April 4: Heritage Corridor Announcement, How to Win 2 Tickets to Great America

1. State to Pay for Heritage Corridor Study

Officials are expected to announced Monday morning that the Illinois Department of Transportation has set aside funding for a study on increasing Metra service on the Heritage Corridor Line, which stops in Lemont. U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), who has been working on expanding commuter service, will hold a press conference in Willow Springs, along with officials from IDOT and Metra.

Check Patch this afternoon for the complete story.

2. Create Recycled Art for a Chance to Win Great America Tickets

In honor of Earth Day later this month, Lemont Patch and Woodridge Patch are holding a . Editors Amanda Luevano and Melissa Tussing will judge creativity, use of recycled materials and overall quality to determine the winner of two tickets to Six Flags Great America. All entries must be received by April 22.

3. "Community Is..." Open House

An open house will be held Wednesday at the Lemont Center for the Arts, 1243 State St., to showcase works from the . Recently, children from District 113A, Everest Academy, St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick's School and St. Cyril & Methodius participated in  the program, creating works of art in several categories. The community is invited to attend the open house from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to view the works and honor the first-through third-place recipients.

4. Design Your Own Book Cover Contest

In honor of National Library Week, the , 50 E. Wend St., is holding a Design Your Own Book Cover contest for kids ages 5 to 11. Covers can be of real or made up books. All designs must be submitted by Thursday, April 7, so they can be displayed during National Book Week, April 10-17. For more information, call 630-257-6541.

5. Weekly Facebook Plug

Just in case you haven't heard, Lemont Patch has a pretty sweet Facebook page. In addition to interacting with fans throughout the day, Local Editor Amanda Luevano posts hourly updates with story links, news briefs, and shout-outs to local businesses and organizations. If we haven't convinced you to become a fan yet, here are .