Historic Downtown

Ghost Walk 2015

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Getting ready to haunt the downtown with merchant Meghan Mariani.

Getting ready to haunt the downtown with merchant Meghan Mariani.

It’s the season for all things creepy and spooky. Last night the Long Grove Historical Society joined forces with approx. 50 other merchants, community groups, and resident volunteers to create the 3rd Annual Ghost Walk, and it was a supernatural success! Our historic downtown was overtaken by dancing zombies, living scarecrows, ghosts, ghouls, and several former members of our community who materialized for one night to tell the living their haunted stories of times past. Over 250 members of Long Grove and the surrounding area were scared silly and speaking as one of the ones doing the terrorizing, it was great fun. One cute little three-year-old declared his bravery at the beginning of my first tour of the night, only to grab hold of my hand as soon as we encountered spooky storyteller Tobin Fraley, who told us of the gruesome demise of “Gus” the mechanic. We heard about the flagpole on Towner Green used by real-life gangster Terry Drugan, and “crazy Jake Eisler” appeared once again this year from beyond the grave to menace us with his stick of dynamite. As we made our way to the Long Grove Church’s 1800’s cemetery, the Gravedigger and his “client” warned us of the perils ahead. Across the covered bridge to safety, we made a detour through the haunted trail along the creek, featuring over 50 carved pumpkins and a few demons, zombies, and hockey masked characters brandishing chainsaws. A trip past the spooks at the haunted Historical Society farmhouse, and it was back to the comfort of toasting marshmallows over the fire pit. We even had a “Stay Puft Marshmallow Man” join us–don’t worry, he did keep a safe distance from the flames! My three-year-old victim had a great time (as did so many families who participated) and he did admit that he was “a little bit scared” but could he do it again? Happy Halloween!

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Starting another tour with willing “victims”

 

Invasion of the Scarecrows

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The Gayton family had fun creating one of the scarecrows currently standing guard in our downtown.

The Gayton family had fun creating one of the scarecrows currently standing guard in our downtown.

Several weeks ago the Long Grove Business and Community Partners Organization sponsored a fun family event on Towner Green. With the help of handy volunteers such as John Kopecky and Ryan Messner, adults and kids alike created several dozen unique and creative scarecrows who now stand at watch in our historic downtown. Some have heads made out of gourds, some of plastic pumpkins, others are completely original like the frankenstein face painted on a recycled milk jug. When my husband and I happened on to the stuffing and decorating festivities, one clever young resident suggested that we need a “Village President” scarecrow. Next year I really want to participate in this–ideas are already swirling in my head on what my alter ego should wear and how scary her face will be! These watchful guardians are also going to add some spooky ambiance to the Historical Society’s Ghost Walk this coming Friday night. In the meantime, these temporary harvest-time sentinels bring a smile to my face every time I pass by Towner Green, and are a reminder of Long Grove’s farming past. Will any of these scarecrows come alive during the Ghost Walk? Stay tuned to find out!

 

Breaking Ground and Broken Earth

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At the ground breaking ceremony this past Saturday for the new Primrose School in Long Grove.

At the ground breaking ceremony this past Saturday for the new Primrose School in Long Grove.

This weekend I was excited to take part in two celebrations of new beginnings. A ground breaking ceremony was held for the new Primrose School of Long Grove, to be built at the corner of Rt. 22 and Old McHenry Road, just north of Smokin T’s BBQ. Business owner Jennifer Wierzchon and her family were on hand to mark the occasion and I can testify that the kids had a blast digging and ground truly was broken! Some worms were even unearthed to join the festivities. Primrose School will be a welcome addition to our community and it will offer high-quality early childhood education, overlooking a beautiful natural setting. In our recent community-wide survey residents responded that the quality of education in Long Grove was the feature that most attracted them to our community, followed by the abundance of open space. Primrose School is poised to offer both of these attributes to our young families who have already chosen Long Grove as a great place to raise their children, and to those yet to come in the future. I wish them the best of success!

Following this happy event, I attended a ribbon cutting ceremony at Broken Earth Winery on Robert Parker Coffin Road at the upper level of the Mill Pond Shoppes. Owned by the Forsythe family, this beautiful wine bar offers a California wine tasting experience featuring their own wines originating from the family-owned vineyards in Paso Robles, California. Broken Earth is actually celebrating their one year anniversary, having opened last October but continuing to expand over the past year to add more seating both indoors and out. I can admit to being a regular “taster” of their wines, and this local gathering spot has become a favorite place to relax at the end of a long week. After the ceremonial ribbon was cut, we all raised our glasses in a toast to another year of prosperity and growth in our historic downtown!

