The Paramount Theatre in Kankakee will be presenting a free showing of the film “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown” next Saturday (Dec. 13) at 10 a.m. Here’s more from The Paramount:

The free holiday event is co-sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and Classic Cinemas, an independent chain on movie theatres located throughout Northern Illinois and suburban Chicago.

In addition to the free movie, Santa will make a special appearance! Families are encouraged to bring their cameras and wish lists when visiting Santa to enjoy the full Classic Cinemas holiday experience.

The Village of Bradley will be holding their 23rd annual Lighted Christmas Parade on Friday (Dec. 5). It begins at 6:30 p.m. and will travel down Broadway Street. The theme is “Let It Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.”

For more info call (815) 936-5100.

The Kankakee Valley Adult Reading and Literacy Program is holding a pancake supper/fundraiser on Tuesday. Here are the details:

When: 4-7 p.m.
Where: McDonald’s on Route 45/Main St. in Bourbonnais
Cost: $5/adult and $3/children

About the organization: “The KVARLP provides a broad range of tutoring needs for under-educated adults, which helps to make them a productive part of our community!”

On Saturday, take a trip to Wheaton to show your support for the Kankakee High School football team.

The Kays play St. Francis High School in Wheaton at 1 p.m. in the Class 5A semifinal game. It’s the first time a Kankakee team has advanced to the final four.

Don’t know where Wheaton is? Click here for a map.

You can also take a fan bus, which will leave the Kankakee High School parking lot at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Call the high school athletic office at (815) 802-5525 to sign up.

It’s a busy week for Business after Hours, with one on Wednesday and Thursday. Here are details:

• Nov. 19: Pommier Construction/Villages of Indian Meadows; 5-7 p.m.; 1301 Sioux Dr., Kankakee.
• Nov. 20: Hilton Garden Inn; 5-7 p.m., 455 Riverstone Parkway, Kankakee. In addition to the usual refreshments, hors d’oeuvres and giveaways, there will be cooking demonstrations by Chef Carlos Chagoya.

There are two great fundraising events in the area today (Nov. 14).

• The Provena Heritage Village Holiday Craft Show is being help from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Heritage Village is at 901 N. Entrance Ave. in Kankakee. One of my favorite local artists, Deborah Merten, will be there selling her custom jewelry.
• At 5 p.m., head over to Quality Inn & Suites in Bradley for the Zonta International Taste. Hours are 5 to 7 p.m., and tickets are $10 at the door. The event features numerous wines and gourmet food items to sample and purchase. I look forward to this event every year, and I think this year’s new venue will make it even better. The popular event had outgrown it’s long-time home at the Knights of Columbus.

If you can’t attend the Provena craft show, there’s also the Shop Til You Drop for Relay for Life. That’s tomorrow (Nov. 15) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Quality Inn & Suites in Bradley.

Here are the trick-or-treat hours for Kankakee, Bradley and Bourbonnais:

Bradley: 5:00-7:00pm
Bourbonnais: 5:00-7:00pm
Kankakee: 5:00-7:00pm

Need more towns? Here’s a link to a story on The Daily Journal Web site. Scroll to the bottom.

Does your youngster look adorable in his or her Halloween costume? If so, here’s a chance to show off your costumed cutie, and maybe even win a Target gift card.

All you need to compete in the “Little Ghosts & Goblins” online photo contest is a photo of your child in costume. Then go to www.myKankakeeCounty.com/win, register for the contest, and upload your photos by 12 a.m. Nov. 3. That’s when the submission period ends and public voting on all the photos begins.

If you have more than one child, go ahead and submit a photo of each of them. Then tell your friends and family about the contest so they can participate in the voting. Registered users can vote once per day.

If your photo is one of the top three vote-getters when voting concludes at 12 a.m. Nov. 10, you will win a Target gift card. The first-place prize is $50, second place is $25 and third place is $15.

The contest is sponsored by MyKankakeeCounty.com and The Daily Journal. If you have questions, contact Denise Renckens at (815) 937-3374 or drenckens@daily-journal.com.

There will be a midnight showing of “The Exorcist” at the Paramount Theatre on Oct. 31. Admission is $5 per person, and costumes are encouraged. The event is sponsored by WKAN, WXNU, & WYKT radio.

A seminar titled “UFO’s: The Secret Story” will be presented by Robert Hastings on Wednesday.

The event will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Kankakee Community College Auditorium.

Here’s more information I received:

Robert Hastings has spent the last 30 years cultivating and investigating cases involving UFOs and nuclear bases. He brings his lofty research to KCC. We’ll find out about Hastings’ background and how he decided to focus on the UFO-Nuke connection, key cases like the Malmstrom AFB case of 1967 and the Big Sur case of 1964, cases involving various levels of UFOs tampering with nuclear weapons, big picture speculation on what it all might mean, and tons more.

For more information call Sarah McIntosh-Zirkle at 815-802-8628.