About this column:
Our column about goings on in Evanston.
I know what you might be thinking. Times are tough. A roller rink? Yes, a roller rink...where you wear real rollerskates (or inline skates) on a smooth, wooden floor, with music blasting and a snack bar to order salty nachos and an icy cold drink after working up a mangy sweat. A roller rink that brings the community together with offerings like "Open Skate", "Family Skate", "Kids' Nights", "Teens' Nights", "Adult Nights", and "School's Out Skating". A place to learn terms like the Cha-Cha Slide and experience numerous health benefits as outlined on www.wikipedia.com. A place to hold …
This year marks the McGaw YMCA's 125th year serving the Evanston community. (If you click on the link, make sure to check out the "Unforgettable" video by Susan Hope Engle). The anniversary celebration and other activities surrounding this milestone are as diverse and interesting as our community: Saturdays, Nov. 6 & 20: Parent's Night Out (babysitting), 4-8pm Monday, Nov. 15: 1) Blood Drive, 3-8 p.m. Sign up at front desk. 2) Deadline to submit nominations for The Talley-Reece award, which recognizes local middle school students who have made a significant community service …
This video, created by Ron and Sydney Crawford, highlights some exceptional features of Evanston -- from the past and the way-way past. Isn't it time, however, for an update? I'm no film critic, but when the 12:25 mark hits in the video, the soundtrack brings me back to afternoons spent playing Charlies Angels with my friends. In the 1970s. I loved playing Charlies Angels. And I love looking at this vintage video, including the voice of Berne Piven. However, I've grown up, and so has Evanston.
Have you SEEN the size of Evanston Township High School? Do you have a student there now, or one who's enrolling next year? On Nov. 2, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., ETHS will open its doors and present an overview of resources for students and parents in nearly all aspects of high school life. What does the program cover? Academics. Student Health (medical and emotional). Extracurricular activities. Planning for college and jobs. Plus a whole lot more. Representatives, including guidance counselors and social workers, reps from athletics, health services, athletics and a host of others will be on…
Debra Clark is a crossing guard for School District 65. Every morning and every afternoon, she greets and protects children where Florence Avenue and Lee Street meet. Rain or shine, Clark stands in the middle of this congested, three-way intersection as children and adults hustle into and out of Washington Elementary School. Her distinctive, friendly voice can be heard from blocks away: To the kids: "I got you, babies!" To the adults: "Don't worry. I got your babies!" To anyone listening: "I got everybody! Have a GOOD day!" Years ago, before she was hired by the District, Clark noticed …
Before I had my coffee this morning, I grabbed my bottle of women's multivitamins, cranked open the screwtop and --- WHOA! These aren't my vitamins! They're my husband's! That was a close one. What would happen if I accidentally took his "One Daily Men's Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement"? Would I suddenly grow a prostate, celebrate exceptional heart health and speak to my kids in a deeper voice? Most importantly, would I find it easier to look at the flier that just arrived in the mail for Evanston's newest Grand Opening: Sport Clips Haircuts (with a tagline that reads: It's Good To…
I've just left an evening of parent/teacher conferences for my middle-schooler. The faces I saw tonight -- parents and teachers alike -- were a mix of tired, determined, and searching. No one mentioned the pipe-bomb suicide last month which dominated our thoughts and closed our school for days. It feels so long ago. The parent/teacher conferences were spaced in five-minute-allotments for each student. However, there wasn't a single conference I attended lasting less than 15 minutes. I passed the school's newly appointed principal, Sarah Mendez, and wondered how she's holding up. I …
Hey there. Thanks for reading the column, by the way. You've got a lot of places to be right now. Your eyeballs are appreciated. So I'm driving down Davis Street this morning and --- WHOA! --- I catch a sight that turns on my brake lights and squeals my tires. Cupcakes?! Well, hello, Delicious! We don't have any cupcake-specific-venues here in Evanston. That is, until November 2010, when Evanston's Own Tiny Dog Cupcake opens its doors. I parked my car, stood in front of the store, and listened to the sanders and saws inside. As I wiped the saliva from my face, I smiled and took a …
Empty storefronts Around Town in Evanston point to what's happening throughout the country. And yet, people like Jill Brazel and Penny Rotheiser help Evanston bring the best out of the hardest of times. October is Arts & Humanities Month in Evanston. As such, a new round of artists' work is on display downtown at 500 Davis St. and on the 1600 block of Orrington Ave. The new exhibit marks the 5th cycle of Art Under Glass, the program showcasing Evanston artists in unoccupied storefront windows. The new exhibit at 500 Davis St. features art by Jyl Bonaguro, Marcy Brower, Calaj, Michelle …
In my lifetime, I've seen amazing change and growth in technology. I remember my parents' first microwave oven. My sister and I huddled in anticipation, watching water boil without a burner or a pot. One of my childhood Christmas wish-lists had only one item on it, written over and over again: An intercom system, consisting of two "phones" and a long cord running between them. Then came our first VCR (all 60 or so pounds of it), our first electric garage-door opener and our first word processor (something between an electric typewriter and a PC). My folks were lucky enough to have a gray, …
