This Week at the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market - June 30

FOR KIDS & ADULTS! Special Market Activity: Noon–2PM - Free, juicy Southern Illinois Peaches + Fun & Loud Pit Game - Picnic at the Market!

Alexian Brothers Health System Booth – health information and screenings

Davey Tree Booth – educational information about trees and our environment

City of Elgin Booth – From the Recreation department there will be information for the public on what community recreation is available in the City of Elgin this summer.

Simple Balance Holistic Center – will have information on hand of wellness programs and packages offered, as well as upcoming workshops and events.

Landin Chiropractic – performing free spinal screenings, with state of the art equipment, using infrared cameras to measure the temperature of the nerve roots on the spine.

DNA Booth - market merchandise, Find the Gnome clue and more.

ECCO/ECN’s Sustainable Booth: Elgin Community Garden Network - Learn what to do in your garden in July & August! We’ll focus on keeping your plants healthy in the summer heat.

Community Booth: Community Crisis Center - will be providing information regarding their services

NEW! Educational Signage - new educational signs will start popping up around the market helping customers and the public alike learn terms like grass-fed and locally grown, how to compost and practice it at the market, learn why Downtown’s are sustainable, and see a map of where our vendors and their products came from!

City of Elgin Fourth of July Parade: Toys on Parade

The 2011 City of Elgin Fourth of July Parade – Presented by Sherman Health steps off Monday, July 4 at 9AM.

Over 15,000 spectators annually converge upon downtown Elgin to witness this summertime tradition. This year's parade features over 80 parade units, 20 floats and nearly 150 different vehicles.

PARADE THEME & JUDGING

The theme of this year's Fourth of July Parade is "Toys on Parade". Groups, organizations and businesses are encouraged to participate by decorating floats or parade vehicles in the finest toy-themed regalia or dressing up in toy-inspired costumes.

In addition to the regular parade float judging, which includes a first, second and third place prize in the Open, Business and Children’s categories, a special "Eco-Elgin Award" will be given to the float that best tells the story of a "Green" Elgin - utilizing eco-friendly materials and processes for their parade entry.

This year's parade float decorating contest judging panel consists of Bob Malm, Ricardo Mancha, Krisilee Murphy, Velma Sept and Rich Wagner.

NEW! PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

This year's Fourth of July Parade will also include a People's Choice Award, voted on by the general public for the entire week following the parade, for the parade unit that best exemplifies the "Toys on Parade" theme. Photos of every parade unit, courtesy of our official Parade Photographer, David Ham of Ham Sandwich Imagery, and the online voting form will be available on the DNA's website at DowntownElgin.com beginning Wednesday, July 6 and "People's Choice" award voting concludes Tuesday, July 12 at Noon.

NEW! GRAND TEACHERS/GRAND MARSHALS

This past spring, the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin encouraged area students, parents, teachers and school administrators to nominate outstanding Elgin area teachers to serve as a Fourth of July Parade Grand Marshal. After receiving dozens of nominations, the Fourth of July Parade committee selected three deserving candidates who will ride at the front of the parade in a beautiful powder blue Grand Marshal ’57 Cadillac convertible, provided by Richard Bennett:

Amy Baldini
5th-8th Grade Teacher
The Einstein Academy

Gloria Helin
1st Grade Teacher
Channing Memorial Elementary School

Dee Burns Maroney
4th Grade Teacher
Lords Park Elementary School

As an added thank you to the many deserving nominees, the Fourth of July Parade Committee has invited all of the "grand" teacher nominees and their nominators to march in the parade alongside the Grand Marshal car.

NEW! KOUNTRY PET RESORT POOCH PARADE

Another new addition to this year’s Fourth of July Parade is the Kountry Pet Resort Pooch Parade. Beginning at Ann Street and Douglas Avenue just before 9AM, members, staff and residents of Kountry Pet Resort in Elgin will parade their puppies and pooches - many dressed in their finest patriotic attire – to warm up the crowd along the south end of the parade route. There will be a costume contest, dog trick demonstrations and free dog treats and toys will be handed out by Kountry Pet Resort staff. Pet waste clean-up will be provided by Ron John Poo-B-Gone of Bartlett.

NEW! COMMUNITY CRISIS CENTER TOY DRIVE

In keeping with the parade theme of Toys on Parade, parade-goers are encouraged to donate a new toy at Community Crisis Center's Toy Drive, which takes place after the parade in front of City Hall, 150 Dexter Court. Every family that donates a toy receives one free child's admission (with the purchase of an adult ticket) to LEGOLand located in the Streets of Woodfield in Schaumburg.

Characters from the movie Toy Story will also be on-hand at the Toy Drive taking photos with the kids. A small financial donation to the Community Crisis Center is required and parents must take their own photos.

