Articles written by Allison Peters


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  • Girls in white dresses and brown paper packages

    Allison Peters|Updated Dec 11, 2024

    I'm not sure when "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music became a holiday favorite, but as a musical theater girl who's always up for a little extra Rogers & Hammerstein in her life, I'm here for it. This year, two lyrics jump out in particular: "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes," and "brown paper packages tied up with string." Both of them are perfect for the holidays in Hinsdale! Hinsdale Assembly Ball Two nights before Christmas, the Hinsdale Assembly...

  • Finding community - even during tough times

    Allison Peters|Updated Nov 13, 2024

    The last couple of weeks have been doozies. Fights are breaking out online among neighbors, coyotes are prowling the streets and the unusually warm weather has meant that gangs of middle school e-bikers look like the 2024 update to "The Fast and the Furious." Last week, when emotions were running particularly high on both sides of the political aisle, I met my fellow members of the Garden Study Club of Hinsdale at Graue Mill to make the giant annual holiday wreath that hangs...

  • Fall calls for a good book, an (Uncorked) glass of wine

    Allison Peters|Updated Oct 9, 2024

    It's fall, y'all! With the gourds lining the farmers market stalls, the multicolored mums dotting perfectly manicured lawns and towering (sometimes terrifying) Halloween decorations peering at you from every corner, you can't miss it. While I'm a summer-iced-tea over pumpkin-spice kinda girl, there are definitely some autumn events that have me feeling a bit like Anne of Green Gables: "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." Books & Brunch Speaking of Anne,...

  • Fall events already filling up the calendar

    Allison Peters|Updated Sep 11, 2024

    Dearest Hinsdaleans, welcome back to another exciting social season! I don't know about the rest of you, but summer seemed to fly by, especially with the excitement surrounding our local baseball and softball teams. Now, with the first signs of fall nipping at our heels, it's time to start marking your calendars (and preparing your budget) for this year's lineup. Femme, Fierce, Leather & Lace At the top of the order, we have the Hinsdale Junior Woman's Club Fashion Show:...

  • Start of May means the sprint to summer begins

    Allison Peters|Updated May 8, 2024

    And just like that, we're in May. Mayhem, Maycember, Mayday ... whatever you call it, it feels like a full sprint at breakneck pace to the start of summer when everything shifts around town. Summer in Hinsdale is full of warm nights at Pierce Park, catching up with friends at Uniquely Thursdays, and family fun activities at the Hinsdale Public Library. It's less about charity fundraisers and more about reconnecting with community - well, mostly. The society scene never really...

  • It's off to the races ... and to the houses

    Allison Peters|Updated Apr 10, 2024

    Spring is in full swing! Now that the spring breakers have returned, first pitches have officially started the baseball season and the AYSO goals are up at the parks, it feels like we're racing into the final stretch before summer. This time of year also offers two long-standing Hinsdale social traditions: Derby Day and Kitchen Walk. Derby Day This year's Derby Day party, hosted by the Hinsdale Auxiliary of Brightpoint (formerly Children's Home & Aid), takes place at...

  • HJWC 'Disco Dreams' launches Hinsdale into spring

    Allison Peters|Updated Mar 15, 2024

    It's around this time of year - when the green shoots of tulips are looking promising, daffodils are already bursting open, and bees are thinking seriously about waking up - that your social calendar might also be starting to feel like it's equally blooming with activities. It's spring in Hinsdale. With so many events around the corner, I wanted to draw your attention to one event that's getting extra buzz this year: the HJWC ("Juniors") benefit gala, "Disco Dreams." This...

  • Spread love to help community at benefit fundraisers

    Allison Peters|Updated Feb 7, 2024

    With Valentine's Day just around the corner, things are heating up in Hinsdale - especially where benefit fundraising events are concerned. In thinking about all things pink-and-red-related, I would be remiss not to mention Misericordia Women's League's annual Heart of Gold Benefit, this year titled, "As Gold as It Gets." Since its inception in 1996, the Misericordia Women's League has hosted this benefit gala, which has grown to attract more than 650 guests. This year's...

  • California dreamin' at Infant Welfare's Tablescapes

    Allison Peters|Updated Jan 10, 2024

    It's January in Hinsdale! You know what that means - after the New Year's champagne glasses are washed and the holiday decorations come down, we inevitably start thinking about escaping to a warmer climate. Some of us are working on spring break plans and some of the snowbirds among us have already flown south for the winter. (Florida and Arizona, I'm lookin' at you!) Well, if you're finding yourself dreaming of in-line skating on the beach like Barbie (and Ken), the Hinsdale...

  • Assembly Ball has everyone dancing merrily

    Allison Peters|Updated Dec 20, 2023

    I have a confession to make: I didn't grow up in Hinsdale. No, it's even worse than that. I'm not from anywhere near here. I'm a Southerner, born in Mississippi and raised in Texas, which means that I don't always know the lingo. When someone asked if I was going to write about the Hinsdale Assembly Ball, I may or may not have responded with a blank stare while my brain went into overdrive, trying to remember what I knew about this organization. When that same person noticed m...

  • It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays

    Allison Peters|Updated Nov 8, 2023

    Any walk through town would tell you that the holidays are just around the corner - and so is perhaps the biggest event of the winter season: The Community House Holiday Ball. This year's sold-out event on Dec. 2 is sure to dazzle lucky ticket-holders with eye-popping decor, all in a theme of the Roaring '20s. Best of all, proceeds from the event go directly to supporting one of the area's most vital organizations: The Community House. When I moved to Hinsdale, I primarily...

  • Books & Brunch, Uncorked lead November's events

    Allison Peters|Updated Oct 11, 2023

    I don't know about you, but this (slightly) colder weather makes me want to curl up with a good book in front of a fire. And when I'm all snuggled in with my trusty (if somewhat worn) blanket, my thoughts inevitably turn to holiday shopping. Luckily for me, Assistance League Chicagoland West is hosting the 27th annual Books & Brunch on Nov. 14 at The Abbington in Glen Ellyn. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., guests can bid on silent auction items, participate in multiple raffles -...