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Just a few months ago, cycling was a way for Rick Johnson, co-owner of King Keyser in Hinsdale, to get outdoors and stay in shape. Now, it's become his business. Cycling and bike repair have long been in the wheelhouse of several members of the King Keyser team, who are avid cyclists and experienced bike mechanics. But until recently, they left the business of bike repairs to their neighbors at Hartley's Bike Shop. "This is an area of business we have not pursued out of...
For Carol Burck, spring cleaning doesn't just mean washing windows and cleaning out closets. As a master gardener, the promise of warmer weather takes her outdoors. Burck has spent spring's sunniest days cleaning and preparing her garden for this year's growing season and looking forward to the day when her Hinsdale yard is once again filled with delicious vegetables and beautiful flowers. Now semi-retired from a career in cancer research, the molecular biologist said she has...
What is the goal of the American Nutrition Association? A healthy diet isn't one-size-fits-all. That's something that Michael Stroka learned the hard way. Despite eating what he believed to be a healthy, balanced diet, Stroka became so ill more than a decade ago, he couldn't go to work. Diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, he was desperate for a solution that would make him feel better. "That's when I started doing deep, therapeutic nutrition," Stroka said. He engaged in...
A single sentence changed Colleen Bordeaux's view of the world and her own future. The lifelong Hinsdalean was a student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign when she entered a study abroad program in Capetown, South Africa. Her work there included a volunteer position at an orphanage, where four women cared for 84 children. During orientation, Bordeaux, then Colleen Kelly, was told to avoid asking the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. "I wasn't to ask...
These days, it's all about social distancing. Thanks to the internet, the great outdoors and some super creative people, Hinsdaleans can find lots of fun things to do while also staying safe. Local organizations are busy coming up with creative ways to keep kids busy and keep parents happy. Here are a few. #HinsdaleatHome Fun With public parks scattered throughout the village, Hinsdale has plenty of places where families can get outside, get some exercise and have some fun....
Larysa Domino's career as a real estate broker is a convergence of all the things she loves - people, her community, her family and finance. "It's been a great fit for me," said Domino, who entered the real estate world more than four years ago. She initially pursued a career in corporate finance before spending a few years as a stay-at-home mom. A Hinsdale native, Domino, like many, moved back to her hometown to raise a family. She loves the community for the same reasons...
Faith Drescher had only been in school a couple of years when she decided that's where she wanted to be for the rest of her life. Since second grade, Drescher has known that her future is in education. But it wasn't until she was selected for the Illinois State Board of Education's Student Advisory Council that she realized education doesn't take place only in the classroom. As a freshman at Hinsdale Central, Drescher was encouraged by a teacher to apply for membership on the...
When Jim Piontowski started his new job with the village of Hinsdale, Jimmy Carter was president. Sports fans were discovering a new source of sports information called ESPN, and Americans had yet to fall in love with Pac Man. A lot has changed in and around Hinsdale since January 21, 1980. But one constant is Piontowski, who for 40 years has enjoyed his job as building maintenance supervisor for the village he considers home. Although he now lives in nearby Darien with his...
When Elliana Teuscher auditioned for a summer intensive with the Joffrey Ballet two years ago, she knew the experience could change her life. She had no idea to what extent. In addition to being accepted to the summer program, Teuscher also was invited to join the American Conservatory Program - a training program for dancers 14 to 18 years old who are preparing for professional careers in dance. Accepting the coveted invitation meant leaving Hinsdale Central High School,...
Even if you're not in the cast, you might see yourself on stage at this year's Community Revue. Hinsdale's spoof on itself returns Feb. 28-29 and March 6-7 to once again poke fun at Hinsdale happenings while supporting the important work of The Community House. Portraying properties and pieces from a Monopoly board, the 23-member cast of "Hinsdopoly" will sing, dance and spare almost no one as they explore and expose the village's notable developments, discussions and...
Gabrielle Tufano loved painting and drawing, but as a college student, her hobby didn't have a place on her intended career path. Teaching art certainly never crossed the science major's mind. A single comment from an art professor at Illinois Benedictine University changed all that. "He told me that the world will always have enough doctors. What it needed was a great figure painter," Tufano said. That's when she turned her course of study from pre-med to painting. Tufano now...
Herbert Wang said his love of science is something his father began fostering when he was just a child. Rather than quiz his son on the periodic table or test his knowledge of mathematical theories, Jin Wang asked a simple question, over and over again: "How does it work?" The curiosity and knowledge that resulted from asking and answering that question time and again is what Wang believes led him to where he is today - the laboratory at University of Chicago. That's where, as...
Locks on steamer trunks don't last forever. That simple fact was the start of a family business that's been around for 100 years. Kaehler Luggage got its start when Walter Gustav Kaehler, a Chicago locksmith, saw potential in not just fixing the trunks commonly used by travelers in the early 1900s, but selling them. "He got the brilliant idea to start stocking steamer trunks and opened up a store in Evanston," said Buzz Kaehler, the founder's grandson and the business'...
