The North Shore Weekend, July 8th, 2023

“I prefer people who rock the boat to people who jump out.”

- Orson Welles

INSIDE NEWS

Last month's Digestive Health Foundation Gala raised $1.6 million to further the nonprofit's mission pg10

SHOW TIME

Broadway star Heather Headley will headline this year's Ravinia Festival Gala pg12

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Door County

10 making a difference

The Digestive Health Foundation Gala raised $1.6 million last month to fund vital medical research

IN MEMORIAM

11 remembering john d. nichols jr. A tribute to the life of a beloved businessman and civic and philanthropic leader

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

12 show time

Award-winning performer and local talent Heather Headley headlines Ravinia’s July 16 gala

14 asteroid city

Rex Reed gives this new Wes Anderson flick a dismal 1-star review

16 ad man 's adventures

Retired advertising executive Geoffrey CharltonPerrin shares an Orson Welles tale and previews a new novel

17 #hashtag

What's trending with Mindy Turitz, former fashion marketing executive and co-founder of MERINDA studio

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

18 sunday breakfast

Meet Kathleen "Gridley" Swanton, manager of the Lake Bluff Farmers Market, which celebrated 30 years in June

John Conatser FOUNDER & PUBLISHER

ADVERTISING @NSWEEKEND.COM

Jennifer Sturgeon

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Michelle Crowe, Dustin O'Regan, Kemmie Ryan, Sherry Thomas, Megan Weisberg

FASHION EDITOR

Theresa DeMaria

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Adrienne Fawcett, Mitch Hurst, Bill McLean, Roni Moore Neumann

DESIGN

Linda Lewis PRODUCTION MANAGER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Chris Geimer ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART

Tom Bachtell, Barry Blitt

ILLUSTRATION

Cheyanne Lencioni ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

BY ADRIENNE FAWCETT THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

It’s not often that 77 acres of prime lakefront land goes up for grabs on the North Shore, but this happened in the late 2010s when the U.S. Navy went looking for a new owner for property it owned in Highland Park and Highwood. That very same parcel, among the few public ravines and blufftop ecosystems in the Chicago area, is in the process of changing hands again.

It's called Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, and it comprises ravines, mature forests, savannas, upland blufftops and more than a mile of sandy beach at the south end of what was once the Fort Sheridan Army Base. It’s one of the best public places on the North Shore to view Lake Michigan.

The first land transfer took place in the late 2000s during the Great Recession. The Navy was looking to transfer the property, and Openlands Chicago stepped up when none of the adjacent municipalities or local organizations had the capacity to take it on.

Openlands Chicago had been advocating to protect the site from development and make it publicly accessible since 1988, when the Fort Sheridan garrison closed. In stages in 2007 and 2010, the Navy transferred the land at no charge to the non-profit group, which launched a fund-raising campaign to restore, enhance and preserve it.

Now, Openlands Chicago is passing the baton.

On June 14, the Lake County Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners agreed to accept the transfer of ownership. With it comes a $1.29 million fund dedicated to maintenance and operation of the Preserve.

“This transfer accelerates the Forest Preserves’ 100-year vision and opens the door to additional resources and further preservation of nearby parcels of open space,” said Song Huan, director of communications for Openlands Chicago. “In managing public open space, the Forest Preserves offers exceptional depth of knowledge and operational efficiencies.”

LCFPD has painstakingly restored the 259-acre Fort Sheridan Preserve just north of the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve.

“Openlands did an excellent job restoring and protecting their 77 acres,” says Alex Ty Kovach, executive director of the LCFPD.

“With the combined ownership by the Forest Preserve District, we’ll have two miles of lakefront protected forever and in public ownership. Our goal is to create a master plan after the closing date, invest in

the property, and create a seamless, 327acre preserve that will provide the public a unique lakefront experience.”

The transfer is set to close later this summer, and Kovach said he hopes the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve will re-open to the public over Labor Day weekend.

It has been closed since 2021 because a hand grenade and two other remnant World War II-era ordinances were found on the premises in April of that year. These were detonated by the Waukegan Bomb Squad. The Navy has been analyzing the entire site since then.

“The Navy has taken a lead role in preparing for the reopening of the Preserve by agreeing to implement recommendations in its forthcoming ‘Historic Document Review and Field Investigation Report,’” Huan said.

Openlands Lakeshore Preserve provides visitors the opportunity to experience many habitats, including ravine eroding bluff, lake bluff, ravines, seeps, dune, fore dune, and bluff tabletop. The City of Chicago seems worlds away, not just 30 miles south.

