Buffalo Grove, IL – The Canadian National Railroad has informed the Lake County Division of Transportation of its intention to close the railroad crossing on Aptakisic Road, Lake County Route A- 44, for scheduled repairs. The closure of the crossing will be begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 2, 2011 and last approximately five days. Aptakisic Road should reopen for thru traffic in the evening of Friday, May 6, 2011.

Closure: May 2 – May 6
Detour Route:

The signed detour route for this closure will be Weiland Road, Lake County Route W-17, to Deerfield Parkway, Lake County Route A-47, to Illinois Route 21/U.S. Route 45, Milwaukee Avenue.
News Release and Detour Map

For more information on the project or other construction projects in Lake County, go to www.lakecountyil.gov/Transportation. For Real Time Traffic Information, tune into 1620 AM or check www.lakecountypassage.com.

Submitted by the Speak Up! Coalition

Lake Forest and Lake Bluff Police in partnership with the Speak Up! Prevention Coalition are participating in the nationwide prescription drug take back initiative. Residents are encouraged to gather up their expired, left over, or otherwise unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs and dispose of them in the collection boxes located in the foyers of both the Lake Bluff and Lake Forest Police stations. The collection boxes are open year round, 24/7, and medication is accepted from community residents – no questions asked.

Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic levels across the nation. Private homes are the #1 source of these medications for youth and adults who abuse them. People often go into homes they visit or relatives’ homes where they find supplies of prescription drugs readily available in cabinets. Individuals also share their prescriptions with others. Those holding open houses to sell their homes and remodelers who have unfamiliar contractors in their homes may also unknowingly have their cabinets raided.

The Speak Up! Prevention Coalition encourages residents to remove all excess or left over prescription drugs from their homes to prevent them from ending up in the hands of our teens. Drugs should be safely disposed of at a collection site rather than placed in the trash or flushed down sinks and toilets into the water supply. www.speakuplflb.com

Photos by Cyn Sansing Mycoskie of www.cynimage.com

Fourth and fifth graders from Lake Forest Country Day School and Lake Bluff Elementary School traveled to Highwood and Waukegan on Thursday, April 28, to help with the Lake County Cares “Reading Buddy” program. The students were paired as reading mentors with third graders from Oak Terrace Elementary School in Highwood and Clearview Elementary School in Waukegan.

Lake Forest High School Theatre presents…
Footloose
April 28, 29 & 30, 2011
7:30pm
Raymond Moore Auditorium

Lake Forest High School Theatre invites you and your family to come and enjoy our spring musical, Footloose. Nearly 100 students in the cast, crew, and orchestra have been working since early February to put together this fun and exciting production, which is of course based on the 1984 smash hit movie. Called “one of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory,” Footloose tells the story of big city teenager Ren and his mother, who move from Chicago to a small farming town where the local preacher has instituted a ban on dancing. As the official synopsis states, “When the reverend’s rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren’s reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid. The heartfelt story that emerges is of a father longing for the son he lost and of a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. With its Oscar and Tony-nominated top 40 score, FOOTLOOSE celebrates the wisdom of youth. Audiences will love the familiar story and the iconic songs, and the LFHS theatre students will have everyone kicking off their Sunday shoes.

Cast, Crew & Orchestra
Rory Connolly, Emily Neuberger, James Schmid, Kelsey Kolasa, Katherine Wetterman, Jori Lynn Richman, Alex Levin, Matthew Terry, Hannah Gersten, Erica Werner, Emma Stockert, Carlie Passalino, Colin Seikel, Billy Yeo, Alex Kroger, Bonamico Jacobs, Katie Moss, Ross Kugman, Liza Passalino, Carter Grieve, Sammy Dolgin, Max Elisman, Andrew Piechota, Olivia Passalino, Anna Backer, Cassidy Lenstrom, Molly Carr, Grace Duffy, Megan Howe, Aimee Ihlenfeld, Lily An, Mollie Blahunka, Lia Donovan, Kristen Holdsworth, Britton Jenkins, Sally Lape, Dan Lewis, Alexandra McJohn, Mac Myles, Sara Ransom, Courtney Theo, Andrew Trendai, Mari Uchida, Martha Walker, Charlie Allen, Michele Becker, Kyra Burke, Kayla Higbee, Madison Pepper, J.P. Pickell, Connor Santee, Steven Schur, Matt Bleck, Iain Brearton, Tim Wong, Michael Rohrs, Katie Hershberger, Joseph Aquino, Jonathan Flusser, Rachael Penn, Alyssa Loiacano, Alex Zylka, Greg Reinert, Chris Alaimo, Jenny Alaimo, Grant Alex, Chris Turansick, Allegra Levin, Kirsten Vold, Jessica Andersen, Gianna Emme, Christian Frechette, Maggie Kennelly, Brett Pepowski, Celia Lown, Kelsey MacAfee, Jennifer Waldec, Eshwar Nandem, Karsten Neumeister, Henry Grob, Hannah Hart, Grace Demet, Jason Fleisner, Elyce [...]

