BROADWAY STAR FROM ELGIN CHOSEN FOR HALL OF FAME
Broadway star Courtney Reed, an alum of Larkin High School in Elgin, will be honored as an inductee into the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame at a banquet from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 27, at Eagle Brook Country Club, 2288 Fargo Blvd., Geneva.
Reed got her start when she was 6 and appeared as a mouse in a Children’s Theatre of Elgin production of “Cinderella,” according to a news release. She is a 2002 graduate of Larkin’s Visual and Performing Arts Academy and earned a degree in musical theatre at the Chicago College of Performing Arts.
Reed’s career on Broadway includes a starring role as Princess Jasmine in the original staging of the Disney musical, “Aladdin,” in 2014. She also starred for more than two years as Satine in the Broadway and touring productions of “Moulin Rouge.”
Reed is a cofounder and coproducer of the globally touring “Disney Princess-The Concert” and the founder of the all-female-run company “Gagged Chokers.”
The 2026 Hall of Fame Class also includes Kelly Barr, classical music; Denise Crosby, journalism; Leslie Hunt, popular and progressive music; Stanley Konopka, classical music; Mary Beth McCarthy, choral music; and Juel Ulven, folk music. Susan Starrett will receive the first Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tickets are $80 and can be purchased at www.foxvalleyartshalloffame.org/store.
CARPENTERSVILLE MOOSE TO HOLD FISH FRY FUNDRAISER
The Carpentersville Moose Lodge will hold a public fish fry fundraiser from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 27, at its 309 Lake Marian Road location.
Dinners are $12 for two pieces of cod or three pieces of perch, fries or a baked potato, coleslaw and a roll, according to a social media post. Hamburgers with fries will be available for $9. Meals will be available for dine-in and carryout.
For more information and to place orders, call 847-426-8441.
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STEP AFRIKA! TO PERFORM MARCH 27 AT THE HEMMENS
Dance troupe Step Afrika! will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 27, at The Hemmens Culltural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.
The dancers will execute styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional African dances and an array of contemporary styles, according to The Hemmens website. The show integrates songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation.
Step Afrika! headlined President Barack Obama’s Black History Month Reception in 2016 and performed at the first Juneteenth Celebration at the White House in 2023. The company is featured at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture in the world’s first interactive exhibit about the dance style called stepping.
Tickets range from $22 to $47.50. They can be purchased at hemm.na.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/18770.
COMMUNITY CRISIS CENTER HOLDING 38TH ANNUAL GALA
Elgin’s Gretchen S. Vapnar Community Crisis Center will hold its 38th annual benefit gala from 5:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, March 28, at the Q Center, 1405 N. 5th Ave., St. Charles.
The event will include raffles and an auction, according to a social media post for the gala. Attendees must be 21 or older.
Founded in 1975, the Community Crisis Center provides comprehensive services to individuals and families in crisis due to domestic violence, sexual assault or financial difficulties.
Gala tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased through Friday, March 20, at www.crisiscenter.org/category/crisis-center.