The following letter was sent on June 2, 2018, to Mr. James M. Derwinski, CEO/Executive Director of Metra from ACTION in regards to Metra comments on the Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA)

Dear Mr. Derwinski,

On behalf of the Lake Forest Citizens for ACTION (Alliance to Control Freight Impacts on Our Neighborhoods), I am writing in response to Metra’s letter of May 18, 2018 withdrawing its original recommendation for a Third Track from south of IL Route 60 in Lake Forest to Route 176 in Rondout. While we appreciate Metra’s conclusion that the Lake Forest three-mile siding track is not needed for Metra’s “current operations,” ACTION and its supporters overwhelmingly oppose any freight-related expansion project at any time on this Metra corridor, regardless of how it is marketed, be it a “siding extension” or a “third main track.”

Metra’s “long term vision of creating a three-track corridor” would create serious safety, health and environmental hazards from the inevitable increase in dangerous and volatile freight traffic for the thousands of residents and sensitive wildlife enclaves from Lake Forest to Glenview.

ACTION supports enhanced commuter and passenger service to meet the needs of your area including many communities like Lake Forest. We believe that reducing freight traffic on this highly congested shared corridor would allow for any such expanded services by Metra and Amtrak.

A third main track that increases hazardous and harmful freight capacity along this rail corridor is in direct conflict with Metra’s On Track to Excellence Strategic Plan to “provide safe, reliable, efficient commuter rail service that enhances the economic and environmental health of northeastern Illinois.” As an alternative to constructing a costly third rail on the Metra District North (MD-N) Line, ACTION would strongly support exploring alternatives that separate commuter and freight traffic as a more permanent and safer solution than constantly trying to push more mixed use traffic through an already congested rail corridor.

ACTION would work with Metra to accomplish the safe, reliable, efficient commuter service your mission promises, recognizing the importance of securing adequate State level support to sustainthis goal. However, funding passenger rail improvements by way of expansion of freight traffic on the Milwaukee District North Line would come at the expense of the welfare of the very
passengers the mission seeks to protect.

Respectfully,
JoAnn Desmond
Lake Forest ACTION/President

CC: Robert Lansing, Mayor, City of Lake Forest
Jim Patterson, President, Village of Glenview
Harriet Rosenthal, Mayor, Village of Deerfield
Frank Rothing, President, Village of Bannockburn
Sandra Frum, President, Village of Northbrook
Randall Blankenhorn, Secretary, Illinois Department of Transportation
Beth McCluskey, Director, Office of Intermodal Project Implementation, IDOT
Kirk Dillard, Chairman, Regional Transportation Authority
Leanne Redden, Executive Director, Regional Transportation Authority

Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor represent the writers’ opinions and not necessarily those of Daily North Shore. We encourage readers to post Letters to the Editor — please use this link to do so.

LAKE FOREST – Ragdale, the artists’ retreat in Lake Forest, offers the public a special opportunity to take a self-guided tour of the recently restored, exquisitely landscaped Mayflower Ravine on Saturday, July 14 at 10:30 a.m. The experience will be enhanced by encounters with strolling musicians and artists at work along the winding paths. A garden reception will follow the tours at noon.

In 1912, Jens Jensen, the famous Midwest landscape architect, designed paths and bridges in the Mayflower Ravine as part of his landscape plan for the Rumsey Estate. Over the past century, excessive storm water scoured the streambed down five feet and destabilized the slopes. Restoration of 800 feet of the ravine occurred between 2012 and 2015, and included raising, redirecting and naturalizing the streambed back to its 1912 appearance; stabilizing the side slopes and replanting with native species; and adding paths, log bridges and a council ring, consistent with Jensen’s original plan.

Nearly 12 million pounds of stone and soil were imported. 275 native trees, 3.400 shrubs and 40,000 perennials were planted. Key collaborators on the project with the owner, Roger Deromedi, were Daniel Creaney Company (civil engineering), Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp (landscape design), John Keno & Company (construction) and Rocco Fiore & Sons (landscape).

The self-guided ravine tour takes place on Saturday, July 14 (rain date: Sunday, July 15) from 10:30AM – 12Noon, followed by a garden reception from 12Noon -1:30PM. The Mayflower Ravine and Gardens are located at the Deromedi residence, 900 East Illinois Road in Lake Forest.

Tickets are $45 with advance purchase and $60 at the door, and include the self-guided ravine tour, appetizers, beer, wine and soft drinks at the reception. Tickets can be purchased online at http://ragdale.org.

All proceeds benefit the Ragdale in Schools program and its free “Arts and Nature” workshops offered to students from Chicago to Waukegan.

Complimentary valet service is available. Flat shoes or sneakers are recommended; no heels.
Families are welcome, but the tour is not suitable for children under 12 years old.

Upon presentation of their ticket, tour guests will receive a 10% discount off their dinner at Inovasi restaurant on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14 and 10% goes to Ragdale. Inovasi restaurant is located at 28 E. Center Avenue, Lake Bluff 60044.

For further information, visit www.ragdale.org or call 847.234.1063.

Submitted by Ragdale

Ed Kugler at the 2017 Ravinia Farmers Market; photo courtesy of Ravinia Farmers Market

HIGHLAND PARK – Ed Kugler was a vendor at the first Ravinia Farmers Market in 1978, where he was referred to as the “sprout man” because he sold, well, sprouts. On June 6 when the market opens for its 40^th season, he will return in his new role as market manager.

Kugler was inspired to change his diet as a student at Michigan State University while visiting natural food stores, co-ops and vegetarian restaurants, where he learned a principle that has guided him ever since:

“You are what you eat and you have to care about the planet.”

He began college in 1970 amidst student protests of the Vietnam War, and tear-gassing at Michigan State and other college campuses.

“My revolutionary thought process was, I could change my diet by not supporting the synthetic industry anymore,” said Kugler. “I looked at all of the paper waste from the fast-food industry and the pollution of conventional food and I didn’t want to support the same industry that was supporting the war.”

Kugler opened The Sprout Shop in Highwood in 1978. The same year, he became a vendor at the inaugural Ravinia Farmers Market. He ran his shop until 1981.

Joe Palminteri, State Farm agent, explained that The Ravinia Farmers Market was created when he and Hank Newenhouse wanted to bring business to Ravinia, help farmers, and provide fresh produce to the community. The first market began with about eight vendors including three selling vegetables, two selling fruit, one mushroom stand, one sprout stand, one flower stand and the “Maytag Man.”

Palminteri ran the Farmers Market from 1978 to 2007, after which Highland Park resident Lydia Davis and her son Edward Davis took over. The Davis’ ran the Farmers Market until 2017, and Kugler took it over this year.

Below are some of the key moments that brought Kugler back to his roots:

• In 1981, he sold his sprout store to take care of his father and went into the family window cleaning and janitorial business until 1996.
• In 1997, Kugler was involved in Farm Aid by procuring donated organic natural food items during the four-day event.
• In 2008, he created the Green Market in Port Clinton Square
• In 2013, Kugler returned to the Ravinia Farmers Market.

The 2018 market features weekly live music and a larger selection of prepared food and bakery items than ever before. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch professional cooking demos, sample vendor products, and participate in different activities throughout the summer.

The are 21 vendors this year, up from 15 vendors in 2017, said Kugler. The new vendors will include Auntie Ambers Kreative Konfections, Cocina Azteca, Curt’s Café, Idle Hour Maple,  Katic Breads, Rollicking Buckaroo Pepper Jam and Wanderlust Sea Salt.

To celebrate Ravinia Farmers Market’s 40^th anniversary, every Wednesday there will be an 11 a.m. drawing. “Ravinia Festival has graciously given us lawn tickets to give away,” said Kugler.

In addition, there will be organic food baskets and gift certificates from vendors or merchants in the area.

Last year, Kugler introduced the Organic Food Market Club at the Ravinia Farmers Market at no cost. He founded the Organic Food Market Club to supply people with all varieties of organic food.

Kugler said the club is based on a per week member service fee of $5. This fee entitles members to look at the variety of crops on Monday and pick up, or have their orders delivered on Thursday.

