North Shore Views

Archive for the 'Things to do' Category

Kohl Children’s Museum Celebrates its 25th Anniversary

I was reminded not long ago how fortunate we are to have the Kohl Children’s Museum so close by. We used to go there a lot when my kids were younger, but now my daughter is past the ideal age for the museum. Since we had friends in from out of town with a younger child,  off we went to show them this wonderful local gem. And my daughter, despite being the ripe old age of 9, had a blast. And it was the same exhibits that appealed to her before, that grabbed her attention now: the child-sized grocery store, the mini Potbelly restaurant, the veterinary clinic and the Water Works. And all of us were fascinated by the temporary Monarch Butterfly exhibit, where we could see close-up the four stages of butterfly development.

This year, the museum celebrates its 25th anniversary. It was founded in 1985 by Dolores Kohl. The museum was originally located in Wilmette and moved to its current and larger home in Glenview in 2005.  It offers a wide array of enrichment activities and exhibits where children can play, explore and learn in an environment built specifically for them. There are 16 permanent exhibits to enjoy and usually there are 2-3 temporary exhibits. Right now, in addition to the Monarch butterfly exhibit, there is one featuring Curious George and another featuring Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl to show children how to care for our natural resources.

To celebrate its 25 anniversary the museum has a number of special activities planned, most of them geared to younger children. Here’s a run-down of activities for the museum’s anniversary kick-off week:

Sunday, July 25- Free Admission Day

• 12-1:30                             WTTW “Readers are Leaders” performance with Miss Lori’s Campus

Monday, July 26 – Science Day

• 10:00 and 10:45 am       Very Hungry Caterpillar Appearance
• 10:00 – 12:00                   Anderson Pest Solutions Insect Zoo
• 2:00 – 4:00  pm              Botanic Gardens Wiggly Worms Activity
• 3:00 and 4:00 pm          Bubble Juggler Geoff Akins Performance

Tuesday, July 27 – Health and Safety Day

• 9:30 am – 1:00 pm          Firezone Fire Engine Exploration
• 10 am – 12 pm                   Gymboree
• 10 am – 12:30 pm             Little Legends Soccer Clinic
• 2- 3 pm                               Operation Railroad Tracks Safety Presentation
• 3 and 3:45 pm                   Smokey Bear Appearance

Wednesday, July 28 – Arts and Literacy Day

• 9 am – 5 pm                        Free Family Photo
• 10 am – 12 pm
  and 1-4 pm                          Blick Art Materials Activity
• 2-5 pm                                 Writers’ Theatre Children’s Acting Workshop
• 3 and 3:45 pm                    Clifford the Big Red Dog Appearance

Thursday, July 29 – Music Day

• 10 and 11 am                        Karen Banks-Lubicz Concerts
• 1, 2 and 3 pm                       Mindy Hester and the Time Outs Concerts
• 3-3:45 pm                             Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat

Friday, July 30 – Grand Celebration

• 10-10:45 am                          Very Hungry Caterpillar Appearance
• 11 am – 1 pm                          Free cake and ice cream sponsored by Bobtail Ice cream and Tetra Pak
• 1 – 1:45 pm                             Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat
• 3 – 3:45 pm                            Clifford the Big Red Dog Appearance

The museum is located at 2100 Patriot Blvd. in Glenview (in the Glen).You can get directions here.

Summer hours are:
Monday-Saturday 9:30 am – 5 pm
Sunday 12-5 pm

Admission is $8.50 (free for children under 1 year; $7.50 for seniors)

Tags: Kohl Children's Museum

Summer Sidewalk Sales on the North Shore

Every year it seems like the sidewalk sales along the North Shore get better and better. Now it’s not just about shopping…the sales have turned into veritable street festivals, with food, music, games and other activities for kids. Here’s the line-up for the rest of July:

Wilmette

Friday and Saturday, July 9 and 10
9 am – 4 pm
Shopping, food and family fun, including DJ entertainment, magician, face painting, moonwalk and petting zoo on Saturday.
Call 847-251-3800 or visit www.wilmettechamber.org

Evanston – Central Street

Thursday to Saturday, July 15 to 17
10 am – 5 pm
Bargains from businesses located between the 1900 and 2100 blocks of Central Street. Central Street, located in North Evanston, is chock full of mom and pop run businesses and retains a local and distinctive charm which sets it apart from many shopping districts. There are women’s boutiques, flower shops, bakeries (including one for dogs), restaurants, a renowned spice shop, realtors, and much much more!
For more information visit www.centralstreet-evanston.com.

