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The first time I saw the film "Shakespeare in Love," I was fascinated by the inaugural performance of "Romeo and Juliet" at the fictional Rose Theatre. The audience knows Juliet has concocted a plan with the friar to fake her own death so she can avoid marrying Paris and reunite with Romeo. The friar will write to Romeo of the plan. The love story will have a happy ending. Instead, the message goes astray. Juliet wakes up to find Romeo has poisoned himself after finding her...
April is National Volunteer Month, and April 17-23 is designated National Volunteer Week. In Illinois alone, more than 2.8 million volunteers contribute more than 206 million hours of service, according to AmeriCorps. Since The Hinsdalean’s inception, these pages have highlighted hundreds of village residents to who contribute their time, energy and talents in service to the larger community. In today’s Pulse feature (see Page 17), we learn about Wellness House’s upcoming Walk for Wellness fundraiser, which takes a treme...
Fullers, please bring back Dips and Dogs for our children, please! The one place we truly had to walk to town with our children after dinner was Dips and Dogs. The excitement they always had when we told them they would get to go for a treat was unmatchable. And then the pandemic hit and everything closed. And when restaurants started opening again they had their hopes up that they would get “their place back.” We understand the restaurant makes more money for you. But every family we talk to in town wants it back. Do it for...
This past year it has been disheartening to see the District 86 BOE led by a board president who showed a lack of integrity to her campaign promises and abused her position to silence board member dialogue. What was even more disappointing was the silence from the other three board members that form the majority, when agenda items were voted off or voted on by a show of hands without full discussion. It seemed like they had reached consensus outside of open session. Ms. Walker clearly didn’t show respect for her position o...
We moved to Hinsdale five years ago from the city of Chicago. Like many young families, our move to the suburbs was driven by a desire for lower crime, excellent schools and a more favorable tax environment. We looked in many different suburbs for a place to put down our roots — but Hinsdale and DuPage County were obvious choices. DuPage maintains a balanced budget and fosters a friendly business climate. Elected leaders insist on following the rule of law, which creates safe communities. We have award-winning schools and g...
To quote another Brett (but I spell mine with one 'T'), "Yes, we drank beer. My friends and I. Boys and girls. I liked beer. Still like beer." I've moved on from my '80s Old Style days with the rise of the craft beer/microbrewery scene around 2010. Back then, Three Floyds was, and remains, a 5-minute drive from my parent's house. When supply ran low, my dad was a willing interstate beer mule, delivering fresh Zombie Dust cases. As luck would have it, one of my 21 cousins in/ar...
On April 19, 2001, my wife, Tracey, and I moved to the United States from Northern Ireland for what was meant to be a temporary work opportunity. Tracey was carrying our first baby, who became the first American citizen in our family. Becoming U.S. citizens ourselves took many years of waiting and trying, finally culminating at a swearing-in ceremony in Chicago. The first election we have the privilege to take part in hits close to home, as we know a candidate who’s running well and are ardent supporters of her cause. Kari G...
The alarm went off at 4 a.m. I hadn’t slept all that well in the AC Marriott in Fort Lauderdale, but I woke up quickly. We needed to get the 4:30 a.m. shuttle to the airport for our flight. But even before I had the chance to get out of bed, Dan delivered the bad news. “Our flight’s canceled,” he said. We were stunned. A day earlier it had seemed like a good idea to change our Saturday flight — originally scheduled for 4:30 p.m. but delayed to 8:30 p.m. — to a Sunday morn...
"Our flight is delayed," announced the pilot - to the audible delight of my fellow passengers. My mom and I used mother-daughter mind-reading powers to acknowledge that we had a long night ahead. For those who don't know me, I am not what some people would call a happy flier. I am a superstitious one, a stressed one, a disorganized one, but never ever a happy one. I had college decisions coming out that night, heightening my desire to return home with my future looming in the...
On behalf of the whole town, we wish our friends at the Hinsdale Public Library a Happy National Library Week! The celebration is underway and runs through Saturday. Recognized since 1958, it’s a time to highlight the changing role of libraries, librarians and library workers. The American Library Association has chosen “Connect with Your Library” for this year’s theme to promote libraries’ technology resources as well as their broad selection of media, programs, ideas, and classes, in addition to books, that invite people to...
Almost four years ago I wrote a column detailing how a trip about Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas - at that time the largest cruise ship ever built - was not my cup of tea. "The thought of spending my vacation on a floating skyscraper (OK, OK, it's only 18 decks) with 6,679 other passengers and a 2,200-person crew leaves me feeling a little jittery," I wrote. What an idiot. Last week over spring break I spent six nights on a cruise to Mexico and Honduras aboard Royal Ca...
Golf got started in the Scottish Highlands. Men would walk for hours - up and down, round and round. But one day, someone had the bright idea of knocking a tiny white ball ahead of him as he walked. That person, who shall remain anonymous to protect his life, started what we now call golf. A nice walk in stunning surroundings, apparently, was not enough for this masochist, he had to spoil it all by inventing, ugh, I can barely utter the word - golf! To this day, many pay homag...