“Many people think of organic as being high priced, but it’s not,” said Kugler. “It’s subject to price change, because it’s not used that much. Any member of the club will have the opportunity to understand what organic is. After 40 years, I’d like to be the networking conduit into the organic lifestyle.”

Robert C. Boyce is Kugler’s business partner at the Organic Teaching Garden.

“Since 2007, the Environmental Science Department at Highland Park High School has partnered with the Organic Teaching Garden to provide students with the opportunity to experience real sustainable agricultural solutions outside of the classroom. Today, the Organic Teaching Garden has taught over 1,000 students the art of SPIN (small plot-intensive) farming at home,” according to organicteachgardenhp.org/our-sponsors/ .

The name of Kugler’s booth will be the Organic Teaching Club or the Organic Food Club, with the focus on lettuce, greens, kale and heirloom tomatoes. He looks forward to seeing old friends from Highland Park at Ravinia Farmers Market.

“I’m still the ‘sprout man’ kicking it up a notch to the Organic Food Market Club,” said Kugler.

The Ravinia Farmers Market is held Wednesdays from June 6 through October 31 (closed July 4) from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jens Jensen Park.

Photo courtesy of Ravinia Farmers Market

Vendor Maytag Man at Ravinia Farmers Market. Joe Palminteri helping with the raffle of a fridge; photo courtesy of Ravinia Farmers Market

Former Ravinia Neighbors Assoc. President Don Miller; Joe Palminteri State Farm; Dan Pierce Former Mayor of Highland Park; photo courtesy of Ravinia Farmers Market

Ed Kugler at The Sprout Shop circa 1979; photo courtesy of Ed Kugler

WINNETKA – When School of Saints Faith, Hope and Charity 7th grader Aiden Lee began his science project “Invisible Fluid,” he had a hunch he could create an illusion that a glass rod submerged in liquid was invisible.

Call it a hunch, or in scientific terms, a hypothesis that turned out to be true and ultimately led Lee to claim second prize in a statewide science fair at Bradley University in Peoria, where he competed against more than 1,000 students in 7th to 12th grade. Lee originally created the science experiment with a fellow student, Tommy Enrietto, who wasn’t able to attend the science fair

The experiment involved filling three glass beakers half way with light corn syrup, vegetable oil and baby oil, and then dipping a glass rod into each beaker, Lee said. Lee was exploring which liquid would allow a glass rod to appear invisible due to light refraction angles of the glass and liquids. He hypothesized that the liquid with the closest index of refraction to the glass beaker could make the glass rod appear invisible, and he was proven correct. The beaker with vegetable oil made the glass rod appear nearly invisible, after 10 girls and 10 boys viewed the experiment.

Lee said he has always been interested in invisibility — having seen plenty of special effects in movies — and wanted to simulate invisibility in real life. After a lot of research, Lee and his partner combined two experiments that they had read about to create “Invisible Fluid.” They also spent a lot of time choosing the appropriate liquids, going through about 10 different liquids before settling on vegetable oil, baby oil and corn syrup.

Going to a large science fair was a new challenge for Lee. “It was kind of intimidating when you see the magnitude of it,” he said. The fair had rows and rows of tables where students set up their science projects.

This project was a first for him as well — Lee had never actually participated in a science fair before — and he spent a lot of time preparing. Lee carefully prepared an eye-popping board, as well as a speech that he would have to give to the judges who visited his table. After going over his research fastidiously, and reading his speech repeatedly to his mom, Lee was able to answer all of the judge’s questions.

While the experience was challenging, overall Lee found it to be fun and rewarding.

“I like researching topics and really going in-depth on a certain topic and not rushing through,” he said. Lee also enjoyed completing an experiment where he had the opportunity to test his hypothesis and observe the results like a real scientist.

Lee has always loved science and math, and he is particularly interested in physics.

“I’ve always liked science, it has always intrigued me. I like math as well and how they are tied together,” he said. While he doesn’t have any ideas yet for another science project, Lee is already thinking about competing at fairs in high school where he can continue to explore his interest in science.

“I love physics and how it affects everything in our life,” Lee said.

Aidan Lee at the Junior Academy of Sciences state fair.

Rainn Wilson in a selfie that he took while addressing New Trier Township High School’s (his alma mater) Class of 2018.
PHOTOGRAPHY FROM RAINN WILSON’S TWITTER FEED

New Trier Township High School alumnus Rainn Wilson, known to millions as Dwight K. Schrute on the U.S. version of The Office, implored his alma mater’s Class of 2018 to be change agents in the world and to use the privilege of growing up on the North Shore and attending a high school “with a dance wing, a full orchestra, eight theater productions a year and even a radio station” not to seek personal comfort and status but to help others.

Wilson graduated from New Trier 34 years ago and became famous as the “assistant (to the) regional manager” of Dunder Mifflin, a fictional paper distribution company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, that was the center of The Office during its 2005 to 2013 run on NBC. He also has starred in many movies.

In his commencement speech, Wilson spoke of his “hippie, Bohemian, Bahá’í parents,” who moved from Seattle to work at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, where he eventually got his first job — as a security guard.

He spoke of the influence New Trier and its teachers had on his life, specifically Raissa Landor, who taught Great Books, and drama instructors Michael Routenberg, who passed away in 2006, and Suzanne Adams. Landor and Adams are now retired.

Wilson said: “But my life was changed by this school not because of the facilities, although they are state of the art, not by the philosophy of the school, as comprehensive as it is, but because New Trier attracted some fierce, wonderful teachers that pushed us all to be our very best, and to think and feel as deeply as possible.”

Of Landor, he said: She “coaxed and urged and inspired us to look at the profound questions of philosophy and spirituality. She spoke with inspiration as we read Plato, Rousseau, Kant and the Bible, examining all of them for the ongoing human conversion that has been happening since we lived in caves: ‘Why are we here? Is there a God? How do we find the truth? Is there fate or free will?’ And finally, ‘What’s love got to do, got to do with it?’ “

Of Adams, he said she inspired him to pursue acting, but not until after first living:

“Ms. Suzanne Adams was a true inspiration for me, as an aspiring young artist. I started doing plays at New Trier, and found I was good at it and could make people laugh. I was incredibly insecure, and I had never met anyone in my life that had ever received a paycheck for a creating a work of art. I knew that there were people who got checks or money for writing a poem or painting a beautiful picture or being paid to act on the stage or the screen, but I had never met anyone. So it was a tremendous act of courage on my part as a skinny, pimply 17-year-old to go into Ms. Adams’ office and say to her, to implore her, do you think maybe one day, possibly, I could potentially, maybe, be an actor? And Ms. Adams’ reply was “Oh yes! Absolutely you must try! But first you must travel the world, and fall in love, and read lots of books and go to college and study everything you could possibly study. You must live a rich, wild and luscious beautiful life!”

Addressing the Class of 2018, Wilson also spoke frankly about white privilege:

“But I want to say something about this privilege. This is not something I ever want you to feel bad about. What privilege means is that we have an opportunity. We come from a life of abundance and our entitlement is not to be entitled, not to be superior, but to acknowledge our privilege and do whatever we can to help those who don’t have it. … We come from abundance and we can use this abundance to help the poor, the subjugated, to make the world a better place. We have an opportunity to create jobs, nonprofits, to help fund arts organizations, help make science make tremendous strides forward, and to use our education for the greater good rather than merely seeking personal comfort and personal status.

“So as you continue your educational journeys, your emotional journeys, your social and spiritual journeys, carry this mission with you: ‘I’m going to use what I have been given to help relieve suffering, to fight injustice, to bring light to a dark world.’

“Not so long ago, it seemed like enough to just simply want a comfortable life—a nice family, a house on the North Shore, to make a living doing something in a career you could at least tolerate, to take care of your immediate family and have a nice life. The mantra for a very long time in America was to be a good person and just don’t hurt anyone else.

“But it’s really not this way anymore, unfortunately. The world is hurting from disunity and injustice, and we need to do more. As you grow on your journey, I beg of you to seek to move beyond comfort, status, material wealth and the care of your immediate family, but to see the world as your immediate family, and your self as a change agent. It is our privilege to be change agents in this world,
to be of maximum love in this world, of maximum service, to make every school on this plant as great as the incredible New Trier High School.”

