

MAHOMET — As soon as Megan Targett entered the high school field house doors, her 6-year-old, Camden Croft, darted off.
"He's been hyper since I picked him up," Targett joked. "Once we got here, he was gone."
The source of all that excitement? Friday's 13th annual Mahomet Madness fundraiser for the Mahomet-Seymour boys' basketball programs.
MAHOMET — Only one word came to mind for Jill Guth, a broker for Guth & Associates, after winning the Mahomet Area Chamber of Commerce's Overall Business of the Year award — "stunned."
MAHOMET — Abbey Houser brought daughter, Caroline Houser, to the Museum of the Grand Prairie's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration with the intent of having a "good conversation starter" with her 6-year-old.
"We talked last night before we came here about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and kindness and treating people equally," Houser said.
Gray skies were no match for the high spirits found during the joyous festivities of Village Christmas last weekend.
"God cooperated again with the weather," said Walter Pierce, director of Mahomet Area Chamber of Commerce. "The low was 38 degrees that night and 48 when we started. That's pretty good."
MAHOMET — Christmas comes but once a year, but Saturdays are good for research, and Santa knows that.
From his white chair in a building on Main Street, Saint Nick was polling kids about their top wishes, as well as handing out gift bags.
"I'm getting a lot of requests for Legos and LOLS," he said Saturday.
What's an LOL?
"I don't know," Santa admitted.
The Mahomet Area Chamber of Commerce will kick off the holiday season with Village Christmas in downtown Mahomet from Nov. 30 through Dec. 2.
The Museum of the Grand Prairie was all abuzz with more than 200 visitors for its annual Old Timey Halloween event last Friday. Mahomet resident Stan Stafford said he discovered the event while searching for Halloween activities for daughters Bianca, 9, and Daisy, 6.
"This was the first thing that popped up," he said.
With Main Street's businesses decked out in Halloween hoopla in celebration of Burgwald Eye Center's fourth annual Trunk or Treat last Friday, it's easy to see why Mike and Kayla Smith decided to plant their family roots in Mahomet.
Families with children of all ages gathered at Grace Church last Friday for the church's annual Harvest Party.
Activities included trick-or-treating, bounce houses, a magic show, a photo booth, raffle and guessing games, a cupcake walk and carnival games.
Mike Case, Grace Church's family life pastor, emphasized the event was free and open to everyone in the community.
Mahomet kicked off the first of its Halloween festivities with Mahomet Parents Network's Treats in Town Saturday. The event had businesses in the Commercial Drive, Eastwood Commons, Main Street and Oak Street areas opening their doors to trick-or-treaters and their families.
"It's kind of like a walk through for trick-or-treating," Christopher Whelchel of Mahomet said.