What’s going on today

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Updated: February 19, 2012 8:07AM

Preschool information night: Parents are invited to learn more about the Naperville Park District’s preschool programs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Barn Recreation Center, 421 W. Martin Ave. Preschool staff will answer questions about the district’s two programs: Sunny Days Preschool, and Toadstools and Pollywogs Preschool. Call 630-848-5000 or visit www.napervilleparks.org.

Technology Center of DuPage open house: TCD invites the public to explore college prep for 21st century careers at its community open house from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 301 S. Swift Road, just west of I-355, between North Avenue and Army Trail Road in Addison. TCD is the career and technical education (CTE) campus for 14 DuPage County high school districts, offering juniors and seniors 21 diverse career study programs as part of the high school curriculum. Call Technology Center of DuPage at 630-691-7572 during regular school hours or visit www.tcdupage.org.

Thursday

Preschool information night: The Naperville Park District will answer questions about its preschool program from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Barn Recreation Center, Preschool Room A/B, 421 W. Martin Ave., Naperville. Visit www.napervilleparks.org or call 630-848-5000 to learn more.

WDSRA, SCARCE benefit: Jane Hodgkinson, retired WDSRA executive director, will pour drinks from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, during a special celebrity bartending event at Ivy Restaurant, 120 N. Hale St., Wheaton. Her efforts will raise money for the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association and SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education).

Arts panel: North Central College invites aspiring artists and entrepreneurs to a free panel discussion Making it in the Arts from 6 to 8 p.m. in the college’s theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St. Contact Amy Rogers at 630-637-5468 or aerogers@noctrl.edu.

Tavis Smiley at NCC: North Central College welcomes talk show host, political commentator and entrepreneur Tavis Smiley as keynote speaker for the college’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. week. Smiley’s keynote presentation, titled “America I AM: The African American Imprint,” takes place at 7 p.m. in Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave. Tickets are $10; call the box office at 630-637-7469 or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.

Early childhood speech: Parents are invited to ask questions during An Evening with the Speech Therapist from 7 to 8 p.m. at the School Readiness Center Preschool, 430 S. River Road, Naperville. Cost is $15.00 per person. Call 630-355-9141 to register.

Learn about Chinese culture: Find out the “best” of Chinese culture at 7 p.m. at the 95th Street Library. Experience a tea ceremony, enjoy tea treats, watch slides that show highlights of Chinese history and listen to an introduction of Shen Yun Performing Arts — Classic Chinese Dance and Music.

Friday

Naperville Public Library closed: The library will be closed for Staff In-Service Day. Normal operating hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will resume Saturday, Jan. 21.

Festival of Asia: Dumpling-making, kung fu-fighting, guzheng-playing and costume-wearing are just a few of the activities that will amaze, thrill and educate friends and neighbors when Benedictine University’s Asia Institute presents the fifth annual Festival of Asia from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Krasa Student Center on Benedictine’s Lisle campus. Admission to the event is $15, which includes a buffet lunch. To register, contact Benedictine University’s Asia Institute at 630-829-1163 or aschmidt@ben.edu.

World Vision speaker: Senior director with World Vision Paul Macek will speak on the subject of world hunger at North Central College noon to 1 p.m. in the Harold and Eva White Activities Center, 325 E. Benton Ave., Naperville. Call 630-637-5132.

Poetry Slam: The Union, North Central College’s weekly venue for spiritually significant music, film and art, presents New York’s Carlos Andres Gomez with other area poets and students as part of the college’s annual Martin Luther King week poetry slam. The evening begins at 7 p.m. at The Union, 129 W. Benton Ave., Naperville. Call the box office at 630-637-7469.

Saturday

Blood drive: A Heartland Blood Centers blood drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Independence Village, 1030 Aurora Ave., Naperville.

January is National Blood Donor Month. Donors will receive an $11 gift card for Oberweis Ice Cream & Dairy Stores. Schedule an appointment by calling 630-357-3922.

League of Women Voters: The Naperville group invites the community to an informational coffee from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 21, at Panera Bread, Route 59 near 95th Street, Naperville. Call Joan Norman at 630-355-2795 with questions or visit www.lwvnaperville.org.

