LF_011019

® 

The Lake ForesT LeaderTM 

Lake Forest and Lake Bluff’s hometown newspaper LakeForestLeader.com • January 10, 2019 • Vol. 4 No. 48 • $1 

A 

,LLC 

Publication 

Lake Bluff Library reaches milestone year, Page 4 

PHOTOS LEFT TO RIGHT: In celebration 

of the Lake Bluff Library’s 

100th anniversary, the Library 

compiled a display case detailing 

milestones for the library. Alyssa Groh/22nd Century Media. 

This photo of statues of geese was taken after the construction of the current 

library in August 1974. Photo submitted by Lake Bluff History Museum. Former Lake 

Bluff Library Board President, Henry C. Spruth, marks the new location for the 

library in August 1972. Photo submitted by Lake Bluff History Museum 

High prices LB, LF 

knocked for expensive 

housing, Page 3 

Educational and fun 

Lake Forest toy store celebrates anniversary, Page 7 

On a mission 

Lake Forest organization raises awareness for 

human sex trafficking, Page 17

2 | January 10, 2019 | The lake forest leader calendar 

LakeForestLeader.com 

In this week’s 

LEADER 

Police Reports6 

Pet of the Week8 

Editorial15 

Puzzles18 

Faith Briefs20 

Dining Out21 

Home of the Week22 

Athlete of the Week25 

The Lake Forest 

Leader 

ph: 847.272.4565 

fx: 847.272.4648 

Editor 

Alyssa Groh, x21 

alyssa@lakeforestleader.com 

Sales director 

Teresa Lippert, x22 

t.lippert@22ndcenturymedia.com 

real estate agent 

John Zeddies, x12 

j.zeddies@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Legal Notices 

Jeff Schouten, 708.326.9170, x51 

j.schouten@22ndcenturymedia.com 

PUBLISHER 

Joe Coughlin, x16 

j.coughlin@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Managing Editor 

Eric DeGrechie, x23 

eric@wilmettebeacon.com 

AssT. Managing Editor 

Megan Bernard, x24 

megan@glencoeanchor.com 

president 

Andrew Nicks 

a.nicks@22ndcenturymedia.com 

EDITORIAL DESIGN DIRECTOR 

Nancy Burgan, 708.326.9170, x30 

n.burgan@22ndcenturymedia.com 

22 nd Century Media 

60 Revere Drive Suite 888 

Northbrook, IL 60062 

www.LakeForestLeader.com 

Chemical- free printing on 30% recycled paper 

circulation inquiries 

circulation@22ndcenturymedia.com 

The Lake Forest Leader (USPS #20452) is 

published weekly by 22nd Century Media, 

LLC, 60 Revere Dr. Ste. 888, Northbrook, 

IL 60062. 

Periodical paid postage at Northbrook, IL 

and additional mailing offices. 

POSTMASTER: send address changes to 

The Northbrook Tower 60 Revere Dr. Ste. 

888, Northbrook IL 60062 

Published by 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com 

THURSDAY 

New Year, New You… 

Productivity Apps 

10-11 a.m. Jan. 10, Lake 

Forest Library, 360 E. 

Deerpath Road, Lake Forest. 

Looking to become 

more creative, focused, 

productive, or organized 

in 2019? Now is the perfect 

time to automate and 

prioritize items on the todo 

list using the latest productivity 

apps. For more 

information, call (847) 

234-0636. 

SATURDAY 

GO Fitness Festival 

8:30 a.m. – noon, Jan. 

12, Lake Bluff Park District, 

355 W. Washington 

Ave., Lake Bluff. Try out 

the fitness center, take 

sample exercise and yoga 

classes and learn how to 

get started on a path to a 

healthy lifestyle. Many local 

Lake Bluff and Lake 

Forest businesses have 

donated prizes for the GO 

Fitness Fest including dining 

gift cards from Inovasi, 

Otherdoor and Bluffington’s 

along with gift 

baskets from Lululemon, 

Pasquesi’s Home and Garden, 

Be Market, Hansa, 

Flotstone, Lake Forest 

Book Store and more. For 

more information, call 

(847) 234-4150. 

Camp Preview Day 

9:30 a.m.-noon Jan. 12, 

Deerpath Middle School 

Cafeteria, 155 W. Deerpath 

Road, Lake Forest. 

This event will give an 

exclusive sneak peek at 

all of the wonderful camp 

opportunities that exist for 

children for the summer of 

2018. Attendees will get 

the opportunity to meet 

staff, ask questions, participate 

in camp activities, 

and even have the opportunity 

for early registration 

discounts. From specialty 

camps to our traditional 

day camps, there is something 

for everyone from 3 

year olds to 14 year olds. 

SUNDAY 

Winter Fun Fest 

3 p.m. Jan. 13, Lake Forest 

Country Day School, 

145 S. Green Bay Road, 

Lake Forest. - Lake Forest 

Country Day School 

invites area families to 

celebrate the winter season 

with activities, music, 

stories and refreshments in 

the school’s Early Childhood 

Center. This event 

is free and open to all area 

families with children ages 

2-6 years old. To register 

for the Winter Fun Fest, 

call (847) 615-6151. 

Red Rose Jazz 

4-6 p.m. Jan. 13, Gorton 

Community Center, 400 E. 

Illinois Road, Lake Forest. 

The Red Rose Jazz Band 

returns to present the very 

best of ragtime and early 

jazz to the community. Get 

tickets early, as this one sells 

out. For more information, 

call (847) 234-6060. 

WEDNESDAY 

Empty Nester Series: 

Health Living with Sharan 

Tash 

10 a.m. and 6 p.m. classes, 

Jan. 16, Gorton Community 

Center, 400 E. Illinois 


Proper movement without 

pain is the key to living an 

optimal healthy lifestyle. 

Join Sharan as she teaches 

about optimum functional 

health and fitness, facts 

and nutrition for a long 

life. It doesn’t matter age, 

size, or fitness level, exercise 

and health are for everyone. 

For more information, 

call (847) 234-6060. 

UPCOMING 

LF/LB Chamber Annual 

Business and Government 

Breakfast 

7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. Jan. 

17, Deerpath Inn, 255 E. 


Join the Chamber’s Board 

of Directors, and civic 

and business leaders for a 

program that features municipal 

updates from Lake 

Forest City Manager Bob 

Kiely and Lake Bluff Village 

Administrator Drew 

Irvin. In addition, the LF/ 

LB Chamber will present 

its 18th annual Community 

Leadership Award to 

a Chamber member that 

exemplifies an exceptional 

level of commitment to 

community service. This 

year’s recipient is the Lake 

Bluff History Museum. 

For more information, visit 

cityoflakeforest.com. 

Some Like it Hot 

Firefighters’ Chili 

Noon-2 p.m. Jan. 18, 

Dickinson Hall, 100 E. 

Old Mill Road, Lake Forest. 

Warm up at our 3rd 

annual Firefighters’ Chili 

here at Dickinson Hall. 

Enjoy a delicious bowl of 

chili and all the fixin’s prepared 

by none other than 

the Lake Forest Firefighters. 

Our neighbors from 

the Music Institute will 

visit and play for us while 

we enjoy dessert. Join us 

for this feel-good community 

event guaranteed to 

shake off the winter blues. 

For more information, call 

(847) 234-2209. 

ONGOING 

Go Walk 

8 a.m. every Tuesday 

morning at the Lake Bluff 

Recreation Center, 355 W. 

Washington Ave., Lake 

Bluff. Free for all Lake 

Forest/Lake Bluff residents. 

Walks will be held 

outdoors, weather permitting, 

year round. There 

will be no walk on Jan. 1. 

On inclement days, walkers 

will be able to use the 

Fitness Center’s indoor 

track. Register at the Lake 

Bluff Park District www. 

lakebluffparks.org. 

Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. First and third 

Tuesday of the month, 

Lake Forest Toastmasters 

Club meets at the Gorton 

Community Center, 400 E. 


Toastmasters is an international 

organization that 

aims to help develop communication 

and leadership 

skills for professional 

and personal growth. For 

more information visit 

www.lakeforest.toastmast 

ersclubs.org. 

Social Bridge Play 

7-9 p.m. every Thursdays, 

First Presbyterian 

Church, 700 N. Sheridan 

Road. Lake Forest. Brief 

Bridge lesson given at the 

beginning. All Levels welcome. 


call (847) 977-3159. 

Memory Care & Adult Day 

Services 

1:30-2:30 p.m. every 

Thursday, The Sheridan 

LIST IT YOURSELF 

Reach out to thousands of daily 

users by submitting your event at 

LakeForestLeader.com/calendar 

For just print*, email all information to 


*Deadline for print is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to publication. 

at Green Oaks, 29300 N. 

Waukegan Road, Lake 

Bluff. Come for a meaningful 

targeted programming 

to help people suffering 

with dementia. 

Songs by Heart Foundation 

bringing beautifully 

sung music and dancing 

to the residents. For more 

information, call (224) 

723-0054. 

Monthly Blood Pressure 

Checks 

10-11 a.m. on the second 

Monday of every 

month, Dickinson Hall, 

100 E. Old Mill Road, 

Lake Forest. Nurse Patti 

Mikes will visit Dickinson 

Hall to give free blood 

pressure checks to anyone 

50 years old and older. No 

appointment needed. For 


(847) 234-2209. 

CROYA Weekly Meetings 

4-5 p.m. or 7-8 p.m. 

Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 

CROYA, 400 Hastings 


Come make friends, learn 

about volunteer opportunities 

and have fun. The 

middle school meetings 

are 4-5 p.m. on Tuesdays 

at CROYA. The high 

school meetings are 7-8 

p.m. on Wednesdays at 

CROYA.

LakeForestLeader.com NEWS 

the lake forest leader | January 10, 2019 | 3 

Lake Forest, Lake Bluff required to address affordable housing shortages 

Jason Addy 

Contributing Editor 

Lake Forest and Lake 

Bluff are among more 

than a dozen Lake County 

municipalities that must 

submit formal plans to 

show how they will improve 

access to affordable 

housing over the coming 

years, according to a new 

report from the Illinois 

Housing Development 

Authority. 

At the end of December, 

the IHDA published 

its 2018 report of local 

governments that are not 

exempt from regulations 

under the Affordable 

Housing Planning and 

Appeal Act, based on the 

percentage of year-round 

units that are considered 

affordable by the law’s 

standards. 

That report shows Lake 

Forest, Lake Bluff, Highland 

Park, Kenilworth, 

Glencoe, Winnetka, 

Northfield, Wilmette, 

Northbrook and Glenview 

are among the 46 local 

From the City 

governments in Illinois 

that have an affordable 

housing share of less than 

10 percent, meaning they 

are not exempt from the 

law. 

When ranked by the 

smallest share of affordable 

housing, Lake Bluff 

is No. 22, with a share of 

3.8 percent, and Lake Forest 

is No. 27 with a share 

of 5.3 percent, according 

to the list. 

Just 76 of 1,992 yearround 

units in Lake Bluff 

and 348 of 6,557 units in 

Lake Forest are considered 

affordable. 

Under the Affordable 

Housing Planning and Appeal 

Act, owner-occupied 

homes are considered affordable 

if the total cost of 

mortgage, amortization, 

taxes, insurance, and condominium 

or association 

fees is no more than 30 

percent of the gross annual 

income of a family that 

may purchase the unit. 

Rental units are deemed 

affordable if rent and utilities 

cost no more than 30 

Subscribe and Stay 

Informed in 2019 

To sign up for emergency 

notifications, learn 

about community programs, 

events, news and 

construction updates, and 

Lake County News, visit 

cityoflakeforest.org. 

The City’s Emergency 

Notification System, “CodeRed”, 

allows residents 

to be notified at any phone 

number (hard line or cell 

phone) or to receive a text 

message for emergency 

notifications and optional 

severe weather warnings 

(tornado, severe thunderstorms 

and flash floods). 

If already registered with 

the CodeRed system, residents 

should check to see 

that their information is up 

to date. 

In addition, in the “Join 

Our Email List” on the 

Subscribe page, residents 

can receive current E- 

News, including: 

• Athletics 

• Business News 

• Community Events 

• Construction Updates 

• CROYA (Committee 

Representing Our Young 

Adults) 

• Deerpath Golf Course 

• Dickinson Hall (Senior 

Services) 

• Important Notices and 

Press Releases 

• Kinderhaven Preschool 

Academy 

• Lake Forest Dance 

Academy 

• Lake Forest Fitness 

Center 

• Parks and Recreation 

News 

• Racquetball/Squash/ 

Wallyball 

• Sailing 

• Stirling Hall Arts Center 

• Wildlife Discovery 

Center 

E-News from Lake 

County, Illinois is also 

available on the website’s 

Subscribe page. 

From the City is compiled by 

Editor Alyssa Groh from the 

City’s e-newsletter. 

Join us Tuesday 

percent of the gross annual 

income for a family 

that may rent the unit. 

Kenilworth and Glencoe 

are ranked eighth and 

ninth on the IHDA report, 

with 2.2 and 2.5 percent 

affordable housing shares, 

respectively. Only 110 of 

4,014 year-round units in 

Winnetka are considered 

affordable, giving 12thranked 

Winnetka a 2.7 

percent affordable housing 

share. 

Northfield (3.2 percent) 

sits at No. 15, and 

Wilmette (4.5 percent) is 

No. 24, in terms of least 

affordable housing, the 

IHDA’s report states. 

Northbrook (5.7 percent), 

Glenview (7.3 percent) 

and Highland Park 

(9.3 percent) are also included 

in the IHDA’s report 

of non-exempt local 

governments. 

Non-exempt municipalities 

have 18 months to 

develop, approve and submit 

an affordable housing 

plan that identifies locations 

where new affordable 

housing can be built 

and any existing structures 

that could be converted or 

rehabilitated to provide 

more affordable housing 

within the municipality’s 

borders. 

The affordable housing 

plan that non-exempt municipalities 

must submit 

by the end of June 2020 

must also include incentives 

the local government 

may provide to attract new 

affordable housing developments, 

and each nonexempt 

municipality must 

select one of three goals 

for increasing affordable 

housing: 

Requiring at least 15 

percent of all new development 

to be considered 

affordable 

Requiring at least a 3 

percent increase in the 

overall percentage of affordable 

housing 

Requiring at least 10 

percent of all units in the 

through Friday 

Closed Sunday & Monday 

Froggys 

French Cafe 

Monthly Special for January 

Available for Lunch or Dinner 

$16 per person BEFORE 6:30pm 

CHOICE OF Soup: Lobster Bisque, Mushroom Creme, Butternut Squash 

or Mixed Green Salad 

 

ENTREE CHOICE OF... 

