules. The deadline to turn in poems is Friday, April 22. Five of the strongest poems in each age category will be publicly, but anonymously, displayed at the library for two full weeks for voting by the community. One winner per age group will be selected and on May 6,, the contest winners will be notified and receive a special prize. You may turn in your poems either in person at the library or via email at contact@sandwichpld.org. If you have any questions, call the library at (815)786-8308.

Kendall

Scholarship opportunities

Kendall-Grundy Community Action, a division of the Kendall County Health Department, is offering a limited number of scholarships to income-eligible individuals looking to further their education or occupational training at an accredited Illinois institution. Applications are currently available through April 22, and are available from high school guidance counselors or by calling (815) 941-3262 (Morris) or (630) 553-9100 (Yorkville).

Kendall County Crime Stoppers have new page

The Kendall County Crime Stoppers, which offers cash rewards for information leading to convictions, has a new Facebook page.

To find out the latest crimes that need solving, visit https://www.facebook.com/Crime-Stoppers-Kendall-County-Illinois-1720584274854745/.

Cash rewards are paid for information which leads to the capture of fugitive from justice as well as for information leading to the recovery of stolen property. All rewards are disbursed in a way that protects the identity of the caller; all callers to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous.

If you have information relating to a crime that has been committed and wish to remain anonymous, you can report it to the Kendall County Crime Stoppers at (630) 553-5999 any time, night or day.

Oswego

Cookbook from the Oswego Senior Center

A new, one-of-a-kind cookbook, “Favorites From Our Table” (Second Edition), has arrived at the Oswego Senior Center, with  all profits benefiting the organization.  Participants of the Oswego Senior Center, friends, and family have compiled their favorite recipes into a book featuring 298 dishes. Recipes include everything from appetizers to desserts. Each recipe includes the contributor’s name, making it easy to find the recipes of friends and loved ones.  Cookbooks are $12 each and available at the Oswego Senior Center, 156 E. Washington St., Oswego.  Cookbooks may be reserved for pick up by contacting the Oswego Senior Center at (630) 554-5602. For more information visit www.oswegoseniorcenter.org

Project Greenway Fashion Show

Aspiring artists and designers are invited to go “green” this spring and create projects using natural or recycled materials in this innovative challenge by the Oswegoland Park District. Participants are asked to repurpose discarded items into an accessory or go all out and create an outfit to walk down the “greenway” in the district’s first ever Project Greenway Fashion Show. A panel of judges will critique submitted outfits and award a cash prize to the top look. Contact Cori Veverka at (630) 554.4433 or cveverka@oswegolandpd.org for more information about participating. The show will take place on Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. at Fox Bend Golf Course in Oswego. Admission is $5 per person and includes fashion show, People’s Choice ticket to vote for your favorite accessory, additional entertainment, a complimentary beverage, and mingling with the designers

Oswego dancers win big

On Saturday, Feb. 27 the Oswegoland Park District’s Dance Company, A Step Above, took part in their first dance competition in Elgin. The competition was part of the National Competition Tour hosted by The Kids Artistic Revue. The National Competition Tour spans more than 30 states, visits 60 cities nationwide, and reaches over 500,000 dancers annually.

The district’s three dance teams; Dream, Believe, and Inspire competed in the Novice Division. Each Team was honored to receive a First Place Award. In addition, Team Believe took home the Judges’ Choice Lovely Lyrical Award and Team Inspire received the Overall High Point Award.

The A Step Above Dance Company was founded in 2015 and provides studio quality performance and competition opportunities in a no-cut environment for dedicated dancers ages 8 and up. Dancers study various disciplines of dance while building confidence and teamwork in a friendly atmosphere.

For more information about A Step Above Dance Company, visit www.oswegolandparkdistrict.org.

Yorkville

Upcoming Kindergarten event

Next month, reading specialists from the Yorkville School district will share literacy expectations for incoming kindergarten students.  Children and their parents can participate in games and activities that will help get preschoolers geared up for kindergarten.  Parents will leave with resources to assist them as they help their child prepare for kindergarten. The events will be offered at the Yorkville Public Library, 902 Game Farm Road, Yorkville, on Thursday, April 14 at 6 p.m.

Middle school Foxes make history

The Yorkville Middle School Boys Basketball Team made school history as they won the IESA Class 4A State Championship in February. After beating Bellwood Roosevelt in the Quarterfinals 40-34, the Foxes overcame Homewood Hart in the Semifinal Game the same day. All members of the 15-player roster took part in the 63-33 win. On Feb. 18, with a police and fire escort from Yorkville, the Foxes traveled to Urbana Middle School for the State Championship game. After a tight battle in the first three quarters, the Foxes outscored Chatham Glenwood 18-6 in the fourth to take a decisive 45-32 victory. “These 23 boys are a special group of young men that are going to achieve great success as individuals in the future,” wrote coach Kevin Cain. “They are a group the Yorkville community will be able to look forward to and be proud of in the coming years. What they have already achieved as a group, together, will never be forgotten as they earned a spot and they etched their names in Yorkville’s sports history.”

City gets “little free library”

The City of Yorkville now has its very first Little Free Library located at the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Building at 201 W. Hydraulic St.

The gift was donated by Girl Scout Troop 1441. Users are invited to come on by and pick up or drop off a book (or two). Readers are asked to leave a note inside the book before returning it to the little library, or any other library. Notes should tell where the book has been, and how the reader enjoyed it. For more information on Little Free Libraries, check outhttp://www.yorkville.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/2110.

–Kendall County News Briefs–