Historic Business District

Fantastic Fannie Farmer

angie
John Kopecky (seated) introduces Aaron Underwood to Fannie, pictured outside of John's store The Country House.

John Kopecky (seated) introduces Historical Society President Aaron Underwood to Fannie, pictured outside of John’s store The Country House.

It seems we have a lady-about-town causing quite a sensation. Meet Fannie Farmer, the newest addition to our Historic Downtown Long Grove Association. Born in 1942, Fannie is a vintage McCormick Farmall tractor in a flashy shade of red, fully restored and operational. Downtown merchants John Kopecky and Matt Potempa recently acquired Fannie from a farm sale up in Woodstock, Illinois and introduced her to to her new home in Long Grove where she will strut her stuff during the various festivals. Fannie’s inaugural debut will be escorting visitors around town on wagon rides during our upcoming Vintage Days Festival, August 20th and 21st.

New this year, Vintage Days will feature music, shopping, and assorted vendors with a flavor of the past. The Long Grove Community Church is offering an old fashioned ice cream social and outdoor services near the Sunset Gazebo on Fountain Square. The Historical Society is participating with a family oriented Penny Carnival on the grounds of the Farmhouse, and historical wagon tours of the downtown (here is where Fannie gets in on the action!) Come check it out–Vintage Days is a free local festival that will appeal to all ages.

Cars and Cigars

angie
Lake County Board Representative Craig Taylor (on the right) shows off his vintage car to Aaron Underwood.

Lake County Board Representative Craig Taylor (on the right) shows off his vintage car to Aaron Underwood.

Earlier this month I was pleasantly surprised by an event in our historic downtown that I attended by happenstance. On Sunday, July 10th a group of volunteers gathered at the Historical Society farmhouse to do some needed painting, and over the course of the morning as we worked, we watched the Stempel parking lot slowly fill with nearly 100 antique and vintage cars. As it turned out, downtown business Neumann’s Cigars and More had partnered with the Village of Kildeer Police Department to host a car show and fundraiser that attracted an estimated 1,000 people enjoying the beautiful summer day. Besides checking out all the cool cars, the event featured music, food, raffles, awards, and a demonstration by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit.

With so many interesting and unique cars on display, we could not help ourselves from wandering over to investigate. My husband was like a kid in a candy store! The “Cars and Cigars” fundraiser collected over $15,000 to benefit Illinois Special Olympics, and while Aaron was ogling the sweet rides of the past, I had a chance to chat with the organizer of the event. Kildeer police Chief Steve Balinski launched the fundraiser five years ago while working with the Buffalo Grove police department, and continued the tradition when he made the move to Kildeer.  I love the teamwork of volunteers from two of our neighboring villages coming together with a Long Grove business to host such a fun and successful afternoon, all to benefit a worthy cause. I’m so glad we were in the perfect place to see this real-life “hot wheels” collection come to life!

Pokemon Go Long Grove!

angie
Some of the local youths I caught today playing Pokemon Go near the Mill Pond in Long Grove.

Some of the local youths I caught today playing Pokemon Go near the Mill Pond in Long Grove.

Yesterday I became aware of the wildly popular mobile adventure game Pokemon Go, thanks in part to one of my blog readers. Resident Carolyn Osuyos tipped me off that her sons have been having lots of fun lately in our historic downtown “capturing” characters, collecting supplies, and engaging in Pokemon battles on their cell phones. Long Grove seems to be a popular place to hunt for “Pokestops” and I have it on good authority that action can be had near the Village Tavern, Buffalo Creek Park gazebo, the fountain in Fountain Square, and next to Village Pizza (pictured above). I had the chance to talk to some high school students from Lake Zurich this afternoon who are enthusiastic about this new app, and enjoying the nostalgia of the card game of their younger days.

Whatever the reason, I am delighted to see lots of young adults in our downtown. While they are spending some carefree summer time in our Village, I hope they stop in for a cold drink or slice of pizza, or come back later with friends. I talked to a couple of merchants who are happy to see the activity in and around their stores. Anything that gets our kids socializing and helping each other face-to-face in the outdoors gets a thumbs-up from me. And even better when it gets them to do it in Long Grove!

Summer Fest

angie
Friends and neighbors sharing a picture perfect day at Summer Fest L to R: Angie & Aaron Underwood, Michael Trickey, Jim Unsler, and Diane Trickey.

Friends and neighbors sharing a picture perfect day at Summer Fest L to R: Angie & Aaron Underwood, Michael Trickey, Jim Uszler, and Diane Trickey.

This is going to be a very short blog post because I think the picture above says it all! We love our town, and Long Grove was a great place to be this weekend as we celebrated Summer Fest in the historic downtown with fun, families, food, carnival rides, and great music. It was cheerful to see so many neighbors, residents and merchants enjoying the festivities despite the seasonable heat. Besides, what’s a good summer festival without a little sizzle?