Steak with french fries 

or 

Cassoulet Toulousin 

or 

Alaskan Scrod with Lobster sauce 

municipality to be considered 

affordable 

The Illinois Housing 

Development Authority 

compiled its 2018 report 

of local governments that 

are not exempt from regulations 

in the Affordable 

Housing Planning and Appeal 

Act using five-year 

population, housing and 

income estimates from 

the U.S. Census Bureau’s 

2016 American Community 

Survey. 

All main courses are served with three vegetables and a starch 

FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 847.433.7080 

WWW.FROGGYSRESTAURANT.COM 

306 GREEN BAY ROAD, HIGHWOOD 

Not available for parties of 6 or more. Monthly Specials not valid on Holidays. 

visit us online at LAKEFORESTLEADER.com

4 | January 10, 2019 | The lake forest leader NEWS 


ARE YOU ENGAGING YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH 

VIDEO? 

LB Library celebrates 

centennial year in 2019 

IT’S 60,000 TIMES FASTER THAN TEXT 

Video is amore passive experience than reading text—it’s much easier 

for audiences to become immersed in your message. Not only is more 

information conveyed, but there isanemotional quality practically 

unmatched in print. If your company hasn’t been developing video 

marketing strategies, then it’s crucial to start now. Let Street Level 

Studio help you leverage this powerful tool with the right mix of 

motion graphics, visuals, and messaging. Contact us today. 

DESIGN • BRANDING • MARKETING • WEB • DIGITAL • VIDEO • ANALYTICS 

Let’s talk. 847.432.5150 

streetlevelstudio.com 

250 Waukegan Ave., Highwood 

Alyssa Groh, Editor 

With the start of a new 

year, the Lake Bluff Public 

Library began celebrating 

its 100th year in existence. 

At the beginning of 

2019, the Lake Bluff Public 

Library brought out its 

display case put together 

by Jillian Chapman, the 

community engagement 

coordinator, which was 

filled with photos, articles, 

a time line and memorabilia 

of the past 100 years 

in the library. 

“It is very exciting to 

be celebrating 100 years, 

it is a big milestone for 

any organization,” said 

Eric Bailey, the library 

director. “For us we are 

very much in addition to 

celebrating the last 100 

years, we are also looking 

forward to the future as 

well. Libraries are a very 

different world today than 

100 years ago. We are 

very excited about what 

the future holds.” 

Bailey, who joined the 

library in 2005 and became 

director in 2012, has 

seen the library grow in 

just the past 14 years. 

While noting some of 

the changes he has personally 

seen, he also shared 

some of the biggest milestones 

of the library since 

its inception in 1919. 

The Lake Bluff Public 

Library was founded in 

1919 by the Lake Bluff 

Woman’s Club and Bailey 

said the reason behind the 

founding was a memorial 

for the Veterans of the 

Great War, which had just 

wrapped up at that time. 

A few years later in 

This map shows each location the Lake Bluff Library has 

been at. Photo submitted by Lake Bluff History Museum 

The Lake Bluff Library put together a few artifacts and 

history items to commemorate its 100th anniversary. The 

items can be seen inside the display case at the library. 

Alyssa Groh/22nd Century media 

1926, the library finally 

received tax payer support. 

Prior to that, it was a 

library that functioned on 

volunteers and donations 

of materials. 

With the support of taxpayers, 

Bailey said the 

library was able to take a 

look a regular collections, 

budget and getting into 

regular facilities. 

Eventually, between 

1920 and 1975 the library 

moved around to a few 

different locations in the 

downtown area. One of 

the locations was the bottom 

level of a residential 

home that turned into a 

pharmacy. 

Soon after, the library’s 

needs were not being met 

and it was time to build 

a new building for the li- 

Please see lake, 9

LakeForestLeader.com Lake Forest 


Call now for thebest CD 

Rates on theNorth Shore! 

5YearCD 

3YearCD 

3.30% APY* 

2.80% APY* 

14 MonthsCD 2.60% APY* 

Promotional rates available for limited time only. 

Call (847) 234-8484tospeak with aPersonal Banker today! 

George Dakis 

Vice President, NMLS# 1637496 

direct: (312) 219-9720 

CelestinaKwiecien 

Personal Banker 

direct: (847) 234-8484 

Now Hiring Loan Originators! 

Bernie Miller 

Fmr. U.S. Army Captain 

Executive Vice President, NMLS# 210808 

direct: (312) 738-6262 

/thefederalsavingsbank 

/thefedsavbank 

664N.Western Avenue,LakeForest, IL 60045 

Copyright 2019 ©The Federal Savings Bank | All rights reserved | TheFederalSavingsBank.com | Co. NMLS# 411500 

*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 01/09/2019 and issubject to change. $10,000 minimum deposit to open and earn the stated CDAPY, assumes interest remains on deposit until 

maturity. Offer valid for funds not currently on deposit with The Federal Savings Bank. Apenalty may beimposed for early withdrawal, which would reduce earnings. For additional terms and 

conditions, call (312) 667-1980 or send an email tocontact us@thefederalsavingsbank.com. Based on asearch of Bankrate.com amongst banks with physical locations for 5Year, 3Year, 14Months 

CDs inthe Chicago, ILarea on01/09/2019.



Police Reports 

Grayslake man charged after falling asleep at the wheel in Lake Forest 

Kull Rasmus, 22, of 

Grayslake, was charged 

with DUI of alcohol and 

drugs, possession of cannabis, 

possession of drug 

paraphernalia, possession 

of controlled substance - 

xanax, possession of controlled 

substance - codeine 

at 4:58 p.m. Dec. 30 in 

the intersection of Spruce 

Street and Sheridan Road 

in Lake Forest. 

Police responded to a 

911 call concerning a person 

who appeared to be 

passed out in the driver 

seat of a black SUV. Police 

located a black Ford 

Escape that was running 

near the Cemetery located 

at 500 Spruce and it was 

occupied by a male driver, 

later identified as Kull. Officers 

observed Kull to be 

slumped over and he appeared 

to be breathing. 

Officers knocked on 

the vehicle’s window and 

were able to wake Kull up. 

When officers were able to 

speak to Kull, they smelled 

the odor of alcohol coming 

from Kull as well as the 

odor of cannabis coming 

from the vehicle. 

During the subsequent 

interview, Kull was demonstrating 

obvious signs 

of impairment leading officers 

to request he submit 

to some standard field 

sobriety tests. Officers 

also located controlled 

substances in his possession. 

Kull’s vehicle was 

searched and other drugs 

and paraphernalia were located 

in the vehicle. 

Kull was transported 

to Lake Forest Hospital 

for chemical testing. Kull 

was then taken to the Lake 

Forest Police Department 

where he was processed. 

In other police news: 

Lake Forest: 

Dec. 29: 

• A suspicious vehicle with 

Wisconsin plates was discovered 

by an officer on 

patrol at 10:14 p.m. parked 

in the 200 block of Chiltern. 

When the officer ran 

the registration, he found 

the vehicle listed as stolen 

from Kenosha, Wis., during 

an apparent carjacking 

that left the vehicle owner 

hospitalized. Kenosha Police 

Department was contacted 

and the vehicle was 

towed to the Lake Forest 

Police Department. Subsequent 

investigation determined 

the vehicle was 

abandoned on Chiltern 

around 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 

28. No suspects are known 

at this time. Case turned 

over to Kenosha Police 

Department. 

• Jacon Lucas, Galli 

Taddeo and Ethan Madura, 

all 19 and all of Lake 

Forest, were charged with 

possession of cannabis 

and Paul Turelli, 19, of 

Lake Forest, was charged 

with possession of drug 

paraphernalia at 6:56 p.m. 

in the 100 block of Rue 

Foret. Police responded to 

the 100 block of Rue Foret 

after a resident called 911 

about a suspicious dark 

colored vehicle parked 

near their house that was 

occupied by unknown 

persons. Officers located 

Lucas, Galli, Madura and 

Turelli at the scene. During 

the incident, officers 

were aware of the smell of 

cannabis coming from the 

vehicle. After speaking to 

the four individuals, officers 

subsequently located 

a small quantity of cannabis 

and drug paraphernalia 

in the vehicle. Officer’s 

issued administrative hearing 

citations to the four 

individuals for Possession 

of Cannabis (Jacob, Galli 

and Madura) and Possession 

of Drug Paraphernalia 

(Turelli). All four were released 

at the scene. 

Dec. 28: 

• Carmen Rollins, 21, of 

Park City, was charged 

with no valid driver’s license 

and open transportation 

of alcohol at 1:19 a.m. 

in the intersection of Route 

41 and Deer Path Road. 

Officers were on routine 

patrol when they observed 

a gray Ford Fusion speeding 

north on Route 41 with 

a broken bumper dragging 

the ground. Officers conducted 

a traffic stop on the 

vehicle and spoke to the 

female driver identified as 

Rollins. Rollins advised 

officers she did not have a 

valid driver’s license and 

when asked, she admitted 

to drinking alcohol prior to 

driving. Officers located an 

open container of alcohol 

in the vehicle’s passenger 

area. Rollins was placed 

under arrest, transported to 

the Public Safety Building. 

Lake Bluff: 

Dec. 27: 

• A single-vehicle property 

damage accident was reported 

at 3:10 p.m. in the 

intersection of Route 41 

and Route 176. 

• Theft was reported at 

8:20 p.m. in the 900 block 

of Rockland Road. 

Dec. 26: 

• A two-car accident was 

observed by an officer at 

5:59 p.m. in the area of 

Rockland Road and Skokie 

Highway. There were no 

signs of injuries and both 

vehicles were relocated. 

One citation was issued. 

Dec. 23: 

• A driver was issued a 

citation for driving with a 

suspended driver’s license 

and no valid registration 

at 12:31 a.m. in the 900 

block of Rockland Road. 

• A driver was charged 

with speeding and driving 

with a suspended driver’s 

license at 2:05 a.m. in the 

intersection of Route 41 


Dec. 22: 

• A driver was given citations 

for driving with a 

suspended driver’s license, 

no valid registration and 

no registration light at 

12:47 a.m. in the intersection 

of Skokie Valley Road 


Dec. 21: 

• A missing license plate 

sticker was reported at 

3:30 p.m. in the 400 block 

of Skokie Highway. A officer 

met with the complainant 

who stated the business 

observed an Illinois registration 

sticker to be missing 

as of Dec. 21, possibly 

destroyed accidentally on 

Dec. 9. 

Dec. 20 

• A hit and run accident 

was reported at 9:17 a.m. 

in the Public Safety Building. 

• A private party accident 

was reported at 3:12 p.m. 

in the Public Safety Building. 

The complainant advised 

he struck a parked 

vehicle in the 200 block of 

Waukegan Road, and was 

unable to locate the driver. 

The driver advised he left 

a note for the owner, but 

was concerned they may 

not get it. The officer made 

contact with the owner 

of the unattended vehicle 

who advised a formal report 

was not needed. 

• A two-vehicle traffic accident 

was reported at 

7:02 p.m. in the Public 

Safety Building. The officer 

met with the subject 

who advised at approximately 

5:50 p.m., they 

were stopped in traffic in 

the area of the 300 block 

of Rockland Road traveling 

westbound. The officer 

advised the subject that a 

report could not be completed 

properly without 

the insurance information. 

The subject advised he had 

called the driver of Unit. 

No. 1 and left a voicemail, 

but had not heard back. 

The driver of Unit No. 2 

advised a formal report 

was not needed. 

Dec. 19: 

• A private Property Damage 

Accident was reported 

at 8:23 a.m. in the 700 

block of Rockland Road. It 

was confirmed there were 

no injuries. 

• A vehicle versus pedestrian 

with personal injury accident 

was reported at 5:45 

p.m. in the intersection of 

Mawman Avenue and W. 

Scranton Avenue. Lake 

Bluff and Lake Forest Fire 

Department responded to 

the scene. The pedestrian 

was transported to Lake 

Forest Hospital. An officer 

completed a driver 

information exchange and 

issued a citation for failure 

to yield to a pedestrian in a 

crosswalk. 

Dec. 18: 

• A delayed report of theft 

was reported at 4:52 p.m. 

in the 900 block of Rockland 

Road. The theft occurred 

on Dec. 6. 

• A delayed accident was 

reported at 5:23 p.m. in the 

Public Safety Building. 

The complainant advised 

that Unit No. 1 of the accident 

was not providing 

the insurance information 

for his vehicle and he had 

not paid for the damage 

to her vehicle. The officer 

spoke with Unit No. 1 who 

advised the vehicle was a 

work vehicle and he would 

not be able to provide the 

insurance information until 

Dec. 19. 

Dec. 17: 

• A military identification 

card was reported lost at 

11:31 a.m. in the 2500 

block of Meadow Circle. 

The officer spoke with the 

complainant who stated 

sometime between 9:20- 

10 a.m. while out jogging, 

she lost her military identification 

card. Her identity 

was confirmed and the officer 

assisted her in looking 

for the card with negative 

results. The ID was 

later located. 

Dec. 16 

• Retail theft was reported 

at 2:24 p.m. in the 900 

block of Rockland Road. 

Upon arrival, offenders already 

left the scene except 

for one subject. The subject 

on scene did not take 

his items past the point of 

sale, but was identified as 

coming from the same vehicle 

as the others, and had 

similar items in his cart. 

The subject was identified 

and provided information 

on the other offenders. 

EDITORS NOTE: The 

Lake Forest Leader’s Police 

Reports are compiled from 

official reports found on file 

at the Lake Forest and Lake 

Bluff Police Department 

headquarters. Individuals 

named in these reports are 

considered innocent of all 

charges until proven guilty in 

the court of law.



Sage Explorers celebrates one year 


Opening a children’s toy 

store was never part of the 

plan for Allison Gurza. 

After working at School 

of St. Mary’s in Lake Forest 

for 15 years, Gurza 

decided to pursue a new 

adventure. 

“I decided it was time 

for a change,” Gurza said. 

“I worked at a children’s 

clothing and toy store in 

college and really enjoyed 

it, so I thought it would 

be a nice addition in Lake 

Forest to have a toy store 

again.” 

Shortly after Gurza, of 

Lake Forest, opened Sage 

Explorers, 644 N. Bank 

Lane, Lake Forest, on 

Sept. 2, 2017. 

Sage Explorers is not 

your typical toy store. 

Gurza’s toy store is home 

to toys, craft activities and 

a learning center. 

Adding the concept of 

a learning center for children 

who need a little extra 

tutoring was a way for 

Gurza to help students and 

continue her passion of 

teaching. 

“I didn’t want to leave 

teaching entirely, so we 

have the learning center 

where we do a lot of tutoring, 

classes and craft 

events as well,” Gurza 

said. 

In the Learning Center 

students can receive 

tutoring one on one, or 

upon special request tutoring 

can be done in small 

groups. 

Gurza, alongside her 

staff who all specialize in 

certain areas, are on hand 

to offer extra tutoring support 

to students. Tutors 

can help with homework, 

academic enrichment, test 

prep, or anything in between. 