Submitted by Lake Forest High School’s communication department

This painting by Mark McMahon represents LFHS through the decades

Please join Lake Forest High School for a celebration of 
75 years of excellence in education on Sunday, May 1, at the Community Open House, which is being hosted at LFHS East Campus, 1285 N. McKinley Road, Lake Forest, IL from 
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

Guests will have the opportunity to experience a student-led guided tour to learn more about the resources that are available to students at LFHS and to see first-hand how LFHS students are being prepared for a successful future.

The “Echoes in the Halls” project will be on display. 
Lake Forest High School has asked alumni to share their memories and stories. Oral histories, photos, newspaper clippings and memorabilia will be on display so community members can see how much has changed and improved over the years to prepare this next generation for our ever-changing world.

The Lake Forest High School Foundation will be offering a special Mark McMahon painting to Commemorate LFHS 75th Anniversary “Kids and Cars ­ A Classic Reunion.” It will be on display for purchase. 

Community members and LFHS Alumni are encouraged to sign up for the latest E-news from LFHS by visiting www.lfhs.org and registering for “sign up for E-Newsletter” which can be found on the homepage.

Summer will be here any minute…do you know where your teenager is working? Unfortunately, there’s not an abundance of available summer jobs. At the Lake Bluff Park District, for example, half of the kids who applied for employment at the Blair Park pool were turned away.

First-time applicants were at a particular disadvantage because many previous employees wanted their old jobs back: New hires accounted for just 19 out of the Park District’s nearly 100 applicants.

But even though the job market is scarce and competitive, there is work out there–both in existing jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities. GazeboNews wants to help, so we’ve started two new features:

–“Local Jobs” section. This organizes all of the local job postings onto one GazeboNews page. So far, we’ve got the RSS feed from Craigslist’s Lake County postings, and we’re hoping to include other job boards. Visit “Local Jobs” in the GazeboNews navigation bar.

–Calling all student entrepreneurs: If you’ve started a seasonal business or service, we invite you to promote it on GazeboNews for free. We want to share your ideas with the community while also giving you the opportunity to attract new business and get some experience marketing your product or service. Send us a story and at least one square-ish photo (342 x 256 pixels) or logo and we will include your promotion in the GazeboNews Business Bulletins section on our home page. The story can be whatever length you choose (but short is generally better) and you can include several photos and even video if you would like.

Lyra, the award-winning Russian vocal ensemble, will perform 4 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at The Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, IL. The concert, free and open to the public, is part of Holy Spirit’s Music in the Nave concert series. Lyra’s program will feature traditional Russian folk music
arrangements as well as classical selections, including church music.

LAKE FOREST, IL — Lyra, the award-winning Russian vocal ensemble, will
perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at The Church of the Holy Spirit as the
church concludes its 2011 Music in the Nave series.

The program will feature traditional Russian folk music arrangements
as well as classical selections, including church music, according to Don
Horisberger, Holy Spirit’s choirmaster and organist.

Established in 1994, the St. Petersburg-based ensemble has played a
major role in popularizing Russian choir music while exposing the country’s
traditional musical heritage. Lyra’s diverse creative interests range from
ancient church music to Tchaikovsky and other modern composers as well as
folk songs.

Most of Lyra’s members are students or postgraduates of Saint
Petersburg Conservatoire, working in different choirs of Saint Petersburg.
The group has received a number of awards, including the Montreux
(Switzerland) international choral festival diploma and the Coleraine
International Choral Festival (Northern Ireland).

The Church of the Holy Spirit, 400 East Westminster Road, is located
one block east of the Lake Forest train station on the Metra Union Pacific
North Line.

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.

