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Folk music and history: 3 p.m. Monday, March 6, at McHenry County Historical Society Museum, 6422 Main St., Union. Musician, author, and cultural historian Bucky Halker will present “Ain’t Got a Dollar: Illinois Workers and Protest Songs, 1865-1965.” Halker uses a blend of performance, audience participation, commentary and discussion as he reviews a century of songs from Illinois workers. Part of the museum’s 31st annual Sampler Lecture Series. Tickets are $30-35 for the series or $10 individually. Call (815) 923-2267 or visit www.GotHistory.org.
• Lenten music series: Taize worship will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, at First Congregational Church of Elgin, 256 E. Chicago St. The church’s Lenten Music Series includes organist YollandaBornhoff at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 12. At 3 p.m. Sunday, March 19, the featured performers will be the Naperville Chamber Players. On Sunday, March 26, tenor Jonathan Larson and pianist Stephen Uhl will perform “Arias & Art Songs” at 3 p.m. On Friday, April 14, the FCC Chancel Choir will present “The Crucifixion” at noon. Free. Visit www.fcc-elgin.org or call (847) 741-4045.
Kane County Audubon Society: 7 p.m. at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, St. Charles. The presentation will be “Butterflies of Illinois” by Susan Post and Michael Jeffords. There also will be a raffle, recent bird sightings and good companionship. The public is invited. Hickory Knolls Discovery Center is located in James O. Breen Community Park, Campton Hills and Peck roads in St. Charles, with entrances off both roads. The building is at the far west end of the parking lot. For information, call Bob Andrini at (630) 584-8386. Visit www.kanecountyaudubon.org.
“The Normal Heart”: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, March 9-11, 16-18, 23-25 in the Black Box Theatre in Building E, off parking lot C, McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake. “The Normal Heart” is a drama about public and private indifference to the AIDS plague and one man’s lonely fight to awaken the world to the crisis. Tickets are $10 for students, MCC employees, seniors and alumni and $15 for general public. This play contains adult language and subject matter. For reservations, call (815) 455-8746 or email jgeller@mchenry.edu.
• Fish fry in Dundee: 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays at Tri-City Evergreen Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2298, 117 S. First St., West Dundee. Includes beer-battered fish fry, shrimp, battered scallops, burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, appetizers. Dine in or carry out. For lobster tail, phone ahead by Thursday evenings at (847) 428-9006.
• Independent Players drama: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, March 10-11, and 17-18 at Elgin Art Showcase, in the Professional Building at 164 Division St., Elgin. “Eleemosynary,” written by Lee Blessing, focuses on the dysfunctional relationships of three generations of women. Tickets are $15 for adults, seniors $12, students $10. independentplayer.org.
• “Incorruptible”: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, March 10, 11, 12, 17 and 18, at Batavia Government Center, third floor, 100 North Island Ave., Batavia. Albright Theatre Company presents a slapstick medieval farce featuring monks, saints, minstrels and holy relics. Tickets: $15 adults, $12 students and seniors. Rated PG-13. Info: (630) 406-8838, albrighttheatre.com
• Carpentersville Penny Social: 5 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the Carpentersville Moose Family Center, 309 Lake Marian Road. Doors open at 5 p.m., with food available for purchase. The raffle starts at 7 p.m. Everyone leaves with something. Only 50 cents to get in the door. Call (847) 426-8441.
• Kilted 5K and Walk: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 11, starting and finishing at Lifeline Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, 296 Williams Place, East Dundee, Part of East Dundee’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Proceeds benefit FISH Food Pantry and Friends of the Fox River. Registration, $45, ends March 9. Visit runsignup.com/Race/IL/Dundee/Kilted5K/.
• 60th Spring Fox Valley Antique Show and Sale: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 11 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 12 at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. It will feature authentic antiques offered by 55 dealers from 14 states, which are exhibited indoors. There is a catered lunch. Admission is $10. It benefits Chicago Suburban Antiques Dealers Association, a nonprofit organization offering local historical and educational endeavors. Info: CSADA.com.
• Festival of the Sugar Maples: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, March 11-12, Coral Woods Conservation Area, 7400 Somerset Drive, Marengo. McHenry County Conservation District offers an all-ages opportunity to learn the history of maple sugaring and the evolution of the sap collection process. Tours begin every 15 minutes, last approximately one hour and involve a half-mile hike through the woods. Call (815) 479-5779 or visit www.MCCDistrict.org.
• St. Patrick’s Day parades: Get your green on in East Dundee or St. Charles on Saturday, March 11. The Thom McNamee Memorial St. Patrick’s Day Parade in East Dundee steps off at 11 a.m. and will march south from Wenholz Avenue and Water Street and then East on Barrington Avenue and then South on River Street, ending at Jackson Street. Info: www.dundeestpats.com. In St. Charles, the parade begins at 2 p.m. and runs along Main Street/Route 64, featuring Irish dancers, Irish music and floats. Info: www.downtownstcharles.org.