The Learning Center is 

also home to craft events 

Sage Explorers in Lake Forest offers a variety of educational 

children’s toys, tutoring and more. Photos by 

Alyssa Groh/22nd Century Media 

Sage Explorers, 644 N. Bank Lane, Lake Forest, celebrated 

its one year anniversary in September. 

where Sage Explorers offers 

daily crafts for kids 

and adults. Kids can drop 

in to complete one of the 

craft options being offered 

that day. The crafts 

are designed for a variety 

of ages and typically take 

about 10-20 minutes to 

complete, depending on 

the craft. 

Sage explorers is also 

home to a variety of toys 

for infants, toddlers and 

children of all ages. When 

Gurza was planning her 

store concept, she knew 

she wanted to offer unique 

toys for children to facilitate 

learning and enjoyment. 

Taking it a step farther, 

Sage Explorers offers 

demos of almost all of its 

toys for children, and parents, 

to try out before buying. 

“I want kids to come in 

and play with the games to 

make sure they like them,” 

Gurza said. “There are 

so many times you order 

from Amazon and you get 

something and it was not 

what you were expecting. 

At Sage Explorers you 

come in and know you 

are going to leaving with 

something your child likes 

and that your child is going 

to play with.” 

Gurza also noted, one of 

her goals is to get people 

to look past the age on toy 

boxes and many toys can 

be enjoyable for people 

outside of the age range on 

the box. 

DINNER IS ON US! 

Life Changing Seminar: 

Stress, Hormones&Belly Fat 

(Yes, this is for you men, too!) 

Wednesday Jan 16th at 6:00 pm 

400 EIllinois Rd, Lake Forest, IL



The Pilates Underground celebrates 

one year, launches new programs 

Barkey 

The Atkins family, Lake 

Forest 

This is Barkey. He is a 

green anole lizard. Our 

family adopted him from 

Mrs. Perceval’s fifthgrade 

science class at 

Deer Path Middle School. 

He was part of a bio dome experiment. He loves to 

eat crickets and mealworms and enjoys exploring 

in his habitat. Barkey is quite tame and loves 

being held. When our daughter pets him, he turns 

a beautiful bright green. As you can see, he is very 

handsome and photogenic. 

HELP! The Lake Forest Leader is in search of more pets. 

To see your pet featured as Pet of the Week, send a photo 

and information to alyssa@lakeforestleader.com or 60 

Revere Drive, Suite 888, Northbrook, IL 60062. 


The first year of owning a business is 

all about learning what does and does 

not work and growing your business. 

That was the theme of 2018 for Wilmette 

resident Carissa Floyd, the 

owner of The Pilates Underground 

in Lake Forest. 

“The first year of business I was so 

nervous and I had very low expectations,” 

Floyd said. “I really didn’t 

know what to expect for a first year. 

We just blew it out of the water, it 

was awesome. People were inviting 

their friends to the studio and within 

the first six months we started getting 

wait lists.” 

Floyd opened her first Pilates studio, 

The Pilates Underground on 

Jan. 15, 2018 after she saw the results 

Pilates gave her. After developing 

a passion for Pilates and really 

understanding and learning about 

the practice, she decided to open her 

own studio to help others along their 

fitness journey. 

Fast forward a year after opening, 

and she now has a regular client base 

and is continuing to grow. 

“It is so surreal. Everyday I lock 

up the studio before I leave and 

turn back to look at it and I am just 

so grateful,” she said. “It has been 

amazing. It was a huge risk and it is 

so rewarding to do something I love 

and watch it impact the lives of other 

people.” 

To celebrate a year of success, The 

Pilates Underground will host a party 

to not only celebrate its anniversary, 

but to also celebrate its clients. 

“I am so grateful for everyone who 

has been a part of our studio,” Floyd 

said. “Everyone here has shaped the 

culture of the studio and I just want 

to celebrate them. They have all accomplished 

so much with their own 

goals and their own bodies. We are 

just going to have a party.” 

The one year anniversary party 

and open house will be from noon- 

2 on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at The Pilates 

Underground, 246 E. Deerpath Road 

Suite 3, Lake Forest. 

During the open house, guests will 

have the opportunity to learn about 

Inside The Pilates Underground in Lake Forest are six reformers used for 

Pilates classes. The Pilates Underground is celebrates its one year anniversary 

this month. Alyssa Groh/22nd Century Media 

three things The Pilates Underground 

will be launching this month. 

The studio will open up a community 

area at the party. The community 

area will have a nourishment area 

with drink, snacks and Paleo options, 

another one of Floyd’s passions. The 

space will also have seating for community 

members to come in and 

have meetings or visit with friends. 

“The goal is to make it a space 

people can bring the community 

into,” Floyd said. “So in 2019 I want 

to continue to get plugged into the 

community and continue to bring the 

community in as well. I am hoping 

people will use it for book clubs or 

different boards or whatever. I want 

it to be a spot where people to gather 

and empower each other.” 

As part of her passion with Paleo, 

Floyd will also be launching an instudio 

Paleo and Pilates challenge, 

which will be paired with a new 

wellness workbook to help support 

health/wellness related New Year’s 

resolutions. 

The in-studio challenge is three 

times a week and includes a Facebook 

group, which Floyd said is for 

accountability. The group will take 

on a clean-eating challenge to go 

along with the Pilates three times a 

week for six weeks. The wellness 

workbook is a program that looks 

at relationships with rest, food and 

movement and reversing the cycle 

and starting with rest instead of 

starting with an intense program 

that people usually do around New 

Year’s, Floyd said. 

“My personal journey has been 

Paleo and Pilates and those two 

things have changed my body and 

the way that I eat,” Floyd said. “I am 

just hoping to share that with people 

and they can partake in that as much 

or as little as they want.” 

In February, The Pilates Underground 

will host its first STOTT Pilates 

Intensive Reformer Course to 

allow clients and community members 

to take their Pilates passion to 

the next level by learning how to become 

an instructor. 

Up to this point, Floyd is the only 

instructor in the studio and she wants 

to help others who are passionate become 

instructors. 

“My biggest challenge at the studio 

so far has been finding instructors 

that I feel mesh with our style of 

teaching and the community here,” 

Floyd said. “I want it to be someone 

that came in seamlessly and fit 

into this culture. One thing I am really 

excited about is to see them take 

their Pilates practice to the next level 

by learning so much more about Pilates 

and the method, but then what 

is even more exiting to me is to be 

able to empower people from this 

community to do something they 

love.”



LF resident launches business to take nannying to the next level 

Hilary Anderson 

Freelance Reporter 

There is a new type of 

Mary Poppins in town. 

She is Lake Forest’s 

Bridget McManus, founder 

and owner of the Lake 

Forest business, Date 

Night Boutique. 

McManus, who has 

worked with young children 

and served as a nanny 

for more than 20 years, has 

a new way to help clients 

with what she calls a glaring 

need. 

The need is for families 

who would like someone 

with the expertise of 

a nanny to care for their 

child or perhaps an adult 

with special needs for a 

short period of time—like 

an evening or weekend. 

Date Night Boutique 

services enable a couple 

or caregiver to go out on 

a date with their significant 

other or to a business 

event. The individual 

could even provide some 

respite time for the caregiver 

or brief companionship 

for an older adult. 

“The idea of having 

someone to rely on for a 

brief period of time with 

professional child care experience 

and maybe even 

some medical knowledge 

has been mulling around in 

my mind for a long time,” 

McManus said. “The person 

could be called a family 

assistant, a true premier 

family concierge.” 

McManus pointed out 

that a family assistant 

could help an overburdened 

parent in a number 

of ways—from caring for 

children in the traditional 

manner to doing grocery 

shopping, or getting a car’s 

oil changed, to picking up 

youngsters from music lessons 

or other after school 

activities. 

“Sometimes parents of 

children with Type 1 Diabetes 

are fearful of going 

out on a date because their 

youngsters’ glucose level 

might rise too high or fall 

too low,” McManus said. 

“A family assistant who 

might be a retired nurse 

looking to make some 

extra money would be a 

perfect match for this situation. 

The parents could 

go out on a date without 

worrying. They have 

the knowledge someone 

watching their child knows 

what to do if the situation 

arose.” 

McManus, a New Trier 

grad, studied painting and 

art education at the Art 

Institute of Chicago and 

taught private art lessons 

to children. 

She based her observations 

about the need for a 

Date Night Boutique from 

her experiences growing 

up in Winnetka. 

“I have seen the need 

from both sides—the parents 

and individuals who 

needed occasional help 

and traditional nannies 

who provided it,” Mc- 

Manus said. “Nannies are 

professionals whose jobs 

are primarily child care 

and usually anything associated 

with it like doing 

their laundry, organizing 

toys, making their meals. 

We have seen breakdowns 

come when nannies are 

asked to do additional duties 

not normally expected 

of them. This is where 

a family assistant could 

come in and help.” 

McManus added most 

traditional nannies are 

expected to work Mondays 

through Fridays from 

about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

A family assistant’s 

availability usually has a 

wider time frame—weekends 

and holidays included. 

Her interest in better 

meeting the needs of 

North Shore families began 

around 2010. 

“I was working for a 

well-respected agency 

that hired traditional nannies 

to work in Chicago,” 

MaManus said. “I realized 

the agency was not 

servicing the North Shore. 

At my suggestion, the 

agency created a position 

to provide such services. I 

became their North Shore 

liaison. To make ends 

meet, I started a side job 

of being a date night sitter. 

The demand for high 

quality but less traditional 

sitters became more than I 

could handle. That is how 

Date Night Boutique was 

born.” 

She attributes her success 

pairing parents’ needs 

with the appropriate caregivers 

to listening to what 

they expect and require. 

Her pool of nannies and 

related family assistants is 

large. 

Date Night Boutique 

now services all North 

Shore communities and 

Chicago. 

“The trick is to understand 

what each parent or 

family member requires,” 

McManus said. “What sets 

us apart is that we personalize 

every single search 

when fulfilling a request 

because every family is 

unique.” 

For more information 

on Date Night Boutique, 

email info@datenightbo 

utique.com. 

lake 

From Page 4 

brary. 

“With the community 

growing and the needs of 

the community growing 

likewise, the 1970s began 

to look to build a dedicated 

library building. 

Through a land swap, the 

library acquired a plot of 

land where the library is 

currently at 123 E. Scranton 

Ave. 

Later in 2002-03, the 

Lake Bluff History Museum 

annex was added 

onto the building, offering 

a permanent home 

for the Lake Bluff History 

Museum, while also 

expanding the children’s 

department. 

After more than 30 

years of wear and tear, the 

library did a big renovation 

in 2011, which Bailey 

was witness to. 

“The renovation really 

brightened up the facilities,” 

he said. “The ability 

to do renovations was 

wonderful because we 

were able to implement a 

lot of big exciting things 

that were really important 

for the library and the old 

facility.” 

While the celebration of 

the centennial anniversary 

is already underway with 

the display case, there is 

much more in store for the 

year. 

Bailey said the library 

has coordinated with the 

Village of Lake Bluff 

to be integrated into the 

2019 vehicle sticker. 

The children’s department 

will do monthly centennial 

challenges. For the 

month of January children 

will be tasked with seeing 

what they can build using 

100 LEGOs. 

Also, every Thursday 

the library will do 

a #throwbackthursday 

on its blog called “What 

We Were Reading”. It 

is a look back on article 

clippings from the 1930s 

and what was being read 

at the time. To view the 

throwbacks, visit www. 

lakebluffra.wordpress. 

com. 

Bailey said there will be 

more celebration events 

in the summer and fall of 

this year. 

And while the library 

is excited about this milestone, 

Bailey said its success 

could not be possible 

without the community. 

“The Lake Bluff Library 

is fortunate for 

the community of Lake 

Bluff,” he said. “Lake 

Bluff is really a fantastic 

community with a very 

strong spirited community 

of involvement as well 

as continuing education. I 

think those values of the 

community shine through 

in the library.” 

Annual Carpet Cleaning SALE 

KashianBros.com 847-251-1200

10 | January 10, 2019 | The lake forest leader Lake Forest 


DESIGNER SAMPLE 

& CUSTOM ORDER 

sale 

Savings to 70% OFF* 

Q. Why shop John Plunkett Interiors for your major home furnishings purchases or 

interior design needs? 

A. Decades of experience creating award-winning interiors, helping clients avoid 

costly mistakes, and save money. 

Like amini Merchandise Mart, John Plunkett Interiors offers you most major 

brands of fine furniture, custom window treatments, designer fabrics, carpeting 

and rugs, premium mattress sets, decorative accessories, and more, all at 

very competitive prices. 

anew slant on design! 

Plaza del Lago, 1600 10th St., Wilmette, IL 60091 •847-906-1000 •johnplunkett interiors.com 

*Savings off Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail, or Compare-At Prices.

LakeForestLeader.com school 


Lake Forest Country Day School 

invites families to Winter Fun Fest 

Best Rug Cleaning SALE for 2019 

Submitted by Lake Forest 

Country Day School 

Lake Forest Country 

Day School invites area 

families to celebrate the 

winter season with activities, 

music, stories and refreshments 

in the school’s 

Early Childhood Center 

at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 

13. This event is free and 

open to all area families 

with children ages 2-6 

years old. 

Based on the classic 

children’s folktale, “The 

Gingerbread Man,” guests 

will enjoy an afternoon 

of adventures with stories, 

music, games, crafts 

and refreshments. After 

a musical welcome with 

Golden Apple-recognized 

LFCDS music teacher 

Maria Hempen, faculty 

will lead gingerbreadthemed 

activities delivering 

science, fine arts, and 

literacy principles in innovative 

ways. 

“Our Early Childhood 

program, which encompasses 

children age 2 

through senior kindergarten, 

has enjoyed tremendous 

success in providing 

our youngest students 

with an engaging and nurturing 

introduction to the 

experiential learning environment 

that is the hallmark 

of the LFCDS experience,” 

said Sara Walsh, 

director of the early childhood 

center. “From our 

classrooms to the playbased 

delivery system of 

our rich curriculum, the 

LFCDS Early Childhood 

program is intentionally 

designed to inspire 

and encourage creativity, 

critical thinking, problem 

solving, and relationship 

A day of fun 

building throughout each 

individual child’s day.” 

The afternoon will include 

story time snack 

with first STEP teacher 

Sue Buhrmester who 

brings her stories to life 

with an entertaining troop 

of animal puppets. 

“Lake Forest Country 

Day School is truly a 

family school dedicated 

to fostering a supportive 

community for both our 

students and our families,” 

Walsh said. “Winter 

Fun Fest was a wonderful 

opportunity to come 

together and share with 

the greater community 

the warmth, innovation, 

and passion for learning 

that infuse each day at 

LFCDS.” 

To register for the Winter 

Fun Fest, call (847) 

615-6151. 

