The Doings Western Springs

Western Springs grilling demo just in time for Father’s Day

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:08:31 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — A few years ago, I moved within Western Springs to a new house (well, new to me) and one of the first things I purchased for my home was a new gas grill. Sure, I love the flavor of real charcoal, but nothing beats the ease of turning a dial or pressing a button and getting nearly immediate heat for meat (or vegetables, I suppose). I stood in front of several grills at various big-name stores, looking out for someone to advise me, feeling overwhelmed not only by the options and choices, but by the thought of …

Springtime activities abound in Western Springs

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:06:53 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have virtually forgotten about the cold, rain and snow that haunted our every move so recently Everything is blooming, the air is fragrant with the smells of lilacs and freshly-mown grass (and laden with pollen, my sinuses tell me). Spring has sprung, and before you know it, we’ll be complaining about the heat. I can’t wait! May is absolutely packed with spring-loving events, such as the French Market which recently opened and offers us goodies from 2-7 p.m. every Thursday. We are absolutely done hiding in our …

Kelli O’Laughlin memorial and fund keep positive outlook

Thu, 09 May 2013 04:06:19 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — I think I can assume that every one of you reading has driven west on either 47th Street or Plainfield Road many times over the course of the last 18 months or so. You’ve surely noticed the ever-changing memorials created with colorful plastic cups stuck into the fencing over Interstate 294 — memorials to Kelli O’Laughlin, who died so tragically back in October 2011. The offer birthday wishes, images of angels and expressions of love. Rather than these memorials turning into abandoned, dusty relics as so often happens, they are kept fresh and changed regularly by a …

Time to make spring cleaning a reality in Western Springs

Thu, 02 May 2013 04:07:28 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — I am constantly making plans to clean out my house. Big, big plans. I get excited thinking about having extra space, not having boxes filled with stuff I haven’t looked at or looked for in at least five years on the shelves in my basement, not having a laundry basket filled with important papers that don’t fit in my filing cabinet because my filing cabinet is filled with art projects my kids made in kindergarten. I’m terrible about following through on those plans. It turns out, I’m one of those people who is better able to find …

Why a special week to target distracted driving in Western Springs?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:59:48 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — Did you know that April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month? A recent press release from the Western Springs Police Department shared some disturbing statistics: More than 3,300 people in the U.S. were killed in 2011 and 387,000 were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. And to help raise awareness, the Western Springs police will conduct aggressive traffic enforcement targeted toward distracted drivers from April 21 to 28. I asked Deputy Chief Brian Budds, our public information officer, about this upcoming initiative via email. Q. I know I’m not the only resident wondering why we have …

Western Springs received a wake-up call with suspicious van

Sun, 19 May 2013 06:39:02 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — I missed the opportunity last week to offer my congratulations to a pair of Western Springs longtime residents, Jack and Jacque Walsh. On April 10, they celebrated their 65th anniversary. I don’t know if “Congratulations!” really covers it. 65 YEARS! Nine kids! A gazillion grandchildren! (And I do mean a gazillion — I was next door neighbors to one of Jack and Jacque’s sons, Jim Walsh, for many years, and I’ve seen those family parties. In fact, I’d often wander over and blend in with the crowd. There are so many of them, they didn’t even notice.) …

Spring means time to clean Western Springs

Sun, 12 May 2013 12:43:03 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — Some signs of spring are better than others, but this year, I’ll take what I can get. That includes seeing the first landscaping crews hitting yards in Western Springs, and though their giant mowers and blowers were doing a better job of kicking up dust than they were cutting grass, there was an underlying hint of freshness beneath it, which was welcome. The village snow plows have been stowed away and the street sweepers are beginning to make their rounds, further helping to erase the damage left behind by a long, cold winter. If we get the …

Surviving the staycation in Western Springs

Sun, 05 May 2013 13:41:01 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — My spring break staycation (which was less of a stay-cation and more of a I-have-to-workation) went about as I’d expected. I got to see spring arrive, though at this point I’m not quite ready to trust that it’s going to stick around. I can’t bring myself to clean and pack up my winter coats yet. But I did get to stand outside without a coat on, barefoot, and not feel cold. And I opened a few windows in my house for several hours. Fresh air never tasted so good. Birdsong never sounded so sweet. I also spent …

Living the high life in Western Springs for spring break

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:34:18 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — This week marks the first in I don’t know how many years that I have not gone to Florida for spring break. I don’t know what to do with myself, except go to work as usual, and gaze longingly out the window wishing that I were instead gazing in appreciation at the ocean and beach. This would be one of those “first world problems” that people are always talking about on the social networks. Boo hoo, poor me. I didn’t get to go to Florida three months after my last visit. I’ll survive, but I’m curious just …