Over the past 15 years, Openlands Chicago has added many features to the Preserve, including:

• Accessible trails through the ravine and along upland bluffs and a portion of the beach

• Bridges and staircases that allow access to sections of the beach, ravines and bluffs

• Restored healthy native habitat, including the rare ravine ecosystem

• Outdoor education and gathering spaces

• Art installations

Like the nearby McCormick Ravine and other ravines in Lake County, Openlands Lakeshore Preserve is home to at least six threatened and endangered plant species, with thousands of migrating birds resting and refueling twice each year, and monarchs and dragonflies also making migratory stops, according to Pati Vitt, director of natural resources for LCFPD. Some 236 birds have been seen at the Fort Sheridan Preserve, and they are likely at Openlands Lakeshore Preserve as well.

The area also is favored by a wide range of waterfowl, such as red-headed mergansers, Caspian terns, and double-breasted cormorants. And the wooded sections are home to several species of woodpeckers and hawks, along with songbirds and warblers.

Several plant species, including marram grass, sea rocket, and seaside spurge, all grow on exposed sand within the beach area at Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve and are also likely present at the Openlands Preserve, she said. Other native plants likely include Downy Solomon’s Seal, Pale Vetchling, Common Juniper, Red Honeysuckle, Wood’s Stiff Sedge, Round-leaved

Serviceberry, Golden Sedge, Dog Violet, and Buffalo Berry.

But that’s not all. Many Lake Michigan fish species migrate in the ravines, such as white suckers, long nosed suckers, and rainbow trout. Other fish include primarily near shore and shallow lakeshore species such as Cisco, Lake Chub and Lake Sturgeon, she says.

The Openlands Lakeshore Preserve and the Fort Sheridan Preserve are havens for humans, too, especially birdwatchers, hikers, runners, cyclists, walkers, and nature lovers. But they’re not for swimmers. Both preserves forbid swimming, wading, and boating—and the ban will continue to be enforced when the two preserves are

combined.

“There are a lot of hazards that go along with swimming on the shores of Lake Michigan,” says Kovach. “It presents real risks for people, especially in unmanaged areas.”

The combined 327-acre preserve is a dream come true for cyclists looking to expand their rides, because it serves as a hub for other trails in the region. These include the McClory Trail and the 11-mile North Shore Path, which connects to the LCFPD’s Des Plaines River Trail near Libertyville and the Millennium Trail near Mundelein.

For more information, visit openlands.org/ projects/openlands-lakeshore-preserve.

The new Openlands Lakeshore Preserve includes ravines, mature forests, savannas, and more than a mile of sandy beach at the end of what was once the Fort Sheridan Army Base.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The Digestive Health Foundation’s June 3 event raises $1.6 million for medical research.

The 2023 Digestive Health Foundation Gala raised $1.6 million to further its mission to fund vital medical research at the Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Center (DHC) aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals with digestive disease and their families.

The June 3 event at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago highlighted how the researchers and physician scientists at the DHC are leveraging these funds to continue to improve and advance treatments for digestive health. The additional $1.6 million raised at this year’s gala brought the amount raised by DHF since its inception in 2015 to nearly $20 million.

The evening was emceed by WGN’s Brónagh Tumulty and featured John E. Pandolfino, MD, MSCI; Hans Popper, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Northwestern Medicine; and Rajesh N. Keswani, MD, MS, Director of Endoscopy and Director of Quality at the Digestive Health Center and Northwestern Associate Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Drs. Pandolfino and Keswani spoke about how funding from the Digestive Health Foundation is impacting their work, specifically how the physicians at the DHC are working in tandem with AI to transform the future of gastroenterology.

Live auction highlights featured an epic journey through South Africa including tours of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula, the Cape winelands, and the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve; and a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience from Venice to Paris

aboard the luxurious Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train.

Other fabulous items included a New York Fashion Week experience at Christian

Siriano and Naeem Khan’s shows; a private in-home dinner with famed Aba Chicago Chef, CJ Jacobson; a Chicago summer concert package with premium tickets to Beyoncé, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and PINK; and private villas in Riviera Maya and the British Virgin Islands.

