By Judy Nickels of the Lake Forest Library

Beginning April 11, DVDs will be available from a fully automated, self-service dispensing system located inside the Metra Train Station at 911 S. Telegraph Road in Lake Forest.

Called DVD2GO, the unit can hold up to 1,500 items, featuring the most popular titles currently in demand by the library’s patrons. This new service is only available to holders of a valid Lake Forest Library card. Like the Lake Forest Library DVD collection, the checkout period is three days, up to three items can be checked out at one time on an individual card, and the overdue fine is $1.00 per day.

There are some important differences between Lake Forest Library checkouts and DVD2GO.

• You must use the same library card both to check out and check in the DVDs, and you can only do this during the hours the train station is open. Everyone using the service is urged to plan in advance to avoid overdue fines – you cannot return DVD2GO items in the AV or book drops!
• You can place a reserve on available DVD2GO items from your computer up to 12 hours in advance of pickup; DVDs in the Lake Forest Library collection cannot be reserved.

When you search the Library catalog for movies, you will see a separate listing for items in DVD2GO, and you will be prompted to click on www.DVD2GO.lakeforestlibrary.org to use the service. You can also search the screen right on the DVD2GO unit in the train station to choose a movie.

The Metra Train Station on Telegraph Road is open 5:30 am – 8:00 pm, Monday – Friday; 5:30 am – 6:00 pm, Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays.

By Matt Womack, Director of the Lake Bluff Public Library

The Lake Bluff Public Library’s renovation project will begin on Monday, April 4th. This renovation has been in the works for many years and will make important improvements to the library. Among the major new features will be new carpeting; improved lighting; more space for seating and laptop computer use; a better layout for materials; and more efficient staff workspace. The project is expected to be completed by the end of June 2011.

The library will be open during most of the project. April 11-22 will be a bit noisy during the most intensive part of the construction. Below are the key milestones for April.

• April 4: Move the Fiction shelves from along the brick wall on the library’s main floor
• April 11-22: Construct a new entry along the wall in the shared corridor with the Vliet Museum
• April 25: Move the checkout desk, public computers, and staff work area into temporary space downstairs

May and June will see remodeling work at the checkout desk, staff area, and computer lab, in addition to improvements on the second floor.

Check for photos and additional renovation updates at www.lakeblufflibrary.org.

49th Annual Mother’s Day Plant Sale Is May 7 In Village Green

Member of both the Lake Bluff Garden Club and Artists on the Bluff, local artist Pat Falligant, left, presented the club's raffle chairman Marty Anderson with one of her paintings for the Garden Market raffle. Anderson reported that businesses are generously supporting the raffle, as were club members.

By Veva Schreiber of the Lake Bluff Garden Club

Mother Nature has been dragging her feet. Spring is barely underway, but gardeners are incurable optimists. They know that although spring is not in full swing, warm days and sleeping plants will soon beckon us.

Gardeners with overgrown gardens and builders with construction sites that need to be cleared, are urged to recycle any extra plants. Emphasis again this year will be on expanding the donated plant section. Plants that have flourished in this area are extremely popular. Wise gardeners know that when perennials, wildflowers, hostas and blue bells outgrow their space, it’s because they thrive in our local weather and soil conditions.

Anyone having plants to spare may contact Mary Gustafson at 847-7311-3585 for further information and to schedule a digging and/or pick up date. Donors may prefer to dig plants themselves. Club members will pick them up and ready plants for the sale. After recycling your extra plants, thus freeing up some space, those new varieties which tempted you at the nursery will likely find a new home. Yours.

Meanwhile the Lake Bluff Garden Club is THINKING GARDEN MARKET! Committees have been meeting. Diggers have taken out their spades. Posters are being printed and pre-order blanks are ready to mail.
Raffle prizes are being received from friends and businesses. Those environmentally friendly Praying Mantis have been ordered and will once again be available at the sale for pest control.

For nearly 50 years profits from the plant sale have been used for Lake Bluff projects.

Editor’s note: This Reader Forum article was written and submitted by Angelo Tanna of Lake Bluff. Reader Forum articles represent the writer’s opinions and not necessarily those of GazeboNews. Please note: GazeboNews is not publishing comments on candidate articles in the Reader Forum. This applies only to candidate articles–we encourage you to comment and respond to Reader Forum articles that focus on issues (but please include your full name). Click here to read the GazeboNews comments and Reader Forum policies.