 

At the ribbon cutting celebrating the one year anniversary of Broken Earth Winery.

At the ribbon cutting celebrating the one year anniversary of Broken Earth Winery.

Countdown to the Haunting of Downtown

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Our lost cat, answering to the name of Bones, has not been seen since the 2014 Ghost Walk. Will he materialize again this year?

Our lost cat, answering to the name of Bones, has not been seen since the 2014 Ghost Walk. Will he materialize again this year?

This week I attended a planning meeting for the Historical Society’s 3rd Annual Ghost Walk, and the spooks are psyched for another fantastic event this year. When you gather together a group of creative locals who have a love of all things scary and creepy, the Halloween spirit truly comes alive! What started out several years ago as a “Long Grove Lurid Legends” storytelling performance, has evolved into a hauntingly fun family fundraiser involving many diverse community groups. The Ghost Walk features short tales of history and mystery presented by costumed docents and community volunteers. Various historic buildings and locations in our crossroads business district serve as backdrops for the scenes.

As an actor in the skits for the past two years, I can attest to the fun to be had for volunteers and participants alike. The families love the frightful but safe encounters, and we get a kick out of scaring the kids silly. But what I think is truly special about the Ghost Walk is the way the Long Grove community has come together to support and build an event that is a win-win for all. We have more merchants than ever participating this year, and “Crazy Jake Eisler” is materializing again to blow things up in his own special way. In Motion dance studio has a thrilling performance in the works. And rumor has it that the youth group of the Long Grove Community Church has got something spooky planned in front of their atmospheric 1800’s era cemetery. I can’t wait for the haunting to begin!

The Ghost Walk is set for Friday night, October 30th beginning at 7:00 pm in historic downtown Long Grove. To make reservations and for more information (and a hilarious FAQ page) please visit the Long Grove Historical Society website at http://www.longgrovehistory.org/Ghostwalk.html

Apple Fest 2015

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The beloved apple cider donuts made a return appearance to Long Grove this past weekend.

The beloved apple cider donuts made a return appearance to Long Grove this past weekend.

For the past three years, I have made a determined effort to eat healthier, and I have tried to avoid the types of bakery items that you see pictured above. However, the Long Grove Confectionery’s locally famous apple cider donuts are only available one time a year, so I allowed myself to have one. Well, maybe more than one (lets just say several) of these cinnamon-sugary balls of deliciousness were consumed, and I was not the only one indulging!

Apple Fest once again graced the historic cross roads of Long Grove this weekend, and it was a perfect excuse to get out and enjoy the beautiful autumn weather. Many others felt the same, based on the large number of festival attendees I saw on Saturday. The Kids Zone on Towner Green was packed with squealing, happy youngsters tossing beanbags, climbing hay bales, and chasing ethereal pieces of whimsy conjured up by the “Bubble Man.” I received a complimentary apple-scented soy candle with the purchase of my pretty new necklace, and who doesn’t just love getting something for free?  Every merchant that I talked with was upbeat and had a smile on their face:  Craig, Tobin, Rachel, Maggie, Pam, Ryan, John, Matt & Meghan–just to name a few. We stayed into the evening to take in some of the great music and an added plus was running into some neighbors and getting the chance to catch up. It was altogether an enjoyable experience.

But let’s get back to the important thing–the food! Besides the aforementioned donuts, apples were consumed in the form of caramel apples, apple martinis, and apple sangria.  And I must say it was worth the splurge. Today I’m back on the healthy eating bandwagon, with gratifying apple-tinged memories to carry me through until next year.

The covered bridge stage featured the band "Infinity" along with the debut of our new festival welcome sign.

The covered bridge stage featured the band “Infinity” along with the debut of our new festival welcome sign.

The Black Unicorn

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Long Grove resident and Chicago Bears player Martellus Bennett with two young fans at the Chatterbox.

Long Grove resident and Chicago Bears player Martellus Bennett with two young fans at the Chatterbox.

I have had the opportunity to meet some very fun and unique individuals since becoming Village President, and one of those is Long Grove resident Martellus Bennett, a player for the Chicago Bears. I first met Martellus at one of our local restaurants, the Chatterbox, where he often drops in with his wife and daughter. The self-professed “Black Unicorn” has been collaborating with Chatterbox chef Matt Bassitt over the summer on a signature burger that reflects aspects of his eccentric personality. I was lucky enough to be present this past Friday here in Long Grove for the official launch of The Black Unicorn burger.