I recently posted my opinion (based on very little information) about the City of Evanston's new 3-1-1 Call System. I'm still digging around, trying to find out what it is and how it's going to improve life Around Town. The City Manager of Evanston, Wally Bobkiewicz, contacted me and offered to talk about the new system anytime. In preparation for our discussion, I emailed him a few questions, which he recently answered: Q: Is the 3-1-1 Call System really going to make our lives in Evanston easier? If yes, how? A: Yes it will. It will simplify resident and business access to non-…
Every year, teachers wonder what sort of "vibe" their classes will have. No one knows if the predominant voices in a class will clamor for books, the housekeeping corner, pulling pigtails, or a combination therein. At Washington School, 914 Ashland Avenue, Ellen Urquiaga's kindergarten classroom is full of Lego Lovers. (Let's just get one thing straight. Urquiaga is pronounced urkeeAAHHHHga) Mrs. Urquiaga has put out an All Points Bulletin for any retired Legos in Evanston. If you've got some, let us know in the comments section, or email Ellen directly at urquiagae@district65.net; …
Northwestern students, you've fallen from your pedestals. In the 14 years I've lived in Evanston, today is the first time I've heard of stunningly inappropriate behavior on your part. What's up, undergrads? Full disclosure: I'm 42. I was an undergrad once, and I regarded "townies" as miscreants. But now, I'm the "townie." I raise my kids here. I write about the joys of living in Evanston. I look for the "good" About Town every single day; in fact, I seek Evanston's good and upbeat news as a profession. Most importantly, I speak highly and shiningly of YOU, the Ivy League of the …
I think it's amazing we're one of the first suburbs to pass an ordinance allowing residents to raise their own chickens. Once again, our progressive, vocal residents have been heard and have made change happen. However, I'm not a chicken-raiser. I can't imagine doing it. While I admire those residents who've fought to bring the privilege to everyone in our city, I'm more comfortable buying my eggs in a carton. Maybe it's habit. Maybe it's fear of change? Maybe it's my respect for refrigerated dairy products. I'm not sure. We've heard the fowl-loving cries of Evanston chicken-raisers…
If you've never stopped by the Merrick Rose Garden (at Lake Street and Oak Avenue), try to make a point of it this week. If you've been meaning to visit this season, there's still time. The garden is still as fragrant and colorful as ever. The fountain is still running. The grass is still a lively green. And the varieties of roses, just like the residents of Evanston, are as diverse, unique -- and all part of the same family -- as ever. Sure, some roses are undeniable standouts. Some boast flamboyant attitudes. Some are wilted or overshadowed by their peers. Some seem better suited in …
For as long as I've lived in this town, I've never found a way to keep Evanston's aggressive (and remarkably intelligent) squirrels from eating the faces off my family's carved Halloween pumpkins. I'm convinced there's a squirrel language we humans cannot hear, transmitting high-frequency communication that, roughly translated, says, "It's October, fellas. The EPB [Evanston Pumpkin Buffet] is now open." Squirrels in any other town I've lived in were different. Sure, they were just as furry, but never as furtive as the Evanston breed. No offense to anyone living there now -- many of my …
Evanston's weather on Monday, Oct.11 was … funky. At 8 a.m., I walked out of the house with a long sleeved shirt and a sweater, wondering if I'd be warm enough. By 11 a.m., I wished I'd worn short sleeves. By 3:30 p.m., the winds blew in with a dense fog. Reapplied sweater. By 5:00 p.m., the fog was so thick, the Evanston skyscrapers were hidden. Wished I'd brought a scarf. By 5:30 p.m., the fog was essentially gone. Our high temperature was 78 degrees; low was in the 50s. Welcome to lakefront living!
Northwestern graduate Gregory Turk and his family explored Evanston's Lighthouse Wildflower Trail Garden on Sept. 30. The path runs along the Grosse Point Lighthouse, and was founded in 1937 by the Garden Club of Evanston. Turk's wife Yukako Ishii and their 16-month-old son, Jule, meandered through the leafy grounds, stopping every few feet to make a new discovery. The weather was – just as it was this past weekend -- absolutely gorgeous, and the Wilmette residents took advantage of the lakefront by exploring the beach and the trail with their young son. "We love coming here," Gregory Turk …
There was a TV commercial when I was growing up for Toffifay Candy. The jingle went, "Toffifay, it's too good for kids. Toffifay is made for grownups!" I watched that commercial (over and over and over and over) and wanted to be one of the grownups who got to eat the candy. Well, well, well. We're grownups now, aren't we? And guess what? There's a new show Around Town, made jut for us. A puppet show just for adults. It's Theater Zarko's fall production, Haff, the Man & Falling Girl. Here are all the details you could ever want: Haff, the Man & Falling Girl Oct. 8th - Nov. 21 2010 …
Evanston's vibrant colors can't be missed this time of year … particularly on some of our distinctive homes Around Town. Whether you're heading east toward the lake or west toward whatever must take you out of our fine city, make sure to drive past this house on the 1400 block of Emerson Street. This vibrant villa might make you cover your brake for a moment, just to fully capture the full kaleidoscope of chromaticity. The neon hues, the unique splatter pattern … it's certainly a one-of-a-kind.