By Angelo Tanna of Lake Bluff

For the past five years, Kate Amaral has worked tirelessly on our behalf for the benefit of our schools and students through service on the PTO. She is currently PTO president and has thorough knowledge of the inner-workings of Lake Bluff Schools. She shares the values of the vast majority in our community in seeking creative, cost-conscious solutions to maintain excellence in education. This mindset will be all the more important given the declining tax base due to reduced property values. Kate Amaral is ideally suited to serve on the Board of Education and the entire community will benefit if she is elected.

True North Brass will perform at The Church of the Holy Spirit's Music In The Nave series

True North Brass, the critically acclaimed Canadian brass ensemble, will perform 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10, at The Church of the Holy Spirit as the 2011 Music in the Nave series continues.

“The program will include a variety of musical traditions that range from classical and traditional folk music to original compositions developed by the quintet’s two composers/arrangers,” according to Don Horisberger, Holy Spirit’s choirmaster and organist.

True North Brass has been featured at a number of prestigious musical venues, including the International Brass Symposium in Atlanta; the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Banff, Alberta; and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. The quintet has also performed masterclasses and recitals at the Boston and New England Conservatories.

Proudly Canadian in focus and expression with an international outlook, True North Brass performs throughout North America and elsewhere.

All concerts begin 4 p.m. at The Church of the Holy Spirit, 400 East Westminster Road, Lake Forest, Illinois. The church is located one block east of the Lake Forest train station on the Metra Union Pacific North Line.
The 2011 Music in the Nave program will conclude Sunday, May 1, with a performance by the Russian vocal ensemble Lyra.

Music in the Nave performances are free of charge, with free-will offerings accepted. For more information, visit the Holy Spirit website at www.chslf.org or contact Don Horisberger at 847-234-7633, ext. 19.

Submitted by the Max Schewitz Foundation

Lake Bluff, Ill. (March 28, 2011)–The Max Schewitz Foundation recently wrapped up its 2010-2011 Screens for Teens bringing the total number of high school students who have received free EKG’s to more than 18,300. Of those, 238 required further medical evaluation.

“So many young people die needlessly from sudden cardiac death each year,” said Mary Beth Schewitz, executive director of the Foundation. “We, like the rest of the nation, were horrified by the tragic deaths of Wes Leonard and several other high school athletes this past month. It’s especially heartbreaking since we know a simply, non-invasive EKG can detect many abnormalities and prevent some of these deaths.”

Screens for Teens, the Foundation’s school-wide EKG screening program, is administered by trained parent volunteers and the EKGs are interpreted by Dr. Eli Lavie, of NorthShore Cardiology and Medical Director of the Max Schewitz Foundation.

The Max Schewitz Foundation hopes EKG tests will become a part of students’ routine physical exams in the United States. Until then, they will continue to provide cardiac tests to young adults and expect to offer tests to more than 20,000 students in the 2011-2012 school year.

The Foundation’s annual fundraiser, the Maxtravaganza, is slated for June 18 and is the primary funding source for all testing. The public is invited to attend and can buy tickets on the website: www.screensforteens.org.

About The Max Schewitz Foundation
Based in Lake Bluff, Ill., The Max Schewitz Foundation’s dual missions reflect Max’s life and death. His parents and family friends started the Foundation in 2005 after 20-year-old Max died suddenly from a cardiac arrhythmia. The Foundation works to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people and to promote conservation of fragile reptile species and their ecosystems. To date, more than 18,300 high school students have received free EKG testing from the Foundation. 238 failed their test, but what they learned may have saved their lives. To learn more, call Mary Beth Schewitz at (847) 234-2206 or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Submitted by the artists

DREAMWEAVER
Exploring the Marriage of Text and Music in Performance

Lily Holt Reid Memorial Chapel – April 4th at 7:30 pm
500 N. Sheridan Road,
Lake Forest, IL 60045

The Dreamweaver performance is a collaboration between two graduating seniors from Lake Forest College. The event will showcase individual contributions from each artist as well as a world-premiere performance of Dreamweaver, a new choral work with music by Emily Hilgenberg, text by Karen Larson, and performed by the Lake Forest College Mixed Metaphors, under the direction of Mariana Garciagodoy. The theme of the event is the marriage of text and music, and the inspiration that arises from that union.

 Emily Hilgenberg will premiere several new works for electronica, as well as Dreamweaver, an evocative choral setting of Karen Larson’s colorful poem collection. Mariana Garciagodoy will be directing the Lake Forest College Mixed Metaphors; her passionate conducting will breathe life into not only the world-premiere of Dreamweaver, but also time-honored works such as Four Songs to Poems of Thomas Campion by Virgil Thomson.

Dreamweaver, Sing! – Lily Holt Reid Memorial Chapel, Monday Apr. 4th, 7:30 pm
Free Admission – join us after the performance for a reception!

