Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, and residents of Villa Park will be voting on a referendum to allow the Villa Park Library to build a new building.

There’s still time to get out and find Halloween decorations for the house and yard. If you plan to decorate for fall, there is no better place to shop than the Pumpkin Patch at Community Congregational Church, 410 S. Cornell Ave., Villa Park. The church is running its annual Pumpkin Patch, open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 31.

International Walk to School Day was Oct. 8, and North School in Villa Park participated in this special day.

Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others — a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone can participate. Created by USA Weekend magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of October, meaning this year it will be celebrated Oct. 25.

A pot holder too close to a lit burner or a space heater left on overnight could be all it takes to start a home fire. In fact, cooking and heating are among the leading causes of home fires in the U.S., according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association.

Statistics continue to indicate that obesity in America is on the rise, in particular in children.

Longtime Villa Park resident and Ardmore School teacher Carol Nowaczyk has been named one of nine finalists for the 2008-09 Illinois Teacher of the Year award, which is part of the state’s Those Who Excel program.

September is National Library Card Sign-up Month and the Villa Park Public Library wants to make sure that you have the smartest card of all — a library card.

Mark your calendars for Oktoberfest, the annual Villa Park festival organized by the Parks and Recreation Department. This year the festival will run Thursday to Sunday, Sept. 11 to 14. Having Oktoberfest on Sunday is new this year so there will be an extra day to enjoy the activities.

Today, I’ll highlight a business familiar to all the pizza lovers in Villa Park: Billy’s Pizza Dugout, 332 E. St. Charles Road. Billy Peplowski is the hard-working owner of this pizzeria with a baseball theme. Baseball and pizza are two passions for Peplowski, so why not combine them? It’s worked very well for him. In fact, Billy’s is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Villa Park this year.

Attention all dog owners: a new business has opened in Villa Park called Bow Wow Playground. It’s a facility that will give your dog the opportunity for a play date with other dogs. You might ask why does my dog need something like this? But think about it.

Today’s column is the first in a series I will be doing highlighting local businesses. Some will be new to you and others will be familiar to you.

If you and the kids need a break from the pool scene but still want to keep cool, plan a visit to the Heritage Park Splash Pad in Oakbrook Terrace.

Today I’ve got a couple of follow-ups to write about.

It’s stating the obvious to say that we are a pizza-loving society, and facts gleamed from doing a Google search back this up. Pizza is a $32 billion per year industry. Americans eat billions of slices per year. In fact, the annual per capita pizza consumption is 23 pounds per year. Ninety-three percent of us eat at least one pizza per month.