Funds raised will be used to continue to support studies by the world-class physician scientists at Northwestern Medicine’s Digestive Health Center as well as groundbreaking initiatives changing the future of digestive care, including the DHF

BioRepository in Gastroenterology and Hepatology—a blood and tissue bank used for digestive health research launched with a signature grant award from the Digestive Health Foundation and only one of a few resources of its kind in the world. It also benefits the Artificial Intelligence in Mathematics in Gastroenterology (AIM-GI) project, which uses AI and virtual organs to improve the diagnosis and treatment of digestive diseases, as well as the use of nano-string technology to enable the study of inflammatory and immune cells in various GI disorders.

One in five people will be diagnosed with digestive health disorders ranging from colorectal and pancreatic cancers to esophageal cancer and disorders, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, liver diseases such as hepatitis, and others.

Since its inception almost eight years ago, the Digestive Health Foundation has raised nearly $20 million and funded 82 research studies aimed at transforming digestive disease into digestive health for patients and their families.

Digestive Health Foundation's Board of Directors are shown at the nonprofit's June 3 fundraiser. Photography courtesy of Sheri Whitko

REMEMBERING JOHN D. NICHOLS JR.

The North Shore community mourns the loss of a brilliant businessman and civic and philanthropic leader.

A long-time supporter of civic and cultural institutions and former CEO of Illinois Tool Works and The Marmon Group, John D. Nichols Jr., passed away quietly with his wife and two children by his side on June 14.

Born in Shanghai, China on September 20, 1930, John’s mother took him and his sister to the United States when he was just an infant. His father, who was the Director of the International Red Cross for China, India, and Burma, feared the Japanese were soon going to invade China and wanted his family to be safe. John grew up in New Jersey and Westport, Connecticut before attending Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut. John then attended Harvard University where he was captain of the Harvard Varsity Football Team and earned a B.A. degree in 1953. In 1955, John received an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.

Following Harvard Business School, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army Finance Corps from 1955 to 1958. He then took the position of Director of Financial Controls for International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation. John also held several finance and operating positions with Ford Motor Company, including Program Manager for the construction and operation of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas.

John married Alexandra Curran Nichols on December 4, 1971, in New York City. The couple made their home in Newport Beach, California. From 1969 to 1979, John served as Executive Vice President and COO at Aerojet-General Corporation, a subsidiary of General Tire and Rubber Company. In 1979, Silas Cathcart, President and CEO of Illinois Tool Works, recruited John to come to Chicago to serve first as Executive Vice President and then as President and CEO of Illinois Tool Works.

He moved to Chicago in 1980, and

his family followed in 1981. It was a huge move that included John’s mother, mother-in-law, wife, two children, and two cats. After months of looking, John and his family settled in Winnetka in the home they have lived in for 42 years.

During his time at Illinois Tool Works, John was invited to join the corporate Board of Directors of Philip Morris International; Hyatt Hotels; Household International Inc., where he was the lead director; Morris Companies Inc.; Rockwell International; Stone Container IU; BorgWarner; Kraft Incorporated; TransUnion; Illinois Tool Works Inc.; and Ravenswood Winery, which he founded.

He was very active in civic organizations, including the Commercial Club of Chicago; the Civic Committee; the Economic Club of Chicago; and the Illinois Business Roundtable.

In addition, John had many board affiliations. He was a Director and Past Chairman, Junior Achievement of Chicago (he was elected to the Junior Achievement of

Chicago Hall of Fame); Chairman and Founder, North Lawndale Charter School; Trustee, University of Chicago, 19861994; Trustee, Argonne National Laboratory, 1987-1994; and Chairman of the Board, Teach For America, 2000-2005.

John served his alma maters as a Trustee, Loomis Chaffee School 1985-1997, Harvard University Board of Overseers, 1994-2000, as a member of the Harvard Committee on University Resources and the Harvard Visiting Committee on Athletics, and Harvard Graduate School of Education. He left a legacy of philanthropy at both Loomis and Harvard that will serve students far into the future.

Deeply committed to the cultural arts in Chicago, John was a Director, the Museum of Science and Industry; past Vice Chairman, Chicago Community Trust; Chairman and Life Trustee, The Art Institute of Chicago; Trustee and then Life Trustee, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and Director, Lyric Opera of Chicago. His philanthropic projects can be found

throughout Chicago from The Nichols Center at UCAN in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood to The Nichols Bridgeway linking The Art Institute of Chicago with Millennium Park.

James Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director of the Art Institute of Chicago remarks, “John’s dedication to the Art Institute of Chicago as a trustee and board chair was remarkable, as was his commitment to the whole of Chicago. The Nichols Bridgeway welcomes millions of visitors every year, and is a true manifestation of the connections he built across the city through his civic and business leadership. His impact will benefit many generations to come.”

