Your Weekend Top 5

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Barn tour - The Whiteside County Barn Tour, featuring historically unique barns located in the Morrison area of Whiteside County, takes place Saturday and Sunday.

Throughout the Midwest, historians are lamenting the disappearance of these sentinels of the prairie, and the sentimental response to the plight of dying barns goes beyond the rustic appeal of the architecture.

The Whiteside County Barn Tour will feature a variety of barn architecture styles, and knowledgeable tour guides will be located at each farm.

The tour begins at 9 a.m. at the Whiteside County Farm Bureau office located at 100 E. Knox St., Morrison, both days.

Admission is $15 per vehicle and includes a tour booklet and route map.

Also taking place during the weekend will be the Rock Falls Community Cookout sponsored by the Rock Falls Chamber. The meal will feature bison and elk burgers, pork chop sandwiches and alligator brats.

The cookout will be held at Jeff Bright RV Center, 2109 Industrial Road, Rock Falls. Antique farm tractors will be on display.

For more information on the barn tour, call toll-free 877-629-3276 or visit www.rockfallschamber.com online.

Tour de Health - ROCK FALLS – CGH Health Foundation’s Tour de Health bike ride hits the road Saturday, starting at Rock Falls Middle School. There will be three rides – a 62-mile loop that starts at 8 a.m.; a 29-mile loop that starts at 9 a.m., and a 7-mile family loop that starts at 10 a.m. The cost is $30 for the first two, and $3 a person for the family ride. Register between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. at Rock Falls Middle School, 1701 12th Ave., the morning of the race, or ahead of time at www.cghmc.com/tourdehealth or at the CGH Medical Center lobby, 100 E. LeFevre, Sterling.

For more information, call Jim McPherson at 815-622-7948, or Teresa Smith at 815-625-0400, ext. 4422.

Mexican history - STERLING – A program featuring two historic documents connected to Mexico’s independence from Spain will be offered at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Latin American Social Club, 2708 W. Fourth St.

Francisco Vega of Grand Rapids, Mich., a descendant of Gens. Antonio and Santiago Tapia, will speak. The generals played important roles during the war with Spain and the Battle of Puebla in the French-Mexican War.

Vega will talk about historic awareness and the struggles of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the United States. The Mexican consul general in Chicago has been invited to the event.

The event is free; donations will be accepted.

For more information about the program, call Manuel Garcia, 815-625-5065.

Race against Racism - STERLING – Join the YWCA of the Sauk Valley in racing against racism Saturday at its annual 5K run/walk.

This event begins at 8 a.m. at Westwood Trails, and is open to everyone, age 11 and up.

The cost is $25. Proceeds will fund YWCA community programs designed to achieve its mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.

There will be a free Unity Run for children 10 and younger at 7:45 a.m.

For more information, call 815-625-0333.

Windmills in Fulton - FULTON – Henk Hielema will give a free presentation on Groningen windmills at 6:30 tonight at City Hall, 415 11th Ave. Hielema and his wife, June Hielema, built a collection of 21 windmills – models of those in several European countries – and donated it to Fulton. It will be housed at the new Windmill Cultural Center, which will open in the fall across the street from de Immigrant.

For more information, call Heidi Kolk, 815-589-3160.