5 things to do in DeKalb County: NIU football, First State Bank Opening Day 5K, Cider House After Hours and more

1. The Northern Illinois University Huskies take on the Eastern Illinois University Panthers at 7 p.m. Thursday at Huskie Stadium.

General admission tickets cost $33 and premium seating, with either chair-back or bench-back seats cost $40 per ticket. Tickets can be bought at niuhuskies.com

Thursday night’s season opener is the third time the NIU and EIU football programs have gone head to head. NIU has won the two previous bouts between these public Illinois institutions, the most recent of which was a 38-10 rout in 2017.

This is the first game of a now cashless concession experience for NIU fans. All of the concession stands at Huskie Stadium, including in The Yard and premium areas, will require a consumer to pay with either a credit card, Apple Pay or Google Wallet.

2. Family crafts from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the DeKalb Public Library.

A workshop at the DeKalb Public Library will offer an opportunity to turn family photos into decorative photo magnets that can be hung on their home refrigerator. No prior experience making photo magnets is needed for this activity, but it’s necessary to bring your own photos to make the crafts because the library said it’s unable to print photos in color. Supplies for the photo magnets are limited so the craft workshop will be run on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The DIY craft event will take place in the Zimmerman Meeting Room.

Information on the event can be found at dkpl.org/event/diy-family-craft-photo-magnets/.

3. The second annual First State Bank Opening Day 5K at 8 a.m. Saturday.

The second-ever First State Bank Opening Day 5K run will be held at The North 40, the official NIU cross country course, to celebrate the launch of the NIU cross country and football seasons. Food and beverages will be distributed once the 5K is completed. Potential runners or walkers will be able to register in person on the day of the event until 7:30 a.m. Registration costs $30. The proceeds will be used to support the NIU cross country team. Participants get a race T-shirt.

The top three finishers in the women’s, men’s and student categories will receive two tickets to NIU’s Sept. 17 home football game against Vanderbilt, a VIP tailgate package with complimentary food and beverages and pre-game access to the field. The runner who posts the best time in each category will be given $100, the second best time will receive $50, and the third best will be awarded $30.

Runners can signup for the event at runsignup.com/Race/IL/Dekalb/FirstStateBankOpeningDay5K.

4. Cider House After Hours from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Jonamac Orchard.

Jonamac Orchard’s Cider House is open late Saturday night for its After Hours event. From 6 to 9 p.m. Jonamac Orchard will be serving ciders and wines while Braden Larive plays live music on the patio. A flashlight corn maze will be available for use Saturday night and barbecue will be served on the lawn of the Malta based Orchard by Hicks BBQ. Tickets for the event cost $7.

For information on Cider House After Hours at Jonamac Orchard, visit jonamacorchard.com/evetns-calendar/cider-house-after-hours-september-3/.

5. Franklin B. Alexander Memorial with BADGER Midgets at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Sycamore Speedway.

Sycamore Speedway is hosting the BADGER Midget Auto Racing Association in addition to its normal slate of Saturday night racing, which includes the limited late models, street stocks and pure stocks divisions.

General admission for adults cost $12, tickets for children ages 5 through 11-years-old cost $5, and anyone under 5 gets in for free. Pit passes cost $30 for anyone 14 or older. Gates open at 6 p.m. for general admission and the pit gates open at 4 p.m. Speedway patrons will see 140 laps of racing between heats, dashes and feature races.

For information on Sycamore Speedway and other events at the track, visit sycamorespeedway.com.

Would you like your event featured in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to the Daily Chronicle’s community calendar at shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/local-events, where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature. Submissions to the community calendar also are printed in the Thursday edition of the Daily Chronicle.