John will always be remembered for his wit, great sense of humor, kindness, integrity, and exceptional intelligence. He was also an outstanding athlete, who became a talented tennis player and a very good skier. After teaching his wife to play tennis and ski, they enjoyed these sports together for many years. John approached these activities as he approached everything in life—with passion and competitiveness. For example, he never shied from tackling the most difficult ski runs whether that was a good idea or not.

John was a Renaissance man who loved art and was an avid collector of the Han Dynasty tomb figures and the exceptional prints of Edgar Chahine, an Armenian artist who lived in Paris at the end of the 19th century.

He was devoted and loving to Alexandra to whom he was married for 53 years, his daughter, Kendra Nichols Wallace, and his son, John Doane Nichols III. He is also survived by his daughter-in-law, Brenna Kathleen Nichols, son-in-law Thys Wallace, and his grandchildren Mandarin Brooke Wallace, Stella Marine Wallace, Denym Thys Wallace, John Doane Nichols IV, and Bauer Michael Nichols.

In lieu of flowers, should you wish to make a contribution in John’s memory, please consider UCAN in North Lawndale or The Art Institute of Chicago. A family memorial service will be private.

EDITED BY DUSTIN O’REGAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

The late John D. Nichols Jr. and his wife, Alexandra Curran Nichols.

SHOW TIME

Heather Headley, award-winning star of Broadway’s Lion King and Aida, is sure to dazzle at Ravinia's July 16 gala.

BY RONI MOORE NEUMANN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Don’t miss Tony and Grammy award winner—and longtime Chicagoan—Heather Headley as she takes center stage for the July 16 Ravinia Festival Gala hosted by the festival’s women’s board.

With Ravinia Festival’s Chief Conductor Marin Alsop and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra also headlining, the performance marks Headley’s return to Ravinia featuring a showcase of her versatility, mastery, and an

and one of her originals, will round out the program.

“It's going to be one of the highlights of my summer because I get to do this concert that I love so very much, with Maestra Marin Alsop and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, along with the Lawndale Family Choir,” says Headley. “It's like a girl's dream! I am so excited to be there, to share these songs from Broadway and beyond with all of the audiences who come to Ravinia."

Ravinia Women’s Board Gala Co-Chairs

shines a light on the need for music education and will delight our audience.”

“Inspiring and uplifting children and communities through the arts has been the longstanding mission of the Ravinia Festival Gala,” says Bechtel.

The gala supports Ravinia and its Reach Teach Play music education programs, engaging more than 75,000 students and community members through interactive musical experiences in Cook and Lake Counties. Distinct programs provide underserved children and families with music education

the process. It is fitting that the gala concert will feature, for the first time ever, members of the Lawndale Family Chorus, highlighting sweet voices that benefit from music education programs.”

Bechtel says Ravinia is excited to welcome generous donors and guests who believe in the power of music and music education.

“If you’re unable to join us, please support Ravinia and its music education programs by making a tax-deductible donation,” she says.

astonishing musical theater lineup.

The concert program reflects award-winning singing facets of her career, including songs from her Broadway star-launching roles in The Lion King and Aida, plus recent stage hit songs from Waitress and Matilda Pop standards made famous by Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper, plus an Elton John track

Andrea Bechtel and Kelly Epstein, share the excitement.

“We are thrilled that Heather Headley, a remarkable local talent who launched her Broadway stardom from her time at Northwestern, winning both Tony and Grammy Awards, is headlining this year’s gala concert,” says Epstein. “With her passion for music education, Heather Headley’s star

programs and live music performances in schools and communities.

“Ravinia, a gem in our backyard, reaches underserved communities throughout Chicagoland,” adds Bechtel. “For more than six decades, the Women’s Board has played an integral part in bringing music and educational experiences to thousands of people, raising more than $35 million in

The gala, kicking off at 4:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, features premium concert seating followed by a George Jewel-catered dinner. New this year: a “cocktail attire” dress code, with Ramsey Prince of Maison du Prince leading the décor design.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ravinia.org/galabenefit.

ASTEROID CITY

A new Wes Anderson flick about stargazers in a 1955 town fails to deliver.

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 44 min

RATING: 1 star

BY REX REED THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Asteroid City is the 11th film by Wes Anderson, the preposterously overrated writer-director who churns out the kind of whimsical cinematic jabberwocky that appeals to millennial movie audiences that applaud anything they don't understand. They call him visionary, which gives new meaning to the old word pretentious. Still, I go to each new Wes Anderson concoction determined to give it a fair shake, and I always end up in more agony than it's worth.