By Peggy Jadwin, mom

Dust off your saddle shoes and break out the hair cream! It’s 1958 and teen singing swoon-sation Conrad Birdie has been drafted into the Army. But first he’s going to kiss Sweet Apple, Ohio sweetie Kim good-bye and single-handedly save Almaelou Music from bankruptcy by singing Albert’s new song on the Ed Sullivan Show! It’s the musical Bye, Bye Birdie as presented by Deerpath Middle School ’s Brainstormers on Thursday, April 28 and Friday, April 29 at 7:00 pm.

Several of the show’s songs have become classics: “Put on a Happy Face”, “A Lot of Livin’ to Do”, “Kids”, and “The Telephone Hour”. Fifty 5th-8th graders have been rockin’ and rollin’ over the past three months, preparing songs and dance numbers, sets and costumes. Ben Gray, Jean Hersey, and Deb Smith, all Deerpath Middle School music and drama teachers, direct the production. An additional 10 students help out with technical, lighting, and stage work, under the guidance of Christi Geidner, also a Deerpath Middle School drama teacher. Ben Gray also directs the pit orchestra and Pamela Gaul choreographed the show.

Tickets are $7 and available at DPM East and DPM West’s offices, or at the door. Friday’s show usually sells out, so people are advised to get them ahead of time.

Questions?
Deb Smith
Deerpath Middle School
dsmith@lfschools.net

Lake Forest’s Wildlife Discovery Center

Bobcat: Master of Survival
Saturday, April 30, 2011
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Wildlife Discovery Center
1401 Middlefork Drive
Lake Forest, IL 60045
$12 per person
$8 for Wildlife Discovery Center Members
Tickets can be purchased at: www.LFRec.com

bobcat

While half the wildcat species worldwide are in danger, the bobcat is thriving, even expanding its range in North America. Join Kevin Hansen, wildlife biologist, park ranger and writer for a presentation on why bobcats are flourishing when so many other wild felines are in trouble. Come learn why this adaptable little predator is truly a master of survival.

Kevin Hansen is a recognized authority on the natural history and management of mountain lions and bobcats. He has lectured at over 500 venues, including the California Academy of Sciences, University of Colorado, Grand Canyon National Park, Rio Grande Nature Center, San Diego Natural History Museum, University of Texas and the Phoenix Zoo. He has studied birds of prey in Oregon, feral burros in Death Valley, and alligators in the Florida Everglades. As a ranger he has given over 3,500 presentations on subjects ranging from fire ecology to whales. Mr. Hansen is the author of Bobcat: Master of Survival, a definitive book on the natural history and management of bobcats in North America. He also authored Cougar: The American Lion, a seminal book on the biology and behavior of mountain lions.

There will be opportunities for questions and answers after the program.
For more information visit www.wildlifediscoverycenter.org or contact Rob Carmichael, Curator, Wildlife Discovery Center at carmichr@cityoflakeforest.com. The Wildlife Discovery Center is a department of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation.

Submitted by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Waukegan, Illinois – April 27 ,2011 – This month, Sheriff Mark Curran launched a new program called OffenderWatch on the Sheriff’s Office Web Site, www.lakecountyil.gov/sheriff

Sheriff Curran announced that the new OffenderWatch program will make it easier for the good people of Lake County to keep track of Sex Offenders in their area. The program will do so by providing easy to use Internet Access to see where Sex Offenders and Sexual Predators live.

By logging onto www.lakecountyil.gov/sheriff and locating the “Sex Offender List”, citizens can type in any unincorporated Lake County address to see where registered sex offenders and predators live. A map displaying sex offenders and predators within a 2-mile radius of the address entered will appear along with their residential address. By scrolling down to the bottom of the page, citizens can match the number of a sex offender or predator on the map with a name and address. If a citizen wants more information, they can simply click on the individual’s name.

“I am excited about this new program as I believe it truly is a step up in safety and security for the children of Lake County,” said Sheriff Mark Curran. “We are doing the best we can, given the economy and budgetary concerns, to keep up with technology and provide the citizens of Lake County with quality service.”

The OffenderWatch program is also equipped with an Email Notification System. Citizens can click on the “Register for Email Alerts” icon and sign up (at no cost) to receive email alerts advising of sexual offenders and predators moving into their area and other important crime related information.

Citizens wishing to familiarize themselves with more detail about the OffenderWatch program are welcome to review an on-line presentation by clicking on the “Sex Offender Registration List” and scrolling down to and clicking on the View or Download Lake County II Sheriff’s Office Presentation link.

For further details regarding the OffenderWatch program, please contact Sheriff’s Office IT Specialist Jeffrey Burklin at JBurklin@lakecountyil.gov