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Cultural opportunities in Rolling Meadows are enlightening and unique. For instance, the Opera in Focus presents a year-round opera season in miniature. Rod puppets, the only ones of their kind, move about on the tiny intricate stage and are manipulated from below the stage floor. They are capable of very lifelike action and dramatic gestures for which opera singers are so famous. The result is the illusion of a live opera and an unforgettable experience.

Opera In Focus, 3000 Central Road, (847) 818-3220 ext. 186, www.operainfocus.com

The Rolling Meadows Library is a community center for learning, culture, and recreation. Besides its vast collection of books, magazines, CDs and tapes, the library provides 34 computer stations and programs for adults and children.

Rolling Meadows Library, 3110 Martin Lane, (847) 259-6050, www.rmlib.org

Yet another unique cultural stop is the newly built Rolling Meadows Historical Museum. Designed as a replica of the first ranch-style homes built in 1953, the museum displays historical documents, photos and furnishings of the 50's era. Visitors feel as if they have traveled back in time and into an actual home of a 1950's Rolling Meadows family. The museum is so popular that it has received the Illinois Association of Museums' Superior Achievement Award.

Rolling Meadows Historical Museum & 1950's House, (847)577-7086 www.cityrm.org/HTML/historical_museum.htm