This has been true of his entire filmography with the exception of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Admittedly, my memory is not what it used to be, but with no fear of being labeled old and out of touch with the times, I can honestly say, now that I have survived it, that I cannot remember any movie by this quirky, puzzlingly over-praised director that I have hated more than Asteroid City

Like all Wes Anderson movies, it is enigmatic, artificial, infuriatingly self-indulgent and irrevocably pointless. It also pretends to approximate a plot about an imaginary town called Asteroid City in the middle of the American desert where they test atomic bombs.

The year is 1955, the town boasts a famous monument where a meteor once fell, and a diner that sells strawberry milk. It is also the setting of a TV show called Asteroid City, styled in the tradition of an old Twilight Zone episode, that is being dramatized as a featurelength movie called—wait for it—Asteroid City!

The town is also the location for a convention celebrating junior stargazers and space cadets, the highlight of which is the intrusion of an alien from another planet, viewed by the delegates to the ton who watch the landing with their heads in cardboard soup boxes. The TV show is in stark, flat black and white, the movie is in Technicolor tints of orange and blue.

Neither the TV show nor the movie within the TV show make any sense, which is the only thing Anderson fans expect, but there is a sort of plot which grounds the silliness in a cartoon eccentricity, which is all Anderson fans crave.

Because they always guarantee a head-scratching share of PR

poop, his films attract big names, many of whom sign on without reading the script by Anderson and Roman Coppola, featuring an all-star cast playing freaks and geeks with fanciful names and a glaring absence of anything that might be mistaken for character definition.

A war photographer named Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) is in grief over his wife's sudden death and the challenge of being left alone to raise four kids as a single parent. His son Woodrow convinces him to take the family to Asteroid City to attend the convention for teenage scientists. Festivities unravel like colorful Life Saver candies, while a villainous government official (Jeffrey Wright) tries to steal the kids' inventions, a movie star (Scarlett Johansson) covers her eyes in makeup to hide bruises inflicted by a fake suicide attempt, and the kids' ancient, white-haired grandfather (an exaggerated, insufferably miscast Tom Hanks) tries to rescue them, dragging along the ashes of their dead mother in a Tupperware container.

Meandering in and out of three disorganized acts and an epilogue is an unnecessary circus of familiar faces in cameos that amount to little more than walk-ons, including Bryan Cranston as an imitation Rod Serling, Tilda Swinton as a scientist named Dr. Hickenlooper, and Edward Norton as the playwright Conrad Earp (rhymes with "urp").

Look fast and you'll catch a glimpse of Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Margot Robbie, Liev Schrieber, Steve Carell, and Hong Chau. They should all have stayed in bed.

The cast, left to their own devices, the cast improvises without charm. In one scene, an actor complains he does not understand the play. "It doesn't matter," snaps the director, "just keep telling the story".

On another occasion, the actors decide they're in the wrong scene and exit the screen looking for craft, coherence, and logic elsewhere.

I admired the pastel palette of sets like pink Tinker Toys that form the stylistic patina of the movie, but the narrative was too episodic and smart-alecky to keep me awake.

To quote legendary producer and malaprop king Samuel Goldwyn: "Include me out."

Illustration by Tom Bachtell

Famed film critic Rex Reed weighs in on Asteroid City

AD MAN’S ADVENTURES

With a long career as an advertising executive under his belt, Geoffrey Charlton-Perrin is spinning fiction, some based on real life and cooked up from his imagination.

BY MITCH HURST THE

The quote, “England and America are two nations divided by a common language,” has a number of variations and no one is quite sure if it was first uttered by Oscar Wilde or George Bernard Shaw. Nevertheless, the quote became a favorite of Churchill’s during World War II to describe the two major Allies’ important relationship.

Fast forward to the late 1960s and Geoffrey Charlton-Perrin was sitting in his office in London glancing at the papers. An advertising executive at the time, he noticed an advertisement in Advertising Age for a senior position in the United States, and specifically someone with a firm command of British English. Being

the adventurous sort, Charlton-Perrin went through the interview process and came out on top, landing with his wife (and new life) in New York in 1968.

“At that time in England we looked to America as the capital of advertising, so we came over and my plan was to stay for two years, get some experience, and then go back and do good things in London,” Charlton-Perrin says.