Winnetka

Friday and Saturday, July 16 and 17
9 am to 5 pm
This year’s theme is “Jazzing Up July”. In addition to shopping, listen to New Orleans jazz while the kids enjoy games, activities and face painting.

Phil Passen and Petra van Nuis will be performing live music during the two-day event. Passen, musician and singer, will perform a variety of traditional American music. Playing the hammered dulcimer, Passen says his music will “capture the essence of old-time music. The beautiful sound and versatility of the dulcimer shine in this captivating performance.” Consistent with the theme of the weekend, Chicago based jazz vocalist Petra van Nuis will perform several songs from her extensive repertoire on Saturday.

And some star power will be added to this year’s sale. Winnetka also will welcome Kathryn Stockett, the author of the best-selling novel The Help to the sale. The novel, set in 1960s Jackson, Miss., deals with the issue of segregation in the South a century after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Call (847) 446-4451 or visit www.winnekachamber.com.

Evanston – Downtown

Saturday, July 24
10 am to 5 pm

Close to 200 Evanston merchants in both downtown Evanston and the Chicago/Dempster district will offer deals on summer inventory, featuring the ideal mix of independent shops and your favorite national chain stores. Expect to find deals on apparel, shoes, one-of-a-kind accessories and decorative arts, including the best in specialty designed, hand-crafted goods. Resale shoppers and antique & vintage hunters will find a variety of shops to explore.

To get to the sale on public transit, take the CTA Purple Line “el” to the Davis, Dempster, or Main stop; or take Metra to the Davis or Main stop.
Call 847.866.6319 or visit http://www.downtownevanston.org

Highland Park

Thursday to Sunday, July 22 to 25
This is your opportunity to get clothing, shoes, jewelry, home décor, and other great stuff at 50 to 75 percent off regular prices. Great back-to-school bargains, too. Of course, early shoppers always find the best one-of-a-kind deals.

And this year, look for a balloonist, magician, face painters, and musicians to entertain the kids while you look for great buys.
To get there, just take the Edens Expressway – exit at Central Avenue East – travel about one mile – and you’re there.
Call 847-432-0284 or visit www.ehighlandpark.com

Tags: sidewalk sales

Thornwood Park Concert

There are so many things to love about summer on the North Shore, but for me one of the highlights has to be the Thornwood Park Concert, right here in Kenilworth Gardens.

In its sixth year, the annual concert is the brainchild of Terri and Tony Lorenz, who organized the first concert back in 2005 and have continued to be the driving force behind it. They had moved from the city and bought a house across the street from the park. And they thought, “Wow, wouldn’t this be the perfect venue for a fun neighborhood event.” And the Thornwood Park Concert was born.

The performers? Local dads (and one mom) who play in rock bands (for fun). It was a big hit that first year and has increased in popularity ever since. The concert is held on a Sunday afternoon and families wander over after nap time with strollers, wagons, bikes, picnics and coolers to enjoy the music and visit with friends.

This year’s concert features five bands. The first four are made up of Harper parents (and one Romona parent).

• Name It
• East of Edens
• Lucky Jackson Band
• Jimbo Jones
• Legs Akimbo

A new addition this year is the junior concert featuring local artists under 18, who will kick-off the event at 2:00 pm. There will also be other fun things for kids to do while parents enjoy the music: face painting, balloon animals and a bouncy house.

Last but not least, we’ll have a visit from the Wilmette Police in their squad cars and the Fire Department. For the kids, the highlight of the day is when the firetruck shoots a stream of water high in the air for the kids to run under and cool off.

This is truly a neighborhood event, and the $5000 cost of producing it is entirely funded by passing the hat among the folks who come to enjoy it, plus a couple of local sponsors.  (Most of the hat-passing is done online at the concert web site). Any money that’s left over after the concert expenses are paid goes to fund things for the playground or for maintenance of the beautiful  Prairie Garden along Kenilworth Avenue.

This year’s  concert will be held on Sunday, July 11 from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Thornwood Park is in the Kenilworth Gardens neighborhood in Wilmette. It is bounded by Kenilworth Avenue, Dartmouth Street and Thornwood Avenue, catty-corner to Harper School.

You can get more info about the concert at www.thornwoodparkconcerts.com. If you would like to come and enjoy great music and a fun afternoon, please consider making a donation to help offset the concert’s cost. You can do this right on the web site.