He shared a poem by the son of the founder of the Bahá’í faith: “ His name was Abdu’l-Bahá , and he said be loving fathers to the orphan, and a refuge to the helpless, and a treasury for the poor, and a cure for the ailing. Be the helpers of every victim of oppression, the patrons of the disadvantaged, thinking at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race. Do some good to every person whose path you cross and be of some benefit to him, for love is light no matter in what abode it dwelleth, and hate is darkness no matter where it may make its nest.”

And Wilson closed his speech with a quote from Dwight Kurt Schrute: “If an idiot would do a thing, do not do that thing.”

In late May former PGA Tour professional Fred Funk got his first eyeful of Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park.

The view accelerated his heartbeat.

The 61-year-old’s adrenaline flow practically matched a whitewater-rapids rate.

“I got amped up the minute the car I was in entered the grounds,” Funk told a throng of journalists May 30 at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship Media Day, held at a golf club built in 1896 — the third oldest golf club in Illinois. “Right away you notice and appreciate the history of an old venue like this one, along with the sights, the feel of it.

“I love courses like this one, courses that were built and designed before the existence of bulldozers.”

Funk and 77 other PGA TOUR Champions competitors might very well move the earth at Exmoor from July 12-15 with the shots generated by the blades of their clubs. Great shots plus thunderous applause from a multitude of spectators, after all, sometimes equals a shifting terra firma.

The Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship is one of five PGA TOUR Champions major tournaments each year, and it will be the first professional event hosted by Exmoor and the first major senior championship in the greater Chicago area since 1997. Exmoor’s par-72 tournament track covers 7,149 yards.

PGA TOUR Champions members are 50 and older.

“People who come out to watch us are shocked at our high level of play,” said Funk, who has won nine PGA TOUR Champions events, including three majors (the 2008 and 2010 JELD-WEN Tradition and the 2009 U.S. Senior Open), to go with his eight victories on the PGA Tour. “We have a dominant player in Bernhard Langer [a record 10-time PGA TOUR Champions winner from Germany], who’s doing what Tiger Woods was doing when Tiger was winning all those tournaments in the early 2000s. We have fun guys, colorful characters, with Miguel Angel Jimenez being one of the more entertaining ones. Freddie Couples, he’s our rock star; it’s too bad his injured back continues to be a time bomb.”

Players on the regular PGA TOUR, Funk noted, tend to be dead-serious during their rounds. Too focused. Robotic, even. But players vying for PGA TOUR Champions titles rarely hesitate to interact with their fans near the fairways. There’s nothing wrong with an inside-the-ropes professional golfer showing how human he is — either right after an errant shot or in between super shots. It’s not unusual for a 50- or 60-something man who made major headlines on the PGA TOUR decades ago to approach a cluster of PGA TOUR Champions spectators after a lengthy drive and crack up each of the witnesses with a lighthearted comment or two.

“We’re laid-back guys, engaging guys,” Funk said. “We love it when a lot of people watch us play. We realize how fortunate we are to be able to continue to compete on a tour.

“We look at talking with fans as a way of giving back.”

PGA Champions tour’s Fred Funk at Media Day for the WGA Constellation Tour event at Exmoor Country Club. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER/JWC MEDIA

Tammie Schallmo, Exmoor Country Club vice president; Joe Burger, Exmoor president; Dwight Ekenberg, Exmoor member and WGA director; Fred Funk; Sandy Stevenson, Exmoor member and general chairman of the club’s Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship Committee at the Media Day event. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER/JWC MEDIA

Constellation — a leading, competitive energy company providing power, natural gas and energy products and services for U.S. homes and businesses — will provide $500,000 in grants to five Chicago-areas charities focused on education, youth development and affordable housing as part of the major event at Exmoor. The five charities: Big Shoulders Fund, which supports inner-city Chicago schools and programs; Evans Scholars Foundation, which provides full-tuition college scholarships for deserving caddies; Girls in the Game, which empowers every girl to find her voice, discover her strength and lead with confidence through fun sports, health and leadership programs; Habitat for Humanity Chicago; and Special Olympics Chicago.

“Giving back to charities is what these Champions Tour events are all about,” Western Golf Association (WGA) Senior Vice President of Tournaments Vince Pellegrino said. “The most rewarding aspect of this event is being able to leave a charitable footprint in the Chicago community.

“We’re thrilled Exmoor was chosen to stage the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. We’ve had wonderful cooperation and support from the Highland Park and Highwood communities and their leaders.”

Exmoor member Dwight Ekenberg, a WGA director, served Exmoor as its president in 2013-14; his late father, Allan Ekenberg, held the post from 1996-97. Dwight, of Lincolnshire, carded his best round, 76, at his home course in 2002.

“I’m an Exmoor golf course cheerleader; I love it,” a beaming Ekenberg said of the layout, designed by Donald J. Ross in 1915 and restored by golf architect Ron Prichard in 2003. “It’s an old-school course, very fair, with everything in front of you.

The greens are deceiving.

“The membership,” he added, “is excited about this opportunity for the club. People running restaurants and hotels in the area are excited. Everybody is excited.”

Exmoor Country Club is located at 700 Vine Avenue, Highland Park. The Accenture Championship Pro-Am is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on July 11, the eve of the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. For ticket information about the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship July 12-15, visit pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/constellation-senior-players-championship/tickets.

In early 1898 in Chicago, a small group of men placed a gentlemen’s bet as to which of their yachts could reach Mackinac Island first. On August 6th of that year, two sloops and three schooners started in the race from Chicago to Mackinac Island, setting off a grand tradition which today is one of the sailing world’s most prestigious events.

This year marks the 110th running of “The Mac,” and its 120th anniversary. On Thursday evening, July 12 at 7 p.m., veteran Mac racers from the Chicago Yacht Club will be at the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society discussing the race–from the infamous gales (1911,1937,1970 and 2011), to the boats (yesterday and today), the characters on them (including Roy Disney, Ted Turner and Steve Fossett), and what life aboard is like for yesterday’s and today’s racers.

To register for this event: https://www.lflbhistory.org/event-race-mackinaw, or call 847.234.5253.

Free for LF-LB Historical Society Members, $10 for Non-Members.

Mackinac Race photo courtesy of the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff HIstorical Society

Submitted by the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society

Vivid Art Gallery will host a First Friday Art Opening for Featured Artists Matt Schaefer and Janet Trierweiler on July 6th, highlighting work that will be on display for the month of July. The opening, which runs from 5-8 PM, is open to all and is free of charge. In addition to great art, there will also be refreshments and live music.

Schaefer and Trierweiler will be presenting a joint show of new work in their exhibit Untitled.
Schaefer will be showing recent figurative pieces, while Trierweiler will be showing her newest abstract work. The two are husband and wife as well as artistic collaborators. Says Trierweiler, “Matt and I met through a recognition of a similarity in our work. Working closely and collaborating with another artist has offered incredible challenges, growth and inspiration. These real experiences and practices, such as drawing together daily, keep the process alive.” They also have taught classes together at the Evanston Art Center.

While both artists’ work has evolved over time, Schaefer’s in particular has changed during the course of his career. Initially focused on drawing, Schaefer eventually began to create abstract work inspired by Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, and Paul Gaugin, as well as the Abstract Expressionism movement that began in the 1940’s. In addition to his abstract work, Schaefer has always created figurative work, returning again and again to his first love, drawing. Says Schaefer, “Drawing was the initial expression of my desire to create something valid. It continued and threaded its way through the different mediums and styles that I used. Painting emerged as a way to decorate the drawing but I never really overcame my love for line.”

Similarly to Schaefer, Trierweiler creates both abstract and figurative work. According to Trierweiler, “I use the lines expressed in observational drawing to inform my abstract work and allow the abstract techniques to dominate in figurative painting.” Rather than focusing on the end result of her work, she emphasizes the process that goes into creating her work. Says Trierweiler, “One of my favorite methods, which I share with my students, is to start with a color study and let the process reign over any preconceived ideas. I enjoy being surprised by what colors emerge in the process.”