When it was nearing his self-imposed deadline to return to London, there were two young boys in the family and at least one of them would have lost a year of schooling, so the family stayed on in America, and Charlton-Perrin would eventually go on to work for advertising agencies in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Chicago.

Now retired, the Northbrook resident spends his time writing novels, and has just published 2121: The Battle for Survival Begins.

The young adult fiction book tells the story of Alec Brassington, a young hero who sets aside his plans to go to university to fight for his country during an attempted foreign invasion. 2121 is available both as an e-book and in paperback and has received favorable reviews.

Those who work in advertising are generally good storytellers, so it’s no surprise that Charlton-Perrin and others with an advertising background become successful writers of both fiction and nonfictions.

To date, he’s published a children’s book along with 2121, and has a few more not-yet-published works in can, including a novel for adults.

If you talk to old advertising war horses about the AMC series Madmen, they’ll tell you a few of the plot twists were a bit far-fetched, but that the producers got the atmosphere, the costumes, and the characters of the 1960s advertising era spot on. Charlton-Perrin has his own Madmen-worthy stories, one he wrote about decades after it happened. It goes something like this.

Charlton-Perrin is working for an agency, and it lands an account for a company that provides business tools to other companies. He’s overseeing a number of creative teams and the team assigned to the new account just can’t come up with anything the client likes.

“The executive of the agency pulls me in and says, ’We’re getting close to a deadline and if we don’t make it, we’re probably going to lose the account. I want you to personally write this’,” CharltonPerrin says.

Drawing upon his considerable literary skills, Charlton-Perrin proceeds to write six 60-second spots filled with language that conveys the message that this is smart, innovative company that sells tools companies use to be more efficient and can make them more successful. The client bit, and it was on to the next challenge. Charlton-Perrin needed not just authoritative words; he needed an authoritative voice to read them.

“The first actor we wanted to read the spots was unavailable, and so I thought, ‘I’ll shoot for the moon, I’ll go for Orson Welles’, never expecting to get him,” Charlton-Perrin says. “When we called his agent, he was available and willing to do it. The only problem was he spent six months a year in L.A. and the other six months in Paris, and our deadline was looming.”

Charlton-Perrin hopped a plane to Paris to pay Welles and Welles assured him a recording studio could be secured to capture the spots. On the day the recording was scheduled Welles shows up, an imposing figure in black suit, black shirt, and black hat, with a small entourage.

The studio was in an old house, with a movie recording studio on the second floor for dubbing films into foreign languages and an audio recording studio on the third floor up a narrow staircase, to narrow, it turns out for Welles to navigate, so they were forced to record the spots on videotape, which was a much more cumbersome process. There was also the fact that Welles was at the time fighting a cold and about halfway through what was to be a four-hour recording Welles simply said he couldn’t continue and wished to reschedule when he was in better health.

“He asked me to call him in a couple of days to see if he would be ready to record and what could I do?” Charlton-Perrin says. “We were up against a deadline, and he was clearly suffering but I couldn’t help it.”

After spending a few days with his brother in London (his hotel in Paris refused to extend his reservation), Charlton-Perrin flew back to Paris for a rescheduled recording session. While there was no entourage, Welles brought with him a tiny dog that was propped on his arm while he spoke into to microphone. At one point the dog fell asleep and could be heard on the tape snoring as Welles tried to keep him quiet.

Still suffering from a cold, Welles slipped into moments of impatience and testiness, (“a struggle of wills,” CharltonPerrin says) but in the end he got what he needed. He hitched a ride with Welles’s driver to his hotel, and then made his way to Orly airport. After arguing with authorities at Orly about having to put his Welles recordings through the security scanning machine (he was worried they’d be erased; they survived) he jetted home, let the editors do their thing, and the spots ran on time.

“We had a very amicable conversation driving back to my hotel, and I asked him why he did movies like The Muppet Movie when he had done Citizen Kane and The Third Man,” Charlton-Perrin says. “He didn’t take offense at all at the question. ‘I do those to get the money to fund my own projects’.”

2121: The Battle for Survival Begins, by Geoffrey Charlton-Perrine, is available in paperback and as an e-book on Amazon.com.

NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

EDITED

BY DUSTIN O'REGAN ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

Winnetka’s MINDY TURITZ spent her childhood cutting up fashion magazines to make collages for her room in Kansas. Post college, she set her sights on New York City where she spent the next ten years building a career in marketing and brand strategy for brands like Polo Ralph Lauren and Chanel.

