Hinsdale Magazine July 2016

SERVING HINSDALE, BURR RIDGE, CLARENDON HILLS & OAK BROOK

®

HINSDALE’S FIRST & ONLY LOCALLY-BASED MAGAZINE $4 US JULY 2016 VOLUME 6 ISSUE 7 HINSDALE60521.COM

BEARS LEGEND

PART 2: MIKE DITKA TALKS ESPN, WALTER PAYTON, POLITICS & MORE

HOME DESIGN LIGHT UP THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 2016 POLO SEASON HEMINGWAY MUSEUM BUCKET-LIST TRIPS

MELANIE LAMOUREUX HER STAGE PLAYS THE LEAD

HINSDALE60521.COM

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Get Your Smile in Shape for Summer Summertime starts off with National Smile Month– this is the PERFECT time to start getting your smile in shape for for all those summertime selfies! How do you get your smile in shape for the summer?

Enter esthetic dentistry. This burgeoning concept is beginning to rule the dentist’s office – to the delight of both patients and dentists. Within this new realm, dental work is both beautiful and function-oriented. Dr. Peter Harnois of Hinsdale Dentistry elaborates on how to get the best of both dental worlds.

Why are you excited about the esthetic cause? Practicing at the esthetic tier allows me to routinely accomplish my ultimate goal: a gorgeous, healthy smile and a happy patient. With responsible esthetics at work, treatment is comfortable, the smile remains natural-looking, and the patient is wholly satisfied.

Just what is responsible esthetics? A term coined by Dr. Ed Lowe of the AACD, it refers to removing the least amount of tooth structure to achieve the desired esthetics. Cosmetic dentistry as a field is undergoing a major shift to make esthetics a top priority.

Peter T. Harnois, DDS

Why is the dental world making the shift from “cosmetic” to “esthetic”? Cosmetic dentistry has long been the standard for patients seeking changes to the appearance of their front teeth. But it neglects to consider the full effects that treatment might have on the patient’s health. In this way, cosmetic dentistry is treatment that improves a smile’s appearance alone.

Esthetic dentistry has a different focus: to improve a smile’s function, enhancing its appearance along the way. This type of treatment offers visual and physical benefits – something that patients really appreciate.

The results are noticeable superficially, but extend deeper. For this reason, more and more dentists are looking toward esthetic practices.

As a dentist and an educator, how have you embraced esthetics? I’ve been practicing esthetic dentistry since 1990, and have made a commitment to educating other dentists on this branch of treatment. I’m proud to lecture internationally in over 30 cities per year, training hundreds of dentists to place minimally invasive veneers. My depth and breadth of experience, including a decade of educating dentists through hands-on veneer prep, make me a sought-after lecturer across the country.

I am currently in the process of becoming accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the most prestigious education body for esthetic dentistry in North America.

Additionally, I am proud to be:

• President of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Facial Esthetics • Member of the AACD • Member of the World Clinical Laser Institute • An international lecturer for the AACD, AAFE (Botox and dermal fillers), Biolase (the use of laser technology in dentistry), NuCalm (a natural relaxation technique for patients), and Terec Labs (emerging technologies like digital impressions).

After spending a weekend lecturing, I’m able to bring my newfound knowledge and broadening experience back to my patients at Hinsdale Dentistry.

Which procedures show esthetic dentistry in action at Hinsdale Dentistry?

We are an esthetic dental practice – we always value function over form. No matter how beautiful your new smile is, if it doesn’t work well, it’s not going to bring you happiness. Why create that in the first place? Our team provides the latest, most effective technologies to offer the best possible, least invasive care.

We’re thrilled to offer our patients Lumineers, revolutionary low-prep veneers.

They’re thinner than other porcelain veneers, so they don’t require the same amount of tooth prep in order to fit over teeth. This means no shots, no pain, and no post-treatment recovery time.

How do Lumineers compare to natural teeth? Lumineers succeed at mimicking natural enamel; they’re indistinguishable from surrounding teeth. Their uniquely thin structure allows the ceramic material to both reflect and filter light (just like your teeth). The color of your veneers will be precisely matched to adjacent enamel, allowing them to blend neatly into your smile.

Present-day Lumineers are fabricated from Emax porcelain, which offers unparalleled strength and translucency. Simply care for them the way you do your natural teeth.

They won’t chip, crack, or break, but they will remain a powerful part of your smile.

What can patients expect from the Lumineers process? I have personally placed over 9,000 of these MPVs (minimal prep veneers). Throughout, I’ve seen so many dramatic transformations, without requiring big patient commitment.

The entire process typically involves only two appointments. Since there’s limited to no reduction of your natural teeth, you often won’t need to wear temporaries between visits (meaning you can avoid the stress that accompanies them). And you conserve your natural tooth structure, helping your natural teeth achieve long life.

Which patients are candidates for Lumineers treatment? Lumineers aren’t limiting. Rather, they’re widely appropriate – especially for nervous patients. If you have highly sensitive teeth, or experience

anxiety at the thought of dental treatment, MPVs are the answer. Not only are you able to avoid shots of anesthetic and the dental drill, the veneers actually cover patches of weakened enamel, leading to a reduction in sensitivity.

That said, you don’t need to be anxious to qualify. Whether you’re interested in permanent whitening, straightening your front teeth, strengthening worn or small teeth, covering cracks or chips, or making any subtle tweaks to the appearance of your smile, Lumineers will deliver.

If you think that Lumineers could help you achieve an esthetic goal, it’s likely that they will. By meeting with a provider, you’ll learn more about what MPVs will entail – and the level of change you can expect from results.

911 N. Elm, Suite 230 Hinsdale, IL 630-323-4468 HinsdaleDentistry.com

CONTENTS | July 2016 18 LANDMARKS SERIES Hemingway Museum

18

24 CALENDAR July events

10 LEADING OFF 2016 Polo Season

48

26 GIVING BACK Family ties 30 ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Summer glow 34 FOOD & DRINK A grape idea

14 PUBLISHER’S PROFILE Mike Ditka, Part 2

38 INSIDE 60521 Centennial spirit

44 ON THE COVER THE LOVE OF ARTS

48 FEATURE STORY Paw-fectly independent

Melanie Lamoureux, founding artistic director of BAMtheatre Photography by Jim Prisching

50 COMMUNITY SCENE Notre Dame Block Party

Uniquely Thursdays Luxury Garage Sale Bowties & Bubbly Daisy Days

FOUNDER & PUBLISHER

Scott Jonlich | sjonlich@hinsdale60521.com

60 HINSDALE DRIVER Riding Tight: The Bucket-list trips 62 TECH KNOW Adding tech to your home

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Mike Ellis | mike@hinsdale60521.com CREATIVE DEPARTMENT

64 PEAK PERFORMANCE When bad things happen to good people

Cheryl Chrzanowski | graphics@hinsdale60521.com Julia Sinogeikina

66 SPIRITUAL INSIGHT The nation God blesses, Part 1

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Alison Bonaguro Kerrie Kennedy Julie Jonlich COLUMNISTS

Jim Fannin Errol Janusz Dan Meyer FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Daniel Garcia Kyle Hampson Linda Horton Haleigh Monyek Marco Nunez Jim Prisching ADVERTISING SALES

Rick Dahl | rick@hinsdale60521.com Renee Lawrence | renee@hinsdale60521.com HINSDALE MAGAZINE, INC.

3 Grant Square, #201 | Hinsdale, IL 60521 630-655-3400 advertise@Hinsdale60521.com Hinsdale Magazine is mailed to 18,000 homes and businesses.

No person, organization or publication can copy or re-produce the content in this magazine or any part of this publication without a written consent from the publisher. The publisher, authors, contributors and designers reserve their rights with regards to copyright of their work. Hinsdale Magazine, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information. The information contained about each individual, event or organization has been provided by such individual, event organizers or organization. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Hinsdale Magazine, Inc. Comments are welcome, but they should be on-topic and well-expressed. Copyright ©2016 Hinsdale Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved.

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ER’S L L E DR. W ES SMIL

!

P PO

“ENJOY A COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO DETERMINE THE POSSIBILITIES” — DR. WELLER

WELLER DENTAL COSMETIC | GENERAL | IMPLANT | RESTORATIVE

HINSDALE | 920 N. YORK ROAD | (630) 654-2900 CHICAGO | 1050 N. STATE STREET | (312) 654-0606

WWW.WELLERDENTAL.COM

Dr. Jeffrey Weller

Licensed as a General Dentist in the State of Illinois

LEADING OFF J U LY 2 0 1 6

TRENDSETTERS & EQUESTRIAN ENTHUSIASTS All of the sights and sounds synonymous with the game of Polo will be on full display as players and Polo enthusiasts from around the country descend upon Chicago for the 2016 Chicago Polo Season.

POLO

2016

Sunday, July 10 Commander’s Cup On this day, Oak Brook Polo Club will honor the United States Armed Forces and its veterans in a remake of the Oak Brook Polo versus Black Horse Troop match.

2606 York Road, Oak Brook chicago-polo.com Sunday, July 17 Horses & Horsepower Start your engines. Oak Brook Polo Club invites guests to a day of “horses and horsepower.”

2606 York Road, Oak Brook chicago-polo.com Sunday, July 24 USPA Arranmore Polo Classic The opening match of the USPA Arranmore Polo Classic will commence in grand style, as Polo enthusiasts will be treated to spectacular pre-match festivities.

34 Rance Road, Oswego chicago-polo.com

Photo by Time Stops Photography

Wednesday, July 27 USPA Arranmore Polo Classic The action continues with the semifinals of the USPA Arranmore Polo Classic. Wednesdays bring a more casual atmosphere for guests.

Come after work, and cheer on your favorite teams.