Financial aid at Benedictine: Students and parents looking for information on how to finance their college education are invited to attend “Financial Aid 101: Understanding how to finance your education” from 10 a.m. to noon on the second floor of the Krasa Student Center at Benedictine University in Lisle. Contact the Enrollment Center at 630-829-6300 or admissions@ben.edu, or visit www.ben.edu/admissions.

Gospel Extravaganza: A collection of choirs will perform rousing spiritual pieces when North Central College presents its 24th annual Gospel Extravaganza at 7 p.m. in Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for students and senior citizens; call the North Central College box office at 630-637-7469 or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.

Yuks for Youth: The Naperville Education Foundation will host its annual Yuks for Youth night of music fundraiser featuring an evening of comedy with The Second City. The event begins with cocktails at 7 p.m., and The Second City will take the stage at 8 p.m. in North Central College’s Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Tickets are $60 a person; visit nef203.org to purchase or contact Ann Spehar at aspehar@Naperville203.org to learn more.

Electronic Recycling: SCARCE will host an event from 8:30 a.m. to noon at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 1313 N. Mill St., Naperville. Call SCARCE at 630-545-9710

Sunday, Jan. 22

Benefit concert for NAMI: Grace United Methodist Church will host a benefit concert for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of DuPage (NAMI DuPage) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at 300 E. Gartner Road, Naperville. Lyric soprano Rebecca Davis will present operatic and musical theater vignettes, joined by the Grace Church Vocal Artists. Tickets for this concert, part of The Family Concert Series at Grace UMC, are $18 for adults, $13 for seniors (65 and older), and $7.50 for students. Visit www.peopleofgrace.org/concerts or at the Grace Church office in Naperville. Advance ticket purchase is recommended.

Monday, Jan. 23

School open house: Covenant Classical School, 2035 E. 75th St., Naperville, will host an open house from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. To learn more, 630-983-7500 or office@covenantclassicalschool.org.

Christmas tree pickup: The Naperville Township Highway Department is picking up Christmas trees discarded by residents in the township’s unincorporated areas on Mondays in January. Township residents should leave their trees by the curb the night before with ornaments, tinsel and any plastic bags removed. Wreaths cannot be accepted, but may be left with the regular refuse. Call 640-978-0380.

Tuesday, Jan. 24

Leadership presentation: The Women’s Institute for Global Leadership at Benedictine University and Women in the NAACP will present “Where Do We Go from Here: A Collaborative Effort to Advance Women of Color in Leadership,” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Margaret and Harold Moser Center, 1832 Centre Point Circle in Naperville. The event is free and open to the public. To register, 630-829-6126 or womensinstitute@ben.edu.

“The Civil War in General”: Commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War (1861-1865) when celebrated artist and history enthusiast Jim Weren presents, “The Civil War in General,” from 7 to 8:15 p.m. at Naper Settlement’s Pre-Emption House Visitor Center, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville.

Thursday, Jan. 26

Naperville Township Democratic Organization: The public is invited to the organization’s next community forum at 7:30 p.m. at the city of Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St., in meeting room A on the lower level. Aurora resident Mike Barr, long-time political activist who has worked on local, state and national campaigns, including the 1988 presidential campaigns of Illinois Sen. Paul Simon and that of Sen. Eugene McCarthy in 1992, will speak. Visit napervilledemocrats.org.

Saturday, Jan. 28

Preschool open house: St. John’s Preschool is hosting an open house from 9 to 11 a.m. for new and prospective students and families at 750 Aurora Ave., Naperville. Activities include face painting, balloon animals, snacks, story telling, a craft and an obstacle course.

Wednesday, Feb. 1

On Stage Alaska: The live performance and film presentation about the last great frontier will be in Naperville for a limited engagement at The White Eagle Golf Club, 3400 Club Drive, Naperville. Light refreshments will be served at 2 p.m. and the show will start at 3 p.m. For reservations, call Fancy-Free Holidays at 630-778-7010. Visit www.fancyfreeholidays.com.

Thursday, Feb. 16

Art exhibit: North Central College opens Ana Žanic’s “Small Worlds,” an exhibit of abstract compositions with fluid forms, lines and colors. The exhibit continues through Feb. 16 in the college’s Oesterle Library Gallery, 320 E. School St. Call 630-637-5543 for gallery hours. Visit northcentralcollege.edu/show for details.

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