PARADE ENTERTAINMENT

The City of Elgin’s Fourth of July Parade also boasts an assemblage of some of the area's finest parade entertainment sure to thrill parade-goers both young and young at heart, including:

South Shore Drill Team
The Jesse White Tumblers
Crystal Lake Strikers
Big Shoulders Brass Band
Medinah Motor Corps
Dundee Scottish Pipe Band
Kane County Mounted Rangers
Matt Wilhelm and Next Level BMX Team
Those Funny Little People
U-46 Bands from Streamwood High School, South Elgin High School, Larkin High School and Elgin High School
Tebala Shriners Blue Haze Mini Choppers, Mini Bikes and Big Wheels

STREET CLOSURES

Please be advised that Kimball Street will be shut down from Brook to Center streets from 8:45AM until the parade completely disbands around 11:30AM. Parking is available at the south end of the parade route in the free downtown parking lots and garages and at the north end in the Sherman Health Immediate Care surface lot and along neighboring streets.

VOLUNTEERS

The parade would not be possible without the efforts of dozens of community volunteers. The Fourth of July Parade Committee is still seeking additional volunteers for the day of the parade. Available positions include Block Captains, Gate Keepers, Parade Route Ambassadors and Set-Up/Tear-Down Crew. The approximate time commitment would be 7AM-11AM. All volunteers enjoy a Volunteer Breakfast at the Elgin Police Department Community Room, 151 Douglas Avenue, beginning at 6:15AM and a free parade t-shirt. For more information about volunteering for the Fourth of July Parade, call (847) 488-1456 or e-mail downtownelgin@gmail.com

SPONSORS

The City of Elgin, the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin and the Fourth of July Parade Committee thanks all of the generous sponsors for their support of the parade.

Sherman Health – Presenting Sponsor

Provena St. Joseph Hospital – Red Level Sponsor

Woody Buick/GMC, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. and BocaJump – White Level Sponsors

Spring Hill Gymnastics, Insure One, Kountry Pet Resort, Kids First Pediatric Dentistry, Elgin Community College, Psychosis Haunted House, Kirkpatrick, Jones & Herzog Insurance and Redmon’s Towing – Blue Level Sponsors

Harris Bank, Danny’s Pizza, Lamp Incorporated, Elgin Public House, Elgin Junior Service Board and Richard Bennett – Community Sponsors

For more information about the 2011 City of Elgin Fourth of July Parade – Presented by Sherman Health, contact the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin at (847) 488-1456, e-mail downtownelgin@gmail.com or visit DowntownElgin.com.

Elgin's Crosstown Classic Challenge Winner Announced

The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin would like to congratulate Jeff Turner and In the Neighborhood Deli, 185 Edison, as our winner of the inaugural Elgin's Crosstown Classic Challenge against Downtown Madness Champion Greg Shannon and Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago Street, in a battle for pulled pork supremacy.

After all the votes from the public were counted, In The Neighborhood Deli's Pulled Pork defeated Elgin Public House's Pulled Pork by 6 votes.

The announcement was made live on Tuesday morning's Chef Jeff and Jeff show on WRMN AM-1410.

For their victory in the Crosstown Classic Challenge, In the Neighborhood Deli now has the privilege of naming the dish that both Turner and Shannon will cook and sample at the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market on Thursday, July 14. Fans of both establishments are encouraged to come out to the market to enjoy some great food and cheer on their team once again.

It was also confirmed by the two proprietors that nearly 100 lbs. of pulled pork was sold between the two restaurants during the DNA's week-long social media promotion.

Congratulations also to Steve Knight for casting his vote for In the Neighborhood Deli. Knight's name was drawn at random from all of the winning team's votes to win a pair of White Sox tickets for the July 30 game against the Boston Red Sox at U.S. Cellular Field - courtesy of Crosstown Classic Challenge presenting sponsor, Van Galder Bus Company.

Elgin's Crosstown Classic Challenge Scoring Update - June 27

Hello again Pulled Pork fans! Are you ready to cheer your team onto victory?

It's two outs in the bottom of the ninth and things could not be any tighter in Elgin's Crosstown Classic Challenge - Presented by Van Galder Bus Company. Here's where we stand:

Elgin Public House's Pulled Pork leads In The Neighborhood Deli's Pulled Pork by 4.

Time to bring in the closer! This one is for all the marbles! Pull for your favorite pork! If you have already voted, tell all your foodie friends to rock the vote for your team! It's easy to participate:

1.) Like the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin, IL's Facebook page (and encourage your Facebook friends to do so as well)

2.) Post the following message on the DNA Facebook wall: "I love [EPH/ITN Deli's] Pulled Pork."

If you are not a Facebook user, you can vote through our online voting form at DowntownElgin.com. One vote per e-mail address only!

VOTING CLOSES MONDAY, JUNE 27 AT 11:59PM CDT!

Remember, when your team wins - you could be the winner of two tickets to the Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox game on July 30 at U.S. Cellular Field, courtesy of Van Galder Bus Company!

Stay tuned to the DNA's Facebook page and DNA blog for the latest scoring updates!

Good luck and keep those Facebook likes and votes coming!