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FROM THE HEART - November
2016
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Dear Neighbors,
From watching the news, we all know people are finding much to disagree about these days, sometimes even within families.
Perhaps it is fortunate, then, that Thanksgiving Day is upon us. Thanksgiving brings us together just as it first did in the year 1621. It offers a time to take stock of the bounty before us and the many things for which we are grateful. If
you are fortunate enough to live in our neighborhood, you likely have much for which to be thankful.
This year, we ask you to join us in offering heartfelt thanks for our wonderful neighborhood. And, we give thanks to you for being a part of our neighborhood and/or for taking an interest in our neighborhood.
From the heart,
P. S.
Feel free to contact me at any time at
kenneth@chicago.com
or 773.531.5515 i
f you would like to learn more about LCA or have neighborhood concerns.
If you are not already a member of LCA, we hope you will consider
joining
today.
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INVITATION TO ATTEND LINCOLN AVENUE CORRIDOR OPEN HOUSE
November 29 at 6:00 PM at Victory Garden
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You are invited to join the Lincoln Park Chamber
of Commerce and the Lincoln Avenue Corridor Steering Committee from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Tuesday, November 29 at Victory Gardens Theatre (2433 N. Lincoln Avenue) for an Open House to review the Steering Committee's Lincoln Avenue Corridor recommendations. Admission is free.
Read more about this event.
Please RSVP by Monday, November 28. RSVPs are requested but not required.
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LCA Zoning Committee Mtg.
Zoning Committee meetings are held the second
Tuesday of each month at
6:15 PM
in the back room of the Marquee Lounge (Halsted & Armitage). Zoning Committee meetings are open to the public.
Thursday, December 22nd
LCA Monthly Board Meeting
Board meetings are held the fourth Thursday of each month at
6:30 PM
in the back room of the Marquee Lounge (Halsted & Armitage). Board meetings are open to the public.
Thursday, December 1
BrewLights at Lincoln Park Zoo
 Join the Auxiliary Board of Lincoln Park Zoo for the third annual BrewLights from 5:30-9:00 PM on Thursday December 1. This adults-only (21+) event, back by popular demand, will treat holiday revelers to local craft, seasonal and international beers on tap throughout the zoo during ZooLights. Price $40 (early bird); $49 (advance); $60 (at the door).
Learn more or purchase tickets
here
.
Tuesday, January 24
Savor Lincoln Park
Savor Lincoln Park returns for a one-of-a-kind celebration of food and the Lincoln Park community. Sample cuisine from some of Lincoln Park's finest restaurants, and toast your friends and neighbors. Guests will enjoy delicious food, drink, and exciting silent auction items from Chicago's best destinations
.
Tuesday, January 24*
6:00 -9:00 p.m.*
iO Theater*
1501 N. Kingsbury. Learn more.
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A RIBBON CUTTING IN THE HEART
New Bauler Playlot Dedicated
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| Preparing to cut the ribbon |
Prior to the beginning of the 9th Annual Howler at Bauler, Lincoln Central Association, along with 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith and the Chicago Park District, represented by
Kimberly
du Buclet, hosted the official ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the new playlot at Bauler Park. Special guests at the ceremony included 5th District Congressman Mike Quigley, 11th District State Representative Ann Williams and Rodger Owen, the Immediate Past President of LCA.
During the ceremony, Alderman Smith acknowledged the contributions of Owen, Rick Rausch, Owen's predecessor as LCA President, and other neighbors who have supported Bauler Park through the years. LCA has served as the Park's fiscal agent since 1999.
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HOWLER'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD
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Howler 2016
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As he marveled at the size of the this year's crowd, LCA President Kenneth Dotson acknowledged the vision of Elizabeth Samuels and others who conceived Howler at Bauler years earlier and helped it become the neighborhood tradition it is today.
"The idea was to do something in Bauler Park to bring people together, to bring out families," said Elizabeth, who started Howler at Bauler nine years ago with Dave Varnerin and Jennifer Uson.
The first Howler drew an estimated 150 people. "We had 15 different neighbors volunteer for the event. The park was full-of parents and kids," said Elizabeth. "We had many more people show up than we anticipated."
There was a balloon artist (Jennifer Uson's nephew), and a singer from Farm in the Zoo at Lincoln Park. Stations were set up for kids to go trick-or-treating, and games completed the entertainment. Cont'd.
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Howler, cont'd
"There was such enthusiasm for neighbors coming together to meet each other," Elizabeth said. "That's the feedback we got after each event. There was a great sense of community."
Told that this 1,100 people attended this year's event Elizabeth said, "That's so exciting. Every year it's grown and become more popular. People embraced the idea from the beginning and it's still bringing families together."
Other founding volunteers were former LCA President Rick Rausch, Marie Boucher, Yvonne Williams, Charla Whitley, and Nancy Thomas. Former LCA Board members Paul Maggio and Sally Drucker, among others, also played important roles in helping establish the event in subsequent years.