34 Rance Road, Oswego chicago-polo.com Sunday, July 31 USPA Arranmore Polo Classic Cheer your team and players on for the finals of the USPA Arranmore Polo Classic. The tournament culminates with the best teams and players battling it out to win the tournament.

34 Rance Road, Oswego chicago-polo.com

HMpublishersprofile JULY 2016

89 ORIGINAL Mike Ditka enjoying wood-grilled ora king prime salmon at Grill 89, a new dining experience from the Ditka’s Restaurant Group, located in Westmont.

publisher’s profile

BEARS LEGEND Part 2: Mike Ditka talks ESPN, Walter Payton and politics Interview by Scott Jonlich | Photography by Kyle Hampson

Last month, Hinsdale Magazine met with Mike Ditka at Ditka’s Restaurant in Oak Brook, where the legendary Chicago Bears coach and NFL Hall of Famer talked candidly about his exit from ESPN’s NFL Countdown, his political picks, business ventures, the ‘85 Bears, his favorite quarterbacks and how he got to where he is today. The 76-year-old legend revealed a personal side, as he spoke about growing up in Aliquippa, Pa., and his relationships with former players, coaches and owners. In this second segment, Ditka speaks openly about his relationship with Walter Payton and ESPN, and how his opinions belong to him and him only. As the coach said during in the interview, “I’m nobody special—I’m just a guy going through life.’’

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HMpublishersprofile JULY 2016

“You can’t be all things to all people. You have to be true to yourself.”

—MIKE DITKA

SCOTT JONLICH:

Coach, congratulations on your new restaurant here in Westmont. I see you are having the grilled salmon. What’s your favorite dish here?

MIKE DITKA: I like all the food here. One of my favorites is the grilled salmon with asparagus on rice. I think it’s all good. I put my name on it, because I really believe our food is good. (The coach finished the lunch off with his favorite: key lime pie.)

SCOTT:

Last time, we talked about quarterbacks, but did not talk about “Sweetness.” What was your relationship like with Walter Payton?

DITKA:

Walter was the toughest football player that ever played the game—period. He would punish the tackler and keep going downfield. You didn’t have to coach Walter. I just had to give him enough opportunities. Get the ball in his hands, and Walter would make it happen. He was class on and off the field—and a practical joker with the team. He called me one night on the phone impersonating a young lady with his high, squeaky voice, asking me to come meet “her” tonight—very funny. He was a leader, and was an inspiration to his team. He was the best conditioned and determined athlete I ever saw.

SCOTT:

You are not on ESPN on a regular basis, because of what you said about two political figures (President Barack Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump). Do you think ESPN had a right to ask you not to talk about politics?

DITKA: Well, what we have in our country—you have

to be careful. You can’t be all things to all people. You have to be true to yourself, and freedom of speech is a right guaranteed by our Constitution. I try to say what I believe. If my beliefs are contrary to somebody else’s, I can’t help that. They shouldn’t try to change me; I’m not going to try to change them. I’m not disappointed; I’m not unhappy (about ESPN’s decision). I had a great run. I’ve gotten more out of TV and radio than I probably should. I’ve been on CBS, NBC—I’ve been on ESPN for ten, 12 years. It’s been a blessing, but if I can’t say what I really believe, then I think something is the matter. I mean, it’s not the American way.

SCOTT: alone?

DITKA:

Do you think ESPN should have just left it

I learned when I was a kid growing up, the guy that owns the bat and ball calls the game. They

(ESPN) own the bat and ball; they call the game. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion. I don’t think mine is better or worse than anyone else’s, but I’m entitled to it. Now people criticize—I said one thing: Is Barack Obama [a] nice guy—he’s a great guy. He would probably be a great guy to sit around and have a conversation with. Would I vote for him?—no. But that does not make me right or wrong; it’s just my opinion.

So, when I say something like that, people get all bent out of shape. Fine; it’s just my opinion, and Mike Ditka is just a person. I’m nobody special—I’m just a guy going through life. I guess if you have notoriety at all, you’re not entitled to your opinion. You’re not entitled to free thought, free speech. I guess that goes away?

And that’s what bothers me—that’s the only thing that bothers me.

SCOTT: Do you think it would have been different if you said it on a ESPN platform, versus off-air?

DITKA: I’m at the point now where I don’t even know what I said to defend against, but you can’t worry about that. If I’m not entitled to say my own opinion, then something is wrong—I’m living in a different country that is not America.

SCOTT: I guess in the end we will see less of you on TV as a result of that decision?

DITKA: You won’t hear anything about me. I’m going

to ride off into the sunset, and that’s okay, but darn it—it’s my opinion. We went through our society in my lifetime, and I heard all the Bush bashers—whether they were in the media or not—, and nothing was ever said; and I say one thing, and people get all upset about it.

That’s what I feel; I’m sorry; I can’t change that. Does it make me right? No, but it makes me, me. You can think anything you want that is contrary to me, and that is fine; but I can think what is contrary to what you believe, because that’s who I am.

SCOTT: arena?

Do you have a frontrunner in the political

DITKA: Somebody wins and somebody loses. Politics is

not about the best person anymore; it’s about the most popular. n

To read the complete two-part interview, visit hinsdale60521.com to see the June and July digital issues.

Hinsdale60521.com | HINSDALEMAGAZINE

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ho orters w ty supp ear!

Celebri ipated last y partic

all of ckers H inters Bay Pa Green layer, Frank W Fame P

The Bea rs ‘R Jim Tho obocop” rnton

& ctor, Writer Actor, Dire B. Sweeney D. er Produc

12:00 P.M. Shotgun start 5:00 - 6:00 P.M. Cocktail Reception 6:15 - 8:00 P.M. Dinner, Program, Awards & Prizes Entertainment provided by Xplosive Sounds Entertainment WHO WE’VE SERVED: Oklahoma Disaster Relief Effort • Muscular Dystrophy SOS Children’s villages Illinois • Local underprivileged schools Peacemakers League of Chicago • Africa Children’s Home Youth Camps • Crisis Center of South Suburbia American Brain Tumor Association

This is a fundraiser to benefit the Bohne Foundation.

Event proceeds will benefit the Bohne Foundation.

The Bohne Foundation is comforting the destitute, encouraging the hopeless and aiding the neediest members of our global community.

There Are Many Ways to Participate Dinner Sponsorship Drink Sponsorship Golf Ball Sponsorship Lunch Sponsorship Breakfast Sponsorship Cigar Sponsorship Entertainment Sponsorship Golf Foursome (sold out last year) Beverage Cart Sponsorship Hole Sponsorship Single Golfer Dinner Tickets Giveaway Bag Sponsor

$5,000 $3,500 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,000 $1,000 $400 $150

*Donate a golf-related item that will leave a lasting, positive impression on the event attendees in our giveway bag. (i.e. tee, marker, visor, can cooler, towel, cap, etc.)

Online registration: www.bohnefoundation.org/registration For more information, to register or sponsorship opportunities contact Gina Kaktis at: 708-576-4207 or gina@bohnefoundation.org | 9735 Industrial Drive | Bridgeview, IL 60455

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HMlandmarksseries HEMINGWAY MUSEUM

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

—ERNEST HEMINGWAY

Photography courtesy of Hemingway Museum

all THINGS

Hemingway THE ERNEST HEMINGWAY MUSEUM AND BIRTHPLACE CELEBRATE OF ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS WRITERS, AND ARE LOCATED WITHIN A SHORT WALK OF ONE ANOTHER IN OAK PARK, SEVERAL MILES NORTHEAST OF HINSDALE

By Mike Ellis

AUTHOR’S LIFE AND WORK From left: The Hemingway Museum; Visitors can explore displays of rare photographs of Hemingway, his childhood diary, letters, early writings and other memorabilia.

Greater Hinsdale residents need not travel far to visit the birthplace of one of the most influential authors of the 20th century.

Ernest Hemingway, author of A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises, among a host of other novels and literary works, was born on July 21, 1899 on Oak Park Ave. in west suburban Oak Park.

The home, which is maintained by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, is a classic Victorian that is open to the public. It was built in 1890 by Ernest Hall, Hemingway’s maternal grandfather and a Civil War veteran.

“Ernest spent basically the first six years of his life in this house, along with his three siblings,” foundation chairman John Berry said.

Berry said the home—which the Hemingways moved out of in 1905—was converted into a two-flat in the 1910s and 1920s, until the foundation purchased it in 1989.

“With some State of Illinois grant money, we got $1 million from then-Gov. [George] Ryan to restore the house,” he said.

Today, Hemingway’s birthplace does not contain all of its original elements, but it does feature a number of keepsakes Continued on page 20

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

HMlandmarksseries HEMINGWAY MUSEUM

Continued from page 18

and old family photographs, such as Hemingway’s mother’s scrupulous record of expenses, Hemingway’s birth certificate, and a pair of certificates that indicate both of his grandparents’ service in the Civil War. “We knew what things looked like, but we didn’t know always what color they were,” Berry said, adding that Hemingway’s father had preserved some black-and-white photographs, which the foundation used in an attempt to recreate the original scenes.

Perhaps its most remarkable feature is its dining room, where a young Hemingway received his initial inspiration to become a writer and storyteller from his grandpa Hall. Berry explained that Hall would tell stories in the dining room pertaining to his days at sea.

“This really enthralled little Ernest, and it began to plant the seeds for his desire to be a storyteller, a writer,” he said. “It all started just sitting around a breakfast table with his grandpa.”

When Hemingway was about six years old, his family moved several blocks north.

Berry said by the time he moved here, he was a “voracious reader” that consumed everything from the fictional works of Mark Twain and Nathaniel Hawthorne, to the speeches of Daniel Webster.