Thirty-one years ago on a Thursday afternoon in late March, I finished my English senior seminar essay (with about 30 seconds to spare before the 4 p.m. deadline), walked back to my sorority house and was greeted with four words: “Get in the car.” Seven of us were driving to Florida for spring break. My suitcase was already in the trunk, and I barely had time for a bathroom stop before we left. Some 18 hours of driving later, we reached our destination, Bonita Springs. The...
Newspapers have been a great vehicle over the decades for those looking to have some fun April 1. In 1977, The Guardian published a seven-page special section devoted to San Serriffe, a small group of semicolon shaped islands in the Indian Ocean. The two main islands were Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse, and the islands’ leader was General Pica. Phones rang all day with readers seeking more information about this idyllic holiday spot. Only a few noticed that everything about the islands was named after printer’s ter...
I celebrated my 55th birthday on Monday. I remember distinctly when my mom turned 55. At that time, drivers were not allowed to travel 65 mph on the highway, and we joked how she was turning the speed limit. That year — 1996 — I was a college graduate who had been working for eight years and married for three. This year, my daughter is in seventh grade and won’t graduate from college for another nine years. In some ways, having a kid late in life allows you to remain in denia...
You don’t need to venture far for spring break fun. Attractions are plentiful in Hinsdale and neighboring towns for amusement and enrichment. Here are a few to check out. Stop by the library The library is offer a spring break scavenger hunt from Monday to Friday of spring break. Find the hidden pictures, solve the puzzle and win a prize. Read a story in March and April while strolling in the Youth Services Department to receive a special prize. Enjoy virtual programs from the comfort of home, with Chinese nursery rhymes from...
I saw five robins in my front yard this morning. It’s almost time for baseball and the backstop at the Hinsdale Little League field in Peirce Park is being redone. Gabby AND Rachel are the next Bachelorettes and it’s March Madness. After two long years of COVID and now, with a war in Ukraine, it helps to find little things in our messy world that bring joy. I’m flattened by this post on social media. “Morning routine: 1. Wake up. 2. Check on Zelensky. 3. Coffee.” It’s surreal...
Superintendent Prentiss has now been revealed (FOIA 1099) to have met on Zoom with a group of local clergy leaders. In an email between Prentiss and a local pastor on Jan 27, the pastor discusses the need for “people with political skill sets” to be brought into their conversations. On Jan. 28, just one day after community members begin publicly calling for Prentiss’ resignation, Prentiss indicates her preference for meeting with a group of clergy because “I think we are at ICU level.” On Feb. 8, that meeting with local cle...
As Hinsdale Central students and just1mike Junior Board members, we wanted to inform families about the Young Hearts for Life free in-school EKG heart screenings being held at Hinsdale Central on March 24 and Hinsdale South on April 7. Just1mike is co-sponsoring the free EKG screenings facilitated by YH4L. Just1mike was founded after Michael Brindley, a sophomore at Hinsdale Central, died tragically in 2016 from sudden cardiac arrest. Michael’s family is dedicated to ensuring no other family suffers the tragic loss of a c...
Incredibly, we will be celebrating my youngest child's 21st birthday in a couple of weeks. Now I know you're probably expecting another "I can't believe I'm that old" column, but instead I thought I would take this opportunity to impart some sage advice to my soon-to-be-legal daughter. It just might be good advice for all of us. Enjoy your first beer (insert "wink" emoji here). Maybe even two. But I'm telling you, it only goes downhill after that. I may or may not be speaking...
We stood in the green room Saturday night before our final performance of "Hinsdale Unmasked" and talked about all that's happened since our last Community Revue in 2020. We've lost three longtime cast members - Dick Johnson, BJ Chimenti and Ly Hotchkin. We've dealt with individual losses and unwelcome diagnoses and other challenges. Oh, and there's been that other little thing: the global pandemic. It was the most emotional pre-show gathering I've experienced in the eight...
In just three days, we can officially bid farewell to winter. At 10:33 a.m. Sunday, March 20, the Northern Hemisphere will celebrate the Spring Equinox, the time when daylight begins to win out over darkness. Some TV meteorologists might have led you to believe that the start of spring — “meteorological spring” — was March 1. They made that up. The vernal equinox marks the halfway point between the winter solstice in December and the summer solstice in June, marking the shortest and longest days of the year, respect...
“The birds are always chirping. At least there’s that. Every morning when I step outside to get the newspaper, the birds are chirping. I can’t see them, but knowing they’re there gives me pause. I stand in my own silence, listening. Sometimes it’s just a moment, other days it seems I need more, so I lean against the porch railing and breathe deeply for as long as it takes, to clear my mind and find gratitude. At least in this moment, alone in my robe on my front porch, th...
I must confess. I missed National Grammar Day last Friday, what with family in town and it being opening night of "Hinsdale Unmasked." You, too, might have missed the celebration. The holiday is rather new, after all, having been established less than 15 years ago in 2008. Martha Brockenbrough, an author, teacher and founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, said she founded the day to help students with grammar in a "lively and positive way." (I'm fairly certa...
It was widely reported last week that the Russian government had enacted new laws to repress internal opposition to its military invasion of Ukraine. Among them was a decree criminalizing independent war reporting, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of spreading “fake news” about the Russian armed forces. Since the law took effect March 4, respected news organizations such as the BBC, CNN and the New York Times have felt compelled to suspend their operations in Russia out of fear of being arrested and...