St. Mary’s takes a field trip to see ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ 

KashianBros.com 847-251-1200 

DON’T GRIN AND BEAR 

OSTEOARTHRITIS KNEE PAIN 

Zilretta ® is the 

First and Only 

FDA Approved 

Treatment for OA 

Knee Pain 

utilizing extended-release 

miscosphere technology 

FDA APPROVED 

SAFE FOR DIABETIC PATIENTS 

COVERED BY MEDICARE 

MOST INSURANCE 

A group of St. Mary’s students get together before seeing “Mary Poppins Returns” 

Dec. 20. Photo Submitted 

To Contact a Local Provider call: (847) 243-6154 

VISIT ZILRETTAXR.COM & TAKE A 30 SECOND QUIZ TO 

SEE IF ZILRETTA ® EXTENDED RELEASE IS RIGHT FOR YOU 

ZILRETTA® (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release injectable suspension) is indicated as an intra-articular injection for the management of osteoarthritis pain of the knee. ZILRETTA is a 

registered trademark and FlexForward is a service mark of Flexion Therapeutics, Inc. September 2018. Z-00022. For Indication and Important Safety Information please visit ZilrettaXR.com



SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

755 WASHINGTON ROAD,LAKE FOREST 

$3,120,000 

230 WALLACE ROAD,LAKE FOREST 

$2,000,000 

1177 EDGEWOOD ROAD,LAKE FOREST 

$1,450,000 

146 WESTMINSTER ,LAKE FOREST 

$1,410,000 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

1215 VOLTZROAD, NORTHBROOK 

$1,270,000 

321 BASSWOOD ROAD,LAKE FOREST 

$1,070,000 

803 OAKKNOLL DRIVE, LAKE FOREST 

$995,000 

594 WHARTONDRIVE, LAKE FOREST 

$810,000 

GGL TOP PRODUCING AGENT,2018 

634 ACADEMY WOODS DRIVE, LAKE FOREST 

$700,000 

SOLD! 

LISADOOLEY TRACE, MBA, MSN 

SOLD! 

OVER $20 MILLION IN CLOSED TRANSACTIONS IN2018 

Over $290 Million in Career Sales 

1036 MAR LANE DRIVE, LAKE FOREST 

$640,000 

708.710.4104 |ltrace@gglrealty.com 

1025 OLD COLONY ROAD,LAKE FOREST 

$620,000 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

12419 QUASSEY AVENUE, LAKE BLUFF 

$600,000 

644 NORTHMOOR ROAD,LAKE FOREST 

$585,000 

1101 PARK AVENUE, LIBERTYVILLE 

$530,000 

404 LAUREL AVENUE, LIBERTYVILLE 

$520,000 

501 OAKWOOD AVENUE #1E, LAKE FOREST 

$475,000 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

2215 CHURCHILLLANE, HIGHLAND PARK 

$470,000 

726 PARADISELANE, LIBERTYVILLE 

$460,000 

264 LEONARD WOOD S. #208, HIGHLAND PARK 

$439,000 

501 OAKWOOD AVE#2D,LAKE FOREST 

$362,500 

90 FRANKLIN PLACE #311, LAKE FOREST 

$320,000 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

SOLD! 

26 WOODLANDROAD, LAKE BLUFF 

$290,000 

1500 DEERFIELD PLACE, HIGHLAND PARK 

$180,000 

202 STATION PARK CIRCLE, GRAYSLAKE 

$163,500 

1301 WESTERN AVENUE #331, LAKE FOREST 

$163,500 

34435 OLD WALNUT CIRCLE 1203,GURNEE 

$138,000



Photo Op 

THE GLENCOE ANCHOR 

Sold-out new years 

celebration offers kidfriendly 

option 

Ninety-five kids attended 

Glencoe Park District’s 

big celebration, Itty Bitty 

New Year, on Dec. 31. 

Though the event was 

held during a chilly rain 

shower, that didn’t stop 

many families from arriving 

promptly at 11 a.m. to 

say goodbye to 2018 and 

welcome a new year. 

Kids and parents from 

Glencoe and surrounding 

communities arrived in 

their sparkliest attire, and a 

few even donned their best 

dinosaur costumes. Partygoers 

were greeted with 

freshly popped popcorn 

and a table full of colorful 

hats, tiaras, streamers, 

noisemakers and other 

New Year’s staples that 

they could use for the festivity, 

which lasted until 

12:30 p.m. 

The gymnasium 

thumped with music from 

a DJ, and families danced 

together to songs ranging 

from Disney tunes to Justin 

Timberlake hits, with 

a few party songs like the 

“Chicken Dance” thrown 

in for fun. Many grandparents 

joined in on the 

dancing, while some other 

younger partygoers opted 

to simply run around in a 

game of chase instead. 

“It’s just a fun way 

to celebrate New Year’s 

without having to stay up 

until midnight,” said Liz 

Visteen, program manager 

for special events at Glencoe 

Park District. 

Itty Bitty New Year has 

been held for the last several 

years, and this year 

registration was filled before 

Dec. 31, as has been 

the case for a few of the 

past years. 

“This is the third year 

we’ve come,” said Laura 

Bromwich, of Glencoe, 

who appreciated the opportunity 

to celebrate at 

a kid-friendly hour. Her 

5-year-old also especially 

looks forward to the balloon 

drop. 

Reporting by Christine Adams, 

Freelance Reporter. Full 

story at GlencoeAnchor.com. 

THE WINNETKA CURRENT 

Library’s kid-friendly new 

years party ‘a staple 

event’ 

The Winnetka Public Library 

held its annual Noon 

Years Eve party on Dec. 

28, inviting children and 

families from the community 

to celebrate the holiday 

early. 

The event, which lasted 

from the kid-friendly hour 

of 11 a.m. until noon, featured 

music, activities and 

books all centered on the 

theme of “International 

New Years,” and even 

closed the party with a casual 

countdown. 

“It’s one of my favorite 

programs of the year,” 

Youth Services Librarian 

Amanda Garrity said. 

“Kids don’t usually get 

to traditionally celebrate 

New Year’s, and it’s nice 

to see both our regulars 

and new faces here.” 

Stationed throughout 

the youth section were fact 

sheets about New Year’s 

celebrations throughout 

the world, including in 

Spain, Ecuador, Scotland, 

Russia and Jordan. Craft 

tables gave kids the chance 

to make their own noisemakers 

by filling plastic 

eggs with rice, or to do 

an art project using bright 

cupcake liners and colored 

rice on black paper to 

make fireworks. 

A baby-friendly area 

spread out blankets scattered 

with balls, cups and 

sound-making rain sticks, 

creating a fun place to 

crawl while older siblings 

colored or played with library 

toys geared towards 

bigger kids. 

Books in the “how-to” 

genre on display encouraged 

kids to resolve to 

learn new hobbies and 

skills in the coming year. 

Families ate popcorn and 

grapes with seltzer water 

to complete the party-like 

atmosphere. 

While in the past patrons 

were asked to register 

for Noon Years Eve and 

the size was limited to 50 

people, this year no registration 

was required and 

the crowd swelled close to 

100. 

“We decided to do no 

registration to be more 

welcoming this year,” 

youth associate Natalie 

Roche said. “It’s nice to 

get people in who don’t 

come as often.” 

Reporting by Christine 

Adams, Freelance Reporter. 

Full story at WinnetkaCurrent.com. 

THE WILMETTE BEACON 

Wilmette resident uses 

global project to urge 

people to protect sky 

Ben Whitehouse challenges 

the community to 

come together and care. 

The Wilmette environmental 

artist and painter 

invites everyone to become 

actively involved in 

doing something to preserve 

the earth’s future. 

Whitehouse founded the 

global SkyDay Project, 

which started in 2013. It 

is a citizen artwork project 

for anyone who has access 

to a camera. It is not political. 

The goal is to combine 

art and science in creative 

ways that enable communities 

to come up with 

practical ways to think 

about the sky around them 

and consider how what 

they do affects it and the 

earth’s present and future 

resources. 

“I challenge everyone to 

think in new ways about 

their relationship to the 

sky,” Whitehouse said. 

“I want people to work at 

building a global community 

that aims to protect 

our sky for everyone’s 

benefit. 

The Go Green Wilmette 

organization is partnering 

with the SkyDay Project 

to get people connected to 

the environment in a positive 

way. 

Those who want to participate 

in the SkyDay 

Project simply photograph 

the sky, but nothing else, 

and upload photos through 

the SkyDay Project website 

and select the Go 

Green Wilmette group. 

Reporting by Hilary Anderson, 

Freelance Reporter. Full 

story at WilmetteBeacon.com. 

The office of Congressman Brad Schneider 

(D-Deerfield) submitted this photo of Rep. Schneider 

participating in ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. 

Capitol on Jan. 3, 2019 with House Speaker Nancy 

Pelosi (D-Calif.) (pictured left) and accompanied by 

his wife, Julie Dann. 

Did you snap a cool photo of a beautiful, funny or cute 

moment? Send it in as a Photo Op to Editor Alyssa Groh, 

alyssa@lakeforestleader.com. 

Big Upholstery Cleaning SALE 

KashianBros.com 847-251-1200



 

 

 

Sign up to get your local news every day and wherever you go with 

Subscribe today at LakeForestLeader.com/Plus 

or scan the QR for a direct link

LakeForestLeader.com SOUND OFF 


Social snapshot 

Top Stories 

Top stories from www.lakeforestleader.com 

as of Jan. 7 

1. In Memoriam: Skinner and Quain 

2. Police Reports: Man arrested on two 

different occasions for retail theft, three days 

apart 

3. Year in Review 2018: Gorton welcomes new 

programs, keeps fan-favorites 

4. Year in Review 2018: Lake Forest Academy 

continues to focus on global pluralism 

5. Year in Review 2018: New restaurants roll 

out the red carpet on North Shore 

Become a member: LakeForestLeader.com/plus 

Like The Lake Forest Leader: facebook.com/ 

TheLakeForestLeader 

Follow The Lake Forest Leader: @TheLFLeader 

go figure 

Lake Forest Parks and Recreation posted this 

photo on Jan. 4. Lake Forest Parks and Recreation 

posted this photo of a safe sitter class 

to alert residents of an upcoming class. 

Check out Lake Bluff Public Library “As a 

thank you to all of our patrons, stop by on the 

19th of each month to receive a one dollar 

fine or print/fax voucher (while supplies last) 

in celebration of 100 years of readers. Thank 

you to all of our patrons for your timeless support.” 

@Lakeblufflib. 

On Jan. 4 Lake Bluff Public Library tweeted 

about a new incentive for its 100th anniversary. 

100 

An intriguing number from this week’s edition 

The Lake Bluff 

Library is celebrating 

100 years, Page 4 

From the Editor 

Key to resolution: Choose 

something achievable 

Alyssa Groh 


We have all heard 

the saying a 

million times, 

“New year, new me.” 

How many years have 

you made a new year’s 

resolution and you didn’t 

meet it, or after a month 

you gave up on it? 

I bet the answer is more 

times than not. 

This year when I was 

setting my resolutions I decided 

not to make it about 

big life-changing things, 

rather things I want to do 

to make myself happy and 

to remember the year. 

One of my resolutions is 

to take more pictures. This 

may seem so simple, but 

I have noticed while I am 

out doing exciting things 

or am with people I love, I 

neglect taking pictures to 

capture memories. While 

being in the moment and 

enjoying it, I forget to take 

photos. I think it is important 

to stop for a moment 

and capture it to remember 

it for years to come. 

There are so many 

people and relationships 

that I cherish, but I don’t 

have many pictures with 

them. When I think back 

to some of my favorite 

memories such as traveling 

the world, I realize 

while I have pictures from 

my trips, I don’t have as 

many as I would like. 

So, this year is about 

doing things that make me 

happy and capturing those 

things to remember them 

years down the road. 

Don’t you think it is 

easier to achieve goals that 

make you happy and will 

make a difference in your 

life? I believe focusing on 

doing more things that I 

enjoy and capturing those 

things will make me happy 

years down the road and 

it is something easy to 

achieve, and something I 

will want to achieve. 

This past week, I visited 

Lake Bluff Library to look 

at the display case of photos 

and artifacts detailing 

the past 100 years of the 

library. 

And as I was taking 

photos of the display case, 

looking at the photos 

in the display case and 

reading about the different 

milestones on the time 

line in the display case it 

reminded me how important 

it is to take photos 

to document your life, 

your milestones and your 

favorite memories. 

Imagine how many 

things we would not know 

about the library had 

people not taken photos 

and documented these 

milestones? 

What if all we have 

is our memory and our 

memory fails us of the 

small, but meaningful 

memories? 

So, while many people 

may be against making 

new year’s resolutions I 

To start the year off and as part of her New Year’s resolution, 

Editor Alyssa Groh (center) attended the Winter 

Classic hockey game at Notre Dame in South Bend, 

Ind., Jan. 1 with her boyfriend’s sister Lauren Barry 

(right) and her boyfriend, Brian Barry (left). 

encourage you to be more 

present in the moment, 

reflect on what makes you 

happy and document accomplishments 

and some 

of your favorite memories 

The Lake Forest Leader 

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 Lake Forest Leader 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 Lake 

Forest Leader reserves the right to edit letters. Letters become 

property of The Lake Forest Leader. Letters that are published 

do not reflect the thoughts and views of The Lake Forest Leader. 

Letters can be mailed to: The Lake Forest Leader, 60 Revere 

Drive ST 888, Northbrook, IL, 60062. Fax letters to (847) 

272-4648 or email to alyssa@lakeforestleader.com. 

www.lakeforestleader.com 

with your favorite people. 

You will thank yourself 

years down the line. 

Here is to a great 2019! 

How will you make this 

year one to remember?


LakeForestLeader.com

The lake forest leader | January 10, 2019 | LakeForestLeader.com 

Bienvenue New French restaurant opens in 

Highland Park,Page 21 

Local organization lends helping hand to sex 

trafficking victims, Page 19 

Stepping Stones Network, Humble Design and designer 

Evelyn Phelps teamed up to provide a home in Lake County 

for victims of sex trafficking. Photos Submitted

18 | January 10, 2019 | The lake forest leader PUZZLES 


north shore puzzler CROSSWORD & Sudoku 

Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Highwood, Northbrook, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Northfield, Lake Forest and Lake Bluff 

Crossword by Myles Mellor and Cindy LaFleur 

Across 

1. PC display device, 

abbr. 

4. Wanderer 

9. Knightley of 

“Pride & Prejudice” 

14. The Who song 

“Love, Reign __ 

Me” 

15. Garden products 

brand 

16. Crying veggie 

17. Just ____ 

thought! 

18. Sipping the 

pinot, e.g. 