In addition to the art opening at Vivid, Hubbard Woods will once again celebrate First Fridays with its featured “Cocktail Hop.” Stop by Vivid, then browse the shops of Hubbard Woods, a number which will be open and serving a signature cocktail. Details are available at www.shophubbardwoods.com.

7 Mile Beach

Ace storyteller Rochelle Distelheim has a doozy of a story to tell, and she shares it with her first-time breakfast mate at a booth in a quiet corner at Country Kitchen in Highland Park.

A woman meets a man, a Chicago dermatologist, decades ago at a summer event in Wisconsin and later makes an appointment to see him at his office on Michigan Avenue. Not because she has an ailment that needs immediate attention, unless you think smitten is a condition that needs to be examined immediately.

The woman gets all dressed up for the appointment. She has to convince herself that she has some skin condition before entering the dermatologist’s office. Something. Anything. She comes up with something — a made-up ailment. Splotches. Yes, splotches on her arms. That’s what she’ll tell the doctor she thinks she has. Everyone gets splotches in the summertime, right?

Distelheim continues with her story. The dermatologist later asks the woman out for drinks. They both get dressed up for the date. They clink-clink glasses in the basement of the Palmer House in Chicago, fall in love, get married in California nearly two years later and stay married for 66 years. End of delightful story.

Is it fiction?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But I’m here at Country Kitchen to hear all about another romantic narrative, about Distelheim’s debut novel, Sadie in Love (Copyright 2018, Aubade Publishing, 222 pages). What I love? That Distelheim, a Highland Park resident since 1956 and a mother of two lawyers (Ellen and Laura) and a journalist (Lisa), is a first-time novelist at the age of … 90. You don’t look 90! She hears that often, way too often. Her quick, spunky, sassy response: “What is 90 supposed to look like? I’ve worn the same face all my life!”

Rochelle Distelheim; ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Sadie in Love is a romantic comedy set in 1913 in New York City’s Lower East Side. A widow and a Jewish immigrant, 40-something Sadie Schuster sells love knots, each made from a schmattah (a small piece of fabric), and melts at the sight of a muscular ice peddler and poetry devotee named Herschl Diamond.

Well into the book, Sadie attends a wedding. Herschl had been hired to work it, hauler of 100 pounds of ice to be placed in the icebox in the banquet hall kitchen. Herschl had also received an invitation to the wedding. Sadie enters a room full of guests and hopes to spot one strapping man, her eyes darting here and there. Back to here. Back to there.

In Distelheim’s words:

Scanning the crowd, [Sadie] searched for that one sweet face she needed to calm her jangled-up nerves. Nothing. No Herschl seated up front, no sign of him in the aisles or — standing on tiptoes — at the back of the hall. He had come, maybe, but he had definitely gone.

You, the reader, are in the room with Sadie. Distelheim’s words, her poetry-laced prose, put you there. You see Sadie’s urgency, Sadie’s growing dismay. You feel for her. And you stand on your tiptoes with her. You root for Sadie’s face to soften, to transform from clenched to euphoric upon the discovery of her Herschl.

“Writing comforted me at an early age,” Distelheim, a graduate of John Marshall High School in Chicago, says after ordering a two-egg omelet with broccoli and spinach, a plate of cucumbers and whole wheat toast. “I wrote in notebooks in my youth, constantly wrote, filling the pages with my impressions of people and describing how I’d like to resolve a situation I was facing or at least handle it, deal with it. Writing was my companion. It still is. I wrote opinions, opinion pieces, for the student newspaper in high school. I pointed things out to our readers with my opinions.

“I also wrote a lot, mainly short stories, while my daughters took naps.”

The monthly women’s magazine McCall’s was the first periodical to publish a Distelheim short story. Its title: “Home Movies.” It moved a reader — an editor of another publication, specifically — to contact Distelheim and assign her to craft a feature about a local female surgeon.

“A female surgeon back then … that was radical,” recalls Distelheim, who also wrote an extensive magazine profile on Gloria Steinem after traveling with the writer/lecturer/political activist/feminist organizer. “I was told to spend time with the surgeon in her office and in the hospital and humanize this professional woman in her mid-30s, this virtual pioneer in the field of medicine. She let me follow her around for a week, a whole week. Can you believe that? I even watched her operate on a three-year-old boy with a kidney ailment. Will never forget it. Never.

“What an experience that was for me.”

Pieces authored by the award-winning Distelheim, a past president of an Illinois chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), appeared in The North American Review, Ascent, Story Quarterly, Good Housekeeping, Working Woman and Ladies Home Journal, among many others. She earned a Katherine Anne Porter Prize (short fiction), and her short story “More Cousin’s Club than Country” won the 2017 Gival Press Award. Fellowships? The Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism graduate has received heaps of them, including more than one from Lake Forest-based Ragdale Foundation.

On the Acknowledgements page of her first novel, Distelheim thanked her fellow Writers of Glencoe for listening to her development of Sadie in print countless times and “helping me make her more alive each time.” She dedicated Sadie in Love to her late husband, Irv Distelheim, her beshert (Yiddish for “meant to be, fated,” usually used romantically).

Irving H. Distelheim, M.D. died in January at the age of 99.

You remember Irv. Irv was the man who worked in the heart of Chicago, on the Magnificent Mile, as a … dermatologist.

Yes, that dermatologist.

“He believed in my writing since our first date,” a wide-eyed, splotch-free Rochelle Distelheim, her head tilted slightly to the right, says.

Rochelle Distelheim will discuss her debut novel, Sadie in Love, and sign copies of it at The Book Stall on August 12, beginning at 2 p.m. The Book Stall is located at 811 Elm Street, Winnetka.

While Congress is seeking restrictions on opioid prescriptions, the American Medical Association reports that the number of such prescriptions is decreasing.

But the statistics are still startling:

• Every day, more than 115 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids.
• Nationally, one-third of all patients addicted to opioids took their first opioid medication post-surgery.
• Roughly 21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.

Opioids are a class of drugs that include heroin, as well as synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), codeine, morphine, and many others, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH).

Congress is seeking legislation that would put a three-day limit on initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain, and is part of the proposed Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act 2.0 introduced last February by a bipartisan group of senators that is a follow-up to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act signed into law in 2016, according to ModernHealth magazine.

What are doctors prescribing instead of highly addictive opioids?

DailyNorthShore asked Dr. Jason Koh, director of the NorthShore Orthopaedic Institute and chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Dr. Koh grew up in Northbrook and is a nationally recognized expert on knee, shoulder and elbow reconstruction and hip arthroscopy. He serves as team physician for the Chicago Fire major league soccer team.

“As orthopaedic surgeons, we’re very conscious of the fact that opioid prescriptions are really dangerous. And as an overall organization we’ve been on the forefront of trying to get people controlled in terms of these kind of medications,” he said.

Dr. Koh explained that orthopaedic surgeons are interested in avoiding opioids because they have an addictive potential and many side effects that include nausea, constipation, dizziness and sedation.

“We want many of our patients to be up and active because that’s the purpose of these surgical procedures,” he said.

Fortunately, many ortho surgery procedures are now done safely without the need for narcotic medication.

One example of a new medication for pain is peripheral nerve blocks, which Dr. Koh equated with the numbing medication that dentists use.

“We’re using more selective blocks where you can actually target more of the sensory nerves,” said Dr. Koh. “We use a combination of medications called multi-modal pain management.”

Multi-modal drugs are non-narcotic pain medications such as acetaminophen, gabapentin, and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Dr. Koh added that multi-modal pain medication, long-lasting regional anesthetic blocks, and the use of cold therapy have been used in orthopaedics for years. Cold therapy provides relief by decreasing some of the pain and swelling after surgery.

“Our pain control has advanced to the point where patients are alert and comfortable enough that after a knee or hip replacement they’re able to get up and walk with some support and go home the same day,” said Dr. Koh.

He credits Dr. Ravi Bashyal for leading the progress in that area.

“It’s a select group of patients who are able to do that, but hopefully we can continue to extend that kind of rapid release of pain, restoration and function to a significant group of patients,” Dr. Koh added.