How does the West Suburban Giving Circle work? Since 1985 the Chicago Foundation for Women has worked to improve the community through its support of organizations that benefit women and girls. That work spread to the western suburbs with the launch of the West Suburban Giving Circle a little more than four years ago. The West Suburban Giving Circle is one of six organizations that share and drive the Chicago Foundation for Women's mission to "invest in women and girls as...
How should families observe Fire Prevention Week? Masks, helmets and air tanks are just some of the firefighting equipment that will be on display during the Hinsdale Fire Department's annual Fire Prevention Week Open House Saturday, Oct. 12. Firefighter/paramedic Andy Smith, a 19-year veteran of the Hinsdale Fire Department, said the department works year-round to help prevent fires and to teach people what to do when a fire occurs. Fire Prevention Week is a chance to drive...
Newcomer is a title that Heather Laughman has held more than once. And no matter how many times she finds herself as a resident of an unfamiliar new town, it's always a challenge to make it feel like home. As a member and former co-president of the Newcomers and Neighbors of the Greater Hinsdale Area, she tries to make that transition easier for those who are new to Hinsdale. Laughman said she remembers feeling a little lost, lonely and overwhelmed shortly after moving to...
What danger do coyotes present to people and pets? Even if you haven't seen one, chances are there are coyotes living in your neighborhood. Dan Thompson, ecologist with the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, said he believes a majority of the Chicago area's coyote population lives not in protected places like the forest preserve, but in suburban and urban areas. "Just because you've never seen them doesn't mean they aren't there," he said. Coyote sightings and even encoun...
Becoming an Eagle Scout was never really part of Jack Otten's plan. "I never gave it much thought," Otten said. "I was just enjoying being a Scout." But as he approached his final year of high school, the Hinsdale Central High School senior said earning Boy Scouting's highest rank suddenly seemed like a natural progression to his decade-long scouting career. So he set out in search of a project - a final step in every scout's journey toward the Eagle rank. Otten said he knew...
Part of what makes the holidays special are the traditions that adults and children alike come to know and love. One group of residents is bringing a special tradition back to life this holiday season, while two organizations are inviting residents to annual events that promise to help get folks in the Christmas spirit. Luminaria tradition reignited The residents of Golfview Hills will resurrect a longtime holiday tradition this year by setting out luminaria on Christmas Eve....
How does Delos therapy relieve muscle pain? Muscle stiffness doesn't show up on conventional medical imaging, but the discomfort that it causes for millions of Americans is quite real, and relief can be hard to find. That was the experience of Kenny Owens, an athlete and electrical engineer who sought relief from hard, painful muscles. After exhausting all forms of conventional treatment, he discovered that direct pressure administered from multiple angles gave him relief. "He...
When Alex Levesque approaches a group of young men in his 1967 Mustang, they tend to pay attention. Levesque knows that young men love cars, and for 12 years he's used that knowledge, and his muscle car collection, to steer them away from lives of drugs and crime and into jobs in automobile restoration. Levesque said having something to do isn't enough to keep young men off the streets and out of gangs. "They need something that they love to do," he said. Levesque is founder a...
How did teaching become a passion? No one gets to college alone. Every student is supported along the way by some exceptional teachers - like the ones recognized each year with the University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award. Included in this year's class of honored educators is Chris Wilbur. Now in his 17th year at Hinsdale Central High School, Wilbur was nominated by former student Amani Mryan, now a first-year student at UC. In her nomination, Mryan spoke of Wilbur's...
Nancy Nyheim thought she knew her community pretty well when she was introduced to HCS Family Services as a volunteer four years ago. Like many Hinsdaleans, she was surprised to learn that DuPage County is home to the second-highest food insecure population in the state. And also like many Hinsdaleans, Nyheim became committed to doing something about it. Now on staff as the volunteer coordinator at HCS, Nyheim said the second annual Blues, Brews & Barbecue event is an easy...
For three generations, Beth Burtt's family has called Hinsdale home. And for nearly four decades, Burtt has made a career of helping others to find their own home in the village. Burtt said it was her love for Hinsdale that sparked the start of her real estate career 38 years ago. The people have kept her here. "There are people I've helped find houses who I've become dear friends with," Burtt said. Once an owner of Brush Hill before the firm was purchased by her current firm,...
By Sandy Illian Bosch [email protected] The leaves might be changing and the temperatures might be dropping, but the real sign of autumn's arrival in Hinsdale is the annual Fall Family Fest. The villagewide community event happens from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Hinsdale Middle School. Heather Bereckis, Hinsdale's superintendent of parks and recreation, said the change in venue will allow plenty of room, inside and out, for the variety of activities...
