Pumpkin smashes at Hawthorne Hill and Elgin High School
The Elgin Sustainability Commission will host pumpkin smashes from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 2, outside the Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, 28 Brookside Drive, Elgin, and in the parking lot of Elgin High School, 1200 Maroon Drive.
Items accepted for composting include pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks, according to a post on the city’s website. Items should be free of candles, stickers, decorations, plastic, yarn or glitter. Acrylic paint is acceptable.
After the event, Waste Management will dispose of the items at Midwest Compost in Elgin. Elgin has held the event since 2016, over which time it’s collected more than 34 tons of pumpkins, the site said.
For more information, go to elginil.gov/2473/Pumpkin-Smash.
Day of Dead Fest, Skeleton Trot Saturday at Elgin library
The Gail Borden Public Library Foundation and the U-46 Educational Foundation have teamed up to present a Day of the Dead Festival Saturday, Nov. 2.
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Things will get underway at 8 a.m. with El Trote De Las Calacas — the Skeleton Trot — a 5K race and walk, with a route that begins and ends at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin, according to a news release.
Following the race, the Day of the Dead Fest will open at 10 a.m. inside the downtown library. It will feature vendors, music, food, take-home crafts, a bilingual storytime, a costume contest for adults and children, an ofrenda honoring deceased friends and family, and other activities.
For more information, go to gailborden.info/trote.
ESO adds attractions before its Day of the Dead performance
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra will present family-friendly activities prior to its Día de los Muertos concert at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at The Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way.
The Hemmens’ lobby will open at 12:30 p.m. for facepainting and crafts for children, a musical performance by the Angel Salas Trio. Food from Vern’s Tavern, Sammy’s Mobile Taqueria & Cantina and Mama Lee’s Popcorn will be sold, a news release center.
The concert that follows will feature singer José Carlos Díaz, music from Latin America and Elgin’s BFH dance ensemble. It’s being held in partnership with Gail Borden Public Library and the city of Elgin as an extension of the Día de los Muertos celebration at the downtown library.
Tickets are $25, $5 for students. Free youth tickets for children ages 17 and younger are available with a paid adult ticket. To purchase tickets in advance, go to www.ElginSymphony.org. For more information, call 847-888-4000.