“I loved seeing new collections make their way from mood boards to the store. Yes the designs are king, but the business of fashion was also exciting.” She’s toured Coco’s private apartment (timelessly stylish and located directly above the Paris workroom), been inside the tiny ateliers where they sew sequins on the tweed jackets, and in the chemist lab where the ‘nose’ develops perfume scents. For those Chanel fans, Chanel No. 5 was the fifth scent sample Coco tested.

Turitz credits working in fashion for teaching her about building a business and telling a brand’s story. She and her husband eventually left New York to raise a family in Chicago, where they had met while earning MBAs. She shifted into consulting for Chanel and then Crate & Barrel. Like Chanel, she notes that Crate is owned by real stewards of the brand.

“There’s a sense of authenticity and dedication to how it’s made that remains so appealing to me. It also sparked my interest in home decor,” she explains. When her three kids started school, Turitz began thinking seriously about starting a brand of her own. Enter her friend, Erin McCarthy, who sent an email that started with, “I have an idea. Can we meet for coffee?” Several cups later, they co-founded MERINDA Studio, a textile and wallpaper home decor company.

“Our designs at MERINDA are based on Erin’s photography, which really allows us to create something entirely different in the market. We also want to create items with as much quality and sustainability as we can.” She notes that the designs are digitally printed in the U.S. by a handful of small producers. Printing is on demand using nontoxic ink, which conserves water, eliminates over-production and provides the benefit of design customization. “I love the flexibility of changing the color or scale of a design. Our interior design clients love it too!” she adds.

MERINDA Studio turned three last fall and design additions include Wanderlust, a collection inspired by Mexico, wallpaper borders, and several brand collaborations. Most recently, the brand introduced a limited release art collaboration with ARCH, a popular vintage and garden and home store in Winnetka. Reflecting on their growth, Turitz says, “creating MERINDA with Erin makes my life feel full circle. It’s been so fun and fulfilling, and we’re just getting started!”

#ON MY NIGHTSTAND

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. I love the voice and wit she gives female characters at various stages in their lives. She also sets her stories in interesting cultural settings—the SNL writers’ room, the Bachelor set, boarding school, etc. I just finished Pineapple Street, which was lighthearted and full of funny family dynamics. I need to read for entertainment before bed or my mind will race and I won’t fall asleep.

MY MOBILE

A lot of interior design magazine accounts like @houseandgardenuk, @elledecor, @ housebeautiful. Can’t get enough install shots in my life. And even though I’m out of the fashion biz, I still follow @fashionweek and @voguerunway because I like to see the upcoming trends, which often find their way into interiors. To inspire my hobbies: @halfbakedharvest and @gardenista_sourcebook. To laugh: @celestebarber

Aside from social media, I’m playing Words with Friends and real Mah Jongg.

MY EARBUDS

For walking my dog, Reed, it’s the podcasts SmartLess for the banter and Pivot for current business and news events. I’d sit down for a dream dinner with any of these folks. To keep up with the interior design industry, I like Business of Home or Dear Alice. Both of these podcasts snag great interviews and cover timely topics. When it comes to music, having lived in New York for 10 years, I think a lot of the music stuck with me ... The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Vampire Weekend.

#ON

#IN

MARKET MAVEN

Lake Bluff has mastered the art of providing a must-visit farmers market along the North Shore, thanks to the passion and organizational skills of longtime Lake Buff Farmers Market Manager Kathleen “Gridley” Swanton.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Movies and popcorn. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Wimbledon and strawberries and cream.

Fantastic tandems, for sure.

Then there’s the pairing of the Lake Bluff Farmers Market and Kathleen “Gridley” Swanton. This one takes the halo in any match-made-in-heaven contest.

“I’m the lady you’ll see under the flowered tent at our Lake Bluff Farmers Market,” the humble and approachable Swanton says.

But the longtime Lake Bluffian is much more than that. Swanton is the heart and soul and smiling face of the Lake Bluff Farmers Market, now celebrating its 30th year every Friday—through October 13— from 7 a.m. until noon at Route 176 and Scranton Avenue in Lake Bluff.

If you think a farmers market is only about selling fruits, vegetables, cheese, and baked goods, among other fare, directly to customers, Swanton—in her 12th season as Lake Bluff Farmers Market manager— would like to encourage you to spend some time at her village’s farmers market and see what else happens there.

