By Adrienne Fawcett

A lot of people heard warning sirens on Monday night and scrambled to their basements. And then, a lot of people heard warning sirens, paused to wonder … and went back to whatever they were doing. What did you hear and do?

In Lake Bluff, tornado warning sirens started blaring at about 10:55 p.m. In Lake Forest, there were no tornado warning sirens.

Deputy Chief David Belmonte of the LBPD said the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Lake County and reported that Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing tornadoes approaching Wauconda and moving east.

Lake Forest didn’t activate its tornado sirens because authorities didn’t feel the criteria was met in their community, said LFPD Deputy Chief Glenn Burmeister. But don’t think you’re going nuts if you heard a siren in Lake Forest Monday night—you did, just not for a tornado. What you heard were lightning strike alerts, which go off automatically at the golf course and parks when lightening is in the area, said Deputy Chief Burmeister. (On Monday this was at about 10 p.m.)  He said the lightening sirens are not as loud as the tornado siren and are of shorter and more frequent duration.

LBPD Deputy Chief Belmonte said police activated the sirens after closely monitoring the storm along with the County’s Emergency Management team.

“At about 10:45 p.m., officers reported observing rotation in the storm clouds, which was verified by the National Weather Service near Libertyville. The storm was reported to have exhibited some weak rotation, and tornadoes could develop quickly. Although the Weather Service stated one was not immediately likely, they encouraged people to move to a place of safety inside a basement or small interior room.  At this time, the determination was made to activate the siren as a precaution. Areas north of Lake Bluff, which were also in the storm path, also activated their sirens. Although a tornado never actually touched-down in the area, conditions were favorable for one to develop.”

How do you distinguish whether a warning siren is for a tornado or, God forbid, something else–such as a terrorist attack? In Lake Bluff, the siren sound for weather warnings is a steady tone. If there is a hazard such as a terrorist attack, the alert tone will be a start/stop tone for several minutes.  An all clear is three short bursts of the siren.

In Lake Forest, sirens that are used for tornado warnings also have voice capacity, so the potential is there for other uses should the need arise, said LFPD Deputy Chief Burmeister.

The power went out at Deer Path Golf Course last Friday, June 18, and stayed off until Tuesday at noon, according to golfers and a golf course employee.  The golfers made do–they took flashlights to the bathroom, for example, and kept score with pencils. The snack shop was pretty much closed down except for food that didn’t need refrigeration or preparation, and the pro shop was dark.

But the golf carts worked. They were plugged in before the storm and can last up to 54 hours.

In addition to the golf course, there were about 43 Lake Forest homes and businesses still without power as of Tuesday morning, said LFPD Deputy Chief Glenn Burmeister.

A spokesman for Commonwealth Edison wouldn’t confirm this figure because as he said the utility doesn’t reveal information on individual communities, nor would he say how many were still without power five days after the storm. He did say power was expected to be restored by Tuesday night.

Sunday is FoodStock, a day to celebrate music and community while helping people in need. Since 2005, FoodStock planners have donated $52,000 and 6,200 pounds of food to the C.O.O.L. Food Pantry, a non-profit, non-denominational outreach serving northern Lake County. This year, they’re hoping to send another $15,000 to the Pantry.

Here’s the lineup of artist–click on the band names to learn more about the groups and hear samples of their music:

–The Bruce Williams Band
–Blue Sky Red
–Crossroads
–The Class of ’68

Here’s what you can do to help:

Bring non-perishable food items to FoodStock and contribute a free will donation while you’re there. If you donate, you’re eligible to win door prizes provided by local businesses, including manicures, car washes,  planters, purses and numerous other items.

FoodStock takes place at the Village Green in Lake Bluff on Sunday, June 27. Music begins at 3 p.m. and will go till 7:30 p.m.

For more information on the C.O.O.L. Food Pantry, visit www.coolministries.org,

Monday night’s Lake Forest City Council agenda included an update on the Emerald Ash Borer infestation and its devastating affect on ash trees in Lake Forest. GazeboNews was unable to watch the meeting, so City Forester Peter Gordon provided us with an interoffice memorandum on the EAB situation. Here it is:

On March 26, 2009 the Illinois Department of Agriculture Field Staff viewed and confirmed Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) damage and positively identified EAB larva on street trees in and around June Terrace. Additionally, the Illinois Department of Agriculture received a specimen determination back from the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (USDA-APHIS) on March 30, 2009, confirming the sample submitted by IDA was Emerald Ash Borer. It was also determined that EAB has been in Lake Forest for several years.