“He was a huge fan of Mark Twain,” he said. “Later in life, he would say that American literature began with Mark Twain.”

HEMINGWAY MUSEUM

About a block and a half south of Hemingway’s birthplace is a museum devoted to the region’s most famous author. It is located on the lower level of a building aligned with a fine row of Corinthian columns that the foundation leases, which also serves as a church and a community auditorium.

The museum chronicles manifold aspects of Hemingway’s life, from his Oak Park roots, to his service in World War I, to his subsequent career as an author.

In one area, visitors can see how Hemingway started out writing for the school newspaper at Oak Park-River Forest High School, where he also served as manager of the swim team.

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

The photographs confirm that Hemingway was a stocky, well-built teenager, as he prepared to enter the battlefields of World War I as an ambulance driver in 1918.

Hemingway served on the Italian front, and suffered a BOYHOOD HOME This Queen Anneserious leg wound that style Victorian house resulted in him being was built in 1890 with hospitalized. a wraparound porch, elegant parlor and Berry said during meticulously-restored his hospitalization, architectural features.

Hemingway became infatuated with his nurse—who was seven years his senior—, and that after he returned home to Oak Park in 1919, he sent her a letter entreating her for marriage. She replied with a “kiss-off” letter, which Berry said devastated Hemingway, and effectively fueled his writing career, as he ventured up to the family cabin near Petoskey, Mich., only to return to Oak Park several times thereafter.

“She knew this would hurt him, but she also knew it wouldn’t hurt him forever,” he said.

Berry said it was at the cabin where Hemingway first developed ideas and materials for his Nick Adams short stories, which he would eventually pen after he departed for Paris in 1921.

During Hemingway’s time in Paris, he was exposed to a number of literary men of considerable repute, including author F. Scott Fitzgerald, poet Ezra Pound and Max Perkins, the man who would become his editor.

Their influence and opinions on Hemingway are displayed at the museum, as is a semicircular collage of his novels, paired with the wars or significant events that influenced the works.

During the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s, Hemingway reported for the North American Newspaper Alliance, and met fellow journalist Martha Gellhorn, who would later become one of his four wives. The events of this conflict inspired his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Hemingway also visited American camps during World War II, which furnished the basis for his work, Across the River and Into the Trees.

“In theory, he was a non-combatant; he was a journalist,” Berry said. “But that really didn’t stop him from sometimes

giving orders, which he got called up for.”

A number of Hemingway’s works were eventually converted into films, and promotional posters are on display at the museum.

Berry said Hemingway had mixed feelings about many of the films.

“He had an uncomfortable relationship with Hollywood itself,” he said, “but he did like a number of the actors that were in the films.”

• • • This month, the foundation will cohost the 17th biennial international Hemingway Society conference, which has rotated amongst various sites across the globe over the past three decades.

Berry said the conference, which will run from July 17 to 23, will welcome some of the world’s leading Hemingway scholars, and feature a bevy of presentations on the author.

As for why individuals should check out the conference or the museum in general, Berry said what is fascinating about Hemingway is that he was not only a “very talented” author, but also flourished in an evolving era that aptly matched his adventurous demeanor.

“I think it’s that he bridged the 19th and 20th century in a very unique way,” he said. “He was born at the very end of the Victorian era; he came of age, and was in the right place at the right time. ...

“He was clearly a talented guy, but he also was at the right place at the right time; and you can never underestimate how much that means.” n

The Ernest Hemingway Museum is located at 200 N. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park. The Ernest Hemingway Birthplace is situated at 339 N. Oak Park Ave.; tours last roughly 90 minutes. For more information about the 17th biennial international Hemingway Society conference, visit www.hemingwaysociety.org. To learn more about the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, visit www. ehfop.org.

Hinsdale60521.com | HINSDALEMAGAZINE

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American Boardcertified specialists in dentistry for infants, children, and teens.

Call today to reserve your child’s appointment with Dr. Mira Albert or Dr. Lynna Gripentrog at Brush!

Children should have their first dental checkup by their first birthday!

630-504-ABCD 911 N. Elm Street, Suite 228 Hinsdale, IL 60521 www.BrushForKids.com

Dr. Mira Albert is a loving wife and a mother of two young children. She is a board certified pediatric dentist, a national spokesperson of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and serves as a consultant to the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Albert founded Brush Pediatric Dentistry in 2011 to serve families of Hinsdale and the surrounding suburbs. She finds great joy in helping families set the stage for a life-long commitment to oral health in a friendly and approachable manner. She promotes the establishment of trust and confidence that lasts a lifetime and begins as early as age one or before if necessary.

Dr. Lynna Gripentrog joined Brush Pediatric Dentistry in 2014 after receiving specialized training in pediatric dentistry from the esteemed Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She is a board certified pediatric dentist. Like Dr Albert, she believes each child is unique and the dental visit should meet their respective needs. She sincerely looks forward to meeting you and your children.

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JULY | HMCALENDAR 7/4

7/15

Independence Day Celebration

Craft Beer Tasting

Hinsdale’s parade steps off at 10 a.m. from Sixth and Garfield, travels northward to First Street, continues westward to Grant Street, and then southward on Grant to Sixth Street. The parade features an outstanding collection of handmade arts and crafts, plus family activities. Family-friendly entertainment and activities include inflatables, carnival games, face-painting and the annual Hinsdale Rotary Club Turtle Races.

Visit www.villageofhinsdale.org for more information and a schedule of events.

7/7

Uniquely Thursdays Uniquely Thursdays runs for ten weeks, concluding on Thursday, Aug. 11. The music series is located in Burlington Park, just north of the tracks, off of Garfield and Chicago Aves. There will be multiple food vendors, a beer and wine tent, and various table sponsors each week.

The sponsors promote their businesses by offering giveaways and children’s activities. Visit www.hinsdalechamber. com for more information.

7/8

Graue Mill and Museum is partnering with SavWay Fine Wines & Spirits for the firstever craft beer tasting event on July 15. A total of 15 breweries are participating with more than 50 different beers and ciders, as well as food. This event is expected to sell out, so visit www.grauemill.org/ specialevents.htm for more information.

7/16

Adults-Only LEGO®-themed Evening Event

1

In celebration of temporary exhibition Brick by Brick, the Museum of Science and Industry is hosting an adults-only evening event. Guests ages 21 and older will enjoy a night at the museum in partnership with WBEZ Chicago. Listen to a live “general admission” podcast taping with Adam Reed Tucker, a LEGO-certified professional and builder of the 13 LEGObuilt structures in Brick by Brick. For tickets, visit www.wbez.org/events.

7/20 2

Concerts on the Green Friday evenings, the Village of Burr Ridge will be providing guests with notable bands to enjoy from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on the Village Green. Bring your sports chairs, blankets, coolers, food and your favorite beverages for a relaxing, enjoyable night out with your neighbors and friends. Visit www.burr-ridge.gov/ events/concerts-on-the-green for the 2016 summer schedule.

Lunch on the Lawn at Burlington Park Grab your kids, friends and neighbors to enjoy free family entertainment from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Bring your picnic blanket, pack a lunch and watch a performance by Chris Fascione: “Juggling Funny Stories.” The entertainment series is sponsored by the Hinsdale Public Library and the Village of Hinsdale Parks and Recreation Department. Visit www. villageofhinsdale.org for more information.

Photography by Haleigh Monyek

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

[1] Spectators at Fourth of July parade; [2] Adults-only LEGO-themed event at the Museum of Science and Industry; [3] Burr Ridge Concerts on the Green 2015 summer concert series

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HMgivingback

FAMILY TIES For four-generation family business Ebert Studio, the focus is on families

By Kerrie Kennedy Photography by Jim Prisching

I

f a picture is worth a thousand words, then Ebert Studio in Oak Park has written an impressive tome. Back in 1915, Henry Ebert opened Ebert Studio on Chicago’s West Side, near Madison Street and Pulaski Road. Surviving two world wars and the Great Depression, the studio moved to a storefront in Oak Park in the 1950s, and in 1980, grandson Bob Ebert moved the studio to its current location, a historical home on Marion Street in Oak Park, built by W.G. Barfield in 1897.

Jeff Ebert, premier portrait photographer The home features an indoor studio that offers a wealth of natural light, thanks to its bank of northern-facing windows, and a landscaped garden that serves as an course, when they’re seniors in high school,” Ebert outdoor studio. says.

“The garden was the main reason my dad bought Years later, he just might see those same seniors it,” says Jeff Ebert, who currently runs the family back in the studio for engagement photos, and photo business. “He was tired of lugging equipment down the road, anniversary photos. around to parks.”

In many ways, the studio is in the business of The garden explains why summer is a busy time capturing life itself, reminding people who they for the studio. Before school starts up again, area are and where they belong. Nowhere is that more families gather together to capture a moment in poignant than at Hephzibah Children’s Association time that literally tells the story of their family. in Oak Park, whose walls are lined with framed 8” x From birth to graduation, Ebert Studio has followed 10” pictures of every child that has walked through children and families for years, as they celebrate the its doors—all of them photographed gratis by Ebert milestones of life.

Studio.

“There really are so many times in a child’s “We’ve been working with Hephzibah for close life that are pivotal—when they turn one, when to 30 years now, ever since my Dad befriended the they turn three and have a little more personality, director, and asked what he could do to help,” Ebert when they turn seven, around the age of First says.

Communion, around eighth grade, and then, of

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

STUDIO Most of the rooms at Ebert Studio are used as gallery space, thanks to its bank of northern-facing windows.

Hephzibah, Oak Park’s oldest social service agency founded in 1897, offers short- and long-term group homes for area children that have been traumatized by “ Every child wants to neglect and abuse. feel like someone is According to Ebert, every child that visits proud of them.” the studio comes in —JEFF EBERT with a brand-new outfit and haircut.