NorthShore University HealthSystem implemented an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program in 2016 for colorectal surgery, but Dr. Koh explained that NorthShore will soon be one of the first places in the country to start implementing ERAS for certain types of spine surgeries.

ERAS was developed in Denmark in the 1990s and was designed to optimize pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative patient care. A key component of ERAS is patient education.

“There’s recent data showing that if patients are properly educated about different ways to have pain control and the risk of opioids after surgery, that will cut their narcotic use by 50 percent and get them off that narcotic after a surgical procedure much more quickly,” said Dr. Koh.

But surgery isn’t always the best option.

“Our goal in orthopaedics is to restore people to effective, pain-free lives, and the majority of patients we treat on a day-to-day basis are without surgical procedures, ” he said.

Dr. Koh often prescribes physical therapy to eliminate substantial pain by strengthening the knee, hip or back.

But for patients where surgery is clearly necessary and the joint is completely “worn out like a flat tire,” joint replacement on average provides 20 plus years of pain relief, according to Dr. Koh.

Dr. Koh was thrilled when some of his patients who were in severe pain before their shoulder replacement surgeries only felt the need to take Tylenol or Advil within a day or two after having the procedure.

“It’s great to help patients get out of pain and resume active lives without the use of narcotics or other pain medications,” he said.

Photo credit: pixabay; https://pixabay.com/en/syringe-pill-bottle-morphine-small-1884784/

Dr. Jason Koh (center); photo courtesy of NorthShore University HealthSystem

WINNETKA – The Hubbard Woods Design District on Jul6 6 will feature a Cocktail Hop, with each store featuring its own signature libation, as part of the First Friday series. Stroll the neighborhood and taste them all.

Participating businesses will feature unique offerings including lively art, striking design, special presentations and must-have new products. First Friday hours will be from 5 to 8 pm. All locations will offer drinks and food, and some will even have live music!

The 13 participating merchants are:

• Benvenuti and Stein
• Reprise Coffee Roasters
• Crème de la Crème
• Robert Bryan Home
• Le Chic Boutique
• Sawbridge Studios
• My EyeDR
• Skändal
• Omid Fine Jewelry
• Susan Kroeger Home
• Pagoda Red
• Vivid Art Gallery
• Phototronics

Participating stores are identified with festive “First Friday” signs and balloons out front. First Friday Design District maps are available at all locations.

First Fridays in Hubbard Woods were begun in October, 2016, by Vivid Art Gallery, an HWDD member. Intrigued by the gallery’s success in attracting the local community to a Friday night event, HWDD saw an opportunity to turn it into something bigger. According to Paul Zurowski, founding member of HWDD and partner in Sawbridge Studios, “Our ultimate goal is to get all of Hubbard Woods involved, making First Fridays a real event for the community. It’s an easy after-work or pre-dinner destination where friends can meet, mingle and shop.”

Fresh off his victory in the United States Supreme Court in the Janus case, Governor Bruce Rauner addressed a gathered crowd of over 130 at the Gorton Center in Lake Forest June 28th.

He discussed the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of government workers’ First Amendment rights to refrain from supporting political speech with which they disagree, his efforts to grow the Illinois economy, cut taxes and support Republican down-ticket races in the crucial effort to unseat Democrat House Speaker Mike Madigan and thus reduce a cycle of corruption in Illinois. He answered questions from the floor on diverse topics and stated his differences with other Republicans with candor and clarity. Those differences, he stated, would not stop him from supporting down-ticket Republican candidates.

Speaking about Erika Harold, the Republican candidate for Attorney General, Rauner asked, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had an Attorney General who actually prosecuted corruption?” The current Democrat Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, daughter of Mike Madigan, is not running for re-election.

Rauner praised Lake County GOP Chairman and Illinois Republican Party Co-Chairman Mark Shaw for his success building the party locally and his efforts statewide. Rauner also pledged his continued support for other Republican candidates, underscoring party unity and urging those gathered to avoid Mike Madigan’s calculated efforts to divide Republicans by tightly controlling the timing and content of bills he allows to reach the Governor’s desk. “For Madigan, it’s all politics,” said Rauner, decrying the Democrat Speaker’s disregard for good faith negotiation, compromise or good public policy, to the grave detriment of Illinois workers and taxpayers.

Finally, he underscored the importance of the remap of legislative districts attendant with the 2020 Census, noting if Democrats controlled the remap by winning the 2018 Governor’s race and the legislature, they would control the drawing of new legislative districts, ensuring that their failed policies would dominate the state until the next remap.

Event attendees from Lake County and Chicago emerged from the meeting, energized for an Illinois “red wave.”

WRC Board Members and Lake County GOP Officers Jennifer Neubauer and Peggy Siebert with Governor Rauner

Submitted by the Women’s Republican Club of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff was founded in 1941 and is the longest continually operating political organization of its kind in the area. The WRC exists to assist local, state and national Republican candidates win elective office; to assist elected Republican officeholders with constituent interface and to educate all voters on issues important to the maintenance of our Constitutional republic and the social and economic vitality of Illinois and our local communities. All men and women, wherever they reside, are welcome to join WRC and their yearly dues help sustain WRC efforts.

Wednesday is the 4th of July, the day we honor hard-won freedom, sacrifice, and courage by hosting one of the most amazing parades on the North Shore. The Lake Bluff 4th of July Committee is excited to welcome all to the 108th Annual Lake Bluff Parade.

Granted, restraint may not top of mind. We will all be celebrating together, and while we are at it, let’s consider that we are the ambassadors of Lake Bluff and Lake Forest. The Lake Bluff 4th of July Committee would like to offer a few reminders to keep your celebration festive and safe:

Marking Your Territory
It’s a long shot, we know, but we ask that you please refrain from setting up camp until one day prior to the parade. Nothing is quite so off-putting as seeing a square block roped-off three days in advance of the parade. Kindly take only the space you need so that all may enjoy and view the parade.

The Parade
We are so fortunate to welcome a diverse collection of participants. Let’s encourage all marchers to return next year by showing our appreciation, as well as our respect and reverence when appropriate. Whether you stand, and place your hand over your heart, remove your hat, or cheer like mad, let our service men and women know they are appreciated. Our parade marshal this year is the Lake Bluff American Legion Post 510. These men and women are some of the few remaining veterans from an incredible time in American history. Let’s show all we will never forget their sacrifice or their service.

Youngsters
All that candy would make anyone crazy. Encourage your kids to stay put and stay safe. Running into the parade route to retrieve anything is strictly forbidden, and could end badly. A Tootsie Roll is NOT worth it. Marchers have been instructed to pass out goodies at the curbs. They will come to you.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry…
Where there is revelry, there will be trash. You make it, you keep it. Please prepare with garbage bags, or locate the public receptacles in advance, and make a pilgrimage to it at various intervals. Don’t turn Lake Bluff into a sea of red Solo cups. Kindly tidy-up before you leave.

And, speaking of celebrating … It’s a day to relax and enjoy, to celebrate our freedom and our town. Enjoy yourself, but switch to water if you have to. You’ll thank us later.

We are so fortunate to have so many families and businesses support us. Together, through donations of time or money, we all work to make the parade a success. You are the reason the parade happens, and we want to thank you for your continued generosity. Thank you and be safe! Happy 4th of July!

Patriotically,
The Lake Bluff 4th of July Committee

The North Shore always celebrates in style, and the Fourth of July is no exception. Events aren’t exclusive to parades and fireworks, with full schedules of activities before and after the traditional festivities. Here’s a roundup of local parades, fireworks, outdoor concerts and more.

GLENCOE: The 4th of July events  begin at the train station with the Glencoe Rotary Club Fun-Run, followed by pre-school games and Glencoe’s Got Talent at Kalk Park and the parade in Downtown Glencoe. The day rounds out with food vendors, live music and fireworks at Lakefront Park.

