Will County offering free pet microshipping this month; Calvary Church plans ‘Sounds of Christmas’ concerts; Naperville Central runner finishes 36th in national race

Will County residents can have their dogs or cats microchipped for free through the end of December by the Will County Animal Control Department.

The appointment-only “Home for the Holidays” program inserts a small chip under an animal’s skin that can be scanned for information should the pet become lost and its owner needed to be found, a news release said.

The service is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the animal control office, 22452 S. Cherry Hill Road, Joliet. Pet owners will need to provide proof of their pet’s current rabies vaccination at the time of their appointment.

Appointments can be made by calling 815-462-5633 or by emailing acontrol@willcountyillinois.com.

Calvary Church of Naperville plans to host “Sounds of Christmas” musical performances at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, and 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at the church, 9S200 Illinois Route 59.

An orchestra and choir will present the free hour-long show of Christmas music, a news release said. Child care services will be available for children ages 4 and younger.

Families are welcome to come early to view the church’s Christmas Showcase from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Christmas trees representing more than 20 countries make up the display, the release said.

For more information, go to calvarynaperville.org/christmas.

Naperville Central High School senior Liv Phillips finished 36th out of 40 elite high school runners from across the nation Saturday, Dec. 9, in the 2023 Foot Locker Cross Country National Finals in San Diego.

The event is the longest-running high school cross country championship in the nation. The top 10 girls and 10 boys from each of four regional races qualified to participate in the national race.

Phillips was the only girl who qualified from the state of Illinois after placing 10th in the Midwest Regional Race Nov. 25 at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

In California, the Balboa Park course was a 1.5-mile loop that was run twice. There was a steep incline just after the mile and 2.5-mile marks and the route contained twists, turns and varied terrain, a news release said.

Phillips finished with a time of 19:08.5.

“It was an amazing experience all around,” Phillips said in a statement. “I was caught a little off guard with the big hill on the course since we don’t have many hills in Illinois. But I did the best that I could and enjoyed the overall experience in San Diego.”

Elizabeth Leachman, a sophomore from San Antonio, Texas, placed first with a time of 16:50.7.