“These kids don’t get a lot of new things, so when they go shopping and come in with newly-creased clothing and their hair done, they already feel like models,” Ebert says. “These kids have so much character—they’re all just great kids.”

After the photoshoot, each child receives 16 wallet-sized photos to hand out to prospective parents, Ebert says.

But until then, their 8” x 10” portrait, joining countless others on the walls of Hephzibah, gives them a critical feeling of acceptance.

“To have a portrait of you in your home gives kids a sense of belonging,” Ebert says.

“When families come into our studio, it’s no different. Every child wants to feel like someone is proud of them.” n To learn more about Hephzibah, please visit www.hephzibahhome.org.

JEFF EBERT’S TIPS FOR TAKING A GREAT PHOTOGRAPH Do you wish you were a better photographer? All it takes is a little know-how and experience.

1

Northern exposure.

Use the north light instead of the sun for your lighting.

Direct sunlight is not as flattering.

2

Don’t say cheese.

Saying cheese makes people smile in a way that looks fake. Think of something off-the-wall or different.

We use the word “bubbles” a lot—it catches people off guard.

3

Lean in.

If you lean forward so your body is further back than your face, it stretches your neck out, and improves your posture.

4

Black is best.

Black is slimming, and white is revealing white will make you look big, regardless. And if you’re at all concerned about your arms, wear something with sleeves.

5

Strike a pose.

Angle your shoulders away from the camera if you want your body to look thinner. And to make your face look thinner, make sure the camera is held slightly above your face—never below.

PERFECT BACKGROUND Adjacent to the home/studio is a landscaped garden, which naturally changes with the seasons.

Ebert Studio is located at 227 S. Marion Street in Oak Park. For more information, call 708-386-6222, or visit ebertstudio.com.

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“Hair loss is frustrating for both men and women.�

There are topical solutions to help support thicker, healthier hair!

Dr. Jessie Cheung presents a hour long event to review various types of hair loss, facilitate discussion to better understand your type of loss, as well as provide you with a recommendation of the best home care solution. In addition, learn about Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections for hair loss.

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HMarchitecture&design JULY 2016

LIGHT UP THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER WITH THESE ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECES GUARANTEED TO SET THE NIGHT AGLOW

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Dramatic in shape and size, the Gem Sconce from the Kevin Reilly Collection is available in four sizes and ten stainless or steel-metal finishes. Indoor/outdoor use. Holly Hunt, 222 Merchandise Mart, Suite 1428, Chicago, 800-320-3145

A focal point for any outdoor space, the Loop Outdoor Fire is wrapped in two-inch-thick Marinegrade nautical rope, and offers optional add-ons like a protective glass screen and matching stools. Uses butane or e-NRG bioethanol with an adaptor. Brown Jordan, 222 Merchandise Mart, Chicago, 312-321-0144, www. brownjordanfires.com

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HMarchitecture&design JULY 2016

Composed of twigs from the tea tree and recycled glass, the Oursin candleholder’s spherical shape and organic composition combine to create a unique decorative element. 11.75” height, 19.75” diameter; indoor/outdoor use. Janus et Cie, 222 Merchandise Mart, Space 1420, Chicago, 312-822-0460, www.shopjanusetcie.com

A modern twist on the traditional outdoor torch design, these sleek, polished stainless-steel column candle vases come in four heights, ranging from 42 to 64 inches. Indoor/outdoor use. Chicago Outdoor Living, 800-852-0323, www.chicagooutdoorliving.com, design@ chicagooutdoorliving.com

These unique Ventana Teak Lanterns feature a rotating inner frame to create an intriguing play of light, and are available in weathered (shown) or natural finish. Restoration Hardware, 19 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, 800-7621005, www.rh.com

Julie Jonlich, IIDA, is a licensed interior designer.

You can contact Julie at 630-915-9360.

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Opening the Door to a More Beautiful You You know how it feels to find just the right flowers to set off your home’s entry, making it beautifully inviting in a whole new way? Or maybe, it’s an accent piece for a family room or a whole room make-over—that now makes that space irresistibly welcoming?

You step back and smile with satisfaction—because you’ve helped the beauty that was already there to show.

So, what if you could do the same thing for you? What if instead of just envisioning the right lighting for a room—you start envisioning how you could light up the room?

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Steil Dermatology recently moved into a house near downtown Hinsdale, built in 1921. 125 West Second Street was already full of its own stories and history and charm, but we made just the right changes—always with serving our family of patients in mind—and now it’s a warm, inviting, and we believe truly lovely home for our practice.

We like to think we revealed its beauty in new ways that allows our practice “home” to shine in 2016 like never before. We hope you’ll come see us soon. Because at Steil Dermatology, we want to make 2016 the year we help you shine like never before too.

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HMfood&drink JULY 2016

A GRAPE IDEA

Oak Brook resident Jim Doehring launches Backpack Wine

by Kerrie Kennedy | Photography by Jim Prisching

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

N

#WINEINACAN Jim Doehring launches a new wine company targeting Millennials and beyond.

ecessity, as the saying goes, is quite often the mother of invention. For Oak Brook resident Jim Doehring, it all started when he and his wife took a spur-ofthe-minute trip to New Buffalo, Mich., in the spring of 2015.

“It was a weird, 80-degree day, so we decided to jump in the car and take a road trip,” Doehring says.

The couple, both wine connoisseurs, brought a special bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to share, and headed straight for the beach for a romantic picnic lunch. What they forgot to bring, however, was a corkscrew. From that frustrating experience, the idea for Backpack Wines—upscale wine in an eightounce can—was born.

It was a “lightbulb moment,” says Doehring, who has worked in the wine hospitality business his entire life. He spent the rest of the summer working on a marketing plan, and lined up two partners: Kurt Stoelting of Hinsdale and Pete Henseler of Wheaton. Doehring also reached out to a wine-maker he had met years ago in Washington state.

“He can custom-blend,” he says.

Doehring and the wine-maker settled on two wines to start.

He says “Snappy White,” a Reisling-based wine with a touch of green apple and Asian pear, “has a touch of sweetness, mid-palate weight and finishes with a refreshing acidity. It’s a nice cocktail hour wine.”

The other, “Cheeky Rosé,” is a drier wine with the touch of strawberry and rose petal, Doehring says.

“It’s a nice, clean, crisp blush wine that’s just great with food cooked on the open grill,” he says.

“It has a big backbone of acid, so it doesn’t have to be confined to a summertime treat.”

That said, summer looks to be a profitable season for the new wine label, which comes in a pack of four eco-friendly aluminum recyclable cans.

“Obviously, this wine is great for a picnic or a cookout—no glass bottle to break, no cork to open—but we’re also seeing a lot of great opportunities in sports arenas, outdoor festivals and concerts and boating venues,” Doehring says.

“We’re also seeing a lot of interest from casual restaurants, local neighborhood joints, and even hotels, who want to put it in their mini bars. At eight ounces, it’s a heavy pour.”

According to Doehring, the quality of his wine simply doesn’t compare to what you get in a mini bottle of wine.

“Most of the wine put in mini bottles just aren’t good wines,” he says, noting boxed wine carries the same reputation, and doesn’t chill as nicely either.

Eventually, Doehring plans to add a red blend and perhaps a sangria to his offerings.

“Right now, we’re focusing on just two wines, but down the line, I would like to do something a little heavier, with a darker flavor profile,” he says.

While Backpack Wine caters to Millennials— or what Doehring calls the “grab-and-go generation”—, he thinks the appeal will be much wider, and is hoping to make it available at such places as Whole Foods, Standard Market, Mariano’s, Hinsdale Wine Shop, Village Cellar, Binny’s and SavWay. That might seem like a tall order for a new company, but Doehring has clearly uncorked something unique. n Visit www.backpack.wine for more information.

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Q&A ASK THE EXPERT

summertime

TAX-SAVINGS STRATEGIES

“There are two systems of taxation in our country: one for the informed and one for the uninformed” – Honorable Learned Hand, United States Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit.

Summertime is in full swing, and most people are thinking about their upcoming family vacations, barbecues with friends, or all of the house projects they want to get accomplished this summer. Of all the things going on, it’s easy to put off proper tax planning for a later time.

In fact, with 2015 taxes complete, many won’t even think about taxes again until about mid-January next year when their tax statements start rolling in. At that time, many will again cringe at the amount of taxes they’ll owe, and wish that they would have done more in the prior year to help minimize their taxes.

To help encourage readers to stop procrastinating on their tax planning, Wealth Planning Network is offering a free strategic planning meeting for readers of Hinsdale Magazine until August 31, 2016.

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This article is not intended to provide any specific tax, legal, or financial planning advice, and is meant solely for informational purposes only. If you would like more information, please contact Wealth Planning Network to speak with an advisor directly at 708-481-4000.

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HMinside60521

CENTENNIAL SPIRIT 100 years of insurance the G.A. Mavon & Co. way

by Mike Ellis | Photography by Linda Horton

FOURTH-GENERATION Chairman Jerry Mavon and son, president Phil Mavon, of G.A. Mavon & Co. insurance agency.

A

lot changes in 100 years, but certain things remain relatively unchanged.

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson was the President of the United States, and the nation was two years from entering World War I. The Boston Red Sox defeated the Brooklyn Robins/ Dodgers to win the World Series.

That same year, Girard Aloysius (G.A.) Mavon founded G.A. Mavon & Co., an insurance agency, on south Halsted Street in Chicago.

One hundred years later, the business is still going strong, in the hands of the Mavon family.

