South suburban bands take hardware at Chicago Classic
The Rich Township High School District 227 Mighty Marching Machine won first place and Southland College Prep Charter High School’s Ambassador Marching Band and Marching Lady Eagles placed second at the 25th annual HBCU Chicago Classic High School Battle of the Bands Sept. 2 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The Chicago Football Classic, a game between historically Black colleges and universities, returned to Soldier Field for the first time since 2019. Started in 1997, the Chicago Classic this year also invited Chicago area high school bands to battle with performances at the stadium.
Junior high school band members from Matteson School District 162 had a chance to cheer for Southland and Rich Township. The band members from O.W. Huth Middle School also enjoyed the game and halftime show battle of the bands between Central State University and Mississippi Valley State University, according to a news release.
Central State University won the football game and Mississippi Valley State won the Battle of the Bands between the colleges. A recent graduate of Southland College Prep, Asia Murphy, is a member of the Mississippi Valley State band.
Band director Phil Crews and drum majors from Rich Township had a chance to meet the director and staff from Central State band.
Flossmoor lauded for stormwater project
The village of Flossmoor’s Berry Lane Drainage Improvement Project earned the Project of the Year Award in the Environment category (projects less than $5 million) from the Southwest Branch of the American Public Works Association Chicago Metro Chapter at the APWA Southwest Branch Awards Luncheon last week in Joliet.
“This is the first time we’ve won a project award from APWA, so we’re pretty excited about it,” said John Brunke, the village’s Public Works director. “This is a unique project; it’s not just a storm sewer improvement project. It features newer green infrastructure technology with permeable pavers, and we used best management practices.”
The project was nominated because of its success in earning significant grant funding. Mainly funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Army Corps of Engineers, the project also received more than $700,000 in funding from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The remaining cost of the project came from bond funding.
Senior Lifestyle Expo set in Homer Township
The Homer Township Senior Expo will offer an opportunity to learn about products and services from more than 50 businesses and organizations as well as activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Hadley Middle School, 15731 S. Bell Road, Homer Glen.
The event is free. More information is at https://homertownship.com/ or with Vicki Bozen at [email protected]
Freedom Seekers book signing events planned
Larry A. McClellan, professor emeritus at Governors State University, will discuss and sign copies of his recently published book “Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois” at several upcoming events, including this weekend at the Chicago Literary Fest downtown and at the Monee Fall Festival.
The book was released Sept. 1 by Southern Illinois University Press.
A Celebration and Book Signing Party is planned from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Union Street Gallery, 1527 Otto Blvd., Chicago Heights, where McClellan will be share some stories of freedom seekers who traveled through the Southland.
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Other signings are scheduled, including with the Homewood Historical Society at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Homewood Library, an event Oct. 23 at Chicago Maritime Museum, 1200 W 35th St., Chicago, and a Lunch and Learn program at noon Oct. 27 through the Knowledge Exchange in Room B2203 at Governors State University in University Park.
Mobile Museum of Tolerance visiting Lansing
The Mobile Museum of Tolerance, an arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the first traveling education center of its kind in the United States, will be at the Lansing Public Library, 2750 Indiana Ave., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 19.
Just off a 10-day run at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, the traveling museum visits school districts and public places across Illinois to offer free education and awareness about the very real threat of hate and intolerance in our communities. The bus offers workshops and a hands-on educational platform to reach thousands of students and encourage them to speak against bullying, hate, racism, antisemitism and more.
Caregiver Support Group addresses ‘ambiguous loss’
Coping with uncertainty is challenging, especially when caring for a loved one with dementia. Learn about dealing with this kind of ambiguous loss at a Caregiver Support Group at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19, at Smith Village, 2320 West 113th Place in Chicago.
This support group provides a confidential, safe and supportive environment and aims to combat the isolation many caregivers experience. Meetings are planned for the third Tuesday of every month.
The neighborhood meetings are free and open to all those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. Alzheimer’s Association volunteer Alice Keane leads the group.
More information is at 773-474-7300.
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