20. Sly look 

22. Prefix with 

drama 

23. Caressed 

27. Lake Forest 

restaurant named 

after its owner, 

former commander 

of the Apollo 13 

32. Member of an 

independent republic 

of Africa 

34. Indian flatbread 

35. “Show and tell” 

for a client 

36. Museum and 

Gardens 15 miles 

from Lake Forest 

40. Open, say 

42. Awry 

43. Over again 

44. Form 

46. Physics force 

52. 29,000-foot 

landmark 

53. Not in time 

56. “The Sun __ 

Rises” 

58. Burden of proof 

59. Not needed 

66. Gold units, 

abbr. 

67. Hot chocolate 

68. Wee hour 

69. French summer 

70. Having the 

advantage 

71. Where Pago 

Pago is 

72. Strauss’s “___ 

Heldenleben” 

Down 

1. Barbecue fuel 

2. VCR button 

3. Testers 

4. Right this minute 

5. “...___ quit!” 

6. Map abbr. 

7. Attention-getting 

word 

8. “I’m all ears!” 

9. Serbian province 

10. Suffix with respond 

11. “Rocky ___” 

12. Howard of “Happy 

Days” 

13. “The Ice Storm” 

director Lee 

19. Diaper cream ingredient 

21. French king or 

profit? 

24. Gambling game 

25. Prohibition ___ 

26. Unexciting 

28. Book or loose follower 

29. Onion relative 

30. Feeble 

31. Winter flakes 

33. Manga-like art form 

36. Harden 

37. Brown or Rice, e.g.: 

abbr. 

38. Aloha State bird 

39. Container 

41. “Stop that!” 

42. Pertaining to aircraft 

45. “In excelsis ___” 

47. Tempest in a 

_______ 

48. Water-locked land 

49. Two cadillac cars 

50. Shine, in ad-speak 

51. Northerner 

54. Frutti lead in 

55. Ruhr city 

57. Government safety 

org. 

59. Sky craft 

60. Negative word 

61. Compass direction 

62. Dean’s e-mail address 

ender 

63. Mortgage with 

adjustable rate 

64. Stutz contemporary 

65. Thumbs-up vote 

LAKE BLUFF 

Lake Bluff Park District 

(355 Washington Ave., 

(847) 234-4150) 

■8:30 ■ a.m.-noon 

Saturday, Jan. 12: GO 

Fitness Festival 

NORTHBROOK 

Village Green Park 

(Shermer and Meadow 

roads, (847) 291-2993) 

■11 ■ a.m.-1:30 p.m. 

Jan. 19: Winter Carnival 

GLENVIEW 

Ten Ninety Brewing Co. 

(1025 N. Waukegan 

Road, (224) 432-5472) 

■7-9 ■ p.m. every Thursday: 

Trivia Night 

WINNETKA 

The Book Stall 

(811 Elm St., (847) 

446-8880) 

■2-3:30 ■ p.m. Saturday, 

Jan. 12: New Year, 

New Poems at the 

Book Stall 

GLENCOE 

Glencoe Park District 

(999 Green Bay Road) 

■6-9 ■ p.m. Friday, Jan. 

18: Art Show 

WILMETTE 

The Rock House 

(1150 Central Ave., 

(847) 256-7625) 

■6-9 ■ p.m. Friday, Jan. 

11: Family Karaoke 

Night 

■9:30 ■ a.m. Saturday, 

Jan. 12: Drew Dropper 

Jazz Quartet 

HIGHWOOD 

210 

(210 Green Bay Road 

(847) 433-0304) 

■8 ■ p.m. Saturday, Jan. 

12: Chicken Bone 

■7:30 ■ p.m. Sunday, 

Jan. 13: Judy Night 

Quintet: Songs 

HIGHLAND PARK 

Ravinia Festival 

(418 Sheridan Road, 

847-266-5100) 

■7:30 ■ p.m. Saturday, 

Jan. 12: Robert Chen 

To place an event in The 

Scene, email martin@ 

northbrooktower.com 

answers 

How to play Sudoku 

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that 

has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 

3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column 

and box must contain each of the numbers 

1 to 9. 

LEVEL: Medium 

Crossword by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

LakeForestLeader.com LIFE & ARTS 


Stepping Stones provides home for sex trafficking victims 

Katie Copenhaver 


National Human Trafficking 

Awareness Day is 

Friday, Jan. 11, with all 

of January being National 

Slavery and Human Trafficking 

Prevention Month. 

These events have been 

established within the last 

couple decades to bring 

attention to this growing 

problem in the United 

States. Up to 25,000 people 

in the Chicago area 

alone are being sexually 

exploited through various 

forms of human trafficking. 

The Stepping Stones 

Network is one of the organizations 

trying to put 

an end to it. 

“It’s ugly. People want 

to think it happens somewhere 

else,” said Colette 

Mendelson, a Lake Forest 

resident and co-director of 

fundraising for Stepping 

Stones. “We’re in between 

Chicago and Milwaukee, 

and there’s a lot of activity 

right here in Lake County.” 


Network has been operating 

for five years, with 

meetings taking place at 

Christ Church of Lake 

Forest, which has been 

a major supporter of the 

group’s efforts. Founder 

and Executive Director 

Suzanne Baker Brown, 

and a former Lake Forest 

resident, established the 

organization after learning 

about the problem through 

her work in women’s ministry. 

Up until now, the organization 

has provided rescue 

assistance for women 

and their children trying 

to escape from bondage 

and provided educational 

programming to the general 

public about how they 

can combat the problem. 

This year, Stepping Stones 

is moving to a new phase 

with the establishment of 

a residential program at an 

undisclosed Lake County 

location. 

They are in the middle 

of a capital campaign to 

raise $125,000 to open the 

home with 24/7 staff. According 

to Baker Brown, 

they have about $85,000 

toward that goal and hope 

to meet it by April. 

She explained that Stepping 

Stones has been mentored 

by Wellspring Living 

of Atlanta, which teaches 

other organizations how to 

provide services and residential 

programming to 

sexually exploited clients. 

There are three phases 

of rescuing someone: 

1) The assessment phase 

2) Long-term residential 

recovery 

3) Placing survivors 

in subsidized housing 

with follow-up therapy. 

This home would provide 

women and their young 

children with phase 2 

“We will be giving them 

stability, healing and life 

skills, and will help restore 

their dignity,” Baker 

Brown said. “When you 

have gone through what 

these young women have 

gone through, your dignity 

has been stolen. You need 

to learn that you are worthy 

of real love.” 

Mendelson explained 

that pornography is one of 

the root causes of current 

sexual slavery. 

“Because it’s so accessible 

[on the Internet], so 

many people have become 

addicted, and that creates 

a demand for sex slaves 

and prostitution,” she said. 

“Men who pay for the services 

believe the women 

are doing this willingly, 

which is not the case. 

These women are tricked 

by blackmail or fraud into 

doing this.” 

Mendelson said they 

have a male volunteer who 

attends men’s events and 

conferences to speak about 

the issue of sex trafficking 

and how to avoid it. 

Both Baker Brown and 

Mendelson explained that 

the perpetrators and pimps 

who coerce women into 

slavery develop a manipulative 

relationship with 

them. They recruit women 

at malls and schools as 

well as over the Internet. 

They buy them nice 

things, give them food and 

sometimes a place to live. 

“The mental manipulation 

is sadistic,” Baker 

Brown said. 

When the women are 

recruited from other countries, 

the pimps will take 

away their passports and 

any other identification in 

order to keep them indentured, 

Mendelson said. 

“We run into a lot of 

challenges in helping 

women leave the scenario,” 

Baker Brown said. 

They are often threatened 

if they try to leave 

the bondage. Healing 

takes a long time, she explained. 


residential program will 

give human sex trafficking 

victims the time and holistic 

support to heal. And 

what’s unique is it will 

keep the women and their 

children together. Some 

domestic rehabilitation 

programs split up families, 

which adds to the trauma 

they have experienced. 

The organization partnered 

with Humble Design 

Chicago last year to 

furnish the home. Humble 

Design is a nonprofit group 

that uses donated goods to 

Nonprofit Humble Design provided furniture to local nonprofit Stepping Stones Network 

to fill housing in Lake County for sex trafficking victims photo Submitted 

furnish houses for families 

transitioning out of homelessness. 

They are sponsored 

by U-Haul nationally 

and CB2 in Chicago. 

“We believe in restoring 

dignity to every family that 

has suffered homelessness, 

victimization or despair 

through life-threatening 

situations,” said Kristin 

Drutchas, executive director 

at Humble Design Chicago. 

“We use household 

donations from Chicagoland 

to transform empty 

cold houses to beautiful 

and inspiring homes where 

people can restart their 

lives. We are honored to 

be working with Stepping 

Stones Network on this incredible 

project.” 

Also involved with preparing 

the Stepping Stones 

home were Lake Forest 

interior designer Evelyn 

Phelps and Lake Forest 

resident and volunteer 

Lara Moehlenpah. 

The house is ready and 

has a property manager. 

Next, Stepping Stones 

will hire the staff, and 

then identify people to live 

there. It has space for up 

to four mothers and their 

children. 

“It’s a family issue,” 

stressed Mendelson, noting 

the need to heal the 

whole family that gets 

caught up in the sexual exploitation. 

Down the road, they 

hope to have more locations, 

Baker Brown said. 

Ideally, this would also allow 

at least one to host a 

short-term living program 

where Stepping Stones 

staff and volunteers can 

assess the women’s willingness 

to leave sex trafficking 

and participate in 

the restorative process. 

“We’re filling a gap [in 

services],” Baker Brown 

said. 

Mendelson said people 

often ask her why she got 

involved with this issue. 

“There are a lot of things 

I’ve learned that I would 

never have thought possible,” 

Mendelson said. 

“[Human trafficking] is 

real. It is here, and we need 

to do something before it 

gets worse.” 

In the meantime, she is 

encouraged that police departments 

in Lake County 

are now doing “John 

busts” every six months in 

which they seek to arrest 

the men who hire the services 

of sex slaves. Once 

caught, the men are often 

exposed publicly through 

the media in an attempt to 

shame them into stopping 

their behavior. 

To contribute to the 

Stepping Stones Network’s 

capital campaign, 

visit its website at www. 

steppingstonesnetwork. 

org/donate. To learn more 

about its activities and human 

trafficking in general, 

follow it on Facebook.

20 | January 10, 2019 | The lake forest leader FAITH 


Faith Briefs 

Faith Lutheran Church (680 West 

Deerpath, Lake Forest) 

Mid-Week Bible Study 

10-11 a.m. Wednesdays. 

The Lord’s supper is offered 

weekly after each 

class. The class is focusing 

on “Parables.” 

Men of Faith 

8 a.m. Saturday (once a 

month). The men of Faith 

meet for an hour or so of 

breakfast and a short Bible 

study and discussion. All 

men, members or not, are 

welcome. This is typically 

on the third Saturday 

morning of the month. 

First Presbyterian Church (700 Sheridan 

Road, Lake Forest) 

Care Giver Support Group 

Do you care for a family 

member or friend? Do 

you feel isolated or overwhelmed? 

Come join our 

new Caregivers Support 

Group. Join others who 

care for loved ones to 

share, interact, and learn 

from each other in a safe, 

supportive environment. 

The group will gather from 

1-2 p.m. twice a month on 

the first and third Thursday 

of the month in the parish 

house for valuable information 

on relevant topics, 

leads on resources, and to 

share concerns and tips 

with other caregivers. All 

are welcome. For more information, 

contact Martha 

Zeeman at martha@zeemanfamily.com 

Hymn Singers Choir 

6-6:45 p.m. Thursdays. 

The new Hymn Choir is 

designed for any singers 

who wish to improve their 

singing skills, learn about 

hymnody, or simply enjoy 

fellowship with others who 

love to sing hymns. All 

are welcome. No performances 

or ongoing commitment 

– come when you 

choose. For more information, 

visit firstchurchlf.org/ 

hymnchoir. 

Third Thursday Taizé 

Prayer Service 

6:30 p.m., every third 

Thursday, in the Chapel. 

Step back from everyday 

life to be refreshed and 

encounter God in the silence. 

A gracefully simple 

service of contemplation 

in a prayerful setting, with 

scripture, prayer, song, silence 

and light. 

Grace United Methodist Church (244 

East Center Ave., Lake Bluff) 

Boy Scouts 

7-9 p.m. Mondays. Boy 

Scout Troop 42 will meet 

in Fellowship Hall. 

Gentle Chair Yoga 

3-3:30 p.m. Fridays, 

Fellowship Hall. All are 

welcome. 

Church of St. Mary (175 E. Illinois 

Road, Lake Forest) 

Eucharistic Adoration 

Each Wednesday, the 

Church of St. Mary offers 

Eucharistic Adoration following 

the 8 a.m. Mass. A 

rosary will be prayed each 

week at 6:40 p.m. with 

Benediction following at 

7 p.m. 

Christ Church of Lake Forest (100 N. 

Waukegan Road) 

Senior High Youth Group 

7-9 p.m. Sundays. All 

are welcome for a time 

of worship, teaching and 

fellowship. Friends are 

encouraged to attend. For 


(847) 234-1001. 

Love INC Furniture 

Ministry 

8 a.m.-noon, second Saturday 

of the month. Volunteer 

to help load, deliver 

and pick-up furniture. All 

ages and abilities are welcome, 

youth is welcome 

with adult supervision. For 

more information, contact 

Tim Banks at timothycbanks@yahoo.com. 

The Bridge Young Adults 

Group 

7-9 p.m., every Wednesday. 

All young adults are 

welcome to join. For more 

information, contact The- 

BridgeCCLF@gmail.com. 

Christian Science Society (Gorton 

Center, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake 

Forest) 

Testimony Meeting 

7:30 p.m. first Wednesday 

of each month. Come 

to Gorton Center for 

prayer, hymns, and readings 

from the Bible, with 

related passages from the 

“Christian Science” textbook, 

“Science and Health 

with Key to the Scriptures” 

by Mary Baker Eddy. Then 

participants share their 

own healings and inspiration. 


call (847) 234-0820 

or email cssocietylakeforest@gmail.com. 

Bible Blast 

5-6 p.m. Sunday evenings. 

Bible Blast is a 

family program for children 

4 years old through 

fifth grade. Guide your 

child’s spiritual growth 

and biblical literacy to a 

new level through Bible 

Blast. There is a one-time 

registration fee of $45. 

Free childcare is provided 

for 3 years old and younger. 

Union Church of Lake Bluff (525 E. 

Prospect Ave., Lake Bluff) 

Live Wires 

4-5 p.m. Wednesdays, 

Fellowship Hall. 

Live Wires is the Union 

Church youth group for 

fourth- through sixthgraders. 

The group meets 

for lively discussion and 

fun activities. 

Submit information for 

The Leader’s Faith page to 

alyssa@lakeforestleader. 

com. The deadline is noon on 

Thursday. Questions? Call 

(847) 272-4565 ext. 21. 

