Elgin News Digest: Free at-home COVID-19 testing kits available at fire station; Elgin Public Museum holding winter solstice event; Duke’s Blues-N-BBQ annual Food Is Love meal planned

Free BinaxNOW at-home COVID-19 testing kits are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at Elgin Fire Department Fire Station 1, 550 Summit St. Elgin.

The kits are a one-time shipment from the Kane County Health Department and will be distributed until the supply is exhausted. To be able to serve as many people as possible, the maximum allowed per family is three boxes, each of which contains two tests.

For more information, call Station 1 at 847-931-6175.

A winter solstice celebration will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Elgin Public Museum, 225 Grand Blvd. in Lords Park.

The event will feature solstice traditions from around the world and the origin stories of traditions involving holiday wreaths, yule logs, holly and ivy. The Elgin High School Madrigals will perform and, weather permitting, a fireside singalong.

Light refreshment will be served, and there will be arts and crafts projects and items for sale.

Admission is $5 per adult, $3 for museum members, $3 for children ages 3 to 12 (free if accompanied by a member), and free children 2 or younger.

For more information, email [email protected] or call 847-741-6655.

Duke’s Blues-N-BBQ in East Dundee and the nonprofit Taste the Love organization will be hosting the 7th annual Food Is Love community meal from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at Fox Valley Baptist Church, 16N562 Vista Lane, East Dundee.

The meal is free and open to all but donations of food, toys and gift cards are requested for local nonprofit agencies.

For more information, email [email protected] or call 224-587-2677.

Santa’s Village in East Dundee is sponsoring a letters to Santa contest through which four entries will will be drawn to receive a bicycle.

Letters are due by 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18.

A form letter needs to be used and can be obtained at https://rb.gy/rzfru3. Only one letter per child will be accepted.

Completed letters should be dropped off at one of four special mailboxes found at Grafelman Park, 112 N. 5th St., West Dundee; The Depot, 319 N. River St., East Dundee; Triangle Park, between East Main Street and North Wisconsin Street by Main Street Bicycles, Carpentersville; The Milk House 230 Reinking Road, Pingree Grove.

One letter from each mailbox will be chosen randomly from each mailbox to win a bicycle.

For more information, call 847-426-6751.

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