There is a new face at La Grange Park Public Library. Cindy Moriarity joined the staff as the new Head of Children’s Services. Moriarity started her position in September and already feels right at home. “First of all, we have a terrific staff,” Moriarity said of children’s department. “There’s a lot of energy and good things happening in the department. Just look around – it’s beautiful! It’s organized so well, with younger readers on one side and the older readers on the other.” Moriarity herself brings a spirit of community to the library. She, her husband and her son have been long-time …

When Margie Arito of La Grange Park was in fifth grade, she and her dad attended an introductory session on musical instruments that was available at her school.  Arito was all set on signing up to be a drummer, but Margie’s dad had another idea when he heard the music teacher say, “Hm, no one signed up for the oboe,” as she heard her father offer her for the position. That was the beginning of what would become one of the great loves of her life: the oboe. Now, she will be preforming in a special concert at St. Francis Church in La Grange this Sunday. After learning the basics, Arito joined …

To attain the rank of Eagle Scout, a scout must earn 21 merit badges including such things as first aid, citizenship in the community, environmental science, personal fitness, family life, emergency preparedness and personal management. The potential Eagle Scout must also serve six months in a troop leadership position, take part in a Scoutmaster Conference and plan, develop and lead a service project for a church, school or community. The service project cannot be done for an individual or a business. Joe Sauer of La Grange Park began investigating possible projects with his church. They …

As I walked through downtown La Grange recently, admiring the colorfully painted rocking chairs that are in front of many of the local businesses, I found myself wondering about the artists: who painted these chairs, what was the inspiration and how do they do it? Lorna Shaw, The Creative Scot, lives in La Grange Park and is one of the artists of the La Grange Rocks project, as well as past projects including the giraffes, the elephants, the easels, the rain barrels and the Adirondack chairs. The public art arena mushroomed for her as a result of working with some of the students at Ogden …

No matter what your stage in life, the first day of school signals a fresh start. Kids are ready and their faces smiling as they meet up with their friends, and looking forward to diving into brand new experiences. Parents, it seems, have mixed emotions: sad to see the unstructured summer go, but yet glad to have some quiet at home during the day. There are many kids on my block—about 20 attending elementary school. The morning dawned bright, and at 8 a.m. you could hear the rustling of people walking; soft chattering and laughter as the students talked among themselves; parents comparing …

Even though it’s been many years since a school calendar has hung in my kitchen, when school starts, it is the new year to me. The block where I live gets eerily quiet this time of year, with families trying to salvage the last vestiges of summer. Most likely they're also trying to establish earlier bedtimes, getting ready for the big first day. With the new year also come a few new experiences in the village. Marilyn and Sara Fagan are beginning their kindergarten career at Ogden Avenue School. Fortunately, within our school district, families still have a choice as to whether they want to …

My daughter works at Palmer Place in downtown La Grange. One night this past March, she went into work and Doug, the bartender, said to her, “Lizzie, just don’t get pregnant. There are five girls working here who are having a baby.” Lizzie hesitated a bit and said, “Um-m-m, well I have something to tell everyone.” She, too was pregnant. That made an unheard of total of six women, all working together, all pregnant and all expecting at about the same time. Since the spring, there have been two more such announcements, now making the total young pregnant women a whopping eight—all at Palmer …

I believe it is safe to say that many people were inspired by the story about Ted Swardthe bicyclist who can ride circles around most people even at 82 years old. While talking with him a few weeks ago, I told him that my husband and I like to ride and we always have a destination in mind: usually a beer and a burger, but we also are interested in historic sites that are easily accessible by bike. Biking is a great activity for us. We get to spend time together and we don't race or compete against each other. Instead, we enjoy our time and the scenery. Also, there are so many great spots for …

An art fair with a different twist—perhaps a lemon twist —is on tap for Sunday, June 26. CatNap from the Heart is sponsoring its first Martinis and Art fund-raiser from 1-5 p.m. at Blue Water Martini Lounge, 9016 W. 31st St., Brookfield. CatNap from the Heart, a non-profit animal shelter at 1101 Beach Ave., La Grange Park, is a limited-access shelter for cats, birds and small mammals. It is important to know that the shelter provides space and does not euthanize any animal. Under the guidance of Bobbi Meyer and her loving staff, the organization has grown by leaps and bounds (and meows) the …

I have never been very good at word games. When my kids were young, we used to play Boggle—and although I got pretty good at that—I'm not what I would call extraordinary. Scrabble has always somewhat eluded me. I don’t envision my opponent’s move and I don’t keep the whole board in perspective.  I am only too happy to just get a word down.  I realize afterwards that I left the triple word score wide open for a more astute player. When my husband and I got married 10 years ago, I discovered that he loves word games and ‘encouraged’ me to play Jumble and do the crossword puzzles with him. As I …

