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By Ken Knutson [email protected] "We're all in this together!" cast members belt out in the catchy "High School Musical Jr." theme song. The lyric takes on new meaning in light of the last 18 months as Hinsdale's BAMtheatre's Youth Theatre Mainstage brings Disney Channel's hit movie musical to life in the troupe's return to in-person shows next weekend. It's the first day after winter break at East High. The Jocks, Brainiacs, Thespians and Skater Dudes all find their...
Hinsdale's Caroline Dolehide experienced a fortnight to remember at The Championships at Wimbledon earlier this month as the pro tennis player reached the tournament's semifinals in women's doubles. She and partner Australian Storm Sanders found a winning formula, defeating their first four opponents in straight sets en route to the final four. After a hard-fought three-setter in which the pair had three match points, a spot in the finals ultimately eluded their grasp. It was...
Dan Deeter was working as an engineering consultant on private construction projects in 2008 when the Great Recession took a wrecking ball to the market. "I was designing and developing subdivisions for a variety of different home builders," he said. "When the bottom dropped out, there was a whole bunch of civil engineers who were out of jobs." Deeter decided to explore the municipal sector, applying for the village engineer position in Hinsdale. He was asked if he planned to...
Theater fans of all ages need to put “Freaky Friday: The Musical” on their calendar. For their summer production, the youth of Stage Door Fine Arts are performing the double-casted show from Friday to Saturday, July 23-25, at The Community House, 415 W. Eight St., Hinsdale. Based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers that was made into two hit Disney films, the story focuses on an overworked mom, Katherine, and her teenage daughter, Ellie, who magically swap bodies. Wit...
Nancy Parkinson has learned that helping children heal from the loss of a loved one is less about leading and more about listening. "Really what you're there for is to just normalize things and to help them feel like they're not the only one this has happened to," said Parkinson, a volunteer group facilitator for Buddy's Place childhood grief program. "You're not the therapist for these kids." Buddy's Place is a dimension of Pillars Community Health, which is celebrating 100...
Sultan the German shepherd was hit by a car last November, leaving him with a broken front left leg. It was left untreated for months and, by the time he was taken in by Aurora Animal Care & Control and subsequently handed over to the Hinsdale Humane Society, the leg was infected. Addressing the injury previously would have stretched the humane society beyond its financial means. But thanks to the newly created Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund, Sultan's leg was removed and...
A Hinsdale Devils 12U youth travel team journeyed to Cooperstown, N.Y., for a week-long tournament last month, blazing their way through victory after victory against a roster of squads from around the country. Head coach Ryan McLaughlin said the week was one to remember. "The kids played well," said McLaughlin, whose 12-year-old son, Luke, is on the team. "I would venture to say that there hasn't been a team that's done that well (in Cooperstown) from Illinois." McLaughlin...
Directing a municipality's development requires keen negotiating skills, according to Robb McGinnis. "You're trying to thread the needle between helping to protect the status quo in a neighborhood and helping the builder and homeowner get the home built," he explained. McGinnis joined Hinsdale's staff as building commissioner in 2006 and added community development director to his portfolio in 2009. He said his department is responsible for regulating development within the...
Hinsdale residents heard sirens the night of June 20 when a fast-moving tornado tore through parts of nearby Woodridge. The intergovernmental agency responsible for sounding the sirens is the DuPage Public Safety Communications, known as DU-COMM. Brian Tegtmeyer, executive director of DU-COMM, said residents heard a pair of blasts from the Emergency Outdoor Warning Siren System. “We activated them twice: first on the tornado warning and the second time on the reported tornado,” Tegtmeyer said. DU-COMM operates as the cou...
Before Hinsdale Central assistant coach Noah Lawrence even began discussing sophomore Dan Watcke's performance at the IHSA state track meet, he wanted to put the runner's two titles into perspective. Watcke is only the second male athlete to win a state track championship for Hinsdale Central. "When Dan won state in the 800, he became the first athlete to win a state championship in 44 years," Lawrence said. "He is also the first sophomore to win the 800 since the 3A division...
In 2019, Tim Hansen had a wedding coming up. It was his daughter's, but the father of bride had his own vision for the big event. "I actually was about 400 pounds," said the longtime Hinsdale resident who recently moved to Oak Brook with wife Jande. "I wanted to look good in the pictures, and I needed exercise." Hansen turned to cycling, an activity he enjoyed in his youth before life's demands steered him away. He went to Hartley's Bike Shoppe - among its last customers befor...
The Hinsdale Central girls lacrosse team captured third place at the IHSA state finals Friday, the program's third consecutive top-three finish. The Red Devils defeated Benet 18-6 in the consolation game Friday after falling to eventual state champion Loyola Academy 7-14 in Thursday's semifinal. Varsity head coach Matt McNiff said the team's sights were on a first-place trophy but he was proud of the way the team battled through a challenging year. "We had discussed a state...