Martellus wanted to create a burger so big that most people couldn’t finish it. It features bison meat (big and lean like the athlete he is) and dinosaur kale as a nod to his other nickname “The Orange Dinosaur.” Add to that green tomatoes and Cajun cheddar (in homage to his Southern roots), thick slices of smoked bacon, onion rings, and barbeque sauce made with Crown Royal, a favorite drink. According to chef Bassitt, “Everything on the burger has sweetness, but is still a little spicy. We wanted to show (Bennett’s) two sides. He’s a nice guy, but he has a fire to him.”

I must confess that I could not eat the whole thing, but it was delicious! Only 83 burgers were sold on Friday, in reference to Bennett’s number 83 jersey. The player himself was on hand to greet customers and sign footballs for young fans sampling his latest creation. Personally, it was a fun evening spent with friends and neighbors in one of Long Grove’s best gathering spots. And thanks to The Black Unicorn burger, we have one more great reason to visit!

Residents Charlie Wachs and Aaron Underwood prepare to sample The Black Unicorn burger.

Residents Charlie Wachs and Aaron Underwood prepare to sample The Black Unicorn burger.

 

All Our Ducks in a Row

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Outside the Long Grove Info Center with LGBCP Director Sharon Fine

Outside the Long Grove Info Center with LGBCP Director Sharon Fine

This summer Long Grove has given a temporary home to some cute and colorful visitors to our downtown “Visitors’ Center” at the crossroads. The giant yellow duckies pictured above have been lined up to provide a friendly and welcoming spot for a photo opportunity. The Long Grove Confectionery was doing a little spring cleaning this year, and these lucky-ducks ended up being adopted by the downtown merchants instead of waddling off to the landfill. If nothing else, they bring a welcome smile to my face when I cruise through town.

What is our Visitors’ Center used for anyway? Well, it serves as a home base, office, and upstairs meeting room for the Long Grove Business and Community Partners (LGBCP). This summer marks two years that the group has been at this location on the main crossroads of Old McHenry Road and Robert Parker Coffin Road.  Director Sharon Fine and her assistant Dana keep our historic business district running from day to day, help promote tourism and economic development, and play a major part in planning and organizing the festivals and special events that Long Grove is known for. And of course they provide a cheerful welcome to the many shoppers and visitors who stop by on a regular basis. It surprised me to learn that we have so many international tourists and visitors who make the trip out to our part of Lake County. This is also the spot to pick up a piece of Long Grove merchandise–who doesn’t need more coffee mugs?

If the ducks stick around into the fall, can we dress them up as scarecrows? I definitely suggest Santa suits if they make it to the holidays!

Tapping Into the Future–Part 1

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Village Board Members at work on July 14, 2015

Village Board Members at work on July 14, 2015

Village Hall is undergoing some minor renovations this month, and our Engineering Firm, Gewalt Hamilton and Associates, was kind enough to host the Village Board meeting last night. One major piece of business we accomplished was the approval of an engineering proposal from GHA for the design of the extension of our village public water system. Currently, the village-owned deep well near Sunset Foods only serves the businesses in Sunset Grove Plaza, and last night’s action set into motion the ability for that system to serve the entire historic downtown. Work is also progressing towards a connection to Lake Michigan water through the Northwest Water Commission, which will have the capacity to be delivered through this downtown watermain loop. Expansion of our municipal water system is key to opening the flow of economic development in our downtown, and the Village is working hard to enable several new opportunities to develop.

Harbor Chase Senior Living is set to begin demolition soon of the old Midwest Bank building, and completion of this development is planned for February of 2017. They will be a major user of the newly expanded water system, and are contributing towards the cost of installation. In addition, this development will bring much needed revenue into the TIF district. The costs of the expansion are being born by the developers and users, not the residents. The Village expects to close soon on the sale of the Archer building pads, and the expected development of these lots will be for restaurant use, which is heavily dependent on water. Our existing downtown businesses and restaurants will be able to connect to the new water lines, bringing better quality. And most exciting to consider is the opportunity that a resident is exploring, to relocate a well-established craft beer brewery from the city of Chicago to Long Grove. The revitalization that this new addition to our downtown could bring is significant, and the Board is collaborating to help make this a reality. In addition to spurring economic development, our enhanced water system will provide added capacity for fire fighting. The stage is set for our downtown taps to soon be able to dispense higher quality deep well water, eventual Lake Michigan water, and craft beer brewed locally in our historic downtown. If these goals can all be accomplished, a flood of new possibilities for Long Grove awaits.

