Downtown Elgin Construction Update - Week of September 20

Installation of brick paver sidewalks continues on the north side of Highland Avenue from Grove Court to Center Street and should conclude this week.

Removal of the remaining portion of the existing sidewalk on the south side of Highland, grading and placing aggregate base for the new sidewalk begins on Friday, September 17. New sidewalk and concrete base for brick pavers will be poured during the week of September 20 also. Installation of the new brick pavers will begin the week of September 27.

Installation of the new water main on Dexter Court will begin on Wednesday, September 22. This work will be done during overnight hours, generally 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. This work is expected to continue on Thursday and possibly Friday evenings as well.

Work on the reconstruction of Grove Court is expected to begin on Monday, September 27.

* * * * * * * *

Weekly progress meetings for the Central Business District construction project are held on Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. at the construction office located at 201 E. Chicago Street. Business and property owners are invited to attend the first 15 minutes of the meeting if they have any questions or concerns regarding the construction.

Specific questions regarding the construction may be directed to Shelley Costello with TranSystems at 847-871-3185.

For general information on the project, please contact Joe Evers at 847-931-5955 or visit the City's website at www.cityofelgin.org and click the Gettin' Around in Downtown icon.

The Scene - September 16-19

It's another busy weekend in downtown Elgin and to celebrate we are bringing back "The Scene" - a summary of other quick hits and happenings in and around downtown this weekend.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

- Douglas Street Sports Bar & Grill at 231 Douglas Avenue will have live music with "K-Sextion", an $8.00 Fish Fry and $5.00 Jack Daniels Drinks all month long.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

- Elgin Public House at 219 E. Chicago Street is hosting Half Way to St. Patty's Day all day on Saturday. Stop in to EPH to party Irish style! Great Irish food specials including Corned Beef and Cabbage, Lamb Stew and Sheppards Pie. Also great specials on Guinness, Killians, Sam Smith, St. Petes, Jameson and Tullamore Dew.

- Douglas Street Sports Bar & Grill will be celebrating Jack Daniels' Birthday party with live music from "Dont No" and a visit by the Jack Danielas Girls. $8 Half Slab of BBQ Ribs and $14 Full Slab of BBQ Ribs on both Saturday and Sunday.

- The Hemmens Cultural Center at 45 Symphony Way is rolling out the red carpet for the Elgin Short Film Festival at 7pm. Six short films chosen by the selection committee will be screened and then guests will vote for their favorite. WGN's Dean Richards will serve as the evening's emcee. For tickets visit www.hemmens.org for tickets. And be sure to purchase tickets for the Red Carpet Reception immediately following the event featuring dancing, hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Also a reminder that next Saturday, September 25th Bill Cosby will be in downtown Elgin performing two live shows at 5pm and 9pm at Hemmens!

And on your way into downtown on Saturday be sure to stop by the Elgin Fire Museum's Open House from 10am-3pm to enjoy family-friendly activities including water fights, food, museum tours, intereactive displays and much more! Also the Elgin Police Department will be hosting a rummage sale from 10am-3pm (on Friday and Saturday) to raise money for the police department's Canine unit.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

- The 2010 Tropical Summer Jam Automotive & Motorcycle Show takes place at the Civic Parking Lot at Highland and Douglas Avenues. Trophies and awards will be presented to cars and bikes in all categories and a cash prize is available for the "hopping" contest. E-mail raw1productions@yahoo.com for more information.

And don't forget to check out the Downtown Elgin Car Show & Midwest Green Car Expo next Saturday, September 25th at the Civic Parking Lot from 9am-2pm. Visit www.downtownelgin.com for more info or to pre-register your vehicle.

- The Elgin Art Showcase at the Professional Building at 164 Division Street, 8th Floor presents Love and Gershwin at 4:30pm. The performance features vocalist Rise Jones with Margaret Brady on the piano. Tickets are $10. Please call 847.302.0379 for information or reservations.

Now Accepting Nominations for 2010 DNA Awards Gala

The Downtown Neighborhood Association is asking for your help in recognizing outstanding downtown Elgin volunteers, businesses, groups, organizations or DNA partners/members by nominating them for an award at the 2010 DNA Awards Gala, which takes place Thursday, October 14 at the Grand Victoria Casino from 6-9pm.

Categories include "Remarkable Renovation", "Excellence in Business", "Outstanding DNA Member/Partner" and "Extraordinary Volunteer".

Eligible businesses and volunteers must have had renovation, business, time partnering and/or volunteering with the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) or in downtown Elgin between October 1, 2009 and October 1, 2010. Each award category may have its own specific eligibility requirements as well.

Nomination forms are available at the DNA Office at 2 Douglas Avenue in downtown Elgin, by calling 847.488.1456 or download the form here!

Individual tickets for the 2010 DNA Awards Gala are $60 ($50 for current DNA Members) and sponsored tables are $600 ($500 for current DNA Members). Click here to RSVP and purchase tickets online!