According to Drucker "Howler has created a tremendous amount of goodwill in the neighborhood over the years."
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A HOWL OF A GOOD TIME
Record Crowd of 1,100 Attends 9th Annual Howler at Bauler
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| A Record Crowd Filled Bauler Park on Saturday, October 29th. |
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Haunting Neighbors
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A crowd of 1,100 attended LCA's
9th Annual Howler at Bauler, the largest in the event's
history
. Special guests included 5th District Congressman Mike Quigley, 11th District State Rep. Ann Williams and 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith.
Children of all ages enjoyed games, dancing to music of, and the magic of Danny Orleans,
America's premier family magician, whose performance was sponsored by our friends at Bridgeview Bank.
Wizard Gary Sinclair led the annual costume parade, always one of the event's most popular activities.
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Ready to Protect & Serve
Photo courtesy of Bob Segal. |
The Parade featured creative and amusing costumes of many types.
A face
painter and balloon artist were also on hand to help entertain the youngsters.
Screams of joy greeted the arrival of Engine 22 from the Lincoln ParkFire House, as children
rushed to get in line to climb into the driver's seat or don a fire fighter's hat.
Cont'd.
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HER HEART IS IN SCHOOLS
By Kathy Jordan
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| LCA member, Nada Riley |
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Nada Riley says she's been "fortunate through the years to have opportunities to volunteer, to be connected." Schools in Lincoln Park, however, consider themselves to be fortunate to have Nada working with them, a connection that has existed for 30-plus years.
It began at an early age when Nada was a student at Abraham Lincoln School. Later, her daughter, Kim, attended
Lincoln Elementary and
Lincoln Park High School (LPHS). Now her niece is a senior at LPHS. Nada is a community representative on both the
Lincoln Elementary and
LPHS Local School Councils, as she has been since her daughter attended the schools.
She also is facilities co-coordinator for the
#1School1Community program at Lincoln Park High School, and has helped to coordinate volunteer painting days that have resulted in 51 classrooms--one third of all classrooms--being painted within one year.
"There's been a lot of support from members of the community," Nada said, "and
the Alderman [Michele Smith] gave strong support. In fact, Michele and her staff were often part of the crews." Just recently an alumni group came in on a Sunday and painted a classroom as part of their reunion activities. Nada hopes to get other alumni groups interested by establishing a competition.
"There are no boundaries when it comes to community efforts, Nada said."We're all connected in the community. It encompasses all of us."
Cont'd.
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UNDERCOVER IN THE HEART
LCA Arranges Congressional Assignment
He's been on the production line at Affy Tapple, ridden on the back of
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Quigley was suited to be a fireman. |
a garbage truck, and helped a keeper at Lincoln Park Zoo, among other "jobs." His most recent gig? Chicago Firefighter at the Lincoln Park Firehouse at Armitage and Larrabee.
It's all a part of 5th District Congressman Mike Quigley's "
Undercover Congressman," a program that takes him inside his District's businesses and services for a close-up view at what goes on. Patterned after TV's "Undercover Boss," Quigley told
DNAinfo
, "It's a good listening device. I learn a great deal. It shows me what is needed. I see how important good equipment is."
The Congressman's visit to the Fire Station was arranged by Lincoln Central Association.
Upon learning of the program earlier this, LCA suggested an undercover operation in the Lincoln Central neighborhood and compiled a list of opportunities. While the Fire Station was at the top of the list, LCA provided a variety of alternatives-some more serious than the others.
Cont'd.
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IMPORTANT NOTE
I
f you are reading this newsletter in Gmail, Yahoo mail and certain other
email programs, the right hand side of the newsletter will be cut off before it concludes. If that happens, go to the very bottom of the ema
il and on left hand side and
you will see a message that says "[Message clipped]
View entire message
"
Simply click that link and you will be able to read the entire newsletter or simply click here.
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Howl of a Good Time, cont'd.
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| Jeff Lawler of Geja's Cafe, is always serving the neighborhood. |
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LCA member and sponsor Jeff Lawler, proprietor of Geja's Cafe and always a favorite at LCA events, provided complimentary cheese and chocolate fondue served hot with bread, cake, grapes and strawberries throughout the two-hour event. (If you enjoyed these offerings at the event, they are available on Geja's new To Go Menu.) Candy, hot chocolate from City Grounds, and cider were served by LCA volunteers. Bentley's Pet Stuff provided dog owners with delicious treats to take home to their pets. Bentley's has opened a new store at 2210 N. Halsted Street.