Long Grove’s Hollywood Moment

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Meeting host Anthony Anderson at the filming of "Eating America" in 2014.

Meeting host Anthony Anderson at the filming of “Eating America” in 2014.

Last Friday I attended a meeting of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus in Chicago, and Mayor Rahm Emmanuel was one of our speakers. I noticed that he travels with a media representative and photographer, which is thankfully not a part of my everyday job! I did, however have a fun opportunity to be filmed last summer during Long Grove’s Strawberry Fest as part of the Food Network show, “Eating America.”

I truly never thought my degree in Foods/Nutrition Dietetics would come in handy in my role as Village President, until I received an email from a Hollywood producer. They were interested in featuring our Strawberry Festival as one of eight unique American food festivals in their new series, to be hosted by actor Anthony Anderson, star of TV’s “Blackish.” Would I be interested in being a judge of the culinary contest? It was a tough job assignment, but I guess somebody needed to do it!

Spending the afternoon with a film crew from Los Angeles was surprisingly easy. They were very complimentary of our Village and the people they had met. I heard time and again that they were delighted that “everyone is so friendly, cooperative, helpful, and most importantly, on time.” I was especially impressed with the camaraderie I saw exhibited by our local chefs and restauranteurs. In a spirit of friendly competition, they really rose to the challenge of creating unique dishes featuring strawberries as a key ingredient. Providing expertise to the judging was the executive chef from the acclaimed Chicago restaurant TRU, and the head of the Chicago Food Bloggers. We were tasked with picking an overall winner in items as diverse as Strawberry Ricotta Ravioli, Strawberry-Watercress Soup, and Strawberry Macaroons. It was a delicious but difficult decision! The trophy for the winning dish went to Adam Ullrich from the Village Tavern for his Shaved Beef Sandwich with Strawberry Salsa.

The series debuted in August of last year, and our Long Grove episode aired in early September. It was a kick to watch and the show really showcased Long Grove in a great way. This kind of media exposure is priceless and was a lucky break for our Village. My screen time amounted to a few seconds here and there, but it created one of the most memorable experiences so far in holding this office. And if the Food Network comes calling again for Apple Fest…I am ready and willing!

 

Summer Concert Series Kickoff

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The 2015 Long Grove Sunday Concert Series Opened on July 5th

The 2015 Long Grove Sunday Concert Series Opened on July 5th

The Long Grove Arts and Music Council marks its 10th Anniversary this year. For the past decade, our Village has been the lucky recipient of free Sunday afternoon concerts held for all to enjoy in our historic downtown. From their humble beginnings in the summer of 2006, the volunteers who make up the Arts & Music Council have grown the organization into a 501(c)3 not-for-profit which relies exclusively on donations from members of the community. The summer music series has expanded to feature eight concerts in July and August, featuring a diverse array of quality artistic talent in styles such as Bluegrass, Folk, Classical, Harmonica, and Blues. The first concerts were held at the gazebo in Buffalo Creek Park, and when the need for more space became apparent they moved over to Towner Green. When Sunset Pavilion was built in 2011 the concerts moved again to Fountain Square, and this year the venue has returned back to the lovely Towner Green. An added bonus this year is the new wine bar, “UnWined” just opened in the Victorian house at the end of Towner Green. Residents and visitors can bring a picnic and enjoy a glass of wine or other favorite beverage while soaking in the sights and sounds of a summer concert in the open air. It’s like a mini Ravinia-style experience in our own downtown!

These hometown concerts are one of the things that I have grown to love best about summer in Long Grove. The music is top-notch, the weather is almost always pleasant, and it is supremely relaxing to be downtown among friends and neighbors. This Sunday I was reminded again how fortunate we are in our community to have individuals who work year after year, to create this kind of cultural enrichment for us all. This is truly a community effort, as it takes financial support from merchants, the Lions Club, the Village, and generous residents for this concert series to happen. It was a beautiful day for the kickoff event, and Grammy Award winning harmonica player Howard Levy did not disappoint. You have seven more opportunities this summer for a slice of bliss, free of charge, Sundays at 4:00 in Towner Green. Don’t miss out!

Arts & Music Council Board Members (L to R) Jane Primack, Carolyn Denaro and Walter Roth help sell friendship bread at the concert.

Arts & Music Council Board Members (L to R) Jane Primack, Carolyn Denaro and Walter Roth help sell friendship bread at the concert.