• H.E.L.P. cat adoption: noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 11, in the space adjoining Animal House Veterinary Hospital, 2079 Route 38, St. Charles. The entrance, at 2081 Route 38, is near the side entrance to the hospital. Adoption fees vary depending on the age of the cat, and includes spaying or neutering, updated vaccinations, treatment for parasites and microchipping. All adopters will be screened, and renters should bring a copy of their lease or letter from their landlord stating pets are allowed. Info: helpinganimals.org or email orkiddoc@aol.com.
• Maple Sugaring Days: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 11-12, at Creek Bend Nature Center, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles. Forest Preserve District of Kane County naturalists will show how to tap a maple tree, and you’ll have the opportunity to try your hand at drilling and setting your own tap. Simmer sap over an open fire and watch as it thickens to syrup. There will be a “Sugarin’ Time” hike to learn how to distinguish maples from other species of hardwood trees. Free. Call (630) 444-3190 or visit www.kaneforest.com.
• Anderson Animal Shelter’s St. Patrick’s Day 5K: 9 a.m. Sunday, March 12, in South Elgin. Starting at SEBA Park in South Elgin, the route will follow the scenic Fox River Trail. Runners, walkers, dogs are all welcome to participate. Info and registration: www.stpatsday.5k.run.
• Batavia Depot Museum expansion kicks off: 2 p.m. Sunday, March 12, at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. The Batavia Historical Society celebrates Batavia’s past, present and future at the kickoff celebration for the Batavia Depot Museum expansion project. Learn about the project and other new programs, including the new History Heroes program for kids at the Depot Museum, at this event. Info: bataviahistoricalsociety.org.
• St. Patrick’s Day concert: 2 p.m. Sunday, March 12, at the St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. Sixth Ave. This performance of the library’s Sunday Concert Series will feature folk and traditional music with Irish baritone Gavin Coyle, flutist Carlyn Lloyd and pianist Jon Warfel. Free. Info: www.stcharleslibrary.org or (630) 584-0076.
St. Patrick’s Day concert at MCC: 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, Luecht Conference Center, McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake. Following a return performance of the McNulty Irish Dancers, MCC music instructor Pat Gaughan highlights the concert with traditional and Irish favorites, performed with duet partner, L.J. Slavin. Free. Info: www.mchenry.edu/artevents.
• ESPN’s Lester Munson: noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 16 in the Founders Room at Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. Part of the library’s “Books Between Bites” series. Munson will discuss the following books: “The Last Innocents” by Michael Leahy, which explores societal and racial issues in Major League Baseball; and “All the Way: My Life on Ice” by Jordin Tootoo, an honest and sincere account of a hockey player of Inuk descent who fought alcoholism on his road to the National Hockey League. Free, no registration. Lunch items, beverages and baked goods can be purchased at Chapters Coffee House & Café by calling (630) 406-8005. Visit booksbetweenbites.com.
• “This is Not What I Ordered”: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 16, to Saturday, March 18, and 5 p.m. Sunday, March 19, at Playhouse 38, 321 Stevens St., Suite P, Geneva. Enjoy a night out with a funny and touching play about finding love. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Info: www.genevaparks.org.
Maple Park fish and chicken fry: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 17, at the Maple Park American Legion Post 312, 302 Main St. It features various seafood, chicken, fries, baked beans, German potato salad, coleslaw and dessert. Cost is $13, $11 for those 62 and older, $9 for those 12 and younger. Carryout is $13. The fish fry is held the third Friday of every month, except December. Call (815) 827-3536 or visit mapleparklegion.com.
• Cary craft and vendor show: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 18 at the Cary Park District Community Center, 255 Briargate Road, Cary. Admission is free. Spaces are available to sell your crafts and other products at the show. Register at the Community Center. Call (847) 639-6100 or visit carypark.com.
• Chicago Home Show: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 18-19, Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. Exhibitors include remodeling contractors, repair services, and products for interior, exterior, landscaping and more. Free admission and parking. www.chicagohomeshows.net.
Learn about skunk cabbage: 10 to 11 a.m. Sunday, March 19, at Tomo Chi-Chi Knolls, 40W095 Freeman Road, Gilberts. Free; registration is required. Call (630) 444-3190 or email programs@kaneforest.com to register. Visit www.kaneforest.com.
Fish fry in Algonquin: 5 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays, March 24 and April 7, at the St. Margaret Mary Ministry Center, 111 S. Hubbard St., Algonquin. Hosted by Knights of Columbus Council 11091, the meal features all-you-can-eat fried cod and perch, baked tilapia, sauteed shrimp and pasta, Big Bang Shrimp Po’boy, grilled cheese, soups and fixings. Cost is $12, $10 for seniors or $5 for children. Carryouts are available. Contact Greg Freund at (847) 907-0330 or gtofreund@yahoo.com. Visit kofc11091.org.
Feathered friends: 10-11 a.m. Thursday, March 30, Creek Bend Nature Center, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles. Learn basics of bird identification — what to look for, how to find birds by silhouette, shape, size, behavior and song. Free. Advance registration is required. Call (630) 444-3190 or email programs@kane forest.com to register.
