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The village of Hinsdale is fortunate of have Anna Martch as one of its employees. As the economic development and communication specialist, she adds tremendous value to the success of our business community. As a business owner, I have worked with Anna on several initiatives including the very successful Hinsdale Wine Walk last year. She is full of energy with a remarkable work ethic. You will see her showcasing Hinsdale business properties to perspective businesses, checking IDs for beer sales at Uniquely Thursdays and...
I’ve never actually met two of my best friends, though our friendship has lasted over 40 years. John Irving and Stephen King have been dear companions of mine since 1979. I met each when I was 13, shortly after “Salem’s Lot” and “The World According to Garp” first shocked the literary scene. Each author is thankfully still writing today, and I await each new book like an over-the-hill teenage fangirl. Certainly, I’ve discovered dozens of authors over the years, some of whom...
I love Christmas, but I'm not sure I could survive 12 months of shopping, wrapping, baking, mailing cards and hosting gatherings at a holiday pace. And while I'm ready to embark on a new year, I'm not quite ready to give up all that filled the holiday season with wonder and joy. So, in lieu of resolutions, I offer the following ways in which I hope to keep the holiday spirit with me this year. • Keep in touch My refrigerator is covered with pictures of friends beaming from h...
The last days of one year and the first days of the next are traditionally a time to analyze events of the past 12 months and set goals and expectations for those to come in the next 12 months. Today we offer a fusion of both, with a look at what we observed in 2019 and what we hope to see in 2020. 2019: Laurel Haarlow is elected to serve on the Hinsdale Village Board, becoming the first woman to join the group in two years. 2020: More women are elected to the board, creating a governing body that is more representative of...
Every Christmas for the past 14 years, I've sat in a wooden pew at St. Isaac Jogues Church. I've looked around at the evergreen Christmas trees, admired the poinsettias covering the altar and enjoyed generations of celebrating families. But the manger scene has always been my favorite part of Christmas Mass. And why not? It represents all that matters: Christ's birth, the salvation of humanity, the hope of eternal happiness. As a kid, I never doubted the message of Jesus: in l...
I love traditions — especially at this time of year — and one of my favorites has been penning my annual birthday letter to Ainsley. I wrote my first in December 2011, just before she turned 3, and have continued every year since. Ainsley still seems to like seeing her name in the paper and readers still tell me they enjoy hearing about her. (I realize both of these may change at any moment!) So, today, I offer the 2019 installment. Dear Ainsley, In exactly one week you wil...
’Twas the night after Christmas, when all through the town The streets were all quiet, the stores all shut down. The stockings were flung on the floor without care The spot where presents were piled now was bare. The merchants were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of full cash registers danced in their heads. For shoppers in Hinsdale had bought presents galore, Not at the mall or online — but in local stores. The residents, likewise, were content and fulfilled. Gifts they had purchased left recipients thr...
Bravo to the cast and crew of the holiday production “A Christmas Carol: In Concert” held at the Hinsdale Community House last weekend! From the creative staging, the cheery music, to the actors both young and older — it was such an enjoyable evening. My favorite part was the inclusion of a few contemporary songs that went perfectly with the story line. Congratulations to Jimmy McDermott (director) and all involved! — Phyllis Wieher, Downers Grove...
Every year, my husband and I debate the aesthetics of our outdoor holiday lights. I like the lights to look symmetrical and enchanting and labor over each light placement. He calls the job done after plugging in a few strands of lights and casting the tangled mass, like a fishing net, in the vicinity of our shrubs, eschewing order for natural chaos, and quickly moving on to other more important to-dos. I'm not sure whose approach is better, and I can see the merits of both...
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the townThe Hinsdaleans were scurrying, they rushed all around.For last-minute gifts and cards they did sprint,Armed with lists and ideas and maybe some hints. Gateway and Grant squares and downtown they traveledBut with each stop, their nerves did unravel.The hustle and bustle had dampened their mood.They were tired and cranky and needed some food. They stopped for some lunch and looked over the list.To finish their shopping, they knew they’d persist.But they wanted muc...
I should have taken more nutcrackers. My mother-in-law wanted me to take more. She wanted us to take lots of things as she and my father-in-law were clearing out the Western Springs house they had lived in for almost 50 years. Sandra had struggled with rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments for years, and eventually the stairs proved too much for her. She and my father-in-law, John, were moving into a condo at Lake Hinsdale Village, where everything would be on one floor and...
More than 10,000 years ago, people began migrating from Eurasia to North America. Because sea levels were low, they could walk across a small landmass where the Bering Straits are today. Over millennia, their descendants spread throughout the Americas. Much later, after Columbus, the first Europeans resettled in what is now the United States. In time, people who left foreign countries as voluntary migrants or refugees to seek a permanent home here or elsewhere became known as...
The Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce Christmas Walk, the paper’s gift ideas series (see Page 7 for this week’s installment), Holidays in Hinsdale (see Page 30), and 12 Days of Holiday Cheer (Page 32) all are designed to encourage residents to shop in Hinsdale this holiday season. We hardly think more motivation is necessary, but in case it is, we offer the following 12 reasons (one for each shopping day left until Christmas) to shop in town. 1. Find the perfect gift Hinsdale merchants offer an incredible range of merchandise for...
