April 19, 2024
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5 things to do in McHenry County: Woodstock Farmers Market opens, Earth Day festivities

By BEST OF THE FOX
Cory Moore, of Crystal Lake, walks through the prairie with son Jackson, then 3, during the Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 23, 2016, at Prairieview Education Center in Crystal Lake. The event included guided nature hikes, games and crafts, puppet Shows, over 20 environmental exhibitors, as well as food & beverage vendors.

Cory Moore, of Crystal Lake, walks through the prairie with son Jackson, then 3, during the Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 23, 2016, at Prairieview Education Center in Crystal Lake. (Mike Greene for Shaw Local)

1. Guided hikes, a sidewalk chalk art contest and live music will mark an Earth Day celebration planned from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Prairieview Education Center, 2112 Behan Road, Crystal Lake.

The free outdoor event is open to attendees of all ages.

Also in the lineup is a planting activity or take-home project, a vendor scavenger hunt, and a recycling truck. Live music will be provided by the Georgia Rae Family Band.

Kona Ice and Mario’s Kart also will be on hand.

For information, go to MCCDistrict.org.

2. Huntley will mark Earth Day with the Green & Clean Huntley Day event with tours of a wastewater treatment plant, and a coloring contest for kids.

Tours of the West Wastewater Treatment Plant, located west of Route 47 near the southwest corner of the intersection of Main Street and Kreutzer Road, are open to everyone. Tours take about an hour, and run 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday with the last tour beginning at noon.

The coloring contest also is open to nonresidents. Coloring sheets can be picked up at the Culver’s of Huntley, 12950 Route 47; the Huntley Area Public Library, 11000 Ruth Road; and Huntley Village Hall, 10987 Main St., through Saturday. Kids can return their work to the Culver’s by Sunday to get a free scoop.

For Huntley residents only, the village is hosting electronics and printer cartridge recycling plus paper and document destruction from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Village Hall parking lot. Gently used books can be donated by residents only at Village Hall during the same window, as well as eyeglasses for the Lions Club.

Huntley residents can pick up free mulch at the public works facility, 11415 E. Main St. at Donald Drive, also from 9 a.m. to noon.

For information, go to huntley.il.us.

3. A community cleanup day also is set in Crystal Lake for Saturday.

Registration to help clean up area parks will take place at McCormick Park, 427 W. Virginia St. Interested volunteers can head there to get a park assignment.

The day starts at 8:30 a.m. at McCormick Park with doughnuts provided by Country Donuts, and hot chocolate provided by the Salvation Army, according to the Crystal Lake Park District. A hot dog lunch will be provided to volunteers starting at 11 a.m.

AMS Store and Shred also will be there to collect documents for shredding from 9 a.m. to noon. Limit is two banker boxes. The Crystal Lake Police Department will be on hand with its prescription drug take-back program.

For groups of eight or more, contact John Fiorina at the Crystal Lake Park District directly to register. He can be reached at jfiorina@crystallakeparks.org or 815-459-0680.

The Cary Park District and the village of Cary also are organizing a parks and neighborhoods clean-up Friday.

Residents can pick up free refuse and recycling bags from the park district’s Community Center, 255 Briargate Road, or the village’s Municipal Center, 755 Georgetown Drive, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday.

Residents can use the provided bags to help clean up their local parks or neighborhoods, according to a news release. Village and park district staff will retrieve the bags by Monday morning.

All volunteers must fill out a waiver before participating.

4. The Woodstock summer farmers market starts this Saturday at the historic Woodstock Square.

The hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday through October. Products will vary with the season, as the Woodstock market is a producer market and everything sold must be either made or grown by the person selling it.

More than 40 vendors are signed up, and organizers expect many returning favorites. Live music will be on the bandstand each day of the market from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

For information, go to woodstockfarmersmarket.org.

5. A scavenger hunt filled with challenges and activities will raise money this Saturday for CASA of McHenry County, a nonprofit that provides court-appointed special advocates to represent children in the foster system.

Start times for the CASA Road Rally will take place every 30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The hunt takes about an hour and a half to two hours to complete. Two routes are available, one through Cary and the other through Crystal Lake.

The finish line will be complete with food, funnel cakes, live music, games and raffle packages.

To register, go to casamchenrycounty.org/road-rally. The cost is $35 per vehicle.

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