If you ride the Salt Creek bike trail, chances are you have seen Ted Sward of La Grange Park. He is out there most days, getting “saddle time” for his annual Grand Illinois Trail and Parks (GITP) ride. Ted rides about 6,000 miles a year, and oh, yeah—he is 82 years old. GITP is the Grand Illinois Trail And Parks annual bicycle ride. Consisting of a 475-mile Grand Illinois Trail ride, the program is sponsored by the League of Illinois Bicyclists (LIB) with support from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It’s an all volunteer operation, with any profits going to support LIB and its …

When I was a kid, the library was a mystical place filled with more books that I could imagine. They were just waiting there for the looking and taking. I could hardly wait for the long, lazy days of summer so I could sign up for the Summer Reading Club. It was not anything fancy, just a placard with space for ten stickers, one for each book that you read during the summer. We got a certificate at the end of the program, stating that we had read ten books and our name was entered on the poster that hung on the wall. Our library was in the basement of the police station in Des Plaines.  We …

Every high school class seems to have a “missing" list:  those people who have not been in contact with anyone from their class, moved around a lot, or just plain do not want to be found. Now with the internet and sources like spokeo.com, the seeking is a bit easier. I graduated from Maine West High School in Des Plaines.  One of our alums keeps meticulous records of all known addresses and emails of former students from all classes. He also is the Maine West Alumni site master. On our site, you find email addresses of teachers, a business listing for anyone in the school who has a business …

When Terra Incognito in downtown La Grange closed in December, a group of nine artists would not give up the ship, or rather the (potter’s) wheel. The group decided that somehow, some way, they would continue the work they all loved. With a desire to grow through their personal journey with ceramics, they also wanted to be in a position where they could share their art through continuing education and collaborative activities. Thus, Village Potters found a new home at 333 N. La Grange Rd. at Village Market in La Grange Park. Their location is through the double glass doors and toward the back…

Though he has been compared to the “dog whisperer,” Thunder Ruthven of La Grange Park feels that the biggest influence on his ability to work with dogs came from “The Dog Listener,” Jan Fennell. When Thunder was 15 years old, the family shepherd, Max, started showing signs of aggression. Not sure where the dog’s aggression was coming from, Thunder decided that he was going to work with his dog to ensure the dog showed respect for the family. Though he developed many techniques on his own that worked with Max, later when Thunder discovered Fennell’s method of Amichien Bonding, he felt it was …

The other day, I was talking with my brother about the behavior modification trainer coming to the house for our dog, Mitch. My brother scoffed, “Whatever happened to the days when a dog was a dog?” Dad was anxious for us to have a pet; Mom did not share his desire. We had parakeets, fish, turtles (the ones you bought at the dime store that we now realize were harbors of salmonella) and a kitten. Dad even brought Harold home one night. He joyously carried in a little box that contained a baby duck! Mom fashioned a leash and collar out of an old plastic belt and we walked Harold around the …

Bob Andorka and his sons were eating lunch in their La Grange Park home one Saturday about 18 months ago when they noticed two mini buses pull up to their home. A crew of 16-plus people holding clipboards got out and were looking around, gesturing and talking. The men thought it was part of the census. Bob did quip, however, "Maybe they are scouting for a movie." It turns out, Bob was right: it was a crew from Beleaguered Castle Film Productions, Inc., of Chicago. After looking at a few locations in the immediate area, they decided that the Andorka's driveway on Waiola Avenue was perfect for …

On Sunday, March 20, our block was quiet and empty. Not so on Saturday night, when we held the first annual Progressive Cocktail Party. We hadn’t had a block party in a few years, due to younger children getting older, older kids moving away, neighbors getting busier with little time to put into planning a party and time in general slipping away. We also have had little turnover in the past ten years, so everyone knows one another on the block, especially those of us with dogs or young kids. We see each other practically every day. But due to all of the aforementioned reasons for not having a…

A few years ago while touring the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, we noticed a sign for the Monday carillon concerts and made that a “must do” for the following summer. So, on a soft June evening, we brought our lawn chairs, a picnic, a bottle of wine and sat on the grass next to the pond on the side of McGinley Pavilion. It is such a pleasure to take in the sights and sounds of the gardens and to watch the lights illuminate Evening Island. There is something about the music of the bells that soothes your soul. Here in La Grange Park, the residents are treated every day to the sound of the…

On the morning of Friday, March 4, when I walked outside in the misty rain, it smelled earthy. Birds were chirping happily and I spied a flock of geese flying and chortling overhead—they all seemed happy spring is around the corner. And, with the harbinger of spring comes one of my favorite events: The Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier, which I attended March 4, in a sneak peek before the show opened the next day. In its 17th year, the Flower and Garden Show is a salve for the senses after the winter we have had this year. The colors, the scents, the designs—they are not to be …