Hallmark movies are big business. Just take a quick peek at the merchandise available and the list of stars appearing on the channel this month. They're also a source of entertainment - especially at our office, where we love to tease the two people who watch them most often: Jim and Ken. Ken does a great plot narrative, highlighting the same events that take place in all of the movies, including Christmas versions. He is a kindred spirit of cartoonist John Atkinson, who...
I am writing about D181’s votes on IASB resolutions 1 and 3 at the last school board meeting (Nov. 18) and am concerned there are other, pressing matters that parents in this community are not aware of. When D181 has needed funding for a new school building, a new roof, or any number of new projects, they have had no trouble in communicating these needs to the public. But now with the safety of our children, the board didn’t put resolutions 1 and 3 on their main agenda, either because they had something to hide or bec...
I want to express a heartfelt thanks to Jack Fredrickson for his column Nov. 21 turning a very personal and tragic event in his life, the accidental death of his wife, Susan, into a reckoning that many of us need to face concerning when to say “no more” to driving, whether it be the individual or someone for whom someone shoulders responsibility. All too often, the lifelong grief is borne not only by the loved ones of the deceased, but also rightly so by the person(s) who caused the tragedy, directly or indirectly. The hea...
I was listening to the radio the other day when I heard something that resonated with me deeply. The radio host was talking about the significance of family during the holiday season and the emotional impact this time of year can have for those who do not have close family or have recently experienced a loss. It can be extremely difficult to share in the holiday cheer for many, especially when the people around them are celebrating so publicly and extravagantly. The short...
The Hinsdale Fire Department is once again participating in the annual statewide Keep the Wreath Red fire safety program. A wreath will be hung outside the station at 121 Symonds Drive. For each fire caused by holiday decorations, a red bulb will be replace with a white bulb. The fact the wreath had not been displayed as of Wednesday because new red bulbs were needed could be received as welcome news. Those red bulbs must have held their positions, signaling a series of safe seasons. Let’s all make sure that streak c...
Last week the D181 School Board voted 4-3 in favor of IASB’s resolution No. 1 — to lobby legislators to allow the arming of teachers and staff. The vote wasn’t noticeably listed on BoardDocs or communicated to parents. The board later emailed stating they “did not vote to allow its employees, in any capacity, the ability to carry a firearm on district property.” They say they voted to give rural districts the option to arm. No matter how the board tries to explain it, their 4-3 vote was a pro-gun vote. Voting to allow any...
The letter regarding Rep. Deanne Mazzochi and the insulin cap last week was misleading and politically motivated. The only relevant content was that insulin prices have risen greatly and that some are struggling. The letter infers that the insulin price caps are helping all diabetics and resolving the issue. The fact is that the Illinois law only affects those in state-regulated plans, affecting about 20 percent, not all. A great percentage in these state-regulated plans are state employees. Are they indicating that the...
We sold Mom’s Spode Christmas Tree china set this week on Craig’s List. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I asked Mom. She pointed out that we had packed up the set over a year ago. She apparently needed a buffer year before being ready to actually sell it. This got me thinking about collections. Mom’s Spode was not just a collecting event for her, it was a signaling of the holiday season for our family. But last year, no one noticed it was gone. What focused our attention w...
Guns do not belong in schools. This past weekend, for the second year in a row, delegates at the Illinois Association of School Boards Annual Conference narrowly defeated a resolution advocating legislation which provides local school boards the option to allow school district employees to carry concealed firearms. The District 181 Board had voted (4-3) to support the resolution. I am extremely concerned by the D181 board decision. Placing guns in schools, even when the schools are in rural areas, which board members cited...
I’ve always been a rule follower. You’d think this would have delighted my mother when I was a child. Unfortunately, as I had no siblings, she had no comparative yardstick with which to measure my behavior. As a result, she saw my very infrequent lapses as major transgressions. Anyway, I unfortunately carried this mindset with me into adulthood. I’ve worked diligently to break some of the “rules” I learned growing up, such as “All the laundry must be put away immediately...
If you’re a fan of Food Network, you know about the importance of balance. For every sweet ingredient, you need a salty one. At Thanksgiving, we often find ourselves writing a sugary editorial about all the things we have to be thankful for here in Hinsdale. And thankful we are. But sometimes you get a taste for something a little salty. And so, today, we offer up our own “Thank You Notes,” inspired by the one and only Jimmy Fallon. • Thank you, e-learning days in Hinsdale High School District 86, for ruining every snow da...
With one week until Thanksgiving, Hinsdaleans are stocking up for a holiday feast while also taking stock of the many reasons to be grateful over the course this year. We are thankful to have a front row seat to multitude of ways Hinsdaleans share their blessings with others, generous gestures that we regularly convey in our Good News section. Check out the Spirit of Giving listing on Page 42 for opportunities to help, and circle Dec. 3 on the calendar for the annual Giving Tuesday campaign. Here are a few of examples of...
