Weekend events for Friday, June 3 through Sunday, June 5

Friday, June 3

The Belvidere Park will open up Doty Park Splash Pad at noon. Join the park district for lunch and splash pad fun. For more information, call (815) 547-9557.

Saturday, June 4

The American Cancer Society will host Relay for Life Boone County from 4 p.m. to midnight at the Boone County Fairgrounds. For more information, go to www.relayforlife.org/booneil.

Neil Diamond tribute artist, Denny Diamond, will perform at First United Methodist Church at 610 Bonus Ave. in Belvidere. The performance will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door. Proceeds will go to support camp for foster children. For more information, visit www.belvidere.royalfamilykids.org.

Sgt. P’s Lapghans for Veterans will present an hour song and dance variety show, called “Senior Follies” that will take place at Heritage Woods, located at 4730 Squaw Prairie Road in Belvidere. The variety show will feature singing, dancing, and comedic performances by area seniors. Guests who would like to support Sergeant P’s Lapghans, a non-profit organization that provides lap-afghans to retired veterans who have served our country and may have become disabled or even homeless, can bring yarn, fabric, material, or a monetary donation to the show. For more information, call (815) 544-9495.

The Boone County Conservation District will host O-Fish-L-Business at Spencer Conservation Area from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free and open to children aged five to 15. Bring your own pole and tackle. Lunch will be provided along with bait and prizes. This Kids-Hooked-on-Fishing event is sponsored by the Coon Creek Casters and the Belvidere Lions Club. For more information, call (815) 547-7935.

The Ida Public Library is kicking off the 2016 Summer Reading Program from noon to 2 p.m.  The Once Upon a Summer reading event will take place at Ida Public Library’s parking lot, located at 320 N. State St. in Belvidere. This party will have games, crafts, prizes, music, and live performances that will entertain audiences of all ages.  This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome to attend.  This will be the first opportunity of the summer for kids, teens, and adults to sign up for Sumer Reading Program which will run from June 4 to Aug. 5.

Sunday, June 5

The Boone County Arts Council will kick off the summer of 2016 Concerts in the Park series at the Baltic Mill stage in the Belvidere Park at 6:30 p.m. The Groove Hotel will perform contemporary and popular jazz music. This event is sponsored by Blackhawk Bank. The Community Building Complex, located at 111 W. First St. in Belvidere will be the rain site for the concert. For more information, call (815) 544-6242.

The BYB softball teams will have their annual Ice Cream Social from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Boone County Fairgrounds. Tickets are available at the door and are only $2. Food and drinks will also be available for purchase. The event will include a raffle with tickets available on site. The drawing will occur at about 3 p.m. There will also be All Star Games for baseball and softball occurring all day.

Shattuck Grove Cemetery at Reeds Crossing in Belvidere will host a Memorial Day tribute service at 2 p.m. Music will be provided by Dan Holmes. Guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Robert R. Kopp from First Presbyterian Church will speak at the event. The Colored Guard, featuring both the American Legion and VFW Post #1461, will present a 21 Gun Salute. If inclement weather, the service will be held at Spring Township Meeting Hall on Shattuck Road.

Meyer’s Tails Up Farm will host Dog Day Out, a free event for dogs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dogs will be able to play on the 18 acre property located at 5390 Irene Road in Belvidere.

The Belvidere Police Department will once again be taking on the six-mile Torch Run to benefit the Illinois Special Olympics. This event will go on rain or shine, but no pets are allowed. The run will begin at Jack Wolf Auto Group, located at 1615 N. State St. in Belvidere. The run will then take participants to Belvidere High School where they will run around the track with Special Olympic athletes, before the participants make the run back to Jack Wolf Auto Group.  Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the run beginning at 10 a.m. Runners will keep a 10 minute mile pace with support vehicles providing transport relief for tired runners. A $20 donation is the cost for the run and to receive a T-shirt to wear during the run. As part of the fundraiser, tickets will be sold for $10 for a chance to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle. If you would like to purchase a ticket and/or sell raffle tickets, please contact:  Detective Kozlowski at (815) 547-6444 or Detective Delavan at (815) 547-6445.

The American Legion, located on Chrysler Drive in Belvidere, will host an all-you-can-eat baseball breakfast. The breakfast will consist of eggs how you want them, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, sausage, potatoes, toast, coffee, and juice. This breakfast is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. for $7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Proceeds from the breakfast will go to benefit the Belvidere Baseball Program.