• 8 a.m.:  Rotary Fun Run at Glencoe Train Station
• 10 a.m.: Preschool Games at Kalk Park
• Noon: Glencoe’s Got Talent at Kalk Park
• 2 p.m.: Glencoe Parade meets at Central School
• 6-9 p.m.: Food Truck Fest at Lakefront Park
• 6 p.m.: Park-N-Ride Trolley Shuttle to Lakefront Park from Metra Station and Village Parking Lot
• 6:30-9:30 p.m.: Live Music by Spoken Four at Lakefront Park
• 9 p.m.: Fireworks at Lakefront Park

DEERFIELD: Deerfield Family Days will take place July 3-4.

Tuesday, July 3 – Firework Show at Brickyards Park

• 5 p.m. – Gates open
• 6 p.m. – Live entertainment begins
• 7 p.m. – Raising of the flag/National Anthem
• Dusk   – Firework Show Begins

Wednesday, July 4

• 8 – 10:30 a.m. – Pancake Breakfast
• 8 – 3:30 p.m. – Family Days Bazaar (Arts and Craft Sale)
• 8 a.m. – Rotary Race (Registration begins 7 a.m.)
• 9 a.m. – Bike Parade
• 8:45 – 10 a.m. – Dog Show (BYOD – Bring Your Own Dog)
• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Rides, Games, Petting Zoo & Pony Rides
• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Flower Show
• Noon – Parade

EVANSTON: Evanston’s 2018 Fourth of July celebration theme is “Inspired by Our Diversity”. Events are scheduled throughout the day up until the lakefront fireworks “extravaganza” at 9:30 p.m.

• 9 – 11 a.m. Playground Sports for all ages at Kamen West Park, Baker Park, ETHS Track, Raymond Park, Lincolnwood School, Willard School and Robert Crown Center
• 9 – 11 a.m. Roller Skating and Refreshments at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Center
• 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tennis Finals at Ackerman Park
• 12:45 p.m. 4th of July Kids Fun Run at Ackerman Park
• 2 p.m.  Independence Day Parade will march down Central Street from Central Park to Ryan Field at Ashland Avenue
• 7:30 – 9 p.m. Palatine Concert Band plays at Dawes Park Lagoon
• 9:30 p.m. Lakefront Fireworks

GLENVIEW: Join your friends and neighbors to celebrate our nation’s 241st birthday with Glenview’s Independence Day parade and fireworks.

• 11:15 a.m. — Children’s Bike Parade; Children ages 4 to 9 are invited to step off the parade by bringing their decorated bike to the Prairie Street cul-de-sac (just north of the Glenview Public Library), by 10:30 a.m. Participation is free and there is no registration necessary. Bike helmets are recommended.
• 11:20 a.m. — Independence Day Parade: The parade returns to its traditional route, which begins at the intersection of Harlem Avenue and Glenview Road. The Grand Marshall will lead 75 community groups, entertainers, floats and marching bands south on Harlem Avenue, turning right (west) onto Central Road and ending at Johns Park.
• 7 p.m. — Twilight Concert and Fireworks at Gallery Park; The concert begins at 7 p.m. with patriotic music by the 100-piece North Shore Concert Band, followed by the fireworks display to a recorded musical score. The fireworks will be shot off from the middle of Lake Glenview. Public areas to view are located to the west, south and north of the lake.

HIGHLAND PARK: Highland Park 4th of July Parade and Celebration will take place July 4.

• 9:30 a.m. Children’s Bike and Pet Parade. Participants meet at 9:15 a.m. in the lower level of the parking structure at the northwest corner of St. Johns and Laurel Avenues. All are welcome, no registration is required.
• 10 a.m. The Independence Day parade kicks off at the intersection of Laurel and St. Johns Avenues and heads north on St. Johns Avenue, then turns west on Central Avenue and continues to Sunset Park. 
  
• 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Fourth Fest at Sunset Park, featuring: food, music, carnival rides, a petting zoo, games, and more.
• 4 p.m. The grand finale of the Bitter Jester Music Festival will take place at Wolters Field. Food vendors are on site during the concert.
• 9:30 p.m. Fireworks display, best viewed from Wolters Field.

LAKE BLUFF: The annual Lake Bluff Independence Day Parade is one of the largest celebrations on the North Shore, but it isn’t the only festivity. Lake Bluff sponsors a variety of activities before and after the parade.

Monday, July 2
6 p.m. – Dark:  Lake Bluff 4th of July Mixed Doubles Tennis Open, Artesian Park Courts

Tuesday, July 3     
6-11 p.m.:  43rd Annual Firemen’s Ball at Blair Park; tickets available at the Fire Station, Village Hall, or at the door

Wednesday, July 4

• 7-9:45 a.m.:   47th Annual Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, Village Green, Lake Bluff
• 7 a.m.: Parade check-in opens on E. Sheridan Place
• 8 a.m.:  Parade assembles on East Center Ave.
• 9 a.m.:  Grace United Methodist “Party in the Parking Lot” begins on East Center Ave.
• 9:15 a.m.: Children’s Parade assembles at the corner of East Scranton and Walnut
• 9:40 a.m.: Opening Ceremonies
• 9:50 a.m.:  Children’s Parade steps off from the corner of East Scranton and Walnut
• 10 a.m.: The parade steps off from Oak Ave. on East Center Ave.

After the Parade:

• 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.   Kiwanis Hamburger & Hot Dog Cookout, Village Green, Lake Bluff
• Noon:  Music at the Gazebo, Sponsored by the Kiwanis, Village Green, Lake Bluff
• 12:30 – 4 p.m. Kiwanis Kids Activities, Village Green, Lake Bluff
• 1:30 p.m.: Kiwanis Children’s Costume Contest (Most Patriotic or American Historical Figure), Village Green, Lake Bluff
• 6 – 8 p.m.: Lake Bluff Park District’s Band at the Beach, featuring Final Say, N. Sunrise Beach

LAKE FOREST: Lake Forest will host its annual “Festival and Fireworks” on Wednesday, July 4 at Deer Path Community Park beginning at 5 p.m. The main performer will be ’80s tribute band Hairball, with an opening act by Chicago classic rock cover band 97Nine. Bring a picnic or take advantage of food and drinks in the park!

• 5 p.m. Gates open
• 6 p.m. 97Nine performs
• 8 p.m. Hairball takes the stage
• 9:40 p.m.  Fireworks Display

NORTHBROOK: Celebrate all day on July 4 with Northbrook Park District.

• 7:30 a.m. Liberty Loop 5K Run/Walk at Techny Prairie Park and Fields
• 8:30 a.m. Liberty Lap Fun Run (ages 4-10) at Techny Prairie Park and Fields
• 7:30 – 11 a.m.  4th of July Breakfast, hosted by Rotary Club at Village Green Park
• 9 a.m.-Noon  Historical Society Museum open at Village Green Park
• 10 a.m. – Noon Family Mini-Golf Tournament & Cookout at Sportsman’s Country Club
• 10 a.m. Police vs. Fire Department Softball Game at Village Green Park
• 11 a.m.- 7 p.m.  Park District Pools Open at Meadowhill Aquatic Center and Northbrook Sports Center Pool
• 2:15 p.m.  Bike Parade  at Cherry/Western–Shermer/Meadow
• 2:30 p.m.  Mile-Long Parade  at Cherry/Western–Shermer/Meadow
• 7 p.m.  DJ entertainment in the Ed Rudoloph Velodrome at Meadowhill Park. Food Trucks will be available.
  Dusk  Fireworks Display at Meadowhill Park

WILMETTE: Wilmette’s celebration takes place on July 3, at Gillson Park Lakefront beginning at 4 p.m.

• 4:30 – 9 p.m. Stage Entertainers: Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players, The Pack Drumline, The Jesse White Tumblers, Illinois Brass Band (at the Wallace Bowl), The FlatCats, The Dooley Brothers
• 4 – 8 p.m. Carnival Games, Moonwalk, Pony Rides, Mini Golf, Tot Train, Giant Slide
• 9:30 p.m. Fireworks

WINNETKA: Winnetka will host its annual Fourthfest on July 4.

