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14 | October 17, 2019 | The glencoe anchor sound off glencoeanchordaily.com City Girl Confessions Knocking out the scary bits Kelly Anderson Contributing Columnist It’s the most wonderful time of year ... for me. I am positively delighted by Halloween and all of its orange-andblack spooky splendor. I’ve been this way since I was a kid, poring over costume ideas and scouting haunted houses while immersing myself in scary books and movies. A witch’s hat has permanent residence on my shelf. So it should come as no surprise that my 4-yearold pointed to a photo of a terrifying grim reaper and said, “I want that costume for Halloween.” Now normally, I would be all for my kids wearing a costume of their own choosing. But this one was a bit too frightening even for me, an actual adult, to consider. The good news is that she opted for the second choice costume on her list: a tomato (her favorite food). But all of this talk got me thinking about scary things, particularly the act of being scared. You see, the 4-year-old that was favoring grim reapers also learned to ride a bike this past week. And if you have ever taught a child to ride a bike you know this one simple truth: you will fall down a lot. We practiced all summer long, gliding on a bike with the pedals removed, working on balance. We practiced to and from the bus. We practiced on sunny days and rainy ones, too. But then the falls started coming: falling while turning, falling while practicing a quick stop or start, falling while just being a bit clumsy at something new. I had to coax her to continue. “But I’m scared,” she replied. Truthfully, I could see why she felt that way — concrete stings, training wheels are a lot more stable, and the future is unknown. Being scared is openly admitting that you are curious about the future, and all of the good and bad ways that it can form you. So what happened next? She took some deep breaths and whispered, “Confidence, confidence” (this is our secret pep talk, a mantra we can say when we’re scared). Then she hopped on the bike and took off. I watched her legs maneuver the pedals and the wind catch her hair. I swear my heart soared up and out into the wind. Her Halloween costume arrived later that day: round red tomato with a leafy green cap. It was hilariously oversized and she insisted on wearing it during dinner: small tomato girl in a big wooden chair. That moment was silly and fun. Yet I remembered who she was on the street mere minutes ago: the brave girl who kept pedaling, even after the botched attempts, even after the sting of concrete on her knee. Even when she admitted that fear was lingering. October is most certainly the time of year to relish in the spooky stuff. As we seek a good scare, I like to remember the fragility of that emotion — it’s big, it’s little, it’s here, it’s gone, it’s over. We hold the power to knock out the scary bits in our way, sometimes on bikes, sometimes as humans and even dressed as tomatoes. Happy Halloween. Kelly Q. Anderson is a writer, photographer and former Chicagoan. She pens blogs and books from her home in Glencoe, which she shares with her husband, son and daughter. Cannabis From Page 3 “Do we want Glencoe to remain a Bedford Falls or do we want it to become Pottersville?,” she asked. “We’re at the crossroads. Do we want to be an island?” Stefanie Boron, of Glencoe, who came to the meeting with a petition in opposition signed by 109 other residents, told the commission: “I don’t think this is something we need to be on the cutting edge of.” “I’ve lived in Glencoe for 38 years, and this will hurt the village as a family community,” John Lyons added. Sacred Heart School Board President J.D. Byrnes, of Winnetka, and Tim Drehkoff, of Northfield, who also is on the board at Sacred Heart, expressed fears for the safety of children at the grammar school if a dispensary is permitted to operate in the B2 District bordering Winnetka. “There will be a huge demand for this,” Drehkoff said, forecasting the impact of a Glencoe dispensary to that of the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, which has the biggest daily attendance of any gambling outlet in Illinois. “I don’t think this is appropriate for Glencoe,” said Kevin Campbell, of Highland Park, the Glencoe Chamber of Commerce’s presiding officer. Alex Sokol, of Glencoe, succinctly expressed the minority view. “I sense a lot of hysteria,” he said. “The law would not allow public consumption. B2 already has a giant Binny’s (liquor store) and people aren’t sitting outside drinking. Driving under the influence of cannabis would be the same as driving under the influence of alcohol.” Following the public comment session, the six members of the commission expressed their opinions. Roin called for consideration of the B1 downtown district as a cannabis dispensary site in addition to the B2 District and the HF District that were included in Tanner’s presentation with staff recommendations. “I’m 66 years old and when I was back in high school at New Trier, marijuana was readily available,” Roin said. “It was then and it is now. “I am strongly in favor of legalizing marijuana (for consumption by adults over 21).” Joining the chairman in speaking in favor of a dispensary was Commissioner Scott Novack. “I’ve heard a lot of hysteria,” Novack said. “I wasn’t alive during Prohibition but I can just imagine the hysteria then. I’ve been to dispensaries in California and Colorado. I don’t subscribe to the theory that this will ruin our village. I don’t expect to see drug dealers and a lot of seedy characters come here. “This is an industry that is highly regulated, much more so than the liquor industry.” Responding to concerns expressed by residents, Weiss said there is “very little” evidence of property depreciation in Colorado communities that have dispensaries. “Every state has done this differently,” he added. “It’s hard to find any comparisons.” Commissioner Alex Kaplan said he was opposed to cannabis anywhere in Glencoe and asked his fellow commissioners to vote against submitting recommendations to the Village Board. During her presentation, Tanner pointed out that in the HF District the Edens Expressway and ComEd right-of-way created natural buffers for a cannabis dispensary that didn’t exist in the B2 District. “In my opinion, HF is the only viable area,” Commissioner John Satter said. “Skokie Road is much more isolated.” Novack made a motion to “accept everything from staff recommendations that don’t pertain to separation and distance requirements” and it was seconded by Sara Elasser. Roin, Satter and Deborah Carlson, who participated in the meeting by telephone, joined them in voting in favor. Kaplan cast a no vote. The seventh member of the commission, David Friedman, was absent. Motions for consideration of the B2 and B1 Districts as possible dispensary locations failed because in each instance the result of the voting was a 3-3 deadlock. “We’re punting to the Village Board,” Roin said, concluding the discussion. “Just as we respect and understand the views of our residents and those of our neighbors, the Village Board takes seriously these strong views.”
glencoeanchordaily.com glencoe the glencoe anchor | October 17, 2019 | 15 22ND CENTURY MEDIA is looking for local FREELANCE REPORTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS to cover events, meetings and sports in the area. “ GOOD NEIGHBORS AND INTERESTING THINGS TO DO? I’LL PASS. ” (Said no older person ever.) How successfully we age has everything to do with the lifestyle choices we make. Atria Senior Living creates vibrant communities where opportunities to stay active, eat well, connect with neighbors and achieve personal goals are right outside one’s apartment door, every day. We believe people belong together – and now, the Lake Shore’s wisest people can choose to call Atria home. HIGHLAND PARK NOW PRE-LEASING Call 847.447.0582 to schedule a visit. Senior Living & Memory Care Interested individuals should send an email with a resume and any clips to jobs@22ndcenturymedia.com CHICAGO SOUTHWEST CHICAGO NORTHSHORE www.22ndcenturymedia.com MALIBU 1000 Central Avenue | Highland Park | AtriaHighlandPark.com
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