Chairman Jerry Mavon, a longtime Hinsdale resident and G.A. Mavon’s grandson, said his grandfather only had an eighth-grade education, when he entered the insurance business collecting Continued on page 40

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Oak Park, IL 6 bedrooms, 5.2 baths, 9,500 sqft $2,500,000

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H i n s dale H o m e

Scott Jonlich | 630.655.3400 | 8 E Hinsdale Ave Hinsdale, IL | Scott.Jonlich@cbexchange.com | HinsdaleHomePreviews.com ©2016 Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC (MRED). All rights reserved. Some data relating to real estate for sale on this page comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity program of Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC (MRED). Some properties which appear for sale may subsequently have sold and may no longer be available. The information being provided is for consumers’ personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Please refer to the Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC (MRED) DCMA notice for additional copyright information pertaining to listings appearing on this site. ©2016 Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

Chairman Gerry Mavon and President Phil Mavon Continued from page 38

premiums by bicycle for Traders Insurance Co. of Chicago in 1902.

“That’s how he started in the business, riding his bike, collecting premiums door-to-door for an insurance company,” Mavon said.

Fourteen years later, G.A. Mavon founded his own agency on south Halsted Street, and a couple of years later, moved his offices to the Insurance Exchange building at 175 W. Jackson Blvd. in downtown Chicago, soon becoming the first tenant in the new annex section.

G.A. Mavon & Co. relocated once more to 222 S. Riverside Plaza above Union Station, before moving to its

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

current Hinsdale address along Chicago Ave. in the downtown in 1979.

Mavon said the building was owned

by Chuck Comiskey, former owner of the Chicago White Sox and a longtime Hinsdale resident.

He said their conversation began at a local swim meet, where Comiskey encouraged him to move out of downtown Chicago.

Comiskey’s original concept was to lease space to tenants like G.A. Mavon & Co., but he ultimately sold the building to Mavon, and leased his own office space in the building for a couple of decades.

“It’s really one of the best decisions

that I’ve made in business in my 50 years, was to buy this building and be located here, close to home,” Mavon said, adding that it allowed him to be closer to his family members, while opening new client potential.

Mavon, a longtime Cubs fan, recalled a humorous anecdote of moving into Comiskey’s building.

“The first thing I did after we bought the building was plant the vines on the west side of our building to make it look like Wrigley Field,” he said. “He and I had a lot of fun with that.”

Today, G.A. Mavon & Co. has expanded into three companies: the original company, Gamco Premium Finance Co. and Mavco Insurance Agency.

President Phil Mavon, Gerry’s son and a fourth-generation member of his family’s business, said the companies are primarily focused on the Chicagoland area, and that their retail business concentrates on Hinsdale and contiguous communities.

Mavon said one distinguishing feature of the business has been offering clients “a lot of different options.”

“I think that’s something that has distinguished us over the years, is to give the clients a lot of different options, instead of being obligated to one particular insurance carrier, whether it’s wholesale or retail,” he said. “We’ll do what’s best for that client.”

While insurance, like many industries, has become more automated and less personal through the years, Phil Mavon said “service” continues to be the key to the companies’ success.

“In looking back at all of our history and our newsletters and the rest of it, it’s amazing how things haven’t really changed,” he said. “We’re a service business. ... Essentially, whatever way we can do it, using the latest technology... it’s still about service.

“That, I’d say, over the 100 years is what’s kept us going. We’re not in it to be the largest agency in Illinois—we definitely want to have the best service of anyone. That’s what’s stayed the same.” n

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Valerie Laniosz, M.D., PhD The physician specialists of University Dermatology and Vein Center are leading authorities and use their expertise to offer comprehensive and compassionate care for patients of all ages.

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VASSILIOS (BILL) DIMITROPOULOS, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist who

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completed medical training at the University of Pittsburgh, residency training at Rush University Medical Center, and a Mohs Micrographic Surgery fellowship in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Brown also served as the medical director of the Dermatologic and Mohs

DR. VALERIE LANIOSZ, MD, PHD is native to Chicago and obtained her B.S. from Wheaton College and her MD/PhD from Rosalind Franklin University School of Medicine.

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Micrographic Surgical Division at Rush. Clinical interests include: Mohs Micrographic Surgery, skin cancer, geriatric skin care and aging, moles, cysts, and skin care in the setting of immunosuppression (transplant patients and patients with HIV).

STEVEN L. KAHN, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist who completed medical training at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Kahn is trained in treating all diseases and conditions of the skin, hair, and nails. Clinical interests include: acne, eczema, psoriasis, pigmented lesions, skin tumors, and blistering disorders.

the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Laniosz is board certified in Dermatology and comes to University Dermatology with the knowledge and skills of the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Laniosz is available by appointment and sees patients of all ages for diseases of the skin, hair, and nails.

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But what could they have done differently? Today What’s Left for Retirement Compounded Savings* Savings Net of Income Tax* they were paying $10’s of thousands of dollars in tax $1,000,000 $1,000,000 annually, which, by this point was limiting their capacity $900,000 $900,000 to save. And the plan never included selling equities at $800,000 $800,000 $700,000 $700,000 a 15 or 20% income tax rate creating a lower base from $600,000 $600,000 which to generate fixed income. Only now in their early $500,000 $500,000 60’s did they realize that the income tax on the growth $400,000 $400,000 $300,000 $300,000 in their portfolio was postponing their retirement $200,000 $200,000 dreams and their peace of mind. $100,000 $100,000 Many folks have a financial plan with assets $0.00 $0.00 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 accumulating based on the 30 year average of the *Hypothetical example Componded Savings @6%; What’s left 35% realized tax rate 15% capital gains at year 30 S&P 500. We understand that your number should not be $1,000,000 or even $10,000,000. Rather, the plan should deliver an after tax cash flow for what you want, not just what you need… a plan which integrates your asset accumulation and your income tax liability is the key. Yet few plans account for this. The good news is that there are simple financial tools to enhance what you have and to mitigate many of these risks. We’d be honored to share those strategies with you. As you approach retirement, be more proactive than Rosemary and Larry… and happier and more secure!

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Hunken Financial Group 225 W Wacker Dr., Ste. 400 | Chicago, IL 312.767.0256 charlie.russ@hunkenfinancial.com videos.thelivingbalancesheet.com/for-your-life

Hinsdale resident Charlie Russ has over 30 years working in the FORTUNE 500 and personal market place. Global responsibilities with Price Waterhouse and Ernst & Young along with a Kellogg MBA, and a Certified Life Underwriter (CLU®) certification from the American College are among his credentials.

Registered Representative of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS). OSJ: 2550 Compass Rd., Suite H, Glenview, IL 60026 (847-564-0123). Securities products offered through PAS, member FINRA, SIPC. Financial Representative of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian), New York, NY. PAS is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian. Hunken Financial Group is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian.. CA Ins. Lic# OF700935. The study of 450 professionals is a personal study conducted over the professional career of Charlie Russ 2016-24409 Exp 06/18 Guardian, its subsidiaries, agents, and employees do not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. Consult your tax, legal, or accounting professional regarding your individual situation. S&P 500 Index is a market index generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. Indices are unmanaged and one cannot invest directly in an index. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Hinsdale60521.com | HINSDALEMAGAZINE

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HMcoverstory JULY 2016

THE

Love

OF ARTS

For 16 years, BAMtheatre has enjoyed a starring role in the Hinsdale arts community.

By Alison Bonaguro Photography by Jim Prisching

Before the cast of 70 teenagers piled into Hinsdale United Methodist Church for West Side Story rehearsals, the musical’s director Melanie Lamoureux sat down with Hinsdale Magazine to reflect on the very first rehearsals she held 16 summers ago—the ones in her backyard, when she only had a cast of 15.

That first show in 2001 was a very loose interpretation of Annie.

And it all started with a little boredom.

Lamoureux was only 13 years old and still somewhat new to Hinsdale, when she and her friends Becky and Allie had a sleepover, and decided that they wanted to put on a show that summer.

“We put Annie on the VHS, and we’d rewind it, play a minute of it, stop it, and then type the dialogue on our computers,” she said.

Ultimately, they had a script. All they needed was a cast.

MELANIE LAMOUREUX Founding artistic director of BAMtheatre

HMcoverstory JULY 2016

So, Becky, Allie and Melanie (BAM) printed out “I remember sitting in my apartment in Toronto, plain black-and-white flyers, and rode their bikes up trying to come up with different scenarios for the and down the streets of Hinsdale, and passed them next summer,” she said. “We had so many older kids out to kids on the street. who had been with us since the beginning, and they were so strong that they kept getting all the parts. But The girls’ siblings had to do it, Lamoureux said. we also had younger kids who I knew had potential.”

And then they recruited a few neighbors and a handful of other kids. Before they knew it, they had So, in 2007, BAM produced two shows: BAM the cast they needed for their scaled-down, made-forJuniors did High School Musical, while the 14-andthe-small-stage version of Annie. over crowd performed Fame.

Rehearsals were in the Lamoureux house on This year, almost a decade later, the high school Bodin Street—or in their backyard if the weather and college intensive group tackled West Side cooperated—, and performances were held at Story, and the youth theatre kids will put on one of Clarendon Hills Middle School.

Lamoureux’s favorites, Seussical the Musical.

“The night before the first show, me, Becky Even though she is firmly planted behind and Allie were writing handwritten notes to each the scenes—and told Hinsdale Magazine she is of the kids,” she said. “We 100-percent artistically wrote, ‘Hopefully we’ll see fulfilled in that role—, you next summer,’ and after there was a time when “I never wanted to go try to make we’d finished writing all those Lamoureux was the one it on Broadway; that has just never notes, we were like, ‘I guess taking the final bows. now we have to do it again next When she was on been my dream. What I love is stage (she played Rusty summer.’ ” directing and teaching.” in Footloose and Irene That epiphany made —MELANIE LAMOUREUX Molloy in Hello, Dolly!