“Our farmers market brings people together,” Swanton says, adding it also features live music and children’s entertainment (by family-run RCJuggle). “It’s where people enjoy one another and enjoy being out in our quaint, small-town community of around 6,000 residents. We have fabulous vendors who love Lake Bluff and are very proud of what they do and sell. Our vendors are fascinating people and are always willing to chat with customers and establish a special camaraderie.”

The Lake Bluff Farmers Market roster of vendors is an alluring assortment each year. This year’s batch of 60 includes Coloma, Michigan-based K & K Farms (seasonal fruits); Palatine-based European Homemade Goodies (Serbian and Italian pastries); Barrington-based Six Generations Farm (vegetables and herbs); Marengo-based Umland’s Crunchy Cheese; and Highland Park-based TASTEBUDZ (BBQ pork, veggie burgers, soups, hummus, salad dressings, and applesauce).

Look also for Shane Wimmer on Friday mornings at the Lake Bluff Farmers Market, which is sponsored by first-year backer

Lake Forest Bank & Trust. Wimmer is the owner of GourminiS, which has handcrafted caramels and chocolates in Libertyville since 2012.

“Shane’s story is a wonderful one,” Swanton says of the young Libertyville High School graduate. “He was only 8 when he watched a cooking show on TV and became fascinated by candy making. Look what he’s doing now. I’m a people person.

I love hearing stories—inspiring stories—about people. We’re thrilled when Shane and other vendors set up at our farm ers market and later become highly suc cessful.

“It hap pened with Holcomb Hollow (a bakery in Munde lein), too,” she adds.

But the story of the late cookie

lady from Lake Bluff, Peggy, truly captures the essence and warmth of the Lake Bluff Farmers Market. For years, Peggy was a runner in a Lake Bluff/Lake Forest group that stopped by the farmers market between 6:30-7 a.m.

“She’d give a cookie, usually an oatmeal raisin one, to each vendor every Friday morning,” Swanton recalls. “Vendors looked forward to seeing her and receiving a cookie from her every week. That’s Lake Bluff for you, filled with people like Peggy thinking of others and making sure they feel welcome. Our village has always been a super-friendly one.

“Peggy and her husband,” Swanton continues, “even renewed their wedding vows at the Village Green in Lake Swanton’s husband, Frank “Pony” Swanton, had a major hand in Lake Bluff’s very first Farmers Market while serving as a member of the Village Board three

decades ago. Former Village of Lake Bluff President Frank Wacker appointed Mr. Swanton to the inaugural Farmers Market committee.

“Back in the day, only Lake Bluff, Evanston, Libertyville, and Grayslake, and maybe a couple of other nearby towns, put on farmers markets,” says Gridley Swanton, who wakes up at 5 a.m. on Farmers Market Fridays (19 every year). “Now there’s practically a farmers market on every corner. Our farmers market continues to be a strictly food-related one. To me, there’s nothing like the scent of fresh fruit, strawberries in particular, at our farmers market.”

Swanton grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, sang in the Elkhart High School choir, and pulled for every EHS Blue Blazers sports team. She majored in sociology at nowdefunct Barat College in Lake Forest and worked as a social worker for many years, first in Chicago with the Illinois Department of Public Aid and later in Waukegan.

She met her future husband for the first time at The Lantern in Lake Forest. They raised son Padraic and ran the Robertson Men’s Shop in Lake Forest for many years before it closed about 22 years ago. Padraic and his wife, Jennifer, live in Clarendon Hills and have three children (son Finnegan, 8, and 3-year-old twins Conor and Margot).

Gridley’s grandmother, Malvina, lived to be 107; Gridley’s mother, Margueritte, lived to be 105.

“My mother didn’t sweat the small stuff, and if she did, you’d never know it,” says the ageless Swanton, who loves to garden, travel, and cook and consume French fare. “My mother found a positive in everything.”

Shortly after taking over as Lake Bluff Farmers Market manager 12 years ago, Malvina’s daughter discovered a farmers market without the vision and resolute support of a village hall would be akin to staging a theatrical performance with half a cast and without a crew.

“The Lake Bluff Village Hall truly oversees our farmers market,” Swanton says. “The administrators take care of so many things for me and for our vendors. I can’t imagine doing what I do without their help.

“There wouldn’t be a Lake Bluff Farmers Market without Village Hall,” she adds.

For more information about the Lake Bluff Farmers Market and its vendors, visit lakebluff.org.

We have fabulous vendors who love Lake Bluff and are very proud of what they do and sell. Our vendors are fascinating people and are always willing to chat with customers and establish a special camaraderie.

Kathleen “Gridley” Swanton

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