“Beware the Ides of March.”

For most of you, this is a flashback to high school English class. As you labored through Shakespeare’s ye olde English, you learned that a soothsayer (i.e., a fortune-teller) had forewarned Julius Caesar to avoid the Roman Senate on March 15, 44 BC.

Caesar ignored the free advice, and his fellow senators, including his good friend Brutus, stabbed him 23 times.

Centuries later, the Ides of March remains a memorable day.

According to the Roman calendar, the 15th day in March, May, July and October as well as the 13th day in other months is known as the “Ides”; the first day of the month is the “Kalends”; and the 7th day in March, May, July and October and the 5th in the other months is called the “Nones.”

Plenty of historic events have occurred on March 15.
On March 15, 1778, Captain Cook discovered Vancouver Island in present-day British Columbia. In 1820, Maine became the 23rd state of the Union.
For car buffs, March 15, 1906, is the date that Britts Rolls, Royce and Johnson formed Rolls Royce Ltd.
Navy men know March 15, 1930, is the date of the launching of the USS Nautilus, the first streamlined Navy submarine.

On March 15, 1937, the first blood bank was established in, of all places, Chicago.

And, on this date in 1954, Walter Cronkite and Jack Parr premiered on the “CBS Morning Show.”
Something historic may happen today. Or, something may happen to you personally that will forever add the date March 15 to your memory.

For me, March 15 will always be the day that I walked our Old English Sheepdog around the block and a basset-beagle mix puppy followed me home. Now, that’s an Ides of March I’ll always remember.

To do in two days
Art lovers of all ages are invited to the 24th Annual Bloomingdale Student Art Show scheduled to open Saturday at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum, 108 S. Bloomingdale Road.

“We have approximately 300 pieces of student artwork from 15 local schools,” said Museum Curator Diane Duffy.

The collection includes creative expressions from students who attend Blackhawk, Cloverdale, DuJardin, Elise Johnson, Erickson, St. Isidore’s, St. Walter’s, Trinity Lutheran, Waterbury and Winnebago elementary schools; Marquardt Middle, Stratford Middle, Westfield Middle schools; and Glenbard North and Lake Park High Schools.

An open house reception to meet the artists will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. Itty-Bit the Clown will be there, too.

The exhibit continues through April 21.

For more information, call (630) 539-3096.

Recycle your ‘cycle’
Casey Fergus, 17, of Roselle wants to recycle your old two-wheeler.

“My uncle told me about the Working Bikes Cooperative of Chicago (www.workingbikes.org),” said the Lake Park High School junior. “They repair bikes and distribute them to needy persons.”

For Casey’s Eagle Scout project, he has organized a used bike collection from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 408 S. Rush Street, Roselle.

“I hope to collect a minimum of 30 bikes,” Casey said. “I’d like to collect around 50.”

No matter the condition of your old bike, consider adding it to Casey’s collection.

For more information, contact him at bikedrive@earthlink.net or (630) 529-4715.

Noteworthy Neighbors is a weekly column. Ideas and items for the column can be e-mailed to noteworthyneighbors@hotmail.com