BAMtheatre official, and at Hinsdale Central), turned it into something more Lamoureux says she than a place for parents to drop loved performing, but she soon realized that directing their kids off for a couple of hours.

And since that 2001 debut, Lamoureux has put was just as much of an art as performing. on a BAM show each summer. Even with college, “I never wanted to go try to make it on Broadway; graduate school, marriage and a move to the city, that has just never been my dream,” she said. “What summer has always meant “Hinsdale” to her.

I love is directing and teaching, and that love just grew faster than my love for performing.”

“I’ve come back every summer,” she said. “It wasn’t even a choice I made; I was compelled to She honed her directing skills at the Boston come home. I never considered doing an internship Conservatory, where she graduated with a Masters or traveling. I didn’t do the normal things college of Fine Arts in musical theatre in 2011, and is now students did, because if I had, I never would’ve built pursuing a Master’s degree in music education from this.”

Northwestern University.

After Annie, there was 2002’s Beauty and the Somewhere between the studying and the Beast, 2003’s The Wizard of Oz, 2004’s Cinderella, directing, Fenwick High School came calling.

2005’s Honk!, and 2006’s Seussical the Musical.

Fenwick offered Lamoureux a teaching position, By then, Lamoureux had graduated from Hinsdale and she started there in 2012. At first, she took on the honors choir classes, then an advanced chamber Central High School, and was attending college for choir class, then a theatre class—and then a math her degree in music education at the University of class. Fenwick has also enlisted Lamoureux to handle Toronto.

Continued on the next page

Hinsdale60521.com | HINSDALEMAGAZINE

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HMcoverstory JULY 2016

CHERISHED FAVORITE BAMtheatre’s 2015 production of The Wizard of Oz. Production photos

by Time Stops Photography.

ONE PROUD MEMBER OF THE “BAM”-ILY: ANDREW SPATAFORA

Continued from previous page

its musicals.

“Fenwick allowed me to see how much I love the education behind the arts,” she said. “There are so many possibilities to inspire and watch people develop and grow, and that’s inspirational for me.”

She said that is why she is so committed to making BAM an educational theatre organization.

“This is not just about getting together and putting on a show,” Lamoureux said. “We want to bring in the actors who are really passionate about studying theatre. Studying—not just doing theatre, but studying it as an art form.

“We develop their acting capabilities, we help them be better dancers, and teach them to use their voices in the right way.”

That mission, she said, is what attracts the kind of kids that want to take their talents to the next level.

“I believe that art has the power to bring the

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

community together,” Lamoureux said. “In 2001, when BAM started, there were few established arts organizations here. Now Hinsdale is home to so many thriving programs.

“These programs are shaping the culture of our town, and making it vibrant and rich with creativity and imagination. My dream for the future is to build a cultural home—a Hinsdale arts facility—for organizations like BAMtheatre to flourish in.

With the support of the community, I know this dream will one day become reality.” n

BAMtheatre’s upcoming events and programs include West Side Story, June 30 through July 2; and Seussical the Musical, Aug. 5-7. Younger children can participate in the Broadway Workshop Series this summer. Visit www. bamtheatre.com for more program information and to purchase tickets.

Andrew Spatafora, a Chicago actor who recently played Pinocchio in the Marriott Theater’s musical, told Hinsdale Magazine that BAM’s Wizard of Oz changed everything for him.

“When I was in fifth grade, I signed up for the show, and because of Melanie, I was hooked. I did about five more BAM shows, I honed my skills, and then I went on to get a BFA in musical theater from Emerson College.

Melanie had a major impact on my decision. Her passion and drive have carried her through the years, and I’m so grateful I played a part in that.”

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HMfeaturestory JULY 2016

PAW-FECTLY Independent The entrepreneurial spirit is rampant in Hinsdale and its surrounding communities.

by Mike Ellis

In the past, we have shared the stories of a pair of Hinsdale Central students that started their own fashion business, as well as an Oak Brook man that retooled his life through equipment design, following a traumatic brain injury.

But the concept of achieving financial independence is generally less topical in the same towns—it being often taken for granted that kids matriculating from stellar academic high schools will continue their success in college, and parlay their degrees into careers sufficient for providing all the necessaries of life.

For Renzo Novelle of Burr Ridge, a 19-year-old entrepreneur that has

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

RENZO’S BISCUITS Local entrepreneur Renzo Novelle sold his original dog biscuits at the Hinsdale Humane Society Pet Walk last month at Katherine Legge Memorial Park in Hinsdale.

The biscuits come in multiple flavors, including peanut butter, peanut butter/banana, pumpkin, spinach/ cheddar cheese/ bacon and apple.

been diagnosed with high-functioning Asperger’s Syndrome, the drive to operate a successful business is fueled by the dream of financial independence.

Novelle was diagnosed with the condition, which is on the autism spectrum, in about sixth grade.

He explained that he struggles most with executive functioning—that is, essentially, the ability to multitask.

Moreover, this impairs his ability to solve math problems. His dad, Robert, said when he is only asked to perform a single arithmetical operation, such as addition or subtraction, he produces correct answers; but when multiple operations are introduced on a single worksheet, he has the tendency to only perform a single operation, regardless of the changing signs.

“It’s very hard for me to break things down,” Novelle said. ... “I lose focus a

HMfeaturestory JULY 2016

lot, and it’s hard for me to take things step-by-step. I can only take one step at a time, instead of more than one step.”

In addition to his challenges with executive functioning, Novelle also struggles with time management and reading the facial expressions of others.

“If you look at me like you’re concerned or anxious or overwhelmed, it’s hard for me to read those things,” he said. ... “Sarcasm is hard, because it’s hard for me to hear in the tone of voice if it’s a joke, or if a person’s being serious with me.”

Novelle started his high-school career at Acacia Academy in La Grange Highlands, an accredited special education school, before transitioning into an integrated environment at Hinsdale South High School midway through his sophomore year.

“It was pretty neat,” he said regarding his experience at South. “I felt like I was like other people, instead of like people that are just uniquely imperfect individuals. I got to experience a diverse crowd at Hinsdale South.”

After graduating from South in 2015, Novelle continued on to the District 86 transition center, a program designed to aid 18- to 22-year-olds in the district with special needs in acquiring the THE TREATS Novelle sells his allnatural dog treats at local events and at KLM.

requisite knowledge and skills to live independently.

“High school was a real struggle, because it’s hard for me to get along with other people sometimes,” he said, “and it’s hard for me academically—I’m challenged at math. I have an IEP (individualized education program), and I have a great support team that helps me get through high school, and be right for adulthood.”

Outside of the transition center, Novelle currently works three jobs. He serves as an animal caretaker at the Oak Brook Kennel Club, and works in the hot foods department at Mariano’s, which recently opened a new location on 63rd Street in Westmont.

In addition, Novelle has been operating his own business, Uniquely Pawfect, since last November. He said Garret Rosiek, his former therapist and an assistant men’s lacrosse coach at Elmhurst College, helped him develop the idea of starting his own business.

Novelle makes homemade, allnatural dog treats, which cost $10 per bag. He uses a recipe derived by an ingredient scientist, mixing white whole wheat flour, cornmeal, eggs, sunflower oil, apple cider vinegar, honey and flavoring. (The treats come in several different flavors, including bacon and pumpkin.)

Novelle said the business is ideal for him, as he developed a fondness for dogs from the time he was about 12 years old. For the past year, he has enjoyed spending time with his own dog, Karma, an Australian ShepherdBernese Mountain Dog mix.

Novelle said he enjoys the work, because it allows him to be around both dogs and people.

Novelle does deliveries and pick-ups, and sells the treats in his neighborhood and at Katherine Legge

Memorial (KLM) Park in Hinsdale. He said he will be selling them from 5 to 8 p.m. at KLM this summer.

While the Millennial generation is becoming notorious for a diminished work ethic, Novelle said he enjoys working, because it keeps him busy.

“I love working,” he said. “It keeps me busy; it keeps me out of trouble.”

During high school, Novelle explained that in his free time, he became exposed to the “rough crowd,” which was drawn to him for his expensive material possessions, such as his iPad. He said this ultimately led to him being robbed at gunpoint by another Hinsdale South student, who is currently incarcerated.

In two years, Novelle will depart from the transition center, and hopes to embark on the rest of his life financially independent. He said his parents are looking at a three-flat in Brookfield, near downtown La Grange, in which he would live upstairs, while they would reside downstairs in the event of a fire or a similar emergency.

“Basically, they want me to take care of myself as much as possible,” Novelle said.

Novelle said his dream job would be to operate a deli, incorporating the culinary skills he has been honing at Mariano’s, while also continuing to sell his dog treats at the same establishment.

While his mom, Renee, said financial independence will be difficult for him to achieve, for now, Novelle is focused on continuing to run Uniquely Pawfect, while also working his two other jobs at Mariano’s and the kennel club. “[Uniquely Pawfect] keeps me busy, it keeps me saving my money, and it keeps the business going,” Novelle said.

“It keeps me motivated [in focusing on] what I want to do in my life.” n

You can learn more about Uniquely Pawfect on Facebook and Twitter. For more information about Asperger’s Syndrome, visit www.webmd.com or www.autismspeaks.org.

Hinsdale60521.com | HINSDALEMAGAZINE

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HMcommunityscene

NOTRE DAME BLOCK PARTY Photography by Mike Ellis

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More than 500 people from Clarendon Hills and surrounding communities attended the inaugural block party, hosted by Notre Dame Catholic Church, on June 3.

