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Category: Fundraisers

Community Family-Friendly Featured Fundraisers

Explore Crystal Lake at night with the Night Owl Bike Ride

Raue Center appreciates The Land Conservancy’s history and help with the transition of The Night Owl Bike Ride. Originators Ron and Jackie Eberle are on the 2024 committee and sat down with us recently to share a little Night Owl History.  Please enjoy this quick trip down memory lane and we hope you’ll join us on August 3, 2024.

The Crystal Lake Night Owl Bicycle Ride has its roots in The L.A.T.E. Ride put on by the Friends of the Chicago Park District. The L.A.T.E. Ride was a fundraiser for the Chicago Park District that took place in the City of Chicago and circled the city in the late evening hours.

After participating in a number of L.A.T.E. Rides, I approached the City of Crystal Lake with the idea of hosting a similar ride in Crystal Lake in 2012. The ride’s purpose was to promote bicycling as a means of transportation within the City of Crystal Lake.

From the initial planning stages, City staff was supportive of the ride and worked with the planning group to make the ride happen. Kudos go out to the late Mayor Aaron Shepley for his enthusiasm, and to City Council Members Ellen Brady and the late Ralph Dawson for volunteering as Route Marshalls. To this day, the ride starts and ends at the Crystal Lake City Hall.

Not knowing what to expect as far as participation, the initial ride generated nearly 200 riders. The primary sponsor of the initial ride and for many years thereafter was The Land Conservancy of McHenry County and our two local bike shops, Wheel Werks and Lucky Brake.

We are excited for the Raue Center to take on the Night Owl Ride as it is one of the unique events that makes Crystal Lake A good place to live.

 

To register for Raue Center’s Night Owl Bike Ride visit
https://raceroster.com/events/2024/85921/raue-centers-night-owl-bike-ride

Family-Friendly Featured Fundraisers

THEODORE ROOSEVELT TAKES THE STAGE AT RAUE CENTER FOR THE ARTS!

<Crystal Lake>, IL – August 23, 2023 – Raue Center For The Arts is excited to announce a fundraiser for Raue Center and the Crystal Lake Library Foundation! See history come alive when scholar, writer, and historical interpreter Clay Jenkinson steps into the shoes of our 28th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt on October 21, 2023, at 7 p.m. 

 

“We are excited to be working with the Raue Center to bring Clay Jenkinson and one of his classic characters, Theodore Roosevelt, back to Crystal Lake,” said Crystal Lake Library Foundation president Terri Reece. “If you haven’t seen Clay in the past, you are in for a treat! Clay brings all the energy and enthusiasm that the 26th President had in his portrayal of Roosevelt. It’s an evening you won’t want to end.”

 

 The audience will experience Jenkinson’s great depth and talent as he reveals the many sides of America’s greatness! Jenkinson’s performances are always humorous, educational, thought-provoking and enlightening!

 

Jenkinson is known for his portrayals of multiple historical characters, including Jefferson, Roosevelt, Meriwether Lewis, J. Robert Oppenheimer and John Wesley Powell. He is also the author of nine books, including the critically acclaimed “The Character of Meriwether Lewis.” Jenkinson has also created four documentaries and has appeared in three documentaries by Ken Burns, including his most recent film, “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.”

 

A distinguished scholar of the humanities at Bismarck State College, Jenkinson has won multiple awards, including the National Humanities Medal, the highest honor awarded to a public humanities scholar in the U.S. He has also been named Humanities Scholar of the Year in Kansas, Nevada and North Dakota. Jenkinson is also the founder of the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University.

 

 

Tickets tickets for this fundraising event are $45 / $50 / $55* and may be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake. 

 

About Crystal Lake Public Library

Crystal Lake Public Library has been serving the community for 109 years! The library is located at 126 Paddock Street in Crystal Lake. Everyone who lives in the city of Crystal Lake is eligible for a library card, which provides access to books, ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music, games and a long list of online resources. Visit clpl.org for more information!

 

About Raue Center For The Arts

Raue Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 20 years, they have provided quality programming – striving to make it pertinent, available, and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional showcase theatre named for its benefactor—Lucile Raue—Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named in the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic downtown Crystal Lake, Illinois, is a gathering place for our region’s citizens and has become a true destination. 

For additional information, visit rauecenter.org, facebook.com/RaueCenter, and twitter.com/RaueCenter.

Comedy Fundraisers Sketch/Improv

ALCA Takes Center Stage with Annual Gala

featuring entertainment by Green Room Improv

The Alexander Leigh Center for Autism will take to the stage for their “Night of ImprovABILITY” annual
gala on Saturday, April 30th at the Raue Center in Crystal Lake, IL. The evening will include a silent
auction, various raffles, ALCA presentations, and will conclude with a set from Green Room Improv. In-
person tickets are $100, while a virtual viewing is offered at $50.

All proceeds from the gala will go towards helping ALCA provide an environment where children on the
autism spectrum can develop their potential; academically, emotionally, socially, communicatively, and
physically.

To purchase tickets visit https://aesbid.com/ELP/ALCA22/

The Alexander Leigh Center for Autism (ALCA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, full-day, year-round therapeutic
day school approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for children 3-21 years old with
autism spectrum disorder (ASD), OHI, multiple disabilities, developmental delay and/or intellectual
disability. ALCA currently serves students from Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry, and Will counties. It
is our mission to provide an environment where children on the autism spectrum can develop their full
potential and gain functional independence.

Event Contacts: Megg Wallen: [email protected]
JD Harshbarger: [email protected]

Contact Phone: 815-344-2522
Media Contact: Patrick Hastings: [email protected]

Fundraisers Visual Arts

Calls For Artists For Fourth Annual 6X6 PROJECT at Raue Center

Join Raue Center For The Arts as they host the 4th Annual 6×6 Project Art Auction & Exhibition on Saturday, June 25, 2022, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Raue Center For The Arts, 26 N. Williams Street, Crystal Lake.

