Downtown Neighborhood Association joins Illinois Main Street network Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin has become a member of Illinois Main Street, a nonprofit that works with municipalities across the state to foster local economic development and enhance quality of life. The organization is part of Main Street America, which works to improve downtowns across the country, according to a news release. DNA worked with the group last year to put together a new strategic plan, Executive Director Jennifer Fukala said. “This year we look forward to working with Illinois Main Street to bring recommendations from that plan to fruition,” she said. For more information, go to www.ilmainstreet.org. Carpentersville police receives another year of federal grant funding The Carpentersville Police Department has been awarded a federal Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program grant to conduct traffic safety enforcement campaigns, officials said. It’s the second consecutive year the department was allocated STEP funds, according to Tania Gomez, assistant to the Carpentersville village manager. This year the amount received was $55,000; in 2025, it will be $73,000, she said. During the current STEP grant year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, the department has been using the money to do additional traffic enforcement to catch people who are speeding, driving impaired, using electronic devices, failing to yield, disobeying traffic control signals and not wearing seat belts, a village news release said. STEP grant money comes from federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Randall Oaks holding kite fly, kite giveaway event Saturday A kite flying event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 27, at the Randall Oaks Recreation Center, 500 N. Randall Road in West Dundee. People are invited to bring their own kites or pick one up for free while supplies last, according to the Dundee Township Park District website. A truck from La Catrina Catering will be onsite to sell food and beverages. The event is part of Flying 4 Kids, a statewide initiative to promote park districts, recreation agencies and the state’s park district youth license plate. For more information, go to www.dtpd.org/kite-fly. Tree planting event being held Saturday at Elgin Public Museum Elgin Public Museum will hold a tree planting for Arbor Day and Earth Month at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 27, at its 225 Grand Blvd. building in Lords Park. The tree is being dedicated to longtime museum volunteer and educator Marge Fox, who died in December 2022, according to a news release. Those who attend will be admitted to the museum free of charge. Davey Tree will have an information table inside the building, near the “Tree-mendous: The Trees of Lords Park” exhibit, which it sponsors. For more information, call 847-741-6655 or email blazier_s@cityofelgin.org.