FIREFIGHTER MEMORIAL SERVICE SET FOR SATURDAY
Elgin Fire Department will host the 34th Annual Elgin Area Firefighter Memorial Service at 10 a.m Saturday, May 16, at the Illinois Firefighter Memorial Plaza at George Van De Voorde Firefighter Memorial Park, 533 St. Charles St., Elgin.
The service brings together members of the Elgin Fire Department and about 20 other area fire departments to honor Illinois firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty and active and retired fire department members who have died in the past year, according to a news release.
Elgin Fire Chief Robert Cagann will host the event, with a proclamation read by Elgin Mayor David Kaptain and a keynote address delivered by Illinois State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow.
The free event is open to the public. If there is inclement weather, it will be moved to nearby Calvary Baptist Church at 551 Arlington Ave.
A livestream and video of the ceremony can be viewed at youtube.com/cityofelgin. For more information, call Maria Medrano at 847-931-6175.
ELGIN WOMAN TO GIVE ECC GRADUATION SPEECH
An Elgin woman will be the student speaker at the Elgin Community College commencement ceremony for university transfer graduates being held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16.
Zoe Fowler, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society and recipient of the Jack and Marlene Shales Nursing Scholarship, is a married mother of two who currently works as a home health and hospice CNA.
“Earning my nursing degree is the realization of a dream I have carried for many years, and ECC has been the foundation that made it possible,” Fowler said is a news release. “The nursing program pushed me to develop resilience, critical thinking and compassion. These are qualities that will stay with me far beyond graduation.”
The student speakers at the 10 a.m. ceremony for career and technical education program graduates are Brianna Zlotow, of Hanover Park, and Bohdan Andrashko, of Pingree Grove, a 2026 DREAM Scholar by Achieving the DREAM.
Faculty speaker at both ceremonies will be English professor Jeanne Anderson, recipient of the 2026 Orrin G. Thompson Teaching Excellence Award, according to an ECC news release. The ceremonies will be held in the Building J Events Center.
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LORDS PARK ZOO TOUR INCLUDES BISON MEETING
A public tour of Lords Park Zoo in Elgin, including a chance to get close to the venue’s two bison, Takoda and Buffy, will be offered from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 17.
Participants will meet at the Elgin Public Museum, 225 Grand Blvd., where there will be a brief presentation on the venue’s history and the cultural significance of bison, according to a social media post. Zoo crew leader Mike Adams will lead the tour.
Attendance is limited to 15 people and costs $5 per person. For safety reasons, it is limited to people over the age of 5.
To register and pay, send an email [email protected] that includes a phone number.
THE GREATEST PIANO MEN TO PERFORM AT HEMMENS
The Greatest Piano Men, a live production from Jeff Davis, executive producer of Broadway’s “Rock of Ages,” will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at Elgin’s Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way.
The show celebrates iconic piano performers, including Ray Charles, Elton John, Billy Joel and Liberace, combining video and live music, according to a post on the city of Elgin’s website. Setlist songs include “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Superstition,” “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer” and “Piano Man.”
Tickets range from $21 to $47.50 and may be purchased at The Hemmens box office, by phone at 847-931-5900 or online at hemmens.org/tickets.