In Memoriam 

Patricia Geraghty Falligant 

Patricia Geraghty Falligant, 

90, formerly of Lake 

Bluff, died peacefully surrounded 

by loving family 

on Dec. 31. Raised in Bellaire, 

Texas, as an eighteen-year-old 

art student, 

Falligant won a contest for 

a trip to Manhattan where 

she lived at the Barbizon 

Hotel for Women and 

modeled. Preferring the 

wholesale side of the fashion 

industry, she worked 

for Townley Frocks, managing 

the showroom for 

Claire McCardell who created 

American sportswear 

and whose clothes today 

are in the Metropolitan 

Museum of Art. 

After six dates in six cities, 

she married Derry Osborne 

Falligant (d.1993), 

her beloved husband of 43 

years, returned to Texas, 

had three children, studied 

art at the University 

of Houston, and worked 

for Neiman Marcus where 

she managed for the four 

Marcus brothers for many 

years in both Houston and 

Northbrook, IL. Always 

interested in social justice, 

she helped integrate 

the sales force of Neiman 

Marcus and she and her 

husband raised four foster 

Native American children 

for several years. In retirement 

she became a master 

gardener and volunteered 

at the Chicago Botanic 

Garden while maintaining 

an extensive cottage garden 

of her own. But her 

real passion was for her 

family, whom she adored, 

and for the art and gardening 

communities in Lake 

Bluff where she lived for 

three decades. She painted 

and sold in art shows on 

the North Shore. An active 

member of both Artists 

on the Bluff and the 

Lake Bluff Garden Club, 

she served both in many 

capacities including president 

while also serving on 

civic committees, raising 

money for improvement 

projects in her village. 

With boundless creativity, 

style and humor, she used 

her strength, energy and 

compassion to serve others. 

Cherished mother of 

Derry (Julie) Falligant, 

Cissi (Michael) Henrick, 

and Robert Raiford Falligant 

(d. 1999). Adored 

grandmother of Kelly (Andrew) 

Gamble, Brian (Justin 

Evans) Falligant, Danny 

(Lindsay) Falligant, 

Michael (Whitney) Henrick, 

Derry Henrick, and 

Jessica Rosario. Treasured 

great-grandmother of Abigail, 

Lauren and Nathaniel 

Gamble, Jack Falligant, 

Kennedy Henrick and Elliott 

Speck. Loving daughter 

and sister, preceded in 

death by father, Aloysius 

Francis Geraghty, mother, 

Hortense Randals Geraghty, 

brothers Frank and John 

Geraghty, and sister, Mary 

Ann Geraghty Benson. 

Beloved aunt of several 

nieces and nephews. 

Visitation from 5 to 8 

p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, at 

Wenban Funeral Home, 

320 Vine Av., Lake Forest, 

IL Catholic Mass at 9:30 

a.m., Saturday, Jan. 12, at 

St. Mary’s Church 201 E. 

Illinois Road, Lake Forest 

Il Interment at St. Mary’s 

Cemetery. The family requests 

that in lieu of flowers, 

donations be made to 

The Lake Bluff Garden 

Club, P.O. Box 273, Lake 

Bluff, IL 60044. 

James E. Anderson 

James E. Anderson, 80, 

of Lake Forest, died Dec. 

30. Anderson leaves behind 

a daughter, Jenny 

(Terry) Lynch, and a son 

Deron, as well as three loving 

grandchildren, Andi, 

Matthew and Charlie. He 

also leaves behind a sister, 

Lee (Paul) Tregurtha, and 

a brother, Ted (Lindra) Anderson. 

Anderson spent most of 

his life in Lake Forest. He 

graduated from Lake Forest 

High School and went 

on to receive a bachelors 

and masters degree in Civil 

Engineering from Cornell 

University (1960). At 

Cornell, he was a member 

of Chi Psi fraternity. His 

entire career was spent as 

a principal and vice president 

of James Anderson 

Company, a fourth generation 

civil-engineering 

company located in Lake 

Bluff. Anderson lived in 

Lake Forest, and was involved 

with his family and 

community. Anderson always 

cheered on his kids. 

He was also known to root 

for his favorite team at the 

Lantern, or partake there 

in some political banter. 

He was a loyal friend and 

family man and will be 

greatly missed. 

In lieu of flowers contributions 

may be made to 

CurePSP. 

Have someone’s life you’d 

like to honor? Email alyssa@ 

lakeforestleader.com with 

information about a loved 

one who was part of the Lake 

Forest/Lake Bluff communities.

LakeForestLeader.com DINING OUT 


Home away from home 

Owner behind That 

Little French Guy 

shares eight-year 

journey 

Megan Bernard 

Contributing Editor 

The day before Ben 

Levy opened his restaurant 

in Highland Park, he had 

his doubts. 

“I was here with my 

brother working on the 

couch and I told him, ‘It’s 

going to be empty. No one 

has even tried to open the 

door,’” Levy said. “And 

we had so many chairs 

and tables, I thought it 

was going to be way too 

much.” 

To Levy’s surprise, the 

opening on Oct. 10 went 

completely opposite. 

“The first three weeks 

were crazy,” he said. “We 

just didn’t expect that 

much (business). I was 

here all the time. I was going 

back to my apartment 

every other night. So many 

nights, I was just sleeping 

on the booth.” 

Now, he added, “people 

complain we don’t have 

enough seating.” 

The journey to the opening 

of That Little French 

Guy began eight years ago 

while Levy was studying 

at Millikin University in 

Decatur as a French exchange 

student. As a business 

major, he knew he 

eventually wanted to open 

a restaurant but didn’t 

know where. 

“I’ve been a little bit of 

everywhere in the U.S. but 

I just didn’t know where I 

wanted to end up. Since I 

started [at Millikin], I really 

loved Chicago,” he said. 

“I thought it would be a really 

good space to open up 

a restaurant.” 

While at Millikin, one 

of Levy’s professors was 

from Highland Park, hence 

Levy’s connection to the 

North Shore. 

“He told me for this 

kind of business, it would 

be a really nice neighborhood,” 

Levy said, adding it 

was more affordable than 

downtown. 

Levy, however, needed 

to finish his master’s degree 

first. He went back 

home to France to graduate 

in business, then began 

studying pastries. After 

that, he became a chef in 

Paris. 

“I then found a job as 

a chef in Tampa, Fla. but 

I always wanted to come 

back to Chicago,” Levy, 

28, said. “After one year 

in Florida, I found a job 

as a chef in Chicago, so I 

moved back. Every weekend 

since then, I was in the 

neighborhood here to look 

for spots. I started to look 

for spaces and I found this 

one.” 

Once Levy settled on 

the Highland Park spot, he 

began transforming it from 

Honey’s Hot Chicken to 

his French cafe, That Little 

French Guy, at 1791 Saint 

Johns Ave. 

The cafe has a modern 

and industrial feel with 

some France-inspired design 

elements, like a fence 

adorned with signed locks 

(you can purchase locks 

at the counter), lampposts 

and a pastel-colored bike 

that you would likely see 

parked outside a cafe in 

Paris. 

“The best salon, or pastry 

room, in Paris is very 

fancy,” Levy said. “We 

didn’t want to do something 

like that. This is 

more modern.” 

A group of 22nd Century 

Media editors recently 

visited the new cafe 

to try out several of its 

popular dishes, which are 

That Little French Guy 

1791 Saint Johns Ave., 

Highland Park 

(847) 737-9680 

www. 

thatlittlefrenchguy.com 

8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday 

7 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday- 

Saturday 

Closed Monday 

all made fresh in-house 

every day. 

We began with the 

Croque Madame sandwich, 

which was comprised 

of ham, Swiss 

cheese and béchamel 

sauce with a fried egg on 

top. The sandwich was 

hearty, perfect for lunch. 

We also tried the Quiche 

Végétarienne, an authentic 

quiche with zucchini, onion, 

cream and cheese. 

There were several 

pastries that we tried including 

a fresh and flaky 

croissant and a mademoiselle, 

which Levy said is 

his trademark pastry that 

he’s made everywhere 

he’s worked. The visually 

pleasing pastry, described 

on the menu as “delicate 

but decadent,” was a large 

macaron filled with light 

vanilla cream with fresh 

raspberries. 

We finished our meal 

with a chocolate eclair — 

my favorite — filled with 

dark chocolate cremeux. 

Levy said since everything 

is made from scratch, 

once the cafe runs out of 

an item for the day, that’s 

all they will sell. But that’s 

a good thing, he added. 

“You know where everything 

comes from,” 

Levy said. 

Looking forward, Levy 

will offer outdoor seating 

in front of the cafe during 

warmer months, and will 

offer Ravinia picnic baskets 

and wedding cakes. 

The cafe’s Croque Madame sandwich ($10.90) is comprised of ham, Swiss cheese 

and béchamel sauce with a fried egg on top and is served with a side salad. Photos 

by Erin Yarnall/22nd Century Media 

The mademoiselle ($6.20) is a large macaron filled with cream and fresh raspberries. 

The cafe’s chocolate eclair ($4.90) is a pastry, topped with chocolate and filled with 

dark chocolate cremeux.

22 | January 10, 2019 | The lake forest leader REAL ESTATE 


The Lake Forest Leader’s 

SPONSORED CONTENT 

of the 

WEEK 

Asking Price: 

$1,079,000 

Listing Agent: Lori Baker 

and Alissa McNicholas. 

Email lori.baker@ 

cbexchange.com, phone 

(847) 863-1791 or email 

alissa.mcnicholas@ 

cbexchange.com phone 

(847) 530-3098. www. 

BornAndRaised.info 

What: 4 beds, 3 full baths, 2 half 

baths 

Where: 531 Woodland Road, Lake 

Forest 

Amenities: First time available in 

almost 50 years, this Mid-Century 

Modern combines a fantastic 

spacious floor plan with an 

unbeatable location 

-- set back amongst 

mature oak trees 

with a sweeping 

front lawn. Four 

bedrooms, 3 full 

and 2 half baths, 

the 5,222 sq ft 

layout fits today’s 

buyer design 

preferences for 

open 

concept 

living. 

Agent Brokerage: 

Coldwell Banker 

Residential Brokerage 

To see your home featured as Home of the Week, email John Zeddies at 

j.zeddies@22ndcenturymedia.com or call (847) 272-4565 ext. 12. 

Dec. 14 

• 7 Clover Lane, Lake Bluff, 60044-1722 - Leslie 

Olesen to Colin Wood, $275,000 

Dec. 10 

• 408 Mawman Ave., Lake Bluff, 60044-2423 - 

Szaflarski Living Trust to David Szaflarski, Kayrn 

Szaflarski, $280,000 

• 139 E. Woodland Road, Lake Forest, 60045- 

1728 - Stephen A. Murphy to Jeffrey H. Collins, 

Stacy P. Cason, $375,000 

• 693 Woodlawn Ave., Lake Forest, 60045-2479 

- Evelyn E. Hallberg to Arturo Zamudio, $240,000 

Dec. 7 

• 1050 Melody Road, Lake Forest, 60045-1548 - 

Atg Trust Co Trustee to Pranob P. Bhattacharya, 

Krystine M. Bhattacharya, $850,000 

• 1485 N. McKinley Road, Lake Forest, 60045- 

1327 - John P. Conroy to Marina Boyd, Jack 

Yandell, $265,000 

Brought to you by: 

FOR ALL YOUR 

MORTGAGE NEEDS 

664 N. Western Ave., Lake Forest, IL 60045 

Phone: (847) 234-8484 

thefederalsavingsbank.com 

• 251 Dover Circle, Lake Forest, 60045-3406 - 

Biao Hong to Sangho Kim, Jiyoung Lee, $555,000 

• 315 Mellody Road, Lake Forest, 60045-2039 

- Mark H. Senter Trust to Leonard C. Roberts Jr., 

Sanora B. Roberts, $505,000 

• 485 Oakwood Ave E3, Lake Forest, 60045-5320 

- Hillard Trust to William R Slater, $385,000 

Dec. 5 

• 409 Crescent Drive, Lake Bluff, 60044-2707 

- Phillip N. Gayter to Matthew Krenger, Janice 

Urban, $650,000 

Dec. 4 

• 1331 Wild Rose Lane, Lake Forest, 60045- 

3657 - Kevin W. Tourangeau Trust to Jeffrey Alan 

Wilson, Julie S. Wilson, $840,000 

The Going Rate is provided by Record Information 

Services, Inc. For more information, 

visit www.public-record.com or call 

(630) 557-1000.

LakeForestLeader.com Classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive 

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise 

Rental 

1403 Parking Garages for Rent 

Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

BUY IT! 

DEADLINE - 

Friday by Noon 

SELL IT! 

Automotive 

$52 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Help Wanted 

per line $13 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 

6 lines/ 

7 papers 

Want to 

See Your 

Business 

in the 

Classifieds? 

Call 

708-326-9170 

for a FREE Sample 

Ad and Quote! 

Merchandise 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

2489 Merchandise Wanted 

I'LL PAY YOU $$$ 

Before donating or before 

your estate sale. I buy 

jewelry, china, porcelain, 

designer clothes & 

accessories, collectibles, 

antiques, etc. Call today: 

224-616-7474 

Merchandise 

Directory 

Carol is buying costume 

jewelry, oil paintings, old 

watches, silverplate, china, 

figurines, old 

furniture, & misc. antiques. 

Please call 847.732.1195. 

...to place your 

Classified Ad! 

708.326.9170 

FIND IT! 

- IN THE - 

CLASSIFIEDS 

708.326.9170 

MORTGAGE 

ALERT! 

LOCK-IN MORE BUSINESS. 

ADVERTISE 

LOCALLY. 

CONTACT THE CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT 

708-326-9170 

22ndcenturymedia.com

24 | January 10, 2019 | The lake forest leader Classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive 

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise 

Find your 

next great hire 

Call Jeff Schouten 

to learn more about recruitment 

advertising in your local newspaper. 

708.326.9170 ext. 51 

j.schouten@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

DEADLINE - 

Friday by Noon 

right in your own 

neighborhood 

Automotive 

$52 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Help Wanted 

per line $13 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 

6 lines/ 

7 papers 

Calling all 

Merchandise 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE FREE FREE 

CLASSIFIED MERCHANDISE ADS!!! 

In this tough economy, we'll give you a free 

merchandise ad totaling $100 or less. 

· Write your FREE ad in 30 words or less. 

· One free ad per week. 

· Same ad may not be submitted more than 3 times. 

· The total selling price of your ad must not exceed $100. 

· Ads will be published on a space available basis. 

· Free Ads are Not Guaranteed to Run! 

) 

GUARANTEE Your Merchandise Ad To Run! 

$30 for 7 papers 

FAX: 708.326.9179 

Free Merchandise Ad - All Seven Papers 

Ad Copy Here (please print): 

Merchandise Pre-Paid Ad $30! 4 lines! 7 papers! 

