Three natives of Lake Bluff and Lake Forest completed their 19,500 climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro in late January. … And now the work begins. Jeremy Vranich, Sam Fell and Catherine Lynch are documenting the six-day ascent and descent for a non-profit organization called "It Can Be Done," which is on a mission to construct 25 fresh water wells for the Uru villages near Mount Kilimanjaro. GazeboNews reported on the mission late last year; click here to read the story.

The climbers are meeting with officials to finalize plans to begin construction of the wells this summer. The team includes Florentina Masawe, a native of the region; Margie Braband, of Mt. Prospect, and her sister Mary Legallet of San Mateo, Calif.; Poppy Moelter of Eau Claire, Wis.; and Ron Ricci of Bloomington, Minn. Mr. Vranich and Mr. Fell hail from Lake Bluff, and Ms. Lynch comes from Lake Forest. The documentary is titled "Water is Life, the Uru Project." For more information and a letter from Ms. Braband summarizing the climb, please visit itcanbedoneafrica.org.

From left are Jeremy Vranich, Catherine Lynch, Mary Legallet, Ron Ricci, and Margie Braband

The cultural scene in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff has a stimulus package of its own this weekend. Consider this: between Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you can attend CenterStage's "A Little Princess;" Citadel Theatre Co.'s "And Neither Have I Wings To Fly" and listen to the international jazz duo of Grazyna Auguscik & Paulinho Garcia at Cabin Fever Jazz. The cost of each event is $25, and all three take place at the Gorton Community Center. They're such a value that you'll have plenty of time (and money leftover) to pop over to Shore Acres Country Club on Saturday night to attend Lake Forest Open Lands' Spring Into Auction annual fund-raiser. Please click on the highlighted words for times, dates, pricing and other pertinent info on these events.

Looking for a new friend? Hallie Johnson runs a dog rescue  operation out of Lake Forest. Presently she's helping to find good homes for two pooches, both of which are mixed-breed labradors that were surrendered by their families due to the economy.

Lovers of smaller canines might be interested in Memphis, a gentle yellow-lab/spaniel mix who weighs 20 pounds and is neutered and up to date on shots. Memphis is an easy dog who would fit into any family setting, with or without kids or other dogs.

Simon is a black lab-mix who is 18 months old and weighs 75 pounds. He's neutered and up to date on shots and great with kids and dogs. He's happy, playful and loves to fetch.

(FYI: These dogs are not the sibling labs featured in an e-mail that has been circulating throughout the LB/LF/Knollwood area recently. Ms. Johnson was not affiliated with those dogs, but she learned they found a home).

Thanks to Ms. Johnson, 11 dogs found new homes last year–her family even fostered seven of them. She has already placed four dogs this year. Want to learn more about these adorable faces? Please contact halliejohnson3@comcast.net.

The Lake Forest School District Spirit of 67 Foundation is having a private party at Chicago's Adler Planetarium on Saturday night from 6 to 10 p.m. The evening aims to be a celebration of all families in the district, and it will include visits to the Shoot for the Moon exhibit, Doane Observatory, Cosmic Collision Movie and an optional buffet dinner. Tickets cost $35 for adults and $25 for students and must be pre-paid (Ie: no admission tickets are sold at the door). Call or e-mail Stephanie Cook at speepcook@aol.com, or visit the Spirit of 67 website for more information.

The Mothers Trust Foundation and the Lake County High Schools Technology Campus recently engaged in the ultimate pay-it-forward event. After years of receiving grants from Mothers Trust, the vocational training school held a service project to return the favor. Students at the Grayslake campus planned, promoted and executed the "Madden Bowl Blitz," an Xbox video football tournament that raised $2,742.03 for Mothers Trust. Divvied into $100 grants, the donation will benefit 27 children in Lake County.

Mothers Trust Executive Director Cheri Richardson said her group has been generously supporting students of the technical campus for many years because the school—like Mothers Trust—strives to make a difference in the lives of young people.

Mothers Trust Executive Director Cheri Richardson, left, accepts a very big check from Erick Jones, dean of students at Lake County High Schools Technology
Campus. With them in the Mothers Trust offices are Founder Barbara Monsor and Tina Mascari,
business manager of the vocational school.

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Friday is opening night for Citadel Theatre Co.'s "And Neither Have I Wings To Fly." The play was written by Lake Forest native Ann Noble and is set in the mid-1950s on the east coast of Ireland, providing a bit o' the old sod two weeks before St. Patrick's Day.

