HP100319

8 | October 3, 2019 | The highland park landmark community
hplandmarkdaily.com
HP residents say goodbye to summer at Autumn Fest
4
Tashen (Tashi)
Submitted by the
Nisenholz family
Tashen (Tashi
for short) came
home with this
red ball and
never lets it out
of her sight:
morning, noon
and night we
listen to its squeaking. We call it her “lovie”. Tashi
is loveable, she loves humans more than other
animals. Her favorite humans are her mommy and
daddy and our grandaughter, Jordyn. Her favorite
activity is to sit at the window and bark at every
passerby.
To see your pet featured as Pet of the Week, send a photo
and information to Editor Erin Yarnall at erin@hplandmark.com.
Doug Rapp, Freelance Reporter
Attendees race stuffed animals,
Sept. 20, at the Park District of Highland
Park’s Autumn Fest. Photos
submitted
Josephine Pfahl, 8, is not afraid of
snakes.
The Cherokee Elementary student
handled a small albino corn snake
while her grandmother kept a safe
distance.
Pfahl was attending the Park District
of Highland Park’s Autumn Fest
at Heller Nature Center Sept. 20 as
she says she does every year.
“I really love reptiles,” she said.
“It’s really beautiful here and the
snakes are also really beautiful.”
The Chicago Herpetological Society
was one of the first stops on
the circuitous path of booths and activities
surrounding the nature center
during this annual event.
“I like the reptiles, the horse rides,
the tractors and you get to take some
pumpkins home,” Pfahl said.
Other attractions at the event included
hayrides, games, a campfire,
and live music from Kendra Swanson.
“It’s a great event for families, for
kids, for grandparents and everybody
to come out on a beautiful autumn
Friday evening and enjoy the
bounty of nature,” said Liz Gogola,
director of communication and marketing
at Park District Highland
Park.
Gogola expected attendance to top
600, especially on a warm and sunny
September evening.
Many young families strolled
among the attractions as kids excitedly
went from game to game. They
tried to take a hands-free bite from
dangling apples, tossed bean bags
through narrow targets and bowled
with miniature pumpkins.
Some park employees offered face
painting. Alberto Gonzalez, 7, of
Highwood, opted for a shark painted
on his arm.
“They’re cool,” Gonzalez said,
explaining why he chose that design
before racing off with friends.
Nearby, attendees ate grilled sausages
and roasted corn as Kendra
Swanson played gentle folk songs.
When she played Raffi’s “Five Green
and Speckled Frogs” many kids enthusiastically
joined in the call-andresponse
section of the song.
Pumpkins were available with
the purchase of a wristband, which
included unlimited hay and pony
rides for children, or for $5 each.
The winding path to the patch had
pumpkin-shaped signs with trivia.
Pumpkin capital of the world? Morton,
Illinois.
Mark Frye worked as a volunteer
at the pumpkin patch, something
he’s done for the past 10 years. His
wife, Carolyn, works at camps for
the nature center and volunteered at
the face-painting table.
Nancy Voltz, of Highland Park,
has been attending Autumn Fest
since her son, Lincoln, now 8, was
a toddler.
“I like all the activities and the
community feel,” Voltz said. “We
think it’s a great way to kick off the
fall season.”
fallen
From Page 4
awareness to the motoring public.”
“We want to make sure people really
understand Scott’s Law, and we
want to spread as much awareness
and possible,” said Sam Shachtman,
also a senior and member of the
stressing committee.
“We are super proud of the boys,”
said Larry Elbaum, vice president of
the hockey board of directors. “They
saw that no one was doing anything
and they said, ‘we’ve got to do
something.’”
Scott’s Law was named after Lt.
Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department,
who was struck and killed
by an intoxicated driver while assisting
at a crash scene in December,
2000. As of Jan. 1, 2017, the newly
constituted “Move Over Law” requires
drivers to slow down and move
over one lane, if possible, when approaching
a stopped emergency vehicle,
or any vehicle authorized by law
to be equipped with oscillating, rotating,
or flashing lights while the owner
or operator of the vehicle is engaged
in his or her official duties.
Lambert, a native of Dayton, Ohio,
was an Army veteran who served in
Iraq and Haiti. He had been with Illinois
State Police since 2013 and
worked in the criminal patrol division.
He was also a member of the Lake
County Metropolitan Enforcement
Group, a task force of officers from
different departments who focus on
illicit drugs, gangs and weapons.
The work includes conducting house
raids and drug seizures.
State Trooper John Oreskovich
helped train Lambert and the two often
worked together.
“He was very high energy and was
very dedicated to the job. He was
excited to be out there and that is
what we are looking for,” Oreskovich
said. “He would have been very
humbled by the turnout.”
Scott Larson, then 61, of Kenosha,
was charged with a count of reckless
homicide of a police officer and two
counts of reckless homicide involving
Scott’s law. A drug test revealed
signs of cannabis in Larson’s system.
Authorities say he admitted to vaping.
Larson had been convicted of
felony reckless driving and DUI in
Wisconsin five years ago. In March,
he entered a not guilty plea to the
charges. If convicted, Larsen faces
up to 14 years in prison.
Additional reporting by Nick Frazier,
Sports Editor.