Tags: Thornwood Park

Independence Day on the North Shore

This year the weather promises to be absolutely perfect for 4th of July celebrations – sunny, clear and warm (not hot) from now through Sunday. There are lots of fun things going on all up and down the North Shore, and if you’ve got the energy, you can spread your celebration out over three days. As always, Wilmette holds its celebration on July 3rd, while Glenview waits til the 5th. (Thunderstorms are currently in the forecast for Monday, so if you live in Glenview you may want to join the festivities in another town on the 4th, just to be on the safe side.). Also, note that, in Winnetka, the parade begins at 1:00 pm and not 10:00 am, as in previous years.

Evanston

July 4
7:30 pm – Twilight Concert featuring the Palatine Concert Band
9:00 pm – The musical fireworks extravaganza will be launched from Clark Street Beach and can be viewed from any part of the lakefront area east of Downtown Evanston.

Wilmette

July 3
4:00 pm -  Games and rides for children, entertainment, roving performers, and a Tastefest at Gillson Park.
7:30 pm – A traditional concert of patriotic music by the Palatine Concert Band in the Wallace Bowl. It will be preceded by a sneak preview of this summer’s Starlight Theatre musical feature.
9:30 p.m – Fireworks begin. In case of rain, the fireworks will be rescheduled to a later date.

The easiest way to get to and from the Independence Day celebrations in Gillson Park is by using the special Pace shuttle bus service. Motorists may park at Edens Plaza or at the METRA commuter lot. To see a complete listing of events or for additional transportation information see the Wilmette Park District’s website.

Winnetka

July 4
1:00 pm – The celebration begins with Winnetka’s annual parade. (Note the change in time from past years). The parade sets off from the corner of Elm and Glendale Streets, and heads east to the Village Green.
2:00 pm – -A flag-raising ceremony, children’s flag parade, and family races follow the parade on the Green.
6:30 pm -  “Fourth Fest,” featuring food, children’s entertainment, and a pre-fireworks concert at Duke Child’s Field
9:15 pm – Fireworks begin

Northfield

July 4
9:45 am -  Bike parade kicks off from two locations — Somerset and Old Willow or the Ameritech Lot. Both routes end at Willow Park.
10:30 am -  Bike judging, music and amusement rides begin. Family activities include relays, wheelbarrow races, a hula-hoop contest and an egg toss. For more information, go to northfieldparkdistrict.org or call 847-446-4428.

Glencoe

July 4
8:00 am – Fun Run starts at the train station, 724 Green Bay Road
10:00 am – Games in Kalk Park, Park Aveune and Green Bay Road
2:00 pm – Parade
6:30 pm -  Barbecue on the beach with children’s entertainment and music
9:00 pm – Fireworks on the beach
847-835-3050

Glenview

July 5

11:00 am -  Bike Parade starting at the corner of Glenview rd. and Church St.
11:30 am -  Main parade starting from OLPH parking lot and ending at Johns Park.
7:30 pm – Twilight Show with patriotic concert by the North Shore Concert Band. The show’s finale will be fireworks synchronized to patriotic music.
847-724-5670

Highland Park

July 4
11:00 am – Parade in downtown Highland Park
12:00 pm – Fourth Fest at Sunset Woods Park
9:15 pm – Fireworks at Wolters Field on Park Avenue West
847-432-0800

Lake Forest

July 4
6:00 pm – Beer garden with kids activities and live music by Sixteen Candles at Deerpath Community Park
8:00 pm – KC and the Sunshine Band
9:30 pm -  Fireworks sponsored by the Lake Forest Symphony

Tags: 4th of july, Independence Day

Model Railroad Garden at Chicago Botanic Garden

When my son was small he was obsessed with trains. From the time he was a year and a half old until he was about six, trains were the love of his life. He watched Thomas the Tank Engine on TV, he read books about trains, and he accumulated an enormous collection of Thomas wooden trains and track and played with them by the hour. When there wasn’t a train around to play with, he made one. He would attach a line of  toy vehicles to the back of his tricycle and drive his train up and down the sidewalk. We would draw freight trains in chalk on the driveway. When we went out to eat he would create trains out of the sugar and jelly packets on our table. Gradually his obsession subsided and was replaced by other interests, like Pokemon and Nintendo. It makes me a little sad that those days of choo choo mania are gone, especially because I have never again seen my son quite as passionate about anything as he was about trains.

