16 | March 22, 2018 | The wilmette beacon news wilmettebeacon.com Bagpiper surprises Wilmette sisters on St. Patrick’s Day Sisters of Christian Charity raise money at annual craft fair Hilary Anderson Freelance Reporter It was a St. Patrick’s Day surprise for Wilmette’s Sisters of Christian Charity. The sisters scheduled a craft fair the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day at their Sacred Heart Convent to sell handmade items made by members of their community. Sister Mary Ann Poppler was in charge. She holds these craft fairs about twice a year. “We have so many lovely handmade items our sisters make that the public could use,” Poppler said. “We use the proceeds to help support our retired and elderly sisters and those who need intensive medical care.” The list of handmade items included crocheted, embroidered, knitted, quilted and needlepoint items including tablecloths, dresser scarves, doilies, quilts, afghans for babies and adults, coin purses, hats, mittens, scarves, kitchen towels, table trivets and hot pads, table runners, all occasion greeting cards, even plants and more. “It is hard to find a store that sells handmade goods,” Poppler said. “Some of our sisters even knitted bunny rabbits that were popular and seasonal toilet paper holders. There were usable items made from Chicago Bears and other sports team materials. Our sisters are so creative.” Word went out among local supporters of the sisters. James Brian, a piper who is a member of the Chicago Highland Rifles and the Illinois Veterans and Police Association Honour Guard, heard about the efforts to raise money to benefit the elderly and ill religious women in the Sisters of Christian Charity Members of the Sisters of Christian Charity meet bagpiper James Brian on Saturday, March 17, at the Sacred Heart Convent in Wilmette. Photo submitted. community. He decided to surprise the sisters with a private St. Patrick’s Day piping event. “I went to Chicago’s St. Philomena School as a child and learned so much from the sisters,” Brian said. “They were such good people to us. I wanted to give back to them and say thank you.” Brian said he was in the fourth grade when a piper came to his school and showed the class how a bagpipe works. “It was then I decided that some day I would be a piper,” he said. “I eventually went on to study music at DePaul University.” Brian now plays his bagpipe for a variety of events. “I was playing at an event in Hubbard Woods when I heard about the sisters’ craft fair and decided to play for the sisters and their visitors,” Brian said. “What a joy to hear him play,” Geri O’Keefe said. “This was a double treat. I found a cute knitted hat and bought 21 handmade greeting cards.” “I am here like so many others to support the sisters,” Anne Nagle said. “They quietly do so much for the community and are so cherished. What a nice surprise to hear the piper at the opening of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I found this Chicago Bears wine bag and will give it as a present. I also bought this hot pad and some cards.” Sister Rose Mary Meyer, a BVM sister, stopped by and found a cloth bag she can use to carry paperwork back and forth to her office. “Look at this handiwork,” she said. “I love the fabric and the colors.” Newcomers were there, too. “We just moved into the neighborhood and wanted to take a look at all the things the sisters have for our toddler son, Finn,” Tabitha McCarthy said. “We have to keep up the Irish quota in the neighborhood,” Tim McCarthy said. “To our wonderful surprise we hear the bagpipe music!” After the craft fair was over, Brian played more songs, explained how a bagpipe works and answered the sisters’ many questions. “Hope my piping helped these wonderful sisters who have done so much for others,” Brian said. “I also hope it encouraged craft fair visitors to buy more and help the sisters support the elderly and ill members of their community. I enjoyed being with them for the beginning of their St. Patrick’s Day! Celebration!” For more information about the Sisters of Christian Charity, visit www.sccwilmette.org. For more information about bagpiper James Brian, send an email to bagpiperjamesbrian@gmail.com and find him on Facebook. THE HIGHLAND PARK LANDMARK City Council votes down Green Bay Road speed limit reduction Cars will continue to legally drive 35 mph on Green Bay Road after this week’s City Council decision to keep the speed limit the same. All present members voted no at the Monday, March 12 meeting. Councilwoman Michelle Holleman and Mayor Nancy Rotering were not present. This issue came to light when Matthew Vanderkooy, who moved to the area around Green Bay Road in June 2017, felt people were driving too fast for comfort. He immediately got to work trying to make the neighborhood safer for his two children under the age of five. Vanderkooy brought the request to lower the speed limit on Green Bay Road to the City in August 2017 and the traffic management committee advised him to start a petition in order to show some support among the residents on that section of the road. The functional street classification map shows Green Bay Road is an arterial route and the section up for debate is the section between Glencoe Ave all the way to County Line Road — around 1.7 miles long. Reporting by Margaret Tazioli, Freelance Reporter. Full story at HPLandmark.com. THE GLENVIEW LANTERN Residents, community leaders, politicians unite against rail expansion Don’t turn Glenview’s neighborhoods into a parking lot for freight trains. That was the message that came across loud and clear during the public forum held in Glenbrook South’s Watson Auditorium on March 12, which drew more than 1,000 North Shore residents. The forum called by the Village of Glenview was a response to Amtrak’s proposal to the Federal Railroad Administration to add three daily round trips to the Hiawatha service between Chicago and Milwaukee, increasing the number of its passenger trains passing through Glenview from 14 to 20. This would also entail building a two-mile holding track in West Glenview to accommodate the Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific freight trains that share the rail line with Metra, as well as Amtrak’s Hiawatha and Empire Builder (cross-country) passenger trains. The Glenview tracks would run north from West Lake Avenue to Willow Road. Reporting by Neil Milbert, Freelance Reporter. Full story at GlenviewLantern.com. THE NORTHBROOK TOWER Northbrook native co-authors book on Joe Maddon Most Chicago Cubs fans quickly developed an affinity for manager Joe Maddon following his arrival in late 2014. Now, thanks to the work of Northbrook native and GBN graduate Jesse Rogers, fans of the 64-year-old, three-time manager of the year, will get an inside look at the crucial role Maddon played in breaking the Cubs’ 108-year World Series drought. Rogers, with the help of MLB.com’s Bill Chastain, recently released “Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon,” a book chronicling Maddon’s life in baseball. “It’s a biographical look at the career of Joe Maddon and how he came to who he is as a manger,” Rogers said. “The things he’s learned along the way, the things that make him unique the things that have made him a manager that’s on the track to the hall of fame. It’s a look at what makes Maddon tick.” And to find out just what exactly does make Maddon tick, Rogers devoted countless hours of preparation, work and research during the Cubs’ 2017 spring training season. The final product resulted in a near 300-page book, released earlier this month. Reporting by Martin Carlino, Contributing Editor. Full story at Northbrooktower.com
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