Due to observed patterns of local and regional spread and the known biology of this insect, the entire Ash Tree population within The City of Lake Forest is infested to some degree. In May of 2009, The City’s Forestry Section began implementing an Ash Tree Reduction Program in response to the threat of EAB infestations. As a result, The City has removed all City Ash trees (19) on June Terrace and over fifty (50) City Ash trees along the bike path, west of June Terrace. Crews will continue with the program to remove infested trees before other Ash trees.

The City continues to promote EAB awareness through media outlets, such as the Dialogue, web page, and informational brochures, in an attempt to keep EAB in the forefront of the community. In addition, the City has waived the permit fee for the removal of Ash Trees to promote their removal. We continue to work with licensed landscapers and tree care companies to identify treatment options and to help educate the residents on the threat of EAB. While insecticidal treatments have yielded positive results and are an advantageous management option for private homeowners, the treatment of City Ash Trees continues to be cost prohibited based on the number of Ash Trees in the rights-of-way. Despite chemical prices decreasing recently, annual costs to treat The City parkway trees could reach $115,000.

Target areas have been visually inspected, in addition to several other areas in town. EAB is often difficult to detect, especially in newly infested trees, trees may continue to appear healthy and green up to a few years after being infested with EAB. Because of the obscurity in detecting EAB and the damage that can occur by removing the trees bark, we have refrained from sampling private trees, unless authorized by the homeowner.

EAB confirmations were also made this past fall, outside the target area on Onwentsia Road and within the Whispering Oaks Subdivision. Although we believe EAB has encompassed the whole City, we have only identified these specific locations. While working to abate the nuisances through the use of The City Tree Preservation Ordinance, City crews will continue to monitor public and private properties for EAB infestations throughout the year.

Note to students: If you’re planning on opening a checking account, why not put yourself in the running for a free laptop while also enjoying a grande latte or whatever it is you like to order at Starbucks? Lake Forest Bank & Trust will raffle off a brand new laptop this summer. Until August 13, 2010, college students who open a new checking account will receive a free $10 Starbucks gift card and a raffle ticket for the laptop drawing. The College Checking Account offers great benefits for students who are in need of some financial security. Some benefits are no maintenance fees, a free ATM/Debit card, a no-annual fee credit card, and the ability to have a special transfer savings account, allowing students more flexibility.

Interested community members should visit the Lake Forest Bank & Trust branch locations to hear more details about this new opportunity. A winner will be selected on August 13, 2010.

About Lake Forest Bank & Trust

Lake Forest Bank & Trust is a full service, locally managed community bank. Founded in a storefront in December of 1991, it has grown to employ over 120 people and is now the #1 bank in the local area based on deposits. LFB&T currently has more than $1.5 billion in total assets and is the lead bank of Wintrust Financial Corporation. The several local locations that can serve your banking needs are Highland Park, Highwood, North Chicago, Lake Bluff, West Lake Forest, and downtown Lake Forest.

Originally uploaded by jcrowley001

The weather was great for the Artists On the Bluff  Summer Art Show, which was held Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. on 5 p.m. There were nearly 50 artists exhibiting and selling their work, including paintings, jewelry, drawings, photography and sculpture.

John Crowley stopped by on Saturday and took a bunch of photos of artists at work and art lovers enjoying art, such as the one shown here. For more of John’s Summer Art Show pics, visit his flickr page by clicking here.

To learn  more about Artists on the Bluff, visit its website by clicking here.

Do you have a child who’s looking for something to do this week? Send them to Camp Imagine! This is a fun afternoon camp run by two Lake Forest High School sophomores from 1 to 4 p.m. the week of June 21-25. Water games, arts & Crafts, outdoor games, indoor games, theatrical shows and more. Email Madeleine at maddyjane8@yahoo.com for more information or to sign up. Kids can attend any combination of days, and walk-ins are welcome. The teens ran this camp last year for kids ages 4-10 and it was a big success.

(Age of transparency full disclosure: Adrienne Fawcett’s daughter is one of the camp directors.)