Last weekend we got to relive those train-crazed days when we went on a family outing to the Chicago Botanic Garden. I love the Gardens and could stay there for hours, there is so much to see. But this time, knowing the kids would have a limited attention span, we headed straight to the Model Railroad Garden, which, I figured, would have the best chance of engaging two kids with zero interest in plants and flowers.

It did not disappoint. It’s kind of hard not to smile when you see all of those American landmarks in miniature: the White House, Hollywood, Statue of Liberty, a working Old Faithful geyser, etc. And all surrounded by small scale gardens, vignettes with tiny people and animals and model trains chugging by. The coolest part is that all of the mini-replicas of famous landmark buildings are created out of twigs, acorns, bark, leaves and pebbles. This is the eleventh season for the railroad garden and every year  they add a major new landmark. Last year it was the White House. This year, historic Comiskey Park.

Even my kids, who had moaned and groaned about spending the afternoon at the Botanic Garden, thought the Railroad Garden was pretty cool and enjoyed discovering each new landmark or lifelike vignette as we wound our way through the garden. They finally had to admit that they were glad that we had come. My husband even made noises about how neat it would be to build a garden railroad in our yard. Thank goodness that idea was short-lived.

The Railroad Garden is open through October 31st from 10:00am -8:00 pm (until September 6- after that it closes at 5;00 pm). There’s a $5.00 admission fee for adults and $3.00 for kids. Garden members get a $1.00 off.

If you’re looking for a fun family activity, this one gets a thumbs up. It’ll bring out the kid in anyone.

Tags: Chicago Botanic Garden, Model Railroad Garden

Free Concerts in Plaza del Lago

Every summer Plaza del Lago hosts free concerts on Thursday nights at 6:00pm. Here’s the line-up for 2010:

June 24 – Day Oh (steel drum music)

July 1 – The New Invaders (’60s British Rock)

July 8 – James Saunders & Conjunto (Latin jazz, salsa)

July 15 – Liquid Soul (R&B soul)

July 22 – The Ultimate Maliks (dance music)

July 29 – Big Bang Theory (classics with a jazz twist)

Plaza del Lago is located at 1515 Sheridan Road in Wilmette. You can sit outside at one of the restaurants (Convito Cafe, Starbucks, No Man’s Land) or buy something and take it with you. Convito usually does a BBQ on concert nights and sells brats, dogs, chicken and Italian sausage to concert-goers.

Related articles:

Plaza del Lago

Tags: Plaza del Lago, summer concerts

Winnetka Children’s Fair

Every June children from Winnetka and surrounding communities celebrate the end of school with a day at the Winnetka Children’s Fair. For two glorious days, the Village Green is transformed into a magic kingdom of sorts, with rides, games and other activities for preschoolers to preteens. The fair is held the Friday and Saturday after school lets out, this year on June 11-12. A 60 year tradition, the fair is actually a fundraiser for the Winnetka Community Nursery School. It’s run by the school’s forty-strong Board of Directors with the help of hundreds of volunteers from the community. If you live in Winnetka, have friends in Winnetka or your child attends (or has ever attended) Winnetka Community Nursery, you will be tapped for a shift as a volunteer.

I got my first taste of volunteering at the fair the spring after we moved back to the area. We had enrolled our daughter in the Nursery School and my husband was the first-ever male member of the Board. He was tapped to run the hot dog stand, along with another Board member. The first order of business was finding thirty volunteers to take two hour shifts for each of the two days of the fair. Since we had just moved here after being gone for seven years, we didn’t know a ton of people in the area and it seemed that all of the ones we did know had already been asked by someone else to work at their game or booth or ride. He managed to scrounge up most of the volunteers he needed, though I found myself working all eight hours, both days.

I will say that, of all the jobs at the fair, working the hot dog stand is the best. It’s always busy and you get to see everyone you know. You move around a lot and the tasks are varied, so you don’t get bored. And there is a constant supply of food and drink available should you get hungry or thirsty. (I always felt sorry for the people stuck in a booth by themselves baking in the hot sun without anything to eat or drink). And the best part was that the stand was right across the street from the house of our good friends, and they graciously made their bathroom available to us so we didn’t need to use the porta-potties at the fair.

The fair will be held this year on June 11 and 12 from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Winnetka’s Village Green (between Elm and Oak Streets, east of Green Bay Rd.). It’s a great way to kick-off the summer, so if you have children between the ages of 3 and 12, don’t miss it.