Colorful Bridges Express Pride and Love

angie
Starting at the American flag and moving right: Cindy Brown, Marie Roth, Rachel Perkal, Carolyn Denaro, Angie Underwood.

Starting at the American flag and moving right: Cindy Brown, Marie Roth, Rachel Perkal, Carolyn Denaro, Angie Underwood.

Many residents and merchants are proud of our Village, and have been showing their love for Long Grove by creating decorative mini bridges. In the past month, these little works of art have been slowly appearing in our historic downtown crossroads. I’m impressed by the efforts and artistic talent on display, and for the vibrant designs and rainbow of colors our merchants and residents have used to liven up the community for the summer.

One of my favorite bridges is pictured above. I love it for the especially fitting message of peace, hope, and respect. Regardless of ideology, politics, race, religion, creed, color, or whom we choose to love in this world, “All Lives Matter Here.” Bravo to Rachel Perkal and her staff at Epilogue, a lovely store here in Long Grove that features beautiful and unique works of art. It is one of my go-to spots when needing a special and memorable gift. Resident and artist Marie Roth was featured in a show this weekend of her one-of a kind American flags, created from reclaimed barn wood.

Art has a healing power, and love for one another is what truly matters.

Shall We Dance?

angie
Greeting one of our newest business owners in the historic downtown, Jesse DeSoto of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

Greeting one of our newest business owners in the historic downtown, Jesse DeSoto of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

In the year 1900, Long Grove’s first dance hall was built. Housed on a site next to what is now Kildeer Countryside School (and now serves as a parking lot for the old Zimmer Hotel building), this community building was erected at a cost of $2,500. Residents came together to help finance the construction of this social gathering spot, at a cost of $10 per share. According to local lore, dances were held upstairs on the weekends and refreshments were served downstairs, with a separate room to check coats and horse blankets in the winter. Known as Union Hall, dances continued to be held here into the 1940’s, after which it was sold to a turkey hatchery, then a manufacturing company that produced decorative wooden ducks. Years of accumulated sawdust and wood shavings helped fuel a spectacular fire in 1951 that burned the old Union Hall to the ground. Ironically, the fire department was located just down the street but the firefighters were away that evening attending a dance in a nearby town!

One century later, Long Grove’s popularity as a fun place to dance is about to come alive once again. I have recently had the opportunity to meet local resident Jesse DeSoto, a former “Pro” from Season 3 of the popular television show “Dancing With The Stars.” Jesse is in the process of purchasing the former Red Oaks property, and is currently working to relocate his Fred Astaire Dance Studio from Buffalo Grove to our historic downtown. In business for over the past 11 years, this franchise has been consistently ranked as one of the top Fred Astaire Dance Studios in the United States. The former big “barn” on the property is slated to be renovated and reconstructed into a Grand Ballroom, to be used for day to day lessons as well as accommodating social dance events. Future plans for the additional buildings on the site include possible retail and restaurant tenants. Jesse and some of his students recently appeared on ABC Channel 7 to help promote Chocolate Fest this past May. Click here to view a short clip of this.

I know that I speak for so many of the residents and merchants in Long Grove who are excited to welcome Jesse and his new business to our historic downtown. It is a great fit for our community, and truly a kick to see history repeating itself with a popular dance hall coming back to town. This time though, I say we skip the special cloak room for the horse blankets and opt for a disco ball instead!

Chocolate Fest 2016

angie
Merchant John Kopecky shows his Chocolate Fest spirit at the start of our weekend festival.

Merchant John Kopecky shows his Chocolate Fest spirit at the start of our weekend festival.

If you are looking for something fun to do outdoors on this gorgeous spring day in Long Grove, come join me at Chocolate Fest! You will meet lovable local characters (like the one in the green wig pictured above), enjoy music, shopping, art and dancing, and of course, indulge to your heart’s content in all forms of chocolate.

Craig Leva, owner of the Long Grove Confectionery with ABC Channel 7 morning anchor Tanja Babich.

Craig Leva, owner of the Long Grove Confectionery with ABC Channel 7 morning anchor Tanja Babich.

To kick off the weekend festivities, yesterday I joined up with other dedicated supporters of our historic downtown for the early morning live broadcast on Chicago’s ABC affiliate, Channel 7. And by early morning, I mean I was scheduled for a live interview with anchor Tanja Babich at 4:45 am! Long Grove was fortunate to have Channel 7 showcasing our Village with live cut-ins from 4:30 to 7:00 am, all throughout the morning news program leading up to “Good Morning America.” One of the many segments featured the Long Grove Confectionery, and the unveiling of a newly created sweet treat available for the first time ever this weekend–the Myrtle Cookie. Yes, I have sampled it’s chocolate, caramel and pecan deliciousness and yes, it is to die for!

