The year was 1959; my very first Pet Parade. I was six years old, sitting on the curb at Kensington Avenue and the tracks, all decked out in my rice paddy hat, and excitedly grasping my first ever neon pink cotton candy. The sun was bright and the excitement was palpable. Everyone was smiling. It was Pet Parade Day in La Grange! There has only been one fateful year I have missed the Pet Parade when I  briefly lived out of state. So regrettable! But I have happily seen 53 of the 66 parades with this year’s grand event. As everyone knows, it is my favorite day of the year. The thrill of the …

Days before the Blizzard of 2011 actually hit, weather forecasters warned us of the approaching snow.  As bad as this storm seemed, the Blizzard of 1967 made this snowstorm look wimpy.  As my family and I watched this year's blizzard, I told them about a “real” snowstorm back when I was a child. In 1967, meteorologists did not have the fancy machines they have today to predict weather. They were able to tell us the Chicago area probably would get several inches of snow on Jan. 26. That Thursday morning, the snow already had begun to fall as four of the six Lovejoy children put on the plaid …

"Borders and muffins and nostalgia candy … these are a few of my favorite things." My association with La Grange and La Grange Park has intensified since July, when I began writing for Patch. But I have been visiting the two communities in the 26 years I have lived in a nearby suburb. I recently began thinking about what I like about La Grange and La Grange Park, and some businesses or events I miss. My favorites, in no particular order, are: The La Grange Theater for fairly recent movies at prices lower than you would have paid weeks earlier at a first-run theater. I miss the $3 and then $3.…

Even as a child growing up in the '60s, I knew I was lucky to have the life I did. Mere minutes after moving into the big Victorian house with the side yard on the corner of Catherine and Elm avenues in La Grange, a young girl and her mother came to introduce themselves.  Beth has been my best friend since that day in 1964. With four girls and two boys in our family, we were never short of someone to play with. But our block was full of families with kids and we all played together.  During the summer, it was Kick the Can or baseball in our side yard, or Hide and Go Seek on the whole block. …

I’m a huge Chicago Bulls fan, Lyons Township High School graduate, and photographer. Unfortunately I lived out of state during the Jordan years, although I did get to see him play on a few occasions. When my family moved back to La Grange we dove in on some Bulls Season Tickets. It’s an exciting year for the Bulls with Scottie Pippen joining the team as a community ambassador and the addition of some great players over the summer to add to Derrick Rose.   A couple weeks ago I received an email from Scottie Pippen, via The Bulls, inviting me to The Bulls Rookie Camp. I immediately responded …