Tags: Winnetka Children's Fair

North Shore Memorial Day Parades

Mostly we think of Memorial Day as a celebration of the start of summer ….the opening of the pool, barbecue parties with friends, baseball games etc. But it’s also a time to remember our war heroes. Here on the North Shore there are several parades and Memorial Day ceremonies this Monday morning. They’re a great opportunity to help our kids understand the meaning of the holiday. And this year it looks like we’ll have great parade-watching weather. Here’s a run down on the parades in our area:

Wilmette

Sponsored by the Village of Wilmette and  Huerter Post #46 o the American Legion, the parade will begin at 10:30 from the corner of Ridge Rd. and Lake Ave. It will proceed east to Park Ave.and south to Wilmette Ave. , finishing up at Village Hall. The ceremony will take place near the War Memorial.

Glenview

You can probably hit two parades if you start with this one, since it’s the earliest of the lot. The procession starts at 9:00 east of the railroad tracks on Pine St. and continues to Glenview Rd..The ceremony will be held at the Veteran’s Memorial at Glenview Rd. and the river.

Winnetka

Winnetka’s parade kicks-off at 10:00 from the corner of Glendale and Elm and heads east to the Village Green. There will be a brief ceremony on the Green following the parade.

Glencoe

The parade begins at central School at 10:30 and proceeds to Veteran’s Memorial Park adjacent to Glencoe Union Church.

Lake Forest

Sponsored by the lake Forest American Legion Post the parade will begin at 11:00 at Market Square. The Legion rifle squad and color guard will step off from the post at 10:30 A.M. and pick up both Boy and Girl Scout troops from the parking lots at Deerpath and McKinley. The color guard will march from Illinois Road and turn onto Western Avenue.

Tags: parades

Wilmette’s French Market

On Saturday mornings throughout the summer, a trip to Wilmette’s Metra parking lot will transport you to old world France, where you can stroll through a  Parisian-style open air market and shop for fresh produce, bread and other good stuff.

I always wondered why it’s called a French Market instead of a farmer’s market.  That’s the great thing about writing a blog. You learn a lot of stuff you may not have known about before.  The big difference  is that the French Market has breads & baked goods, meats, cheeses, potted plants, kettle-corn,  pickles, jewelry, scarves, bags and handicrafts, in addition to the fruits and vegetables you would find at an ordinary farmer’s market. Also, instead of separate booths, all of the vendors are under one long red, white and blue awning. Our market  even features live music in the form of a New Trier student who plays the violin for shoppers’ listening pleasure and, of course, tips.

The concept is borrowed from the open air markets in Europe, where people shop for their daily consumables. It was brought to this country by Bensidoun, a French company that manages open air markets in and around Paris and now in several towns and cities in the U.S.

The market is open every Saturday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm from May 1st through the end of October. Most of the produce and other food items are grown or produced locally (or regionally).

Tags: French Market

It’s Housewalk Season on the North Shore

If housewalks are your thing, here are three on the North Shore that will let you indulge your voyeuristic side while helping a worthy cause, since all of them are fundraisers for service organizations.  The first one focuses on historic homes, while the other two are more for pure vicarious pleasure of seeing how the other half lives (while giving you some decorating ideas for your own home, of course).

Wilmette Historical Society Housewalk
Sunday, May 16 from 1-4 pm

Visit  four historic and architecturally significant homes along beautiful Central Avenue, plus see the interior chambers of the Masonic Temple. Proceeds support the work of he Wilmette Historical Museum. $45 members, $50 non-members, $25 students.

Glencoe PTO Housewalk
Wednesday, May 19 from 9:30-2:30

Tour five of Glencoe’s most exceptional homes and eat lunch in a sixth. Proceeds go to support environmental and arts projects in the Glencoe schools. Check in at the Glencoe train station between 9:30 am and 1;00 pm.
Tickets available at www.glencoepto.org.  $65.

Winnetka Women’s Club Housewalk
Wednesday, May 26 from 10-4

This year’s theme is “Lifestyles” and you can tour six beautiful homes representing the creative and varied lifestyles of North Shore residents. Proceeds benefit the Winnetka Women’s Club, which is a community service organization dedicated to supporting local projects and scholarship programs.
Tour: $55 in advance; $ 60 day of event. Lunch: $35

Tags: housewalks