U-46 marching bands to present free show Thursday
School District U-46 is holding a free high school marching band showcase at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at Streamwood High School’s Millennium Field, 701 W. Schaumburg Road.
Streamwood’s band will lead the performances, followed by Elgin, Larkin, Bartlett and South Elgin high schools.
Spectators should use the entrance closest to Sutton Road to park in the student lot and enter the stadium through the gate closest to the ticket booth.
ECC sees another annual student enrollment increase
Elgin Community College recorded its sixth consecutive year of enrollment growth, with 10,461 students signd up for classes in the fall 2025 semester.
It’s a 2% bump over fall 2024, when 10,277 students were enrolled, and the school’s largest headcount since 2014, according to an ECC website post.
The steady climb is a rebound from the pandemic low enrollment of 7,882 in fall 2020. Since then, there have been year-over-year gains, representing a 33% increase over the past five years, the post said.
College officials attribute the increase to expanded academic pathways, strong support services, and the ongoing investment in career and technical education programs. ECC has also doubled the number of high school students earning college credit and seen a 112% jump in the number of students taking non-credit courses between 2023 and 2025.
Other enrollment data shows Hispanic/Latino enrollment has grown 62% since fall 2021; the number of students preparing to transfer to four-year institutions is up 57% since 2021; and Career Tech Enrollment is up 9% since fall 2024.
Elgin Public Museum seeking info on Russian samovar
Elgin Public Museum is seeking information on the origins of an antique Russian samovar, which is a metal container used to heat water, in its collection.
Museum officials have no record of when the item was received or from where it came, according to a social media post. They were able to verify that it was part of the museum collection as far back as the 1920s thanks to a postcard from that era that shows the item on display.
Anyone with information on the item is asked to contact museum Director Sharry Blazier at blazier_s@cityofelgin.org or 847-741-6655.
D300 Choral Festival being held at The Hemmens
The D300 Choral Festival will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, at The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.
Performances by the Algonquin, Carpentersville, Dundee, Hampshire and Westfield middle schools’ combined 8th grade choir and the Dundee-Crown, Harry D. Jacobs and Hampshire high schools’ combined chamber and combined varsity treble choirs will perform, according to The Hemmens website.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for anyone 62 or older, and $6 for children 12 and younger. They may be purchased in person at The Hemmens, by calling 847-931-5900 or by going online at www.hemmens.org. Online cost $11.50 and include a $3 transaction fee per order.