• 10 a.m. — Annual 4th of July Parade begins at Elm Street & Glendale Avenue and heads east to the Village Green
• 11 a.m. — Events on the Green: A flag-raising ceremony, children’s parade and competition for the coveted family trophy will follow the parade at Village Green, 525 Maple St. in Winnetka
• 6 p.m. — Winnetka will be hosting its 131st celebration of Independence Day at Duke Childs Field, 1321 Willow Road in Winnetka. There will be music, food, and family activities, including face-painters, balloonists, moonwalks, a giant slide, and so much more
• 9:30 p.m. Fireworks Display at Duke Childs Field, 1321 Willow Road, Winnetka

Many North Shore communities use 4th of July celebrations as a way to blow their own horn. Here, marchers take a break from a previous Lake Bluff parade.

WILMETTE – Go Green Wilmette invites the community to view creative and beautifully practical gardens that can both improve the local environment and solve some perennial headaches for homeowners. Gardeners and volunteers will be on hand to answer visitors’ questions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 15 during this free, self-guided tour of gardens designed to divert and conserve rainwater; provide native plant habitat that is hearty, requires little maintenance and feeds birds, butterflies and other pollinators; reduce mosquitos; grow nourishing vegetables and fruits; and create outdoor havens for the gardener.

A map of the Tour will be posted on the Go Green Wilmette website, 2 days prior to the event at: http://www.gogreenwilmette.org/.

Wilmette resident and Go Green Wilmette board member, Saima Abbasi, organizes the Sustainable Yard Tours. When she began planning her own garden in 2012, Abbasi was invited to view the gardens of friends. “The more I looked into gardening and the types of gardens that appealed to me, the more people I met who had amazing yards right here in Wilmette, “ said Abbasi when asked what inspired her to start the yard tours. “ I thought that if other people saw some of these yards, they might be inspired to start gardens as well.”

Each year Abbasi has presented an entirely new tour. “This is not a typical garden tour,” she added, “often, the features in these gardens result from a need to solve a problem, like flooding or poor soil; or from a passion for birds or butterflies, or fresh vegetables.” She added, “One of the gardens in this year’s tour was motivated by a desire to photograph birds – it’s wildly successful – the variety of birds is amazing”

Go Green Wilmette is a 501(c)(3) organization that seeks to raise environmental awareness in the Wilmette community and to inspire residents to make a difference. Go Green Wilmette works with residents, schools, the Park District, the Library, local businesses and nearby communities to achieve our goals and serves as a resource to the community and to other environmental organizations on the north shore. For more information contact Margaret Martin-Heaton at gogreenwilmetteinfo@gmail.com.

For additional information about the Sustainable Yard Tour and Go Green Wilmette, please see: http://www.gogreenwilmette.org/.

To read a brief discussion of the importance of native plants to our urban, suburban and rural ecosystems, see this discussion from the Audubon society: http://www.audubon.org/news/how-urban-landscapers-use-native-plants-create-habitats-wildlife

For a brief presentation of the benefits of water conservation and the use of rain barrels, see this MWRD web page: https://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/rainbarrel

Submitted by Go Green Wilmette

HIGHWOOD – Celebrate Highwood’s Inferno Fest attracted thousands of fearless foodies ready to try Chicago’s spiciest foods and beverages on Wednesday, June 27th. Returning from its hiatus after last year’s thunderstorm cancellations, Inferno Fest featured daring dishes, the Inferno Fest Hot Tamale Eating Contest, and a fountain dedication in honor of Highwood’s beloved Bruno Bertucci.

“It was amazing to finally see Inferno Fest back in all its spicy glory! It was a joy walking around listening to attendees’ reactions to all the different spicy foods offered,” says Eric Falberg, President of Celebrate Highwood, and City of Highwood Alderman.

After a long 3 minute food frenzy filled with sweat, tears and La Casa de Isaac “hot tamales” fueled by Pepper Palace hot sauces, only one of the 14 competitors was left standing without calling for a Kefir Cool Down. Scott Urbanowski, of Northbrook, finished three insanely hot tamales and created a roaring crowd, receiving a $200 gift card and coveted title of 2018 Inferno Fest Hot Tamale Eating Contest winner.

Another highlight of the night was the rededication of the Bruno Bertucci Fountain, “after sitting dormant for almost 12 years it is wonderful to have the Bruno Bertucci Fountain blooming again in Everts Park in honor of a man who dedicated so much to the City of Highwood, serving on the Highwood Chamber for 40 years,” says Falberg. “The Fountain will now be a focal point, as it is filled with beautiful silk flowers, adding to the natural beauty of our Festival Grounds.”

Special thanks to Celebrate Highwood Inferno Fest sponsors La Casa de Isaac, Lifeway Kefir, Midwest Gutter Guard, Passanantes Home Food Service, Pepper Palace and State Farm Brian Lock Agency

Here are some photos of Highwood Inferno Fest:

Submitted by Celebrate Highwood

LAKE FOREST – Visit Lake Forest’s shops and save with the sales and bargains offered at the annual summer sidewalk sale Thursday, July 19 through Saturday, July 21. The sale is hosted by the Lake Forest Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce.

To thank loyal customers, retailers will be offering deals and discounts on a variety of merchandise including jewelry, clothing, books, shoes, accessories, sports equipment and home goods.

The LF/LB Chamber is once again sponsoring the ‘Spend $50 / Win $250’ contest. When shoppers spend $50 with participating retailers, they can enter to win $250 in Chamber checks which are redeemable at member businesses. Details can be found at www.lflbchamber.com/sidewalk-sale-2018

Submitted by the LF/LB Chamber of Commerce. It consists of more than 400 local businesses. The Chamber connects, engages, educates and provides resources for our member businesses.

While nearly every North Shore community now offers a summertime farmers market for its food conscious residents, none match the farm-to-table authenticity of Glenview’s Saturday outdoor market, located opposite Historic Wagner Farm.

Throughout the summer months, Wagner Farm, a one of the last working dairy farms in Cook County, runs a farm stand at the Glenview Farmers Market, using its shiny green 1932 Studebaker pick up truck with a custom canopy to showcase a small selection of fruits and vegetables grown on-site, including rhubarb, radishes and tart cherries as well as eggs laid by Wagner Farm’s flock of 100 hens – most new to the farm this year – who roam freely on the 18-acre property.

But be warned. All those in search of Wagner’s flavorful, farm-fresh eggs should plan on arriving early. The working farm’s traditional white and brown eggs, along with more unusual blue and green varieties laid by hens known as “Easter Eggers,” sell out quickly.

On June 23 – opening day for the 2018 Glenview Farmer’s Market – 25 dozen eggs, priced at $6 per dozen, were gone by 9 a.m., one hour after opening.

“The eggs were so popular last summer, we decided to offer more this year,” said Stacey Christiansen, market sales manager for Wagner Farm. “Our eggs are never caged. They’re outside all day nesting and eating a natural diet of grass and bugs.”

Wagner Farm’s hens are not the only recent additions to the 2018 Glenview Farmer’s Market. Among the 22 vendors featured at this year’s seasonal market – which runs every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. from June 23 to October 27 – three are new, including Artesian Bread; Burlington, Wisconsin-based  River Valley Farms, specializing in mushrooms; and Gourmet Sea Salt, a husband and wife team from Morton Grove selling exotic blends of sea salt, peppercorns and grinders.

The Glenview Farmers Market features several unique, family friendly amenities, including live music, complimentary red Radio Flyer Wagons, and a dedicated parking lot next to Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church.

Many young families combine a morning visit to the farmers market with a trip to Wagner Farm, which offers farm demonstrations, exhibits and a museum store.

Glenview Farmers Market regulars will also see many familiar faces among the rotating vendors featured at the market each week. Back for its third year is popular crepe vendor Sweet Memories, based out of Salem, Wisconsin. Mother and son team  Gabriella Szmola and Zach Manon offer customers a choice of fillings and three different batters – including a gluten-free option – made from fresh produce supplied by other farmers market vendors. According to Manon, the most popular items on Sweet Memories’ menu is the Strawberry Banana Crepe and Lemon Berry Crepe, featuring berries from Berry’s Berries of Covert, Michigan – a regular vendor at Chicago-area farmers markets.