The event, sponsored by Jan Morel of Coldwell Banker among a number of other local businesses, showcased the Chicago Rock Exchange band, featuring lead singer Jen Jurcovics of Clarendon Hills.

The block party also featured local food and refreshments, including food from Skuddlebutts, Citrus Diner, The Daily Scoop and Sue’s Cakery. A beer and wine tent featured local craft brewery Buckledown.

Children enjoyed train rides, bags, an inflatable obstacle course, and having their likenesses replicated by a caricature artist.

A grill provided attendees with dinner at the block party, which continued past sunset into the Friday evening in the Notre Dame parking lot.

The funds raised from the event will be used for after-school enrichment and STEM-related programs at Notre Dame School.

For more information about Notre Dame Catholic Church, visit www. notredameparish.org.

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

[1] Jen Jurcovics of Clarendon Hills kept kids entertained on stage throughout the night; [2] Bags was one of many games and activities at the inaugural Notre Dame Block Party; [3] Local businesses such as Citrus Diner and The Daily Scoop served food at the block party; [4] A caricature artist sketched kids’ likenesses

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HMcommunityscene

UNIQUELY THURSDAYS Photography by Mike Ellis

Hundreds of area residents attended the opening Uniquely Thursdays concert in Burlington Park on June 16.

Chicago-based Sonic 7 entertained on the main stage, performing iconic female rock hits, as many audience members set up blankets and chairs across the lawn.

Local businesses and organizations such as Hinsdale Bank & Trust, DuPage Medical Group and the Robert Crown Center for Health Education offered games and activities for children.

Kids also enjoyed scrambling around the hill in front of the Hinsdale Memorial Building.

Area vendors and volunteers supplied food and refreshments along Chicago Ave., which is always closed off throughout the duration of the concerts.

Organized annually by the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce, Uniquely Thursdays will continue weekly through Aug. 11.

For more information about Uniquely Thursdays, visit hinsdalechamber.com.

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[1] Myriah Vargo, Lyndsey Dillard, Kristen Ashby and Ruta Brigden; [2] Katheryn Mansell with children Lillian, Audrey and Grant; [3] Sonja and Sinead McInerney; [4] Barb Thayer, Luke Flaska, Will Engels and LeeAnne Stifflear; [5] Margot Barber, Amity Comiskey and Dr. Carrie Thangamani; [6] Bea and Isabel Harnois

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HINSDALEMAGAZINE | Hinsdale60521.com

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HMcommunityscene

LUXURY GARAGE SALE Photography by Marco Nunez

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Neat Method and Luxury Garage Sale (LGS) collaborated at a recent pop-up shop.

The two companies have been working together for the past five years.

Neat’s Hinsdale team spent a day organizing the LGS store as if it were a personal walk-in closet.

Everything from the clothing to the shoes was categorized and displayed.

The event included a number of women from the community attending and learning how to best organize their own closets and homes.

Ladies also had an opportunity to browse LGS’s consignment items.

Ten percent of the proceeds benefited Wellness House.

To learn more about Luxury Garage Sale (LGS), visit neatmethod.com/blog/ luxury-garage-sale. For more information about Wellness House, visit wellnesshouse.org.

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HM communityscene

BOWTIES & BUBBLY Photography by Daniel Garcia

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Roughly 100 local residents supported victims of human trafficking at the second annual Bowties & Bubbly fundraiser, hosted by the international affairs committee of the Hinsdale Junior Woman’s Club (HJWC), at a private residence in Hinsdale on June 4.

Attendees enjoyed an evening of socializing and refreshments, as they bid on silent auction items that included original artwork by HJWC member Cara Omiecinski.

Proceeds from the event will go towards Reclaim 13, a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding victims of human trafficking.

The international committee selected Reclaim 13 as its beneficiary after co-chair Kate Marnell learned of the prevalence of trafficking victims in the Chicago area.

Reclaim 13’s Cherish House is a trauma-informed residential treatment facility dedicated to giving rescued child sex-trafficking victims love, support and emotional healing.

At Cherish House, girls are cared for by qualified staff that teach them lifeskills in an attempt to move them past the trauma of sexual exploitation.

To learn more about the Hinsdale Junior Woman’s Club, visit www.hjwc.us. For more information about Reclaim 13, go to www.reclaim13.org.

[1] Jamie Muehlhauser, Stephanie Brzozowski, Amy Velco, Kate Marnell, Julie Sutton, Becce Apple, Maria Sheppard and Kelly Fikri; [2] Dee Bauer and Michelle Buchanan; [3] Brent and Heather Gustafson; [4] Craig and Tracy Zoberis and Tammy and Terry Carter ; [5] Mistie Lucht, Ted Dres and Natalie Larrick; [6] Megan Brotschul and Jen Lonteen

Hinsdale60521.com | HINSDALEMAGAZINE

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HM communityscene

DAISY DAYS Photography by Mike Ellis

A host of area residents turned out for a weekend of games, activities and entertainment at the annual Daisy Days festival in downtown Clarendon Hills on June 17 and 18.

Children flooded the rides early on Friday evening, which saw dozens of families bolster attendance on the south end of downtown.

Some families dined nearby at Aguamiel Restaurante or Scapa Italian Kitchen, and then proceeded to the heart of downtown to enjoy the festivities.

The rides and activities were generally familiar, including the “super slide” near Eastern Ave., circling cars, rotating fruit and the customary set of carnival games.

Local Coldwell Banker agents teamed up with John Horton of Clarendon Hills in the beer tent, while Cirrus Falcon performed on the main stage.

Daisy Days welcomed some new booths along south Prospect Ave. this year, such as one Clarendon Hills resident Joe Kavanagh set up for the Special Olympics.

Dave DiNaso returned to Daisy Days with his traveling world of reptiles show to kick off Saturday activities on the main stage.

DiNaso’s show, sponsored by Dr. Bill Hamel of Clarendon Hills, introduces children to a variety of reptiles and other creatures about which they may be apprehensive.

Saturday afternoon, 21 young performers took to the stage for the annual Daisy Days Idol singing competition, organized by Derek Berg of Clarendon Hills Music Academy.

Ultimately, Lauren Priest and Natalie Newmann, both of Hinsdale, claimed first prize in their respective age divisions.

[1] Don and Mary Brown; [2] Marty and Susie Turek; [3] Carole Thoeming and Joelle Pigors; [4] Lauren Priest and Natalie Newmann; [5] Sarah Mahlik and Tracy Parker; [6] George Dietrich and Mike McCurry

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HMhinsdaledriver JULY 2016

MACKINAC BRIDGE The Circle Tour hugs Lake Michigan through one of the most beautiful regions in Michigan.

RIDING TIGHT: THE BUCKET-LIST TRIPS Windy City Tours makes the journey a biker’s bliss

By Alison Bonaguro

What if you could get away from summer getaways?

What if instead of swimming in Lake Michigan, you could explore its entire coastline?

What if you could go so far off the beaten path that the path itself becomes the destination?

What if you could do it with old friends, complete strangers and anyone else that wanted to take the same kind of bucket-list trip at least once in their lives?

It can happen, and Windy City Harley-Davidson Tours can take you there. Two of its upcoming motorcycle rides—a trip to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally from Aug. 6 to 14, and its Lake Michigan Circle Tour from Sept. 15 to 18—can turn this summer into one you’ll never forget.

Javier Franco, director of authorized rentals and tours for the Windy City Harley-Davidson group, told Hinsdale Magazine that one of the benefits of riding tight in a group is that you’re part of something bigger, both literally and figuratively.

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HMhinsdaledriver JULY 2016

“The pack mentality means there’s a bond, and there’s strength, and it takes the experience to the next level,” Franco said. “You have people out on the road on this journey with you, and you build something together; but riding this way can also be very freeing.”

Guided group tours also mean safety in numbers, Franco said.

“One motorcycle is hard to see on the road,” he said. “But a group of riders riding right beside each other?—you can’t miss us. So, you can ride and feel secure, and rely on each other; you understand each other.”

And it’s not always the same road warriors out there year after year. Franco said he’s seen plenty of rookies sign up over the years, and make connections with more seasoned riders.

“Strangers become friends, and that’s all part of the culture,” he said.

Unpredictable weather out on the open road is also a part of the culture to which Franco referred.

“You’ll get rained on sometime, somewhere,” he said. “It’s almost a badge of honor if you survive three days of rain.

A little dirt and grit and having it hard gives you something you brag about.”

Each trip includes the guided tour, plus lodging and most meals. And if you don’t have your own motorcycle, Windy City Harley-Davidson offers special discounted rentals for the trips. The dealer also brings an extra bike on a trailer, plus a technician to do on-the-road repairs, just in case.

STURGIS MOTORCYCLE RALLY

“The Windy City group is known as the dealer that rides, and we’ve been doing this ride to Sturgis for 20 years,” Franco said of the annual trip to South Dakota.

“That’s our thing; we ride with you.”

But unlike motorcycle parading, where police are blocking the road for you, this is a guided tour that allows you to go at your own pace.

“There’s a lead rider at the front and a sweep vehicle in the back,” Franco said.

“We all make our way to Sturgis, and

that’s when we become part of the bigger picture there.”

The route takes riders up into LaCrosse, Wisc., along the Minnesota/Iowa state line, and into Chamberlain, S.D., then over to Deadwood for five nights. Day trips from Deadwood include must-sees like Devil’s Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Needles Highway through the Black Hills.

The return trip includes a stop in Fairmont, Minn.

LAKE MICHIGAN CIRCLE TOUR

“Down and around—that’s how we go, so that you get the city riding out of the way first, and then you can make your way around Lake Michigan,” Franco said.

“You’ll see the majestic scenery and the open road. It’s right around the corner, and such [a] hidden gem even for new riders.”

