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12 | December 15, 2016 | The orland park prairie Sound Off opprairie.com Winter reading is here. Fashion is a Lifestyle Jackie OBoyle Contributing Columnist Orland Park resident Update your man’s look this holiday with some classic but trendy essentials to keep the fire burning. We all want our man to look good. Tops on my list and the most problematic area for guys: jeans. Denim is our Pour les garçons go-to these days, and investing in a good pair for your beau will be worth every penny spent. Stick with a straight leg in a cool wash. Spend a little extra money for the perfect fit. You’ll be doing a double take once he puts these puppies on. Next up is a crewneck sweater. Pick a color that accents his eyes. Soft and somewhat fitted. Underneath the wellfitting sweater should be a layering T-shirt. It’s time to ditch the Hanes and pop for a T-shirt that doesn’t come in a plastic bag. A smooth, fine-fitting soft fabric that hugs the body and doesn’t add extra bulk. These layering tees cost a bit more, but the fabrics are so much better than your basic cotton T-shirt. You’ll love the look and feel of them, and he will, too. If you’re guy hasn’t jumped on the chukka wagon, buy him a pair. They’re everywhere, in every color, at every price point. Looking for something a bit more extravagant for your beau? A new time piece. Go bulky in size, yet classic in look and style. Last on his list: cologne. Although guys are partial to certain scents, picking out something that moves your radar is going to move his. The opinions of this column are that of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect those of The Orland Park Prairie. HIRE LOCALLY Reach over 83% of prospective employees in your area! Chicagoly’s winter issue out now. Secure your copy at Chicagolymag.com/subscribe ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR $ 16. $ 4.99 FOR SINGLE C<strong>OP</strong>IES. CALL TODAY FOR RATES & INFORMATION 708-326-9170 www.22ndcenturymedia.com
opprairie.com Sound Off the orland park prairie | December 15, 2016 | 13 From the Editor An enlightening conversation, tour of Orland BILL JONES bill@opprairie.com For all of 24 hours, I did not care for Orland Park’s new holiday lights. Then, I (mostly) changed my mind. Right after Thanksgiving. I got a couple of emails, as I tend to get when residents find their latest source of outrage and/or confusion. “I was driving around town when I notice orland parks brand new Christmas decorations on the street lights. what are they? no bells no snowflakes no wreaths or candy canes or trees. [sic]” “Would you ever think of asking the village of Orland park what the new holiday decorations on the light poles are suppose to be and how they cost the village and what happened to the old snowflakes and snowmen? There seems to be a lot of confusion among the people I know as to what the decorations are suppose to be. [sic]” In the scheme of things, these were relatively tame inquiries. To my understanding, these are some of the nicer ways people have phrased their questions/displeasure about the lights. I was heading over to the Orland Park Police station anyway, when I finally saw some of the lights along Ravinia Avenue, up on the light poles — a green O, boxed by more green, with some other green things dividing it into quadrants. No, it’s not a reticle, and, no, it’s not Irish, despite the fact that it only appears in green and closely resembles a Celtic cross. The Village has a longer explanation about what it all means, but the short version is that it is Orland’s new wayfinding logo — one for which residents provided input. And officials thought this would be the perfect time, and way, to unveil it en masse, according to the Village’s public information officer, Joe La Margo. The wayfinding light poles are complemented by some other light pole designs — spotted on 143rd Street, near LaGrange Road — in green and white, featuring this swish and swirl design, or, in La Margo’s parlance, a “simple yet celebratory champagne-like design.” “It’s wintery,” La Margo said in a phone interview with The Orland Park Prairie. “It’s not specific.” And I think that’s why I don’t like them very much. I’m not one of those types to start complaining about the “reason for the season” or exclaiming “nobody puts Santa baby in the corner.” I’m all for trying something new. That said, there’s something so “not specific” about them that there is really nothing (or little) that says “holidays” at all. Which is why I was surprised to learn from La Margo that the Village intends to take them down in the opening weeks of January. Why not just leave them up year-round? Keep the celebration going. Keep reminding people they are in Orland Park. Especially if what La Margo said about the Village’s goal being, at least in part, to help draw people to the business district has merit. He noted the Village looked at places like Wheeling and Rosemont, which incorporated town branding into their lights. They also noticed the draw New Lenox has received for its large, lighted