‘We like to promote other vendors we meet at farmers markets in the area and trade with them for fresh produce,” said Manon, who works the crepe griddle while Szmola interacts with customers.

On opening day, Geneva Lakes Produce, one of the largest fresh produce vendors at Glenview’s Farmers Market, was selling an early season harvest of zucchini, kohlrabi, asparagus and spinach, with warm weather produce like tomatoes coming later in the summer.

“We’ve had a milder, cooler start to spring and summer,” said Ted Peterson, who works for Geneva Lakes on weekends. “It put us a little behind, but we also have farms in southern Illinois where it’s been warmer and drier.”

Glenview Farmers Markets smallest vendor, Lake Forest Farms Micro-greens, was also one the busiest. From a table filled with trays of four or five varieties of leafy micro-greens, Elliot Hirsch did a brisk business while extolling the virtues of his miniature, vitamin-packed super foods. Hirsch offered passersby a free taste of his micro-green harvest, including bright red-colored Amaranth, which tastes like red beets, and Purple Rambo Radish.

“Micro-greens have four to 40 times more nutrition than a full-grown plant,” said Hirsch, a Lake Forest resident. “You can sprinkle them on salads, scrambled eggs…even pancakes. My son likes them on top of his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

Here are some photos of a recent Glenview Farmers Market morning. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER

Glenview Farmers Market, 1510 Wagner Road, Glenview. For more information about dates, hours, and vendors, visit https://www.glenviewparks.org/facilities-parks/glenview-farmers-market/

Robert Goolrick, #1 New York Times best-selling author of A Reliable Wife, will be the next author to be celebrated at this season’s BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES series in exclusive Chicagoland appearances at the Wilmette Wine Cellar on Saturday, July 21, and the Book Bin in Northbrook on Sunday, July 22. The programs, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at each location, will feature Goolrick’s new novel, The Dying of the Light.

It begins with a house and ends in ashes . . . Goolrick has written a dramatic, passionate tale of a glamorous Southern debutante who marries for money and ultimately suffers for love—a southern gothic that brings to mind Faulkner, Fitzgerald and D.H. Lawrence. Reveling in the secrets, mores, and society of 20th century genteel Southern life, The Dying of the Light is a romance, a melodrama, and a cautionary tale told with the grandeur and sweep of an epic Hollywood classic. The Atlanta Journal Constitution praises The Dying of the Light as “a swiftly moving saga” and “a multidimensional tale”.

The $35 admission includes unique wines and non-alcoholic beverages, conversation with the author, a personally signed hardcover book and a raffle. Guests accompanying a full-admission guest may enjoy the event without a book for $10. Reservations are highly recommended and may be made by calling the Book Bin at (847) 498-4999.

Now in its fourth season, BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES is a series of special events from Book.ed, a Northbrook-based service that connects authors and their books with book lovers. Information about upcoming BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES events can be found on the Book.ed website http://www.bookedwebcast.com/booked_books-n-bottles.html#

When Carole Dibo, founder of Actors Training Center (ATC) in Wilmette, first heard that her client Rachel Brosnahan was auditioning for the role of a 1950s stand-up comedienne in the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, she was more than surprised.

Though ATC offers comedy workshops, Brosnahan had no comedy experience.

Dibo told DailyNorthShore, “I literally called Rachel and said this is pretty funny, because you’re not that funny.”

Dibo explained that when Brosnahan first auditioned she was sick with the flu, but that didn’t stop her from attaining the role of a lifetime.

“Rachel’s a relentless investigator and she watched all of the old comediennes like Fanny Brice,” said Dibo. “Whatever she doesn’t know, she will learn — and she’s funny now. I don’t think there’s anything that woman can’t do.”

Earlier this year, the 27-year-old, who grew up in Highland Park, won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, as well as a Critic’s Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Dibo was honored when Brosnahan thanked her during both acceptance speeches.

Although the release date for the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has not been announced, Dibo said the series was just picked up for a third season.  This decision led Dibo and Brosnahan to part ways as manager and client after working together more than 10 years, enabling Dibo to devote more time to developing other talents.

Dibo described how Brosnahan made a lasting first impression at 16.

“There’s something about kids that just have it, and there’s a maturity, commitment and seriousness about them,” said Dibo. “There’s a hunger and it translates into talent once you can harness it and really train them how to take that into their work. They have a depth of understanding that is just undeniable and Rachel has that.”

Dibo explained that Brosnahan first took a summer class at her studio in the city the summer before her junior year at Highland Park High School. The following year, Brosnahan took workshops and classes at the ATC and Dibo coached her on college monologues before she was accepted to the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

“I still work with students who are getting ready for college quite often and everybody keeps getting into the schools that they’re looking for,” said Dibo. “The coaching with me or any one of my staff is imperative.”

Though Dibo found an agent for Brosnahan while she was studying at NYU, a New York casting director suggested that she meet another agent. Dibo called the agent saying that she was Brosnahan’s manager (realizing she never uttered those words before) and he signed her after their interview. That’s when Dibo officially became Brosnahan’s manager.

“We used to say in interviews that she was pretending to be an actor and I was pretending to be a manager in those days,” said Dibo.

Soon Dibo began picking up other clients, and Carole Dibo Talent Management was born.

“She’ll say that I’m the one who taught her it was okay to pass on projects that did not fit who Rachel was as a feminist, and as a liberal. I read scripts for her following that criteria,” said Dibo.

While Brosnahan was still in college, she was auditioning and booking projects. To prevent her from being penalized, Dibo met with Brosnahan’s dad to count her missing hours from class.

She appeared in movies and TV shows, but her first big break was landing the role of prostitute Rachel Posner in the Netflix series House of Cards before she graduated from college.

Dibo thought she was too young to play this character, but the talented Brosnahan turned a part that was initially written for two episodes into a recurring role that lasted three seasons.

Remarkably, Brosnahan graduated in four years from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2012. Unfortunately, she missed graduation, because she was shooting the film Beautiful Creatures.

“Rachel has an amazing capacity to be able to do a lot of things at once, do them well and be committed, which you have to be in this profession,” said Dibo.

DailyNorthShore: What do you tell students who want to follow in Brosnahan’s footsteps?

“ I tell them that it takes 150 percent commitment and you have to be laser focused,” said Dibo. “You can’t really teach somebody that. You have to love the work and have a strong work ethic.”

She recommends that 7^th to 12^th grade students start with the ATC class The Power of  ‘If’’ to “access their imagination, learn how to respect other actors and their space, and tap into their creative self.”

There is also a a two-week summer program for 9^th to 12^th graders that first attracted Brosnahan at 16. The program includes Physical Theater, voice and dialect, and Shakespeare from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Head shots will be taken and the students perform in a showcase for casting directors and agents in the city.

“These kids stay together for a lifetime, having watched each other bare their souls and it warms my heart,” said Dibo.

Dibo worked as an actress for several years and has what she expects all of her ATC teachers to have – “experience on the frontline,” so they understand what it takes to get the job.

There’s still time to register for workshops taught by casting directors beginning July 14 and a Musical Theatre workshop for 4^th to 8^th graders on August 18.

“ATC is a safe place to celebrate who you are,” said Dibo. “Even if students don’t become actors it’s very freeing and it sends a lot of awesome human beings out on the street.”

Dibo is grateful that Brosnahan recently took time out of her busy schedule to do a PSA for the ATC scholarship fundraiser.

“Our relationship is lovely and I’m excited that Rachel’s received the level of success that she deserves,” said Dibo.

The Actors Training Center is located above the Wilmette Theater and will soon be expanding to a new space around the corner at 1157 Wilmette Avenue that previously housed Couture Cupcakes (see Actors Training Center Goes Indie). For more information visit: actorstrainingcenter.org.

Carole Dibo & Rachel Brosnahan in Malta filming the 2015 TV mini-series “The Dovekeepers;” all photos courtesy of Carole Dibo

Rachel Brosnahan & Carole Dibo at the 2016 World Premiere of
“Finest Hours” in Los Angeles

Carole Dibo taking a selfie with Rachel Brosnahan & partner Jason Ralph at the 2015 Emmy Awards. Brosnahan was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for “House of Cards”