DECEMBER
27 SATURDAY
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“With the West Nile virus in the last couple of years, the numbers are way down,” says longtime birder Ralph Herbst of the Evanston North Shore Bird Club’s annual Christmas Bird Count, part of a larger national survey that’s been conducted by the Audubon Society since the turn of the last century. Last year between 50 and 100 volunteers showed up to tally birds; the results showed that the local crow population had dropped a dramatic 90 percent–from 3,000 to 300 birds. Today’s will cover the North Shore from Evanston to north Lake Forest and west to Palwaukee Airport. It starts at various times at various locations between sunup and sundown and concludes with a reception in Evanston. No previous birding experience is required; an optional $5 donation to the Audubon Society gets your name in the published results. For details or to register call 708-867-6660. See www.ensbc.org for information on other counts, including the less chilly option of monitoring a bird feeder in your backyard for a day.
29 MONDAY
The 82-year-old Willowbrook Ballroom in Willow Springs is one of just a handful of such vintage ballrooms remaining in the U.S. “One of the reasons it’s survived is that there’s adequate parking,” says a spokesperson. “Everyone used to take streetcars to the ballrooms in the city” in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, but “parking became a nightmare when everyone got cars.” City ballrooms, like the Aragon in Chicago, found new uses, but the Willowbrook–whose sprung maple floors are designed to have a lot of “give”–still offers dancing most evenings, including tonight at its 65th annual New Year’s Eve party. For $90 guests get a surf ‘n’ turf dinner, party favors, a midnight champagne toast, and dancing to the sounds of the Teddy Lee Orchestra; dining starts at 7 PM. If you only want to dance, you can show up at the main ballroom anytime after 9; tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. The dress is “formal or dressy.” The ballroom is at 8900 S. Archer in Willow Springs; for reservations call 708-839-1000 or go to www.willowbrookballroom.com.