Here's what the Chicago Tribune had to say: "If one of life's toughest tests is to forgive the loved ones who abruptly leave us, Noble's play confronts the challenge with unflinching compassion and contagious wisdom."

And from the Sun-Times: "A wonderfully accessible and tremendously vibrant drama about love, loss, family ties and the pain that so often accompanies the fight to realize one's deepest dreams, it recalls the anguished beauty of Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie.' "

The play is directed by Lake Forest's Scott Phelps, and many of the actors hail from the area,  including Tom Beck, art and drama teacher at Central Elementary School, who is shown here. 

Local members of Jenny’s Dance Centre swept the DanceAmerica Regional Dance Competition held in the Paramount Theater in Aurora last weekend, taking home 25 first place awards with all 27 of their dances qualifying for nationals in New York.

Lake Bluff resident Emma Fath performed a solo “Hallelujah” and was awarded the overall high score for the entire competition of 200 numbers from dance studios throughout Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. All 10 soloists for the Jenny’s Dance Centre competition team were awarded the title of Dancer of the Year semi-finalists and were invited to compete this July in the 2009 national competition in New York. Qualifying soloists are: Ms. Fath, Kira Fath and Emma Stockert, all from Lake Bluff; Allegra Griffin, Caroline McGavock, Maddie Neil, Sammy Shipp, and Caleigh Silver, all from Lake Forest; and Jillian Campbell and Cassie Campbell from Libertyville.

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Students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade will get 15 additional minutes of learning every day when Lake Bluff Elementary School opens next fall. The school day will begin at 8:05 a.m. and end at 2:50 p.m. for K-5, according to information that was released at Tuesday's School Board meeting. Start and end times at Lake Bluff Middle School, meanwhile, will remain the same–8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Construction of the new school is 18 days behind schedule while work on the Middle School is on target. The district's construction rep, Auggie Zicarelli, summed it up this way: "We are in the 5th inning of an 8 inning game." Board members discussed alternative start options, including late starts, split shifts and on-time starts at alternative locations. "These are being done as due diligence by the board for planning purposes only," said Kathleen Reidy, district  communications director. "There was no vote taken because there is no information on hand at this early date to necessitate this." For an update on the construction, please visit LakeBluffSchools.org.

School District Communications Director Kathleen Reidy took this photo of Lake Bluff Elementary School Tuesday evening at sunset while she was out walking her dog, Liam.

Neighbors of a proposed affordable housing development on Telegraph Road expressed such concern at Monday night's public hearing that Mayor Michael Rummel pulled the project off the agenda from the March 2 Lake Forest City Council meeting, saying a traffic study needs to be completed before the topic is brought back to the council.

About 100 people attended the meeting and most of those who spoke said they agreed with the concept of affordable housing in Lake Forest; the problem, they said, is the site the city is considering at the southeast corner of Telegraph Road and Everett Road.

"We have a traffic crisis today," said one resident, echoing the
sentiments of dozens of others. "Anything you do will exacerbate a
problem we already have. " Others addressed the density issue and spoke
of flooding problems in nearby retention basins. One neighbor said it takes her 20 minutes to travel two blocks during the two-hour-long morning rush. Another challenged the city's Housing Trust Board to try walking to the train. "The corner of
Telegraph Road is a disaster zone," he said. 

Mayor Rummel opened the two-hour meeting at Dickinson Hall by explaining the city has an unmet need for affordable housing for teachers, nurses, police officers, seniors and employees of local businesses such as Lake Forest College and Lake Forest Hospital. He said there are 250 people in Lake Forest who would qualify for such housing at this time, not including employees of the college and hospital. Please click here for details about the city's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance and information about why Lake Forest seeks affordable housing.

Up for proposal at the Telegraph Road site are two masonry buildings comprising

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The Gorton Community Center has been transformed into a warehouse for children's clothing, thanks to the "Shop For The Drop" fund-raiser. Thursday-Saturday, shoppers can purchase children's designer clothing at rock-bottom prices. Brands include Pears and Bears; Emily Lacey; Sixth Alice; Old World International; Evie Barbour. Hours are Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit this website for more info. The photo shows Gorton Drop-in Board Chair Jeri Geraghty and Kristan Lacey, of Emily Lacey.