Submitted by the Women’s Health Advisory Council of the Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Women’s Board

Lake Forest, Ill. – The Women’s Health Advisory Council will host its signature event, “House Calls,” bringing to the community an intimate night of discussion on a broad range of healthcare topics. Five physician presenters will offer advice and provide a unique view into the healthcare industry.

The event will be held on Saturday, April 16 at 300 N. Green Bay Road in Lake Forest. Participants will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeurves while partaking in a lively panel discussion with the featured physicians, including a question and answer session. Each guest will also choose one pertinent small-group discussion to attend, where there will be even more opportunity for conversation with the doctors.

“House Calls brings community members and their doctors closer together,” said event co-chair, Krina Huddlestun. “Where else can you enjoy a meal with your local physicians and talk and ask questions outside of the structured setting of a medical office?”

The event originated as a way to give the public access to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital physicians in a setting that fosters informal discussion on healthcare and overall wellness. The event has expanded to incorporate several clinical partners of Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital.

The discussion topics vary from year to year. This year’s topics include:

Acute Stroke: Warning Signs and Advancements in Treatment, Michael Peters, MD
Metabolic Health to Prevent Heart Disease and Diabetes: What We’ve Learned that Can Make a Difference, Neil Stone, MD
Supportive Oncology: Enhancing Wellness, Dignity and Survivorship, Steven Rosen, MD
Understanding Palliative Care: Relief and Support for Aging Parents and Their Families, Martha Twaddle, MD
Ask Your Pediatrician, Michael Bauer, MD

The array of small group topics was chosen to suit the interests of all attendees. “Our goal is to bring the community together, men and women alike, to talk about important health issues we might not otherwise discuss,” said Huddlestun.

The Women’s Health Advisory Council is a volunteer board comprised of women from the Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital community. Its mission is to promote the importance of health issues through educational events and activities.

Event tickets are $110 per person or $800 per table. Those interested in attending must RSVP to the Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Office of Philanthropy either by phone at 847.535.6111 or online at lfh.org/philanthropy.

# # #

About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare

Northwestern [...]

Editor’s note: This Reader Forum article was written and submitted by Beth Coughlin. Reader Forum articles represent the writer’s opinions and not necessarily those of GazeboNews. Please note: GazeboNews is not publishing comments on candidate articles in the Reader Forum. This change in policy applies only to candidate articles–we encourage you to comment and respond to Reader Forum articles that focus on issues (but please include your full name).

March 23, 2011

To the Editor:

Nicki Snoblin has been a highly effective member of the District 115 Board of Education for the past four years. With the economic challenges facing our schools and the inevitable changes that hiring a new superintendent will bring, I think it is critical to re-elect Nicki, who has shown a passion for the education of our young people and the ability to think critically about the issues that face us.

I have known Nicki for over 18 years, since our two eldest children were in 3rd grade. I have worked with her in educational settings many times over these years: as parents in classrooms, on the Lake Bluff PTO Board, as a member of the LFHS Applause Board that she chaired, and as a community member of the LFHS Education Committee where she is a Board representative. As a parent, Nicki has been actively involved in all the District 65 and 115 schools her two children attended. As a member of the LFHS Board of Education, Nicki has consistently stood for the best interests of all the students of Lake Forest High School. As a small business owner in our community, Nicki is keenly aware of the preparation that LFHS students need to be successful in college and beyond. A skilled communicator, Nicki is a consensus builder and is very protective of the interests of all the stakeholders of LFHS. I believe that Nicki Snoblin is the ideal person to represent all of us on the LFHS Board of Education.

Beth Coughlin

Deer Path Art League is planning a new exhibit called Spring Flowers, which begins April 15 with an Opening Reception from 5 to 8 p.m. at the League’s gallery in the Gorton Community Center. The community is invited to enjoy complimentary wine and cheese while viewing work from featured artists:

• Anne Gary – Porcelain Pottery
• Kitty Sturrock – Watercolor
• David Roth – Photography
• Phyllis Churbuck – Acrylic
• Diane Rath – Prints
• Erin Klein – Jewelry

Of Special Note: Diane Rath, one of the Art League’s favorite artists and long-running exhibitor at Art Fair on the Square, is undergoing treatment for a serious illness. Please join Deer Path Art League in helping her surmount the medical costs by considering the purchase of one of her popular floral prints. All proceeds from the sale of Diane’s work during this exhibit will go directly to her.

Spring Flowers will be on display from April 15-May 25. The Gallery is open M-F, 10 am- 4 pm. Saturdays by appointment.

Deer Path Art League & Gallery 400 E. Illinois Rd. Lake Forest, IL 60045 847-234-3743
info@deerpathartleague.org www.deerpathartleague.org