This Saturday, Oct. 11, is your opportunity to make a difference at Springfield Park, 269 Springfield Drive, Bloomingdale. From 9 a.m. until noon, you can help preserve the wetlands.

Munich’s Oktoberfest is the time to eat, drink and be merry. For Roselle’s American Legion Post 1084, 344 Maple Ave., October is also a time for joyous meals, though there’s a menu variation.

What do New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, film director Steven Spielberg and astronaut James Lovell have in common? And, what will these famous folk soon share with local teens Nick Ciaglia, A.J. Fisher, Bryce Miller, Ben Stone and Greg Zurawel?

Support the troops” isn’t a tag line, it’s a life goal for Bill Wolff of Bloomingdale’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7539.

It has been seven years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Those events have forever changed who we are and how we live. The milestone reminds us to appreciate every single day.

Expect to see Elsa the dachshund, marching bands, floats, clowns and horses in Bloomingdale’s annual Septemberfest parade this Saturday, Sept. 6. The procession will begin at 11 a.m. from DuJardin School, 166 Euclid Ave. Watch as the queue heads west on Schick Road into Old Town on Bloomingdale Road.

Labor Day weekend is a time to reflect on memorable summer events — the family reunion, the stay-cation, the Beijing Olympics.

It’s soccer mom time of year. I fondly recall spending 11 autumns (not to mention a few spring seasons and some winter indoor seasons) as a soccer mom.

The Games of the XXIX Olympiad have begun. In Beijing, the race is on for the largest collection of gold medals.

The end of summer might be approaching, but there’s still plenty of hustle and bustle in and around our communities. Come together from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, to hear the Beatles tribute band, The High Strung, at the Bloomingdale Public Library, 101 Fairfield Way. The concert is free. Stop by for a listen.

It’s Taste of Roselle weekend. For 27 years, this fundraiser has helped finance village improvements, including the Miracle Field for persons with disabilities, Odlum Dog Park, the Fire Department’s thermal imaging unit and park benches.

The dog days of summer are here. It’s time to grab your camera and enter the Bark Busters Dog Days of Summer Photo Competition.

Bloomingdale has a new celebrity resident. Retired Assistant Fire Chief Bill Wolff is now the 2008-09 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Junior Vice Commander of Illinois. In 2009-10, he’ll advance to Senior Vice Commander and then Commander in 2010-11. In VFW circles, this is really big.

In 2003, Tom Norton encouraged Carolyn Simek and Gail Shulman to play in the dirt. I have it on good authority that they’re still playing.

Happy 232nd birthday, America! Today, we join together in celebrating life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.