Choose Paper: Homer 

Horizon New Lenox Patriot Frankfort Station 

Orland Park Prairie Mokena Messenger Tinley Junction 

Name: 

Address 

City/State/Zip 

Phone 

Payment Method(paid ads only) Check enclosed Money Order Credit Card 

Credit Card Orders Only 

Credit Card # 

Signature 

® 

Exp Date 

Circle One: 

Please cut this form out and mail or fax it back to us at: 

22nd Century Media 

11516 W. 183rd St, Suite #3 Unit SW 

Orland Park, IL 60467

LakeForestLeader.com SPORTS 


Athlete of the Week 

10 Questions 

with Jack Owen 

Jack Owen is a junior heavyweight wrestler 

in the 285-pound weight class for the 

Scouts 

How did you get started with 

Wrestling? 

I got started in fifth grade. I was in the 

hallway walking around with a couple 

of friends and the middle school coach 

walked up to us and he liked our size and 

told us we should come out. So, we all 

talked to our parents and we have been 

wrestling together ever since. 

What is your favorite thing about 

wrestling? 

My favorite thing about wrestling 

would have to be that it is a team sport, 

but also it is an individual sport. So when 

it comes down to it you have to save 

points for your team, but also you have 

to go in thinking your individual match 

matters too. 

What is the most challenging part 

about wrestling? 

The most challenging part would be 

having the mindset you have to have to be 

a wrestler. It is easy to psych yourself out. 

Do you have any pre-match rituals 

or superstitions? 

Usually before a match I will warm 

up with a partner and then put in some 

earbuds and do some stretches and jog 

around for a little bit to get ready. 

Looking back, what is your favorite 

memory wrestling with the scouts? 

My favorite memory would have to be 

a meet when our whole team put in a fantastic 

effort to beat Warren for, I think, the 

first time in 20 years, or us coming in first 

place in the Burton tournament this year. 

It was cool to see our team come together. 

22nd century Media file photo 

What is the best coaching advice 

you have ever received? 

The best coaching advice I have ever 

received was never give up. And that was 

from my middle school coach and high 

school coach. That has really stuck with 

me. In fifth and sixth grade I was getting 

crushed by other wrestlers and my coach 

told me that and it really helped. 

Where is your favorite place to eat 

in Lake Forest or Lake Bluff? 

My favorite place to eat would be Ferentino’s. 

My favorite thing there is the 

Italian beef. 

What is something most people 

don’t know about you? 

Most people probably don’t know that I 

am flexible and that I play Rugby. 

If you could play another sport 

what would you play? 

Well I already play football, rugby and 

wrestle, but I would pick basketball because 

it is another team sport. 

What do you want to study in 

college? 

I was thinking of going into architecture 

or business. 

Interview by Editor Alyssa Groh 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertise your 

RENTAL PROPERTY 

in the newspaper 

people turn to first 

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com

26 | January 10, 2019 | The lake forest leader SPORTS 


FEATURING: 

• Arts Camps • Day Camps 

• Overnight Camps 

• Sports Camps and more! 

MORE INFO: (847) 272-4565 

22ndCenturyMedia.com/events 

NORTH SHORE 

FIND THE VARSITY: NORTH SHORE ON 

SOUNDCLOUD, ITUNES OR LAKEFORESTLEADER.COM/SPORTS 

A 22ND CENTURY MEDIA PRODUCTION 

Saturday 

Feb. 23, 2019 

10am - 2pm 

V E N D O R S W A N T E D 

Northbrook Court 

1515 Lake Cook Rd 

Northbrook 

DEADLINE: 

FEB. 6, 2019 

EXCLUSIVE 

ANALYSIS 

AND INTERVIEWS 

about your favorite high 

school teams. Sports 

editors Michal Dwojak 

and Michael Wojtychiw 

host the only North 

Shore sports podcast. 

The Varsity: North Shore Podcast 

Guys recap swimming meet, preview hoops 

Staff report 

In this week’s episode of 

The Varsity: North Shore, 

the only podcast focused 

on North Shore sports, 

hosts Michal Dwojak and 

Michael Wojtychiw recap 

some boys swimming, 

where a number of area 

teams competed in a local 

invitational, hear from 

Glenbrook South wrestler 

Geroge Papagianopoulos, 

play Way/No Way with 

hoops and preview a boys/ 

girls doubleheader. 

This Week In ... 

Scouts VARSITY 

ATHLETICS 

BOYS BASKETBALL 

■Jan. ■ 11 - hosts Zion- 

Benton, 7 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 15 - at Lakes, 7 p.m. 

GIRLS BASKETBALL 

■Jan. ■ 12 - hosts Hersey, 

5:30 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 15 - hosts Stevenson, 

7 p.m. 

GIRLS CHEERLEADING 

■Jan. ■ 13 - at Niles West 

Invitational, 9 a.m. 

WRESTLING 

GIRLS POM/DANCE 

■Jan. ■ 10 - at NSC 

Championship, Waukegan, 

6:30 p.m. 

Scouts 

From Page 30 

place performance in the 

400 freestyle relay and 

fourth-place effort in the 

200 freestyle relay. 

Coach Mike Hengelmann 

liked what he saw 

from his Ramblers. 

“We had a real good 

meet,” he said. “Fourth is 

First Quarter 

Dwojak and Wojtychiw 

recap how area teams 

competed in the historical 

Evanston invitational. 

Second Quarter 

The guys hear GBS 

wrestler Geroge Papagianopoulos 

on his impressive 

season to date. 

. 

Third Quarter 

With a new year, the 

guys refresh to play the first 

Way/No Way of the year 

with basketball. 

GIRLS GYMNASTICS 

■Jan. ■ 10 - hosts Carmel, 

5:30 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 12 - at Lake County 

Invite, Mundelein High 

School, Noon 

■Jan. ■ 16 - hosts 

Libertyville, 5:30 p.m. 

BOYS SWIMMING 

■Jan. ■ 10 - at Waukegan, 

5 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 12 - at New Trier, 

Noon 

Caxys VARSITY 

ATHLETICS 


■Jan. ■ 10 - at Zion-Benton, 

7 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 12 - hosts Latin 

School Chicago, 11:30 a.m. 

■Jan. ■ 15 - at Waukegan, 

5:30 p.m. 

our highest finish here in a 

lot of years.” 

The Ramblers have won 

the meet four times and 

took three straight titles 

starting in 1989. They 

were second in 1981 and 

again in 1993 and 1994. 

New Trier is rebuilding 

after winning the 

state championship and 

Evanston Invitational last 

Find the Varsity 

Twitter: @varsitypodcast 

Facebook: @ 

thevarsitypodcast 

Website: 

LakeForestLeader.com/ 

sports 

Download: Soundcloud, 

iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, 

PlayerFm, more 

Fourth Quarter 

To finish things off, the 

guys preview a New Trier 

and Evanston hoops doubleheader 

clash . 

BOYS SWIMMING 

■Jan. ■ 11 - hosts Notre 

Dame Chicago, 4:30 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 15 - at Warren, 4:30 

p.m. 

BOYS BASKETBALL 

■Jan. ■ 12 - at MICDS, TBA 

■Jan. ■ 13 - at Proviso East, 

TBA 

■Jan. ■ 15 - hosts Gary 

Comer College Prep, 6 p.m. 

GIRLS ICE HOCKEY 

■Jan. ■ 12 - at Glenbrook 

North High School, 6:10 

p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 16 - hosts Warren, 

6 p.m. 

Woodlands Academy 

VARSITY ATHLETICS 


■Jan. ■ 11 - hosts Cristo Rey/ 

St. Martin, 6:45 p.m. 

season. That was the Trevians’ 

ninth championship 

in the Evanston meet in a 

span of 11 years. 

The Trevians were led 

by junior Pearce Bailey, 

second in the 50 freestyle 

and a member of the sixth 

place 200 freestyle relay 

and 400 freestyle relay 

teams.



Alumni Spotlight 

LFA grad earns scholarship to Merrimack 

Submitted by the British 

Columbia Hockey League 

Playing on a team with 

elite scoring forwards like 

Alex Newhook, Alexander 

Campbell and Riley 

Hughes, you might think it 

would be hard for a player 

like Victoria Grizzlies forward 

Ryan Nolan, a Lake 

Forest Academy alumnus, 

to stand out. 

Not the 

case, however, 

as Nolan 

has put 

together a 

solid season 

thus far and 

it has earned Nolan 

him a scholarship 

to play for the Merrimack 

College Warriors 

for the 2019-20 season. 

Nolan joined the British 

Columbia Hockey League 

after he graduated LFA in 

2017. 

After putting up 17 

points in his first BCHL 

campaign, Nolan has 

started to contribute more 

offensively this year, compiling 

13 goals and 15 assists 

for 28 points in 32 

games. 

The Winnetka native has 

also stepped up his game 

recently in the absence of 

Newhook, Campbell and 

Hughes, all of whom are 

way at the World Junior A 

Challenge. Nolan has scored 

three goals in the two games 

that his team’s top scorers 

have missed, including the 

game-winner Saturday in 

a 2-0 win over the Salmon 

Arm Silverbacks. 

Merrimack is an NCAA 

Division I school located 

in North Andover, Mass., 

playing out of the Hockey 

East conference along 

with Boston College, Boston 

University, UConn, 

Maine, UMass, UMass 

Lowell, New Hampshire, 

Northeastern, Providence 

and Vermont. 

The Warriors roster this 

year features Wenatchee 

Wild alumnus August von 

Ungern and former Alberni 

Valley Bulldog Christian 

Simeone. 

Nolan is the fourth 

BCHLer to commit to 

Merrimack in the last few 

weeks, joining Coquitlam 

Express forward Regan 

Kimens (2019-20), Vernon 

Vipers forward Nicholas 

Cherkowski (2020-21) and 

Wenatchee Wild defenceman 

Jacob Modry (2019- 

20). 

Athlete of the Month 

Finnigan runs away with title 

Michael Wojtychiw 

Contributing Sports Editor 

New Trier’s Ellie Finnigan 

didn’t only have a successful 

season on the running 

path. 

The Trevian cross-country 

runner made the Christmas 

holiday memorable 

by winning 22nd Century 

Media’s December Athlete 

of the Month competition, 

beating out some tough 

competitors. Finnigan won 

the monthly battle with 

105 votes, edging out New 

Trier Green hockey player 

Bobby Soudan and Loyola 

girls volleyball player 

Mary Kate Lopez. 

Finnigan was a key leader 

for the Trevians all season 

long, helping the team 

finish seventh at the state 

meet and earning New Trier 

its second Athlete of the 

Month win of 2018. 

Voting lasted from Dec. 

10-25. The Athlete of the 

Month contest for athletes 

selected in the month of 

December gets underway 

on Jan. 10 and will end on 

Jan. 25. Vote at LakeForestLeader.com. 

December Athlete of the Month candidates 

Lake Forest 

Jake Fisher, boys basketball 

Molly Fisher, girls basketball 

TJ Cottam, wrestling 

Loyola Academy 

Connor Barrett, boys basketball 

New Trier 

Matthew Booden, boys bowling 

Rebecca Goldman, girls basketball 

Darcy Barkal, gymnastics 

Glenbrook South 

Shannon Schmitt, girls hockey 

Jenna Hartley, gymnastics 

Quinn Loughran, boys swimming 

Glenbrook North 

Daniel Kaufman, boys swimming 

Jared Cooper, boys bowling 

Frank Siegien, boys basketball 

Highland Park 

Helena Blumenau, girls swimming 

Andrew Vorobev, boys swimming 

Andrew Natinsky, boys basketball 

Jordan Meek, boys hockey 

LFHS’s Jake Fisher (top), Molly Fisher (bottom left) and TJ Cottam are candidates for 

the latest Athlete of the Month competition . 22nd Century Media File Photos



Douglass maintains focus amid 15 college offers 

Brittany Kapa 


Halle Douglass isn’t 

rushing her decision on 

where to play college basketball. 

The Lake Forest High 

School 6-foot-2 junior 

point guard is maneuvering 

through college offers 

like she maneuvers 

through opposing defenses, 

and while she said the 

attention is flattering, the 

offers are not her focus. 

Helping her team win is 

the top priority. 

Rather than whittling 

down the vast list of offers, 

Douglass is more concerned 

with playing her 

game, developing her shot 

and being a contributing 

member on the court for 

the Scouts — and that has 

worked out quite well for 

LFHS, which is riding a 

nine-game winning streak 

as of press time (Monday, 

Jan. 7). 

And thankfully, the recruitment 

process has not 

been taxing on the Lake 

Forest native either. 

“It’s not something that 

I feel pressured by right 

now, because there are so 

many great schools out 

there, and it’s a huge commitment,” 

Douglass said. 

“I just want to find what’s 

best for me, and I don’t 

want to have to rush into 

anything.” 

Douglass played travel 

soccer growing up, but 

basketball was always a 

huge part of her family 

life. 

Her father, Bill Douglass, 

was a point guard 

at the University of Wisconsin 

from 1988-92 and 

has played a key role in 

his daughter’s love of the 

game. 

“It was around sixth or 

seventh grade when I started 

focusing on basketball,” 

she said. “I played basketball 

my whole life. I grew 

up in a basketball family; 

everyone played it.” 

It wasn’t until the summer 

before her sophomore 

year that Douglass realized 

she wanted to play college 

ball, and it wasn’t long after 

that when her first offer 

came in. 

Then, the floodgates 

opened. 

In total, she has offers 

from 15 schools, including 

the Big Ten’s University 

of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 

and other Division-I 

college programs like the 

University of St. Louis, 

University of Minnesota 

and Brown University. 

“It wasn’t really intimidating, 

because I just really 

didn’t know what to think 

in a way,” she said about the 

influx of offers. “It was just 

something that was happening. 

I was just playing basketball 

and having fun.” 

Since then, Douglass 

has visited college campuses 

across the nation, 

including her father’s alma 

mater in Madison. 

The visits are fun, of 

course, and a useful tool in 

helping her figure out what 

she’s looking for before 

committing to a program. 

“Every time I get a different 

feel, and I get to 

see a different school, different 

program, different 

coaches and just see how 

every school is,” she said. 

Douglass’ size, versatility 

and play-making ability 

make her a matchup 

nightmare for opposing 

defenses. 

The Scouts junior can 

play inside and outside, 

run the break, facilitate the 

offense and defend against 

Douglass looks for an open teammate during her 

sophomore season, after which many collegiate offers 

came to her door. 

most opponents. 

A common stat line for 

Douglass looks like this 

one from a recent win over 

Quincy: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 

4 assists, 4 steals 

and 5 blocks. 

Add all that up, and 

Douglass makes for a desirable 

asset for any college 

program, said Lake 

Forest coach Kyle Wilhelm 

said. 