Closing out the broadcast was the debut of a special routine for Channel 7 by the students of the In Motion Dance performing arts school here in Long Grove. Dancing to Justin Timberlake’s new release “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” was the perfect way to wrap the show and kick off the festival weekend with energy and smiles all around. Happy Chocolate Fest 2016!

Students of In Motion Dance performed a lively routine to close out the live Channel 7 broadcast.

Some of the students of In Motion Dance who performed a lively routine to close out the live Channel 7 broadcast.

 

Lights, Camera, Action!

angie
ABC Chanel 7 news reporter Tanja Babich prepares to interview Long Grove Historical Society President, Aaron Underwood on May 4, 2016.

ABC Channel 7 news reporter Tanja Babich prepares to interview Long Grove Historical Society President Aaron Underwood on May 4, 2016.

This week I got to participate in the production of some promotional footage for Long Grove’s upcoming Chocolate Fest to be held on May 20-22. Chicago’s ABC affiliate, Channel 7, sent anchor Tanja Babich to our Village to interview a few merchants and community leaders, for segments that will be interspersed with live footage filmed on Friday the 20th, first day of the festival. Besides learning a little local history from Aaron (pictured above), the crew took outdoor shots of our historic downtown and did interviews featuring merchants at the Long Grove Confectionery, Broken Earth Winery, and Village Tavern. And of course, chocolate, wine, and broasted chicken were savored along the way! It was really great to see members of our downtown community working together in such a professional, positive, and cooperative way to make today’s film shoot and the upcoming festival succeed. This publicity, which will air just prior to and during “Good Morning America” on May 20th is very advantageous, and could really help boost our festival attendance. Here’s hoping that Mother Nature will gift us with some lovely weather this year!

News reporter Tonja Babich (right) interviews Mary Ann Ullrich, owner of the Village Tavern.

News reporter Tonja Babich (right) interviews Mary Ann Ullrich, owner of the Village Tavern.

A Visit with Marcie and Blondie

angie

SAVE-A-PET-LLG-1128

Hi!! My name is Marcie and Village President Underwood (pictured with me above) has invited me to be her very first guest blogger on “Life In Long Grove.”  How did this happen? Well, we became friends when I visited Mangel’s gift shop this past weekend with Blondie, another puppy up for adoption, and our volunteer buddies from Save-A-Pet (pictured below.)

SAVE-A-PET-LLG

We love Long Grove!! Merchants here provide water for us and sometimes treats! And the wildlife smells are captivating–so many squirrels! But I’m getting distracted…you probably want to know why we were in Mangel’s lovely shop today.

You see, Blondie and I are looking for a forever home. The nice people at Mangel’s were giving a portion of their proceeds today to support our no-kill shelter, Save-A-Pet. This is a great place in nearby Grayslake that serves as a safe haven for abused, neglected, injured or lost animals. They help give dogs and cats a second chance and serve to foster young kittens and puppies until we are old enough to be adopted. Blondie and I are old enough now!! Village President Underwood adopted her cat from our shelter many years ago, so she can vouch for the care we receive. But as nice as the folks are at Save-A-Pet, what we are really wishing for is to be part of a loving family. You can find out more about us, and about other ways of supporting our non-profit organization by visiting our website at saveapetil.org. Come visit our adoption center at 31664 N. Fairfield Road in Grayslake.

It was so much fun spending the day in Long Grove and making a whole bunch of new friends. We discovered lots of reasons to bark less and wag more! Blondie and I really like this town and could be very happy living here…

Welcome Village Pizza & BBQ!

angie
At the ribbon cutting ceremony on April 18th with new owners Rusty Gault (left) and Joanie Shunia-Gault (right).

At the ribbon cutting ceremony on April 18th with new owners Rusty Gault (left) and Joane Shunia-Gault (right).

If you are really hungry right now or trying to stick to a diet, you might not want to read any further on this post. Because just look at the deliciousness of this pizza…..

Village-Pizza-41816

Yes, we have a new pizza joint in town and the sauce is a family secret! This Monday marked the grand opening and ribbon-cutting of Village Pizza and BBQ, located by the Mill Pond in the former location of Long Grove Cafe. New owners Rusty and Joane Shunia-Gault have relocated from Michigan and brought along their family recipes for thin, hand-tossed, and Sicilian deep-dish pizza. I’ve had the pleasure of trying several different varieties and flavors so far, and each one is better than the next.

Since the first of the year, not a week has gone by without a resident asking me when the new pizza place was going to open. Over the past few months I’ve gotten to know Joane and Rusty and they are a wonderful new addition to our community. Already they have hosted weekly Rotary Club meetings, Chamber of Commerce Mixers, and a get-acquainted gathering for residents hosted by Long Grove Living magazine. The pizza is getting rave reviews and we all wish the best of success for our newest downtown business. Welcome!!

Joanie serves up a slice for an eager resident at a gathering Tuesday evening.

Joane serves up a slice for an eager resident at a gathering Tuesday evening.