Fox Lake is offering a special theater trip (for ages 16 and up) to see the award-winning musical, “Wicked,” at the Oriental Theatre in downtown Chicago on Jan. 10, 2018. The cost is $150 per tickets, and includes a box lunch and bus transportation.

Crystal Lake

Wisconsin-based furniture retailer to open superstore

The city reported that Wisconsin-based furniture chain Steinhafels has announced plans to open a superstore at 5846 Northwest Highway. The 99,089-square-foot retail space, located between Best Buy and Ross Dress for Less, will offer an extensive selection of home decor and furniture, including seasonal furniture and a clearance center. Steinhafels Furniture, a fourth-generation, family-owned business, serves Wisconsin and northern Illinois with a total of 17 stores. It is considered the No. 1 furniture retailer in Wisconsin. The Crystal Lake location will be its second in Illinois, and 18th overall. Steinhafels anticipates a fall 2018 opening, and the addition of 50 new jobs to the community. For more information, call (815) 459-2020 or visit www.crystallake.org.

Raue Center to host holiday-themed variety show

Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., will present Home for the Holidays, a family-friendly, holiday-themed variety show, at 8 p.m. Dec. 22, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 23, and 8 p.m. Dec. 29 and 30. WSRep (Williams Street Repertory) ensemble and comedy troupe members will share personal holiday stories and sing along to holiday tunes with the audience, and area rock bands Modern Day Romeos and LAVA Rock will perform new renditions of holiday favorites. Tickets are $35.50 ($6 for students). Group rates for parties of 10 or more are available. To purchase tickets, and for more information, call (815) 356-9212 or visit www.rauecenter.org.

Huntley

Huntley firm earns MCEDC Business Champion Award

The village announced that H.S. Crocker, a company that provides high-quality printing and die-cutting services for the food and pharmaceutical industries, recently was named winner of the 2017 McHenry County Economic Development Corporation’s (MCEDC) Business Champion Award. For the past 10 years, MCEDC has recognized companies that have made positive contributions to McHenry County’s economy and have exhibited business acumen and vision. H.S. Crocker, an employee-owned, “green” company located at 12100 Smith Drive, recently spent more than $25 million in capital investment and expansion developments. The company offers employee health clinics, promotes wellness in the workplace and seeks to employ individuals that have been unemployed, primarily in the sector of ages 45 and above. H.S. Crocker Co., founded in 1856, built the first phase of its corporate headquarters in Huntley, in 1995. For more information, call (847) 515-5200 or visit www.huntley.il.us.

Cary

Park Dist. offers series of winter break programs

The Cary Park District is offering Winter Break Kids’ Day Off Activities, a series of safe, supervised programs for grades K-5, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (on days off from school) at the Community Center, 255 Briargate Road. Programs include: Winter Fun (Dec. 22), featuring winter-themed crafts and activities; Marshmallow Madness (Dec. 26), featuring games, crafts and other activities; Roller Skating (Dec. 27), a field trip to Xtreme Wheels departing by bus at 9:30 a.m.; New Year’s Even Pizza Party (Dec. 28), featuring a pizza lunch and a movie on the big screen; Pump It Up (Dec. 29), a field trip to Pump It Up departing at 12:15 p.m.; Ice Skating (Jan. 2, 2018), a field trip to Crystal Ice House departing at 10:30 a.m.; Gymnastics (Jan. 3), a field trip to Cary Gymnastics departing at 9:30 a.m.; and Sledding at Lions Park (Jan. 5), requiring a sled and proper outdoor attire for downhill sledding. Participants should bring a sack lunch and a drink to each event (except Dec. 28). Registration ranges from $25-$29 for ET Kid Zone members and $35-$39 for non-members for each program. To register, and for more information, call (847) 639-6100 or visit www.carypark.com.

Algonquin

Longmeadow Parkway Corridor set to open soon

The village reported that the Longmeadow Parkway Corridor, from Huntley/Boyer Road to White Chapel Lane, is anticipated to be complete and opened to traffic by Jan. 8., 2018 or sooner, weather permitting. During winter and spring 2018, additional work within the section will include laying asphalt surface course pavement on Randall Road, and pavement striping, installation of permanent traffic signals at Randall and Sleepy Hollow roads, and completion of remaining landscaping work. The Longmeadow Parkway Corridor is a tree-lined parkway and new Fox River bridge crossing with a landscaped median, approximately 5.6 miles in length running from Huntley Road to Route 62. For complete project information, visit www.co.kane.il.us/dot.

Ringwood

Conservation Dist. offers special puppet event for kids

The McHenry County Conservation District will present Nature’s Puppet Shows & Tea Party, a special children’s winter break activity, from 1:30-3 p.m. Dec. 27 in the Savanna Room at the Lost Valley Visitor Center, located in Glacial Park at Route 31 and Harts Road. Attendees (infants to age 8 with an adult) can bring a favorite puppet or stuffed animal for tea and snacks while watching various puppet shows about the wildlife in McHenry County conservation areas. Afterward, participants can use the puppet stage to make their own show with the stuffed animal they brought or make a sock puppet with materials provided. The fee is $3 (McHenry County residents) and $5 (non-residents). To register, and for more information, call (815) 338-6223 or visit www.mccdistrict.org.    

Fox Lake

Village offers trip to see ‘Wicked’ at Oriental Theatre

The village is offering a special theater trip (for ages 16 and up) to see the award-winning musical, “Wicked,” at the Oriental Theatre in downtown Chicago on Jan. 10, 2018. The cost is $150 per tickets, and includes a box lunch and bus transportation. The bus will depart from Village Hall, 66 Thillen Drive, at 11 a.m., and is scheduled to return at 7 p.m. The performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. To purchase tickets, and for more information, call the Fox Lake Parks and Recreation Department at (224) 225-1402 or visit www.foxlake.org.

–McHenry County News Briefs–