The Metea Valley High School theater program will present “Shrek the Musical” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, and Thursday to Saturday, May 2 to 4, at the school, 1801 N. Eola Road in Aurora.
During the opening preview April 25, there will be a character meet-and-greet at 5:45 p.m. at which patrons can take photos with some of the cast members.
The show features two different lead casts as well as an understudy cast, and more than 100 people worked on the show for about three months. Each of the lead casts will perform in two shows.
“Shrek the Musical” is based on the 1990 book by William Steig, the animated film in 2001 and the Broadway adaption in 2008.
General admission is $15. Tickets for students and senior citizens are $10. Tickets can be bought online at gofan.co/app/school/IL67730?activity=Performing%20Arts.
Rummage sale set at Yorkville church
A spring rummage and bake sale will be held this Friday and Saturday at Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ, 409 Center Parkway in Yorkville.
Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
A wide selection of household goods, kitchen items, linens, toys, games, books, clothing for all ages, shoes, furniture, tools, holiday decor, collectibles, jewelry and more will be available, event organizers said.
A popular part of the two-day sale is the bake sale featuring a wide assortment of home-baked goods which sell out quickly, according to organizers.
Saturday is Bag Day when shoppers can fill a provided, brown paper grocery bag for $3. Remaining larger items that do not fit in a grocery bag may be purchased at half-price, organizers said.
Only cash or checks will be accepted as payment at the sale.
The semi-annual event is a longtime tradition at the church, officials said. Women in the church’s circle began hosting rummage sales nearly 50 years ago in the building now housing Chapel on the Green.
Proceeds from the sale will support church programs, ministries and building needs, as well as many charitable organizations that help provide for the needs of people in the Yorkville area and beyond, organizers said.
For information, call the church office at 630-553-7308.
Aurora church to hold discussion on AI
First Presbyterian Church of Aurora, 325 E. Downer Place, will host a panel discussion on artificial intelligence from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The moderator of the event will be David Goetz, associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Aurora. The panelists for the discussion will be James Kinnard, founder and CEO of Useful Group; Casey Solgos, chair of the English Language Arts Department at Metea Valley High School in Aurora; Annie Rose, director of Ministerial Support and Development for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church; and Bob Stevenson, pastor of Village Baptist Church of Aurora.
For more information about the event, call 630-844-0050 or go to http://firstpresaurora.org .
Annual Pint for Kim blood drive returns May 11
The fifth annual A Pint for Kim blood drive, held annually in honor of Naperville resident Kimberly Sandford who lost her life to cancer in 2020, will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill St. in Naperville.
A Pint for Kim is the largest blood drive in the state, organizers said. Last year, more than 600 pints of blood were collected. This year, they have increased the number of donation beds by 50% and hope about 800 people will donate, organizers said.
The event also features a car show, live music, raffles, games, food trucks, a kids’ area and other attractions, organizers said.
The event is held in memory of Sandford, who needed more than 40 blood transfusions in her final months of cancer treatment and helped plan the first event before her death.
Walk-ins are welcome, and people can register for a time slot at donate.illinois.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/5607611.
For more information, go to www.apintforkim.com.
