The show must go on, they say of the theatre. This adage also applies to the First Presbyterian Church's spring rummage sale, which takes place Saturday in Lake Forest without its longest-tenured volunteer. Joyce Johnson, a longtime resident of Knollwood, died in late March and was memorialized last week in a church full of loved ones, friends and fellow devotees of the annual spring sale, all of whom wondered how they and the sale would get along without her. She was 80 and is survived by her husband, John, and a large, extended family.

"I miss her every day, even when I'm not at the church working on the rummage sale," said Deb Dintruff, who volunteers as a manager of sorting operations. "She was a great lady, strong, smart and

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What's worse: swine flu or the fear of swine flu? Terror over getting sick is sweeping the world as fast as the actual virus. And the bug is spreading quickly. The Illinois Department of Health reported there are nine probable cases of swine flu in Illinois, with one of those in Lake County, as of Wednesday afternoon. Yesterday, the closest case was in Indiana, according to the World Health Organization.

Local health organizations are doing their part to help people understand, prevent and treat the virus. The Lake County Health Department has set up a "swine flu hot line" in English and Spanish–847-377-8350. Lake Forest Hospital is acquiring additional supplies of the antiviral medications that are used to treat swine flu. Local residents don't need to start wearing face masks to the grocery store, said Dr. James Jupa, epidemiologist and chairman of the Infection Control Committee at LFH. He emphasized that for now, more traditional types of prevention such as hand-washing are the best defense. Please continue reading for a Q&A Dr. Jupa provided GazeboNews.

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The Lake Bluff school board is breathing a little easier after Tuesday night's meeting, when construction manager Auggie Ziccarelli reported the new elementary school is just one to two weeks behind schedule. It's likely school will start on Sept. 8, as presently scheduled, and there's a good chance Lake Bluff Elementary School will be ready for occupancy at that time. In the event there's a setback, the board is working on a contingency plan that could place students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade at East Elementary School and 4th and 5th graders at Christ Church in Lake Forest for a short time.

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The tall and slender house at 540 Greenbay Road is known by many names, such as The Bird House; The Tree House, and The Glade House. The American Institute of Architects just thinks of it as a winner, and it has chosen the east Lake Forest home for a 2009 Housing Award. 

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The Lake Bluff 4th of July Parade Committee has doubled its fund-raising outreach and for the first time is seeking support from Lake Forest businesses and residents. "Linking our neighbors in Lake Forest to the Lake Bluff 4th of July Parade is only natural,"  said committee President Deb Dintruff. "Friends and families celebrate the 4th together every year. Our kids grow up together. Our communities are linked in more ways than anyone can imagine. The time to enhance the partnership even further is now."

She means "now" literally. Those who commit before May 6th will be included in the Committee's annual Parade Book, distributed throughout the Village.

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Two local non-profits have joined forces to curb suffering in Africa. At a reception held recently, KidsUganda and Solar Light For Africa together raised nearly $3,000; that's enough to install solar panels on the girls' dormitory at the Maranatha School in Mityana, Uganda.

"I only wish I had known about KidsUganda earlier," said Solar Light's Katherine Lucey, whose husband was associate rector at The Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest until recently, when he took the job of rector at St. Michael's church in Bristol, Rhode Island. Here's how the two groups got together and decided that Helen Keller got it right when she said: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." 

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Lake Bluff residents should not be alarmed if the phone rings after 9 p.m. and it's the police on the other end. Due to a rash of residential burglaries, Village police have taken to calling residents who leave their garage doors open at night. Their message: close the door!

Most of the recent crimes have occurred in The Sanctuary subdivision off Waukegan Road, and all of the entries have been through open garage doors where items were taken from vehicles or the home's interior. The police point out that these crimes of opportunity can be prevented if residents shut their garage doors and keep their home and car doors locked. They also say that while this current crime wave is concentrated in The Sanctuary, it can and does happen in all neighborhoods.

Smelt is not a word that comes up in conversations about Lake Forest very often. That changes in the spring when the City puts on its annual Smelt-o-Rama. Sponsored by Parks & Recreation and American Legion Auxiliary Post 264, this year's 10th annual event takes place Saturday night at sundown, and provides nets, lessons, entertainment and freshly cooked smelt for the experienced fisher and those who've never touched a rod. One of the night's highlights will be the crowning of Miss Smelt 2009, who is chosen from a pool of all the ladies in attendance by a wise (yet mysterious) fisherman whose criteria is "many things," said Lake Forest Special Events Manager Dan Deuel.

According to the City, Osmerus mordax, otherwise known as smelt, return to local shores each spring

It's fun and can be smelly, but there are no guarantees the net will wield a catch. "It's called fishing for a reason," said Mr. Deuel. "Otherwise it would be called 'catching.' "

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Lake Bluff Open Lands is hosting an Earth Day Celebration on Saturday at Sunrise Beach. Sturdy boots and gloves are recommended for this annual event that's designed to enhance one of Lake Bluff Open Lands' 13 preserves. The group couldn't have picked a better spot than the lakefront, because the weather forecast is warm and sunny. In partnership with the Park District, Lake Bluff Open Lands will plant several trees and up to 1,000 native wildflowers and grass plugs at the beach's main prairie and south bluff. It's a community-wide event including Lake Forest High School students, elementary school kids, families, empty-nesters and anyone else who appreciates the vista of undeveloped spaces. Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Park up top, dress appropriately and be prepared to dig! Visit Lake Bluff Open Lands for more info, or call 847-234-2860.  

Land lovers cleaned Birch Prairie last year.

A lot of people get a kick out of seeing a woodpecker hammering at a tree. The bird's bright red head conjures warm memories of jammy-clad Saturdays spent watching the Woody Woodpecker cartoon on TV. But woodpeckers shouldn't be hey-hey-hey-heyed at now that  Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Lake Forest and is likely to migrate to Lake Bluff and other nearby towns.

Increased woodpecker activity is one of the main signs that an ash tree is EAB infested, Lake Forest City Forester Peter Gordon told City Council on Monday night. "It was the tip off on June Terrace; the bark was peeled off by woodpeckers to eat the insect larvae."

EAB is a small, bright green, non-native pest whose larvae feast on the trunks of ash trees, cutting off their ability to transport nutrients and ultimately causing the trees' decline. "EAB is 100% fatal to native ash trees," said Mr. Gordon. EAB has been found all over Chicagoland, and communities from south suburban Homewood to Wilmette have tried to deal a fatal blow to the fatal beetle by culling parkway ash trees. This could happen in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, but the loss would be dramatic: Mr. Gordon said 6,500 parkway ash trees are at risk in Lake Forest. In Lake Bluff, ash trees comprise 11% of the tree population, said Public Works Director Tom Cahill.

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