Western Springs recreation offerings will keep summer busy

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:51:29 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — It’s that time again, when we flip through the Western Springs Recreation Department Summer Recreation Brochure and wonder how it’s even possible that it will ever be summer again. Because it sure doesn’t feel like it’s gonna happen. But unless the world really did end last December and we’ve all been doomed to an endless stretch of sub-freezing temperatures and freezing-rain-snow mixtures and mud and brown grass, it will be summer again. Trees will have leaves, plants will have color. We will get to stow our heavy coats away. And we will turn in our early registration …

High school band finding their niche

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:14:02 -0500

If there are two things I love, it’s discovering new music and meeting young, motivated people who do cool, awesome things. Enter Community Service, a band comprised of three Lyons Township sophomores: Jimmy Kourafas, 15 (guitar, vocals); Max Romero, 15 (bass, vocals); and Steven Rejdukowski, 16 (drums). Kourafas and Romero started playing together in 2009, and Rejdukowski joined the group during their freshman year. “We have a hard time classifying our genre of music,” says Kourafas, adding that if pressed, they’d classify themselves as indie alternative rock. “We don’t play very heavy music as some alternative rock bands do.” Band …

Social groups grow with members

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:13:24 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — I’ve been playing Bunco with the same group of Western Springs women for about ten years now. Bunco, if you’re unfamiliar with the term, is an utterly, ridiculously simplistic game played with dice, and its true purpose, what with changing tables and partners every few rounds, is to allow all the players to see and chat with each other throughout the evening, which is nice. And the requirements of a sweet and salty snack at each table means that at least once per month, I spend an evening eating entirely too much chocolate. It was at our …

When it’s time for your children to fly away from Western Springs

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 07:06:48 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — You know, I’m one of those parents who believes in letting her children spread their wings. But when my daughter got her heart set on attending a university roughly eight million miles away, I found myself yearning to reverse that position. This past weekend, she and I traveled to Seattle to visit the school and its surrounding neighborhood. I already know Seattle moderately well. An old friend lives there and I worked for a company based there for a few years and have visited often. So I knew instinctively that its kind of mellow, friendly, forward-thinking vibe …

Western Springs police share texting and driving video

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:10:29 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — There’s this thing about texting and driving. I’ve done it. I’ve done it more times than I care to admit to having done it. Probably around the same number of times I’ve complained about some other driver being an idiot on the road because they’re texting or holding a phone up to their ear. I’m a terrible hypocrite. It’s pretty silly. It’s been a while, though, since I’ve texted while driving. I’d certainly like to say that I stopped the minute one of my kids started learning to drive. That would make sense, wouldn’t it? That they’d …

Tower Green in Western Springs is looking good

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:19:58 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — I guess I don’t drive by the Tower Green all that often, or else I’m not as observant as I’ve always thought I was, but some pretty big changes have happened in front of the Water Tower. And by “pretty,” I mean it looks really pretty! Western Springs turned 125 in 2011, and a Quasquicentennial Committee was charged with, among other things, designing and funding a gift to the village commemorating the anniversary. The Legacy Committee, via a Legacy Fund, has been soliciting donations to help fund the project of improving the entrance to the centerpiece of …

Taste buds watering for new restaurant in Western Springs

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:43:40 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — I get pretty darn excited about restaurants in general (this may or may not be considered a deficiency in my personality. I do love food. Probably too much.), but I get even more excited when a new restaurant comes to Western Springs. If you’ve driven down Wolf Road past 800 West Hillgrove lately, you’ve surely noticed the “Coming soon” sign. We’re getting a new restaurant! And not just any old restaurant, either. We’re getting a Davanti Enoteca. If you want to get a taste of what’s to come, head down to Taylor Street and give that location …

Western Springs website spurs some . . . ideas

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:31:17 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — A few weeks ago, I mentioned the village of Western Springs would be launching a newly redesigned website at www.wsprings.com at the beginning of the year, and I’ve finally had a chance to poke around. It’s pretty terrific. Some new features (or, at least, new to me since they’re now prominently placed on the front page) are the “Notify Me” area, where you can sign up to receive news and alerts via email or text message from several different village departments; the “Report a Concern” area, where you can quickly and easily request some action on anything …

Mother’s fear is not just about the new driver

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:57:31 -0500

WESTERN SPRINGS — I feel a general warning to the entire population of Western Springs is in order. My son is taking driver’s education this semester. You probably expect that my warning involves watching out for him as he uses our roads to practice, but that’s not the case. I’m fairly certain that Anthony is going to be a fine driver. What you really need to watch for is a small black SUV, driving normally, except for the terrified, screaming woman trying to climb out the passenger window. That would be me. I discovered during the months when my daughter …