The talent. That's what sets Hinsdale Central boys tennis apart, according to varsity head coach John Naisbitt. It's why the team entered this season as the two-time defending Illinois champion. It's why they've won of nine of the last 13 state titles. And it's why they own more first-place trophies (26) than any other program. "We are just a school that has incredible tennis talent," Naisbitt remarked earlier this month. "It's been a tradition for over 50 years." Having lost...
Name: Tim Song Year: graduated senior Hometown: Willowbrook How does it feel to be a high school graduate? It feels good. It's a relief. When did you get into wrestling? I started wrestling in fifth grade, but I didn't start taking it seriously until eighth grade. What prompted you pursue it more seriously? I think after I learned more techniques and stuff and just saw that I was getting better every day, that motivated me. What's the toughest part of the sport? For me, the...
Nick Newlin had a rather strenuous introduction to fatherhood 19 years ago with the birth of his daughter, Emmanuelle. "She didn't sleep outside of our arms for the first two, if not four, months," he related. Today, as dad to twins Henry and Sloan, 15, and William, 12, in addition to Emmanuelle, Newlin regards his parenting debut as a precious experience that marked the start of a new life chapter. Father's Day is an opportunity to reflect on the unique individuals he's...
Hinsdale eateries Egg Harbor and Yia Yia’s Pancake House would like to serve cocktails like mimosas and Bloody Marys to their morning breakfast patrons. But under the class B liquor license each currently possesses, alcohol consumption on the premises can’t begin until 11 a.m. At the Hinsdale Village Board meeting Tuesday, officials discussed creating a new license category to address the demand. Trustee Matt Posthuma, chair of the administration and community affairs committee, introduced a proposed class that would pertain...
In the third set of a tennis match at University of Chicago two years ago, Kenyon College's Erika Oku started to cramp up, a familiar nemesis during grueling contests. "I told my coach I needed to retire," Hinsdale's Oku recounted. But her coach exhorted her to keep fighting. And her resilient spirit responded. "Something kicked in and I got back up and was able to finish the match and beat her in three sets," she said. "The fact that I was able to fight through the pain, I...
Another attempt to develop land bisected by flood plain in Hinsdale's Fullersburg community has again sunk under opposition from neighbors and village officials. At a special village board meeting May 26, trustees were united in their concerns that McNaughton Development's vision to build 24 single-family homes on 25.6 acres straddling Hinsdale and Oak Brook north of Ogden Avenue between Madison and Adams streets was too dense and out of character for the area. Trustee Laurel...
Name: Franny Schiavitti Year: graduated senior Hometown: Hinsdale How difficult was the cancellation of last year's soccer season? It was pretty tough without anything, but I was lucky I still had my club season. It definitely felt like I missed out. Has it given this season greater significance? It made it a lot more special and I kind of allowed us to appreciate the season more and work even harder. We got close pretty quickly as a team, and I would say our team has a...
A statement art piece is more than just another furnishing, said artist Michael Zavison. It becomes a cherished family possession for generations. The opportunity to meet those for whom his work has such lasting impact is a major reason the Florida-based industrial artist is taking part in the Hinsdale Fine Arts Show. "For me, my part in this experience is not complete until someone buys (a piece) and it becomes theirs," Zavison said. "When you're out there talking to the...
Bison aren't roaming through Hinsdale these days, but a vestige of the landscape they once inhabited survives on the western edge of the village: the Hinsdale Prairie. "That's not just a prairie, that's a remnant prairie," said resident Kathleen Thomas. "Here it is. A suite of plants that have been together for thousands of years." Saturday is National Prairie Day, celebrating the beauty and environmental value of the ecosystem once so vast it gave Illinois its "Prairie...
Hinsdale's Olivia Giunta figured her dreams of qualifying for USA Gymnastics Level 10 Women's Development Program National Championships had slipped away as her hands slipped from the uneven bars at the regional meet in Cincinnati last month. "That was the point where I got really stressed out," she said. "I thought that was going to be the end." But it wasn't. Giunta was still in contention, with only her balance beam routine remaining. "If I fell or had a major wobble on...
How did your Naval career intersect with Hinsdale Rotary? A year ago in March, Sophie Lekas needed money. $32,000 to be precise. She was finishing her fourth and final year as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and was eager to pursue graduate studies, if the Navy would support it. The master's program in engineering at Oxford University accepted her, but she would need to raise half of the two-year program's $64,000 tuition herself. "I thought it would be a...
Patrice Payne wants Hinsdale High School District 86 to be a "lighthouse" when it comes to creating a inclusive educational community. "How we approach diversity will be so consequential of how we succeed as a district," Payne said. On May 13, board members approved Payne's appointment as the district's first director of instructional equity. "I know that this is a wonderful environment for me to join forces with so I can equip our scholars to be able to collaborate, create...
For many, the word "philanthropist" refers to a wealthy individual using his or her substantial resources to meet large-scale needs. But financial benevolence does not depend on one's tax bracket status, a lesson learned by teen members of the YC2 leadership development program - including rising Hinsdale Central senior Amar Gupta. "Whenever you hear about philanthropy, it's always about some billionaire with a lot of money," Gupta said. "This time they were giving (the...
