We can enjoy the traditional end of Summer celebration in Yorkville by celebrating seniors with Senior Services Associates, Inc. at its annual Big Band & BBQ under the big top Thursday, Aug. 31!
The Big Band & BBQ fundraiser has become a tradition for the Yorkville office of Senior Services. The event is now in its seventh year.
The 2023 Hometown Days Festival offers entertainment for residents of all ages, in an easily accessible level area at the Beecher Center, 908 Game Farm Road, in Yorkville. There are unique attractions at the festival too, including the Ultimate Air Dogs Competition, a Strut Your Mutt Competition, a Hometown Pinewood Derby, the Junior Women’s Club Fall Craft Show, the Pride and Joy Car Show, and the Big Band & BBQ. They have an exciting lineup of musical entertainment starting Friday, and continuing through the weekend, including bands such as Sixteen Candles, Canadian Christian musician and songwriter Jordan St Cyr, American English, Maggie Speaks, 7th Heaven, and Hi Infidelity. Admission to the festival is free, and more festival information is available at https://www.yorkville.il.us/459/Hometown-Days-Festival
The Senior Services Big Band & BBQ event starts everything off under the big top Thursday evening, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. August 31. BBQ Dinners are $18/individual or $32 for two dinners. Diners have a choice of two pork chops, half a barbecued chicken, or a combination of one pork chop and a quarter chicken. The Yorkville Big Band takes the stage at 5 p.m.. Thursday evening performing classic hits on the stage under the big top. Purchase dinner tickets at the Beecher Community Center (908 Game Farm Rd, Yorkville), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by calling 630-553-5777.
The Yorkville Big Band, well-known for performing hits from the 1950s and 1960s, consists of 18 players and vocalist, Dean Potter. They perform regularly on the third Sunday of every month (September through May) at the Yorkville American Legion. The Hometown Days big top tent offers a great venue for the performance that diners of all ages have enjoyed for years.
Senior Services Associates, Inc. is a non-profit agency dedicated to sustaining and improving the quality of life of individuals aged 60 and older and their caregivers by providing access to the social services they need. Senior Services helps older adults and their families in a variety of ways including with Information & Assistance, access to home delivered meals, caregiver services, ombudsman services, care coordination, adult protective services, and a busy activity schedule at their community centers. Dedicated to preserving their independence of older adults, promoting mental and physical well-being, and protecting their rights and dignity, Senior Services stays up to date on issues affecting older adults, and offers activities year-round to help older adults live their best life in happiness and independence.
The Big Band& BBQ is just one of the fundraisers Senior Services holds annually to help them offer services to older adults and their caregivers throughout their three-county region. Each year, Senior Services Associates is host to a Pie Auction just before Thanksgiving in Kane County, a springtime fashion show in Crystal Lake, and a gala event at the start of the calendar year in Elgin. Senior Services Associates, Inc. receives support from the agency on aging, Age Guide, from several community-based organizations such as, The Fox Valley United Way, the Community Foundation of Fox River Valley, the Kendall County 708 Community Mental Health Board, and other funders in each of the counties they serve, as well as through grants for some of their special programs.
More information about services offered through Seniors Services Associates is available online at https://seniorservicesassoc.org or by calling their office Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 630-553-5777.
Barb Nadeau is the Mobility & Community Relations manager for Voluntary Action Center of Northern Illinois, representing five counties. Barb’s career includes many years as a professional television and radio host, as well as a print and social media journalist, and as a volunteer coordination professional, networking among non-profit social service agencies throughout Illinois. She is a freelance writer and an elected alderman in the City of Plano. Contact Barb at bvnadeau@gmail.com.