🌱 Patch AM: How Crystal Lake churches can get free advanced security training next month

Coffee in hand, Crystal Lake? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How Crystal Lake churches can get free advanced security training next month
• Which Crystal Lake teams shined in this weekend's tournaments and matches?
• When Crystal Lake demolitions once shared the front page with 9/11 coverage

Also on today's calendar: Police Badges & Watch Fobs Auction and 10 more events.

Today's riddle: What do an island and the letter "t" have in common? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Sunday: Some rain and a thunderstorm, with a high of 66 and low of 59 degrees.
• Monday: A couple of showers, temps: high: 64, low: 53.
• Tuesday: Breezy in the morning, with a high of 62 and low of 50 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Two Free In Person Church Security Classes This October (christianwarriortraining.com) — Crystal Lake churches can attend a free in‑person security and de‑escalation training on Saturday, October 10, at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Pathway Court. The four‑hour morning class covers threat recognition, emergency planning, use‑of‑force considerations, and coordination with police. Local pastors, volunteers, ushers, and safety team members are encouraged to register in advance with a promo code for free admission.
   

• Prairie Ridge's Tegan Vrbancic surpasses 1,000 career digs: Saturday's Northwest Herald roundup (shawlocal.com) — Crystal Lake athletes had a busy weekend, with Crystal Lake Central's volleyball and tennis teams both posting strong tournament and conference results, and Crystal Lake South competing in soccer and tennis. Local standouts included Central's Jordyn Johnson and undefeated Tigers tennis doubles teams, plus South's Noah Duntemann making 11 saves in a tight soccer loss. It's a snapshot of how several Crystal Lake programs are shaping up this season.
   

• Historical covers for Sept. 19: Heart of business block is gutted by fire (shawlocal.com) — Crystal Lake readers get a nostalgic nod in this look back at Sept. 19 front pages, including a 2001 Northwest Herald that paired post‑9/11 national coverage with local stories on Crystal Lake building demolitions and county redistricting. The piece also revisits a 1936 downtown fire in Streator, a 1967 DeKalb referendum, and a 2008 Morris homecoming, showing how local papers have long chronicled pivotal community moments.
   

📸 Around Crystal Lake

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Crystal Lake

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★ Featured events ★

Tuesday September 22
• Police Badges & Watch Fobs Auction →
  Online Only,
  10:00 am
Thursday September 24
• Classic Collectibles Auction - ONLINE ONLY →
  Online Only,
  10:00 am
Saturday September 26
• 51st Annual Art in the Barn →
  Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, 450 IL-22, Barrington
  10:00 am
Thursday October 8
• Harvest & Halloween Cardmaking Workshop →
  McHenry Recreation Center, 3636 Municipal Dr, McHenry
  6:00 pm
Saturday October 17
• The Wellness Retreat: A Festival Where Mind, Body, and Music Meet →
  1521 S. Linn White Dr., Northerly Island, Chicago, IL 60605,
  11:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Sunday September 20
• Autumn Equinox Guided Forest Bathing Walk →
  Yonder Prairie Nature Preserve, 1143 S Rose Farm Rd, Woodstock
  10:00 am
Wednesday September 23
• Fall Warblers Bird Walk →
  Crowley Oaks Preserve - The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, 18906 Crowley Rd, Harvard
  7:30 am
• Pollinator-Friendly Fall Garden Care →
  Food Shed Co-op, 2390 Lake Shore Dr, Woodstock
  6:30 pm
Thursday September 24
• Help TLC Collect Native Seed for Restoration →
  1304 Deerpass Rd, Marengo
  1:00 pm
Friday September 25
• 4th Fridays Art Event at The Dole →
  The Dole, 401 Country Club Rd, Crystal Lake
  6:00 pm
• The Dave Matthews Tribute Band →
  Raue Center For The Arts, 26 N Williams St, Crystal Lake
  8:00 pm
Saturday September 26
• Lake County Fall Boat Show →
  Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E Peterson Rd, Grayslake
  10:00 am
• Johnny Appleseed 2026 Festival →
  Depot Park, Crystal Lake
  10:00 am

📣 Crystal Lake Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Crystal Lake PatchAM possible:

• Springbrook Community Church — (224) 569-3300
• Crystal Lake Christian Church — (815) 459-9350

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Hopefully this reaches folks located in the northwest suburban area.
  Looking to continue to hire some people for some very light electrical work. Installing switches, outlets, detectors and small fixtures in the… (Nextdoor Crystal Lake Cov)
• Every night at 6 o'clock sharp, I hear a single howl from a coyote.
  Does anyone else hear it? It's been happening for several weeks. I'm on Lincoln Parkway. (Nextdoor Downtown)

• Aerotek posted a job opening for Machine Operator in Crystal Lake. Apply here.
• CROSSMARK posted a job opening for Retail Inventory Specialist - Part Time in Crystal Lake. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Crystal Lake here.

🗞 Nearby News

Algonquin

• Men's Tennis Sends Three To ITA All-American Championships (daytonflyers.com)

McHenry

• E85 gas at $2.74 per gallon in McHenry County in week ending Sept. 12 (mchenrytimes.com)
• These residential properties were the best deals for McHenry County's in the week of Sept. 7 (shawlocal.com)
• McHenry County sheriff says marine unit 'cannot be everywhere' after report found no weekend patrols before fatal boat crash (lakemchenryscanner.com)

Ok Crystal Lake! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: They are both in the middle of water. (Thank you Curt K. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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