The four-day fall tour starts by cruising into Indiana via the Dunes Highway, and continues to hug the Lake Michigan shore all the way northward until crossing the Mackinac Bridge into the breathtaking Upper Peninsula of Michigan. From there, riders wind their way down the Wisconsin side of the great lake. n

For more details on these tours, visit windycitymotorcycletours.com.

STURGIS RALLY Windy City group riders at the Sturgis trip to South Dakota, which includes organized rides into LaCrosse, Wisc., along the Minnesota/Iowa state line, and into South Dakota. The route features day-trips to sites like Devil’s Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Black Hills. Above photo courtesy of Windy City.

Hinsdale60521.com | HINSDALEMAGAZINE

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HMtechknow

by Errol Janusz

ADDING TECH TO YOUR HOME Our summer 2016 edition of techKNOW reviews the latest home technology gadgets.

From home-illumination automation to facerecognizing security, we think these gadgets will even turn an historic Hinsdale home into a smart home!

HUE BY PHILLIPS

I personally use this product in my home, and it performs very well. The Phillips Hue lets you control your lights from your bedroom to your backyard. It even makes it seem like you’re home when you’re not. From your smartphone, you can set timers for lights to go on and off, and you can even control the color of each bulb. When you decide to escape to Wisconsin Dells for the summer, you can automate your illumination to easily outwit any intruder.

NETATMO WELCOME

If you are not interested in monthly subscriptions to security systems, the Netatmo Welcome may be the perfect home security system for you, as it offers access to full HD videos for no extra monthly payment.

This security device also uses proprietary face-recognition software, so it can distinguish your family and friends, and can instantly alert you with a still photograph when a possible intruder is spotted in your home. The design makes it blend easily with other knickknacks in your home, so you will not have the feeling of being continuously watched.

SAMSUNG SMARTTHINGS

The Samsung SmartThings is a fantastic piece of home technology that can automate many tasks that you currently perform at your house.

Receiving the 2015 Best of the Year Award from USA Today, the Samsung SmartThings Hub will connect all of your different smart locks, lights, outlets, thermostats and more, while allowing you to control them from the free SmartThings application. These devices can also learn your “routines.”

They will turn on the air conditioning when you usually come home from work, and also start the coffee around the same time you wake up each morning.

Errol Janusz is president and lead technician at Edward Technology in Hinsdale. For more information, contact Errol at 630-333-9323, ext. 303, or e-mail ejanusz@hinsdale60521.com. You can also visit edwardtechnology.com.

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HMpeakperformance

by Jim Fannin

WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE For the past six weeks, I’ve been traveling from Maui to Orlando, and many places in between. I’ve spoken to thousands of very diverse people. All of those I met had three things in common: 1. They want more than they have now.

2. They know what they don’t want, even more than what they do want.

3. They will sacrifice time, effort and money to be their genuine, authentic best selves.

The kindness and goodness I’ve experienced these past weeks has been overwhelming. Although I’m seeing, feeling and being told about negative stress, hope and possibility still flicker in our country from coast to coast.

We are a hopeful nation, and most of us have not succumbed to the negative rhetoric we witness daily in the news. I am in Orlando now. This diverse city is reeling from the worst mass shooting in America’s history. Nothing since 9/11 has so negatively impacted our country. Innocent, good people had bad things happen to them. The premeditated act of violence on a nightclub in downtown Orlando was senseless and horrific.

Why did this happen?

Even though my recent travels have revealed so much goodness, there is an underbelly of despair, hopelessness, rage, depression, anger, anxiety and worry. As any individual replays these feelings over and over again, they can swiftly culminate in negative, aggressive behavior, and unfortunately, violent acts.

These acts are rare, but they are occurring more frequently.

What do good people do?

People everywhere need to live life freely and to its fullest every day. Make each day count; make each day last. Slow down. Do

this by spending more time fully engaged in the moment. Let the motto of “there’s no place I’d rather be than where I am right now” resonate through every cell of your body.

What do good people do when bad things happen?

Stay the course of positive, solution-oriented thoughts and actions; influence those around you in a positive manner.

Be proactive in spreading good vibes; never succumb to the negative forces that walk amongst us. Be vigilant, but avoid becoming a victim or a judge. When the victim and judge in you surfaces, our nation slowly allows negative forces to spread.

Good people fight negativity by never changing their positive ways. Is this easy when no one or nothing can explain a tragedy like the one that occurred in Orlando? No, but it’s worth the fight.

“Next,” is the battle cry of the good—that is, the “next” random act of kindness directed to friends, colleagues, neighbors and strangers alike—the “next” step forward in reaching your vision and goals—the “next” smile delivered to brighten a negative mind—the “next” helping hand that reaches out to someone in need—the “next” “I’m awesome” response to someone’s “How are you?” question—the “next” day of extreme positivity that is ready to blanket the cold reality of worry, anxiety and depression.

Bad things can and do happen to good people. It is here that good people double down on all that’s good, and share it with the world.

Be your genuine, authentic best self. Attract the “zone” in all you do. Fill your heart with good; then pass it on. n

JIM FANNIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER Burr Ridge resident Jim Fannin is a world-class thought leader and coach with 42 years of experience in life, business and sports. To learn about his latest thoughtmanagement program, go to 90secondrule.com, or visit jimfannin.com.

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HMspiritualinsight

by Dan Meyer

THE NATION GOD BLESSES (PART 1) WHO DOES GOD BLESS? This vision of a heritage as the children of Abraham—of being a people to whom God specially appears—of having a great name— of enjoying a great land—of seeing a great curse befall those who oppose us—as our influence extends across the earth—this vision has so profoundly influenced the self-understanding and behavior of so many people that it may be said to be one of the most potent seeds of change and conflict in the world today.

Many religious Jews have viewed this passage from Genesis as an affirmation of their unique and irrevocable status as God’s chosen nation. They have found in this text the theological key that tells them to expect opposition from those that would try to curse and destroy them. They’ve viewed this Scripture as declaring their unquestionable right to the land of Canaan (modern day Israel and Palestine), even if this means dispossessing those that historically or currently hold portions of it. Israel will be the nation God blesses; and if God forgets, then his chosen ones will not. They will take and defend what is theirs—an eye for an eye.

American Christians, too, have laid claim to this teaching from Genesis. From Puritan times to the present day, many Americans have viewed our country as God’s “new Jerusalem.” Like Abram (later Abraham) and his family, our forbearers set out from their lands to the East, and arrived here in this “promised land” of opportunity. They met their own version of the Canaanites— natives whom the newcomers destroyed or displaced, justifying their actions on the basis of a divine sanction to fulfill their manifest destiny. Woe to the nation or network that seeks to curse us, that fails to see that we are the country through which “all peoples on earth will be blessed.”

Many Muslims, too, see life in these terms; for they also claim Abram as their spiritual forefather. They view themselves as engaged in a great struggle against those that would curse them— those that are not willing to recognize the unique status that Allah, Almighty God himself, has given them. With all of the unblinking certainty and sense of righteous mission often seen among Jews and Christians, many religious Muslims see the spread of Islam as the God-ordained means by which all people on earth will be blessed, and Allah’s will shall fully be done. Islam is the nation God blesses.

Given these competing visions and the fervor and confidence with which they are held, is it any wonder that the world is in a state of unrest today? But beyond a cursory or convenient reading, what does the Good Book actually say to us about the nation God blesses?

GOD EXTENDS GRACE TO ALL Well, as politically incorrect as it may sound to say, it is hard to

DAN MEYER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Dr. Dan Meyer is the senior pastor at Christ Church of Oak Brook.

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read the book that all three major world religions esteem, and not come away seeing that, in at least two senses, God blesses every nation.

For one thing, all the nations of this earth get what theologians call “common grace.” In a universe that is more than 99-percent vacuous and void, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and “none of the above’s” all get air to breathe, land to walk and build on—the raw materials of life. God does not reserve purple mountains’ majesty and amber waves of grain for Americans only.

We are not the only ones to enjoy the blessings of friendship or laughter. God sheds his grace on the whole world. He “causes his [warming] sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends [needed] rain on the righteous and the unrighteous,” (Matt. 5:45).

There is, however, a second sense in which God blesses every nation. The Scriptures teach that all nations also receive the offer of what theologians call “saving grace.” The Book of Revelation declares at the end of history, there will be in heaven “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches,” (Rev. 5:9).

In other words, the final gathering of God’s people will not look at all like most of our churches, synagogues and mosques do right now. It will be a multi-racial, multi-national gathering. There will be former Saudis and former Americans side-by-side. There will be former Israelis, Chinese, Indians, Syrians and others. They will be robed not in the color of flags, but in the purity of the Lamb.

Salvation will belong to anyone who puts their trust in God’s grace, and not their moral goodness, no matter the place from which they come. God’s saving grace will not be universal, but it will be global.

And this, like the reality of common grace, should temper all the children of Abram when we’re tempted to think too narrowly of ourselves as the nation God blesses.

TWO QUALITIES WORTH PONDERING If we study the Bible closely, however, we also discover that while God extends grace to all, there is a particular kind of nation that God blesses in other ways too. There are some nations which God blesses with a quality of life and a creative witness in the world that truly extends a more blessed life to others.

America, I’ll dare to say, has been one of those kinds of nations through much of her history. If she wishes to continue to be so, however, then the time has come to remember two specific requirements for remaining the sort of nation God blesses in this way. It will be those two qualities that I’ll try to illuminate in this column next month. In the meantime, thanks for reading this magazine, and have a wonderful July. n

As we celebrate this month the 240th anniversary of our nation’s independence and struggle to discern our future course in a world of clamor and conflict, think about this ancient text: And the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you,” (Gen. 12:1-3).