Blank canvases are now available and anyone can be an artist! Canvases may be purchased for a $5 donation at either Raue Center’s box office at 26 William Street in downtown Crystal Lake or one of the other partner locations including Out of the Box (Crystal Lake), Brush Studio (Cary), Creative Arts Inc. (Crystal Lake), Material Things (Woodstock), and Piano Trends (Crystal Lake). The deadline to return the completed artwork is May 9, 2022. For more information on how to participate in this annual event visit rauecenter.org/6×6-project/

All artwork submitted to the 6×6 Project will be available for viewing online and can be bid on in an online auction starting June 6, 2022. Please be sure to mark your calendars for the Raue’s 6×6 Project Art Reception to be held on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at Raue Center For The Arts.

“We are so happy to be kicking off our 4th year of the 6×6 Project! More people are learning about it and excited to participate and support Raue Center,” says 6×6 Project Co-Chairperson, Michelle Nowland. “The art reception will be open to the public again in June and we plan to have Raue Center School For The Arts students performing live. I think one of the best things though is that bidding is done online so you can be anywhere in the world and bid on (and hopefully win) original art.”

Last year, over 190 unique pieces of art were up for bidding. This year, bidding for the artwork begins on June 6th at charityauction.bid/6x6project2022 and continues through the evening of the public reception at Raue Center on June 25, 2022. Several mini installations of the art will be on display at various locations, prior to the reception, including Raue Center, Countryside Flowershop, Out of the Box in Crystal Lake, and at Material Things Artisan Market in Woodstock.

All proceeds of the 6×6 Project benefit Raue Center’s educational programs, Mission Imagination, and Raue Center School For The Arts, which have been enriching the lives of over 20,000 children each year in the local community since 2001.

The 4th Annual 6×6 Project is made possible through the generous support of Raue Center donors and grantors. If you’d like more information about becoming a sponsor, please email Meredith Schaefer at [email protected]. For more information on the 6×6 Project and Raue Center’s educational programs, please visit rauecenter.org or email [email protected].

Community Fundraisers Music

THE CRYSTAL LAKE STRIKERS RETURN TO RAUE CENTER

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. – January 19, 2022 – Raue Center For The Arts is excited to welcome the Crystal Lake Strikers for “An Evening of Percussion” at 7 p.m. on February 19, 2022. Returning for the twelfth year, this community fundraiser helps the Strikers grow their educational and performing programs!

“Evening of Percussion has become an annual tradition at Raue Center. Be ready for a fun-filled, fast-paced, and exciting evening,” says Board President, Tim Paul. “We are always proud to present shows that highlight our local talent, as this presentation always does.”

Evening of Percussion will feature multiple groups of outstanding performers from all over the region, including Girls on the Drum (drumline for middle school girls), the Crystal Lake Thunder (competitive winter drumline), the Strikers All-Stars (high school drumline), the Kingpins (drumline for special needs performers), the Convergence Winter Guard and more to present a high-energy night of entertainment. The Strikers will also award scholarships to local high school students including the Tim Althoff Memorial Scholarship, the William Laskey Memorial Scholarship, and the inaugural Aaron Shepley Memorial Scholarship during the event.

The Crystal Lake Strikers was formed in the fall of 2007 when three area men sat in a local coffee shop imagining the possibility of forming an organization that would achieve the essential goals of providing a performing outlet for drummers of college-age and beyond as well as supporting and educating aspiring young performers. For more information on the organization, visit www.clstrikers.com.

This Crystal Lake favorite is sure to be a sell-out! Tickets start at $15 ($8 for students) and may be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or at 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake. For information on the Crystal Lake Strikers, visit clstrikers.com.

 

UPDATED COVID POLICY! Raue Center appreciates your help in our efforts to keep the theater a safe environment for all. As of 2.16.22 Raue Center NO LONGER requires vaccination or negative tests for entry to shows and events. Masks continue to be required while in the theater unless actively eating or drinking. For more information visit rauecenter.org/covid/

About Raue Center For The Arts
Raue Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 20 years, they have provided quality programming – striving to make it pertinent, available, and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional showcase theatre named for its benefactor—Lucile Raue—Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named on the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic downtown Crystal Lake, Illinois, is a gathering place for our region’s citizens and has become a true destination.

For additional information, visit rauecenter.org, facebook.com/RaueCenter, and twitter.com/RaueCenter.

Fundraisers

SANTA RUN RETURNS TO CRYSTAL LAKE

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (CBS) — “Ho, ho, ho,” turned into, “No, no, no,” for a charity Santa race in the northwest suburbs thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

But a year later, Santas by the hundred are set to hit the streets once again. CBS 2’s Jim Williams had a look at the preps needed to make it happen.

Upon first glance, you might think Mike Splitt was in the apparel business, or that he’s outfitting department store Santas. Nope; stacking box after box at his office, Splitt is preparing for one of Crystal Lake’s biggest events of the year.

“It’s a sea of red out here,” in downtown Crystal Lake, he said.

The McHenry County Santa Run for Kids returns in person this year on the first Sunday of December. Splitt is the race director.

“It’s a fun event. You wear the beard, wear the costume basically, all for a good cause,” he said.

The Santa Run raises money for several charities.

“We provide programs for girls from 3rd to 8th grade. It’s a running foreword that helps empower girls,” said Michelle Stien, project manager for the non-profit Girls on the Run,

Michael Neumannn said tells us his organization, Turning Point, will able to provide more help for victims of domestic violence thanks to the race.

VIEW THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE ON CBS 2 NEWS

REGISTER!

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