“In my opinion, I 

haven’t seen a better point 

guard around,” he added. 

“Her ability to get to the 

free-throw line early is a 

testament to the fact that 

she is hard to guard. She 

can get by people, she can 

hit a pull up, and they foul 

her because they can’t stop 

her. Those kinds of attributes 

are still going to 

translate well at the next 

level.” 

All of these traits, and 

her dedication in the gym 

to improving her shot, has 

quickly made Douglass a 

sought-after talent. 

LFHS junior Halle Douglass posts up against a Stevenson 

defender in a game earlier this season. 22nd 

Century Media File Photos 

According to Prospects 

Nation, she is a four-star 

recruit currently ranked 

15th in the nation at her 

position and 53rd overall 

for the 2020 class. 

Douglass recently broke 

the Lake Forest assist record 

of 391, previously 

held by former LFHS star 

Delaney Williams. 

“It’s been a joy to work 

with her and I’m really, 

really happy that I get her 

on my team and not have 

to scout against her,” Wilhelm 

said. 

Numerous campus visits 

aside, Douglass remains 

focused on her season 

goals with the Scouts rather 

than making a decision 

on where to commit; however, 

she has gained valuable 

inspiration from the 

recruitment experience. 

“It’s inspired me to work 

harder,” she said. “I see 

how everyone works really 

hard, and everyone puts in 

a lot of time so I know I 

have to do the same.”



Decision time approaches for Lake Forest DE Mills 

Joe Coughlin, Publisher 

Football isn’t for everybody, 

and at first, Rylie 

Mills wasn’t sure it was 

for him either. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t 

want to play, but he was 

a 10-year-old with many 

interests who just knew 

football was a family pastime. 

That was until ... 

“Once, I hit a kid and 

his helmet popped off,” 

Mills said. “And it hit me 

that [football] was something 

I would want to do 

for the rest of my life.” 

That decision has 

worked out well for Mills, 

now a Lake Forest High 

School junior and one 

of the top preps football 

prospects in the nation. 

Mills, the top 2020 defensive 

end in Illinois and 

the ninth-ranked in the 

country according to Rivals.com, 

has in tow 25 

scholarship offers, including 

one each from all four 

of the 2018-19 College 

Football Playoff teams — 

Alabama, Clemson, Notre 

Dame and Oklahoma. 

“Hearing from Alabama 

was crazy. I still have to 

wake up and pinch myself,” 

Mills said. “Over 

the summer, I went for 

a visit to Alabama and 

Georgia, and also Ohio 

State, and got to meet 

[Alabama coach] Nick Saban, 

who I’ve seen on TV 

since I was 5. I met [Georgia 

coach] Kirby Smart 

Rylie Mills, Defensive End, Lake Forest High School: By the numbers 

Height Weight Sacks* Tackles for 

loss* 

State Rank: 

Position^ 

State Rank: 

Overall^ 

National Rank: 

Position^ 

6-5 270 4 20 1 4 9 165 

*2018 

^Rivals.com 

National 

Rank: Overall^ 

Rylie Mills awaits a snap during his junior season with 

the Lake Forest Scouts. The defensive end says he 

will choose between his 25 college scholarship offers 

before August. 22nd Century Media File Photo 

and [Ohio State coach Urban] 

Meyer. 

“Sometimes I sit back 

and think, ‘Wow, that just 

happened.’” 

At 6-foot-5 and 270 

pounds, Mills is a bear 

of a defensive end who, 

while still developing, 

pairs his size with unexpected 

quickness and 

footwork to dominate 

high school play. 

As a junior, Mills 

racked up 20 tackles for 

loss in 10 games for the 

Scouts (5-5). 

“He’s a factor on every 

play he’s involved 

in,” LFHS coach Chuck 

Spagnoli said. “[He has] 

unique size and unique 

speed for someone on this 

level. As a result of that, 

people have to account for 

him, whether it’s a double-team 

or to avoid him.” 

Mills was always big 

for his age, but the majority 

of his bulk was added 

in high school. 

Before then, Mills said 

he was a tall and scrawny 

junior high schooler, the 

product of an intense boxing 

regime that Mills used 

to regulate his weight. 

The workouts were enjoyable 

and kept Mills in 

elite shape, but the training 

also provided benefits 

to his first passion, football, 

for which he constantly 

engages in close 

contact with offensive 

linemen. 

“The striking and getting 

your hands in the 

right place are some 

things that boxing helped 

me improve,” Mills said, 

“and footwork, making 

sure you are always moving 

on your feet, is something 

that carried over.” 

Mills quickly made an 

impression in the Scouts 

football program, and after 

his junior season, he 

found out college coaches 

were equally impressed. 

In February 2018, University 

of Minnesota offensive 

line coach Brian 

Callahan showed up in the 

Scouts’ weight room. 

Callahan told Spagnoli 

and Mills that he’d like 

Mills to come visit the 

Golden Gophers. And that 

visit had a surprise ending. 

“Me and a couple other 

kids were held back at 

the football facilities and 

they walked me and my 

dad to meet [Minnesota 

coach P.J.] Fleck,” Mills 

recalled. “It was a big 

moment, just talking to 

him and him asking if I 

had any questions ... and 

eventually, he said, ‘Well, 

we want to offer you a 

scholarship.’ It was like a 

movie, everything kinda 

went silent. I couldn’t 

even think.” 

That was only the beginning. 

Within five days, 

Mills had six more offers, 

and by the time the 2018 

Scouts football season 

came around, he held offers 

from the most prolific 

programs in the land. 

Mills was no doubt a 

big shot on campus, but 

thankfully, according to 

him, his teammates didn’t 

treat him that way. 

“One of the things I love 

about football, and this 

team especially, is before 

and after the offers, no 

one treated me any differently,” 

he said. “We still 

joked around and made 

fun of each other. It was 

all really down to earth.” 

For a three-month 

stretch, despite fans and 

coaches focusing on him, 

Mills did his best to focus 

on playing football. 

Spagnoli confirmed that 

Mills succeeded. 

“I don’t know how he 

could have handled it 

much better,” the Scouts 

coach said. “It is a difficult 

circumstance. His 

mental focus has been extraordinary.” 

Although, while special 

treatment was not a factor, 

Spagnoli could not deny 

that Mills’ situation and 

skills were a positive influence 

on his players. 

“He doesn’t look like a 

16-year-old kid; he looks 

like a giant dude, but 

emotionally no one is that 

different,” Spagnoli said. 

“It’s rubbed off on several 

of our players. ... Rylie is 

a team guy first. He works 

as hard or harder than 

anyone in program.” 

While now in the offseason, 

Mills still has 

plenty of work to do. 

In the coming months, 

not only will Mills train 

for his senior football season 

while navigating high 

school academics, he also 

will be shaving a list of 25 

interested schools to five 

and plan official visits. 

He’ll have plenty of 

help — the good kind of 

help. 

With a mother, father 

and brother who played 

or are playing athletics in 

college, Mills is blessed 

to have a strong, experienced 

support system. 

“It is a big decision, but 

I have great guidance,” he 

said. “I have a lot of really 

good role models to look 

up to and help me make 

the right choice. 

“Ultimately it is my decision, 

but they are going 

to lead me down the best 

path.” 

Mills hopes to announce 

his top-five schools in the 

spring, and after the visits, 

announce his decision 

sometime before the 2019 

Scouts’ season begins. 

He gave no hints as to 

which schools are in the 

lead, but he does know 

what he wants: an applicable 

education, elite 

competition and a chance 

at his NFL dream. 

“A big thing is that academics 

and football are 

the biggest part of my life 

when I go to college,” he 

said. “Academics is big, 

setting me up for success 

after football. The average 

[NFL] player only plays 

two years in the NFL. You 

have the rest of your life 

after that. 

“But also, I am really 

competitive and want to 

compete at the highest 

level and that’s a big part 

for me.”



Boys Swimming 

Young Scouts gain experience at talent-packed invite 

NEIL MILBERT 


Finishing in the bottom 

half of an 18-team 

regular-season invitational 

doesn’t sound like 

a victory, but when the 

meet comprises some of 

the state’s best, success is 

relative. 

Lake Forest finished 

13th, and coach Cindy 

Noll wasn’t complaining. 

“What we get out of a 

meet like this is experience,” 

she said. “Where 

we were seeded in this 

meet was perfect for our 

team. We have a super 

young team. We had only 

one senior here. 

“We got competition we 

don’t normally get. That 

experience is key right 

now.” 

Lake Forest’s Oliver Akintade swims the butterfly stroke as part of his 200-yard 

individual medley Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Evanston Invitational. Photos by Carlos 

Alvarez/22nd Century Media 

Neuqua Valley dethroned 

New Trier as 

champion of the meet, and 

Stevenson earned second 

place in the 54th annual 

Evanston Swimming and 

Media Podz knows digital content 

that’s on point! 

mediapodz.com 

Diving Invitational held 

Saturday, Jan. 5. 

Glenbrook South took 

third, and Loyola Academy 

came in fourth. 

There were eight individual 

swimming events, 

each with six heats, and 

three relays, each with 

three heats. 

Points were awarded to 

the first 16 finishers. Winners 

of the relays collected 

40 points; in the individual 

events, the winners 

picked up 20. 

Placing was based on 

the contestants’ times in 

their heats. 

The best showings 

for Lake Forest were an 

eighth by sophomore Colin 

Kingsley in the 500- 

yard freestyle and an 11th 

by junior Luke Lanigan in 

the 200 freestyle. 

Noll said Lanigan is one 

of the leaders on the team, 

as well as senior Carlos 

Minetti. 

The Scouts coach also 

was pleased with the performances 

of junior Oliver 

Akintade in the 200 

individual medley and 100 

breaststroke and freshman 

Sidd Ojha in the 100 butterfly 

and 100 backstroke. 

“Oliver is an outstanding 

soccer player,” Dell 

pointed out. “He’ll play 

soccer in college. He’s 

an incredible athlete, and 

we’re blessed to have his 

Scouts freshman Sidd Ojha competes in the 100 backstroke 

during the invite. 

Greg Damidot gets to the butterfly during his individual 

medley race. 

athleticism to add to our 

team.” 

Other results 

The top performers for 

Glenbrook South were 

sophomore Max Iida, victorious 

in the 200 individual 

medley and second in 

the 100 breaststroke, and 

junior Mike Hadjiivanov, 

first in the 50 freestyle and 

third in the 100 freestyle. 

They also swam for the 

third place 200 medley relay 

team and the 200 freestyle 

relay team. 

Loyola was led by a 

pair of juniors — Luke 

Maurer, the winner of 

both the 100 freestyle and 

the 200 freestyle, and Everet 

Andrew, first in the 

500 freestyle and second 

in the 200 freestyle. 

Both also contributed 

to the Ramblers’ second- 

Please see Scouts, 26



Girls Gymnastics 

State’s best push limits at LFHS’s Straus Invite 

Star sophomore 

returns to lead 

Scouts to seventh 

Staff Report 


File Photo 

1st-and-3 

Stars of the week 

1. Crawford Bolton 

(ABOVE). The 

Lake Forest 

basketball player 

scored a teamhigh 

13 points 

in the Scouts’ 

conference loss 

to league leader 

Waukegan on 

Friday, Jan. 4. 

2. Kristen Fisch 

The sophomore 

led the way for 

the gymnastics 

team by finishing 

seventh in the 

all-around at 

the Straus Invite 

Saturday, Jan. 5. 

3. Colin Kinsley. 

The Lake Forest 

swimmer had the 

best performance 

of the day for the 

Scouts at a tough 

Evanton invite, 

finishing eighth 

in the 500-yard 

freestyle. 

Lake Forest sophomore 

Kristen Fisch returned to 

the Scouts lineup to lead 

her team to seventh out 

of 12 teams at the Robin 

Straus Invite Saturday, 

Jan. 5, in Lake Forest. 

Fisch, who was out the 

previous week with an 

illness, finished tied for 

seventh in the all-around 

with 35.5 points. Teammate 

Gianna Pasquesi, a 

freshman, landed 10th in 

the all-around. 

The Scouts totaled 

135.65 team points, less 

than two points away from 

fourth-place Lake Park 

at the star-studded invite, 

but more than five ahead 

of eighth-place Deerfield. 

But the top three teams 

separated themselves 

from the pack: Meet 

champion Carmel edged 

last year’s state champion 

Prairie Ridge by a third 

of a point, 146.65-146.3, 

while Wheaton-Warrenville 

South was soundly 

in third at 142.25. Lake 

Park, Geneva, Conant and 

Lake Forest followed. 

Fisch took fourth on the 

floor (9.15), sixth on bars 

(9.45), eighth on vault 

(9.25) and, indicative of the 

Scouts tough day with the 

event, 43rd on beam (7.7). 

The Scouts Nelli Fleming performs on the floor during 

the invite. Photos by Dave Kraus/22nd Century Media 

Pasquesi notched three 

12th-place finishes (vault, 

bars and floor) and had 

Lake Forest’s best beam 

score (8.5; tied for 20th). 

Freshman Taylor Cekay 

took sixth on the vault, 

but only competed in two 

events on the day. 

The Scouts averaged 

34.9 points across vault, 

bars and floor, but managed 

only a combined 

30.85 on beam. 

Kristen Fisch leaps off the balance beam for the 

Scouts during the Robin Straus Invite Saturday, Jan. 5, 

at Lake Forest High School. 

Lake Forest’s Gianna Pasquesi works through her bars 

routine en route to a 12th-place finish. She also finished 

10th in the all-around. 

Listen Up 

“He doesn’t look like a 16-year-old kid; he looks 

like a giant dude” 

Chuck Spagnoli — The Lake Forest HS football coach on junior 

defensive end Rylie Mills 

tune in 

Girls Basketball 

• Scouts go for 11 straight: Lake Forest hosts 

Hersey, 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12, at LFHS 

East campus 

Index 

27 - Athlete of the Month 

25 - Athlete of the Week 

Fastbreak is compiled by Editor Alyssa Groh. Send 

any questions or comments to alyssa@lakefo 

restleader.com

Lake Forest Leader | January 10, 2019 | LakeForestLeader.com 

Holding their own 

Scouts have strong showing at 

invitational, Page 30 

Earning it 

LFA hockey alumnus gains 

college scholarship, Page 26 

The Leader goes 

behind the scenes 

with LFHS juniors Halle 

Douglass and Riley 

Mills, each of whom is 

weighing numerous offers 

from major collegiate 

programs, 

Pages 28-29 

Lake Forest High 

School stars Riley 

Mills (LEFT) and 

Halle Douglass will 

be deciding in the 

coming months 

where they will play 

after high school. 


File Photos 

OPENHOUSE 

FOR PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES 

SATURDAY, JANUARY12FROM 10:00 AM -12:00 PM 

847.295.4900 • BANNERDAYCAMP.COM

LF_011019

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?