Santa Claus. “People are going in droves to see this ginormous Santa,” La Margo said. “And what are they going to do when they get there? Shop and eat.” This — and the fact that Orland Park has not done a major overhaul of its Christmas decorations in roughly 30 years — is what helps officials like La Margo justify the $182,890.34 price tag on the new lighting. Maybe it really is justified. As the Village will point out, a major part of the reason property taxes have been abated are the sales taxes generated in large part by Orland Square and the stores that surround it. So, trying to attract people to the area — especially after the struggles some area businesses have reported because of the LaGrange Road construction — is a noble effort. If it works. If it were just those light poles, I would say, “Not a chance in hell this attracts more people here.” If my adventures had simply stopped here, I’d still be slinging hurtful, sarcastic words at the light poles, but I opted to dig deeper instead. I called La Margo and went on a more extensive tour of the village. What I found was Crescent Park. I saw it from across LaGrange first and was taken aback. All of the trees are decorated in brilliant lights. At the center of the park stands a green origami tree. “Cool,” I thought. But then I tracked back to Village Hall, and that’s where the real action can be found. There is a giant teddy bear in lights, along with a gift package. A ribbon that doubles as an art piece. Maybe a less “holiday” but still beautiful lotus flower, as well as butterflies. And an unreal ornament decoration large enough to walk through, which is highly recommended, as the ceiling offers more beautiful globes. The lights are completely stunning — and just down the street, there is another fantastic tree in red and white (you can see this and some of the other key decorations on Page 8 this week), one of 128 around the village — and I’m not the only one who thinks so. La Margo noted that despite some of the complaints, other residents have called to compliment the Village, specifically on the Village Center, and I don’t doubt it. On my way out of there, I walked into another man’s shot of the decorations. I apologized, but it was as though he didn’t hear me. He was just gushing over the “ridiculous” beauty of the display. He seemed to be in disbelief, awe. He also asked me if I had seen the lights down by the train station, and noted if I had not it was a must-see display. Not only is the Village Center display phenomenal but also anyone who favors the old decorations can find the ones that were still working near Centennial Park, on the drive to the ice rink. And the snowflakes that used to be up on the light poles still are; they are just on Harlem Avenue now, meaning more people are benefitting from the decorations than ever across Orland Park’s roughly 26 square miles of village. “We’re decorating a lot more places than we’ve done in the past,” La Margo confirmed. It’s worth a night cruising around and checking out what the different areas have to offer. That’s part of what makes the holiday season fun. And, at the end of the day, if you’re still upset about Orland’s new decorations — other than the cost, which is your right to question as a taxpayer — lighten up. They’re only lights. Social snapshot Top Web Stories From opprairie.com as of Friday, Dec. 9 1. UPDATED: Orland Park man charged in death of David Dolitsky 2. D230 officials boast great returns for students on new curriculum 3. 10 Questions with Maeve Hennessy 4. <strong>OP</strong> native competes in ‘Cookie Challenge’ 5. Jerling eighth-graders compete in engineering challenge Become a Prairie Plus member: opprairie.com/plus Orland School District 135 posted the accompanying image Friday, Dec. 9, with the following note, “Prairie School students collected $1,900 that was used to purchase new toys for the Orland Township toy drive this year! The toys will go to families in need in and around Orland Park this holiday season.” Like The Orland Park Prairie: facebook.com/opprairie “Great things never came from comfort zones. #MotivationMonday” @TheBridgeTC — The Bridge Teen Center, on Dec. 5 Follow The Orland Park Prairie: @opprairie Sound Off Policy Editorials and columns are the opinions of the author. Pieces from 22nd Century Media are the thoughts of the company as a whole. The Orland Park Prairie encourages readers to write letters to Sound Off. All letters must be signed, and names and hometowns will be published. We also ask that writers include their address and phone number for verification, not publication. Letters should be limited to 400 words. The Orland Park Prairie reserves the right to edit letters. Letters become property of The Orland Park Prairie. Letters that are published do not reflect the thoughts and views of The Orland Park Prairie. Letters can be mailed to: The Orland Park Prairie, 11516 West 183rd Street, Unit SW Office Condo #3, Orland Park, Illinois, 60467. Fax letters to (708) 326-9179 or e-mail to bill@opprairie.com.
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