Two raffle drawings brought guests prizes ranging from 3 pair of Blackhawks tickets, Coldplay tickets, a 40-inch television set, gift certificates from restaurants and salons, a Chicago tour by one of the City's top rated guides, children's books and more. In addition to LCA, raffle donors included
Lettuce Entertain You,
Oyster Bah,
Anne Moore,
James Borkman,
Live Nation,
Natural Elements Salon,
Navy Pier,
Nails Boutique and
Bridgeview Bank.
"This was a great event," said Alex Hlavacek, LCA Events Chairman.
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The Annual Costume
Parade
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"We got rave reviews, with not a complaint in the crowd. It was just wonderful," he said, adding that volunteers from present and past boards, and
our generous sponsors, of course, made it all possible. "Thanks to everyone involved, the event was a total success."
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Her Heart is in the Schools, cont'd.
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| Riley leading a school field trip. |
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"We cross lines. I sit on the board of
Park West Community Association
and served on the
Mid-North Association
Board and as President. "She is a member of LCA and was recruited to serve on the Community Affairs Committee, for which schools are a top priority, by Committee Chair Betsy Costello. Along with LCA President Kenneth Dotson and representatives of other neighborhood organizations, Nada also serves on the Neighborhood Liaison Community working with
McCaffery Interests and Hines
on community outreach during
redevelopment
of the former Children's Memorial Hospital property.
But the schools remain a top priority for her. Asked what she would say to other parents, she replied, "You have a great opportunity to be part of the community, to build friendships and relationships in an informal way. There's a place for everyone in the schools--arts and crafts, great books, classroom volunteers, room parent." Nada says kids at the high school level appreciate having volunteers there, and all of the departments have opportunities and appreciate help.
"It's important for children to see that their parents are involved in working to make things better," Nada says. "It provides such a wonderful model for kids." Her own daughter was at her side 85% of the time in high school, Nada says. "The requirement for students was 40 hours of community service a year. When my daughter graduated, she had 750 volunteer hours."
"It's a different way for parents to connect with kids and there are so many opportunities within and outside of the neighborhood," Nada says, adding "I'm persistent. You can't wear me down. But I couldn't do anything without support of others."
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Undercover Congressman, cont'd
"We'd never done the program through a neighborhood organization before," said Kris Shaw, Deputy District Director for the Congressman and a frequent guest at LCA Board meetings. "We had a good laugh at some of the "job opportunities" LCA sent us." Once Congressman Quigley decided on the fire station assignment, LCA introduced Shaw to the appropriate contacts at the station and alerted
The Lincoln Park Firehouse visit was not the Congressman's first fire-connected stint. He
operated a boom microphone
for a shooting of TV's popular "Chicago
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Captain Kitowski and Rep. Quigley.
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Fire," where his greatest concern was not hitting any of the actors in the head.
His three-hour stay at the Lincoln Park Firehouse included washing windows, opening a hydrant and flushing out hoses, all part of the daily routine. Captain Ronald Kitowski helped the Congressman put on full gear, including an oxygen tank, all of which weighed about 100 pounds. "Here's the thing," the captain said as Quigley donned his hat. "You have to have all this equipment on in one minute."
Only one "run," to a clinic to assist with someone having an asthma attack, occurred during the Congressman's visit. Following the run, Quigley helped guide Engine 22 back into the station. He concluded his visit by eating lunch with the firemen and discussing a wide range of topics.
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$20 MILLION COMING TO LINCOLN PARK HIGH
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| Alderman Smith, Cindy Schnoll, Mayor Emanuel, Nada Riley, Jennifer Fardy and Amy Zemnick |
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Crediting
Alderman Michele Smith with the growth of the school, the Mayor said $20 million has been awarded to Lincoln Park High School to make upgrades in the cafeteria and kitchen, the drama center, mechanicals and roofing.
"You have an incredible high school right here in your neighborhood," Mayor Emmanuel said, "one of the best in the United States, thanks to your Alderman, principal, the teachers, parents and students."
Alderman Smith said her goal is to keep families in the neighborhood, and "education is the lynchpin to keeping people here. These funds are the result of all of your hard work," she told the audience.
In welcoming remarks, Principal
Michael Boraz
cited the statistics showing the improvement in test results, making the school in the top 4% in the world. He also lauded the diversity in the high school's students, noting that WBEZ named LPHS "
the most diverse school in Chicago."
The gathering was hosted by the
1School1Community initiative to make
Lincoln Park High School the #1 choice for neighborhood families and included tours of the school.
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Please
contact us if you are interestwd in becomig an LCA sponsor.
PLATINUM SPONSORS
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DID YOU KNOW?
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From the Heart
is an award winning newsletter published monthly by Lincoln Central Association. Please email story ideas to c
o-editors,
Kenneth Dotson
and
Kathy Jordan.
From the Heart
r
eceived a 2016
Additionally, From the Heart was named a
Constant Contact All-Star
based on the open
rates and other metrics associated with this
newsletter in comparison to other Constant Contact clients.
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