5 Things to Do: Grab some sweet tastes, sips with Ottawa, Utica events

Here are five things to do this weekend:

Sweet Stroll: Stroll through downtown Ottawa and visit a variety of local businesses between noon and 4 p.m. Saturday. Each participating business will offer a unique confection or cookie. Warm up with samples of hot drinks to complement the treats. A $55 family ticket includes 12 confections and cookies, a keepsake ceramic mug, kids crafts and photo opportunities. Extra mugs are $5. Participants must buy tickets in advance from the Ottawa Downtown Association.

Winter Wine Walk: Enjoy wine, food, shopping and other activities at locations throughout Utica from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available on eventbrite.com. The cost is $25 and includes a souvenir glass, passport and eight tasting tickets. Visit all the locations listed on the passport and enjoy wine and food tastings. Walk between the tasting stops or ride the free trolley bus between stops. This is an open-house-type format. Check in at any time that is convenient, and visit the locations in any order. Mill Street will be closed during the event, with two fire pits set up for warming. Additional tasting tickets are available for $1.25 each at check-in the day of the event at August Hill Winery and Roxie’s Sweet Confections.

Author visit: Ladd Public Library will host a meet-and-greet with Noah and Julie Hollinger at 11 a.m. Saturday to learn all about their book, “Mangiamo!” Noah Hollinger is an author from Ladd who focuses on writing for young readers, particularly in the fantasy genre. He has a degree in creative writing for entertainment from Full Sail University out of Winter Park, Florida. He set out to write a children’s picture book with his mother, Julie Hollinger, as an homage to both his grandma (Noni) and the Illinois Valley’s Italian heritage. Julie Hollinger is a native of Ladd. She first got the idea of writing a keepsake picture book about memories of her father, Bill Pozzi Sr., to be printed as a gift for her two children, nieces and nephews. After completing this personal project, she asked her son Noah for help with a second book as a special project based on her mother, Joan Pozzi, to be released and sold to the public. The program is free. Stop by or call the Ladd Public Library at 815-894-3254 to register in advance. Walk-ins are welcome at 125 N. Main St.

Big Game Vegas Night: The Marseilles Lions Club, 511 Commercial St., will host a watch party from 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday for the Super Bowl. A purchase of a $50 square will come with a dinner including fried chicken, raviolis, spaghetti, lettuce, salad, bread and dessert. Refreshments will be served.

Tails on the Trails: Take your pet to the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday and make a painted paw print on a canvas. The group will meet at Sunset Shelter (Canyonside Cabin in case of severe weather). Art supplies will be provided. Walk-ins are welcome. Additionally, take the “Pet Pledge” and get a certificate for your pet. Organizers ask that participants pick up their pet’s waste, leash every time and stay on the trails. The cost is $15 per person.

Would you like your event highlighted in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to the Illinois Valley’s community calendar at shawlocal.com/illinois-valley/local-events.