The North Shore Weekend, August 29,2020

FIND US ONLINE: DailyNorthShore.com

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

SUNDAY BREAKFAST

LFCDS Director of Athletics Ted Stewart is at the starting line of the school's reopening.

P18

SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE WEEKEND EDITION SENT TO YOUR EMAIL: free@jwcmedia.com

INSIDE NEWS

Twin 10-year-olds from Highland Park launch business making custombeaded mask holders P14 FOLLOW US:

NO. 411 | A JWC MEDIA PUBLICATION

PLANTING A LEGACY FOR 60 YEARS, THE LANDSCAPING COMPANY BUILT BY GERMAN IMMIGRANT KLAUS SCHMECHTIG AND HIS FAMILY HAS REDEFINED THE DEFINITION OF SERVICE FOR GENERATIONS OF NORTH SHORE CUSTOMERS.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SCHMECHTIG LANDSCAPES

Story on PG 10

Thinking of selling?

Contact the experts to discover the value of your fine art.

INQUIRIES Natalie Waechter Shawn Marsh +1 (773) 267 3300 chicago@bonhams.com sell.bonhams.com CAMILLE PISSARRO (1830-1903) La gardeuse d’oies Sold for $87,575

© 2020 Bonhams & Butterfields Auctioneers Corp. All rights reserved. NYC DCA Auction House License No. 2077070

“FALL” IN WITH A NEW HOME!!!

CONTACT ME AND WE CAN BEGIN YOUR SEARCH! DEBBIEGLICKMAN@ATPROPERTIES.COM JUST LISTED

1671 MISSION HILLS RD #102, NORTHBROOK | $549,000

2

JUST LISTED

646 PINE ST, DEERFIELD | $367,000

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

experience

living

in

East Glencoe

156 MAPLE HILL ROAD, GLENCOE 5 bed, 5.2 bath | 3-car garage | .43 acre lot *BrokerMetrics LLC - #1 individual broker by sales volume; 1/1/19-12/31/19

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT NEW & PRIVATE LISTINGS

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

@JenaRadnayRealEstate

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

3

These days of uncertainty will define a generation, and LFCDS students are prepared to lead — with inspiration, perseverance, curiosity, creativity, and empathy.

Like the acorns produced by our beloved mighty oak, our students will take root in the world; and buffeted by challenges, cultivated by opportunities, they will continue to grow for a lifetime into the greatest versions of themselves.

Where greatness takes root.

Contact us today at 847.615.6151 or lfcds.org/visit Learn more about our on-campus and virtual-learning options at hub.lfcds.org 4

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

NEW LI STI N G!

BEAUTIFUL EAST WILMETTE OASIS WITH POOL

723 8th Street, Wilmette

$3,395,000 • 6 Bedrooms, 6.1 Bathrooms • Oversized Lot 100’ x 215’

Mary Baubonis - Senior Broker -

847.477.4209

Please contact me to view this very special home! $74 Million Sold in Just 2017 & 2018* Over $30 Million Closed in 2019!** *MRED LLC, all buy and list side transactions 01/01/17 - 12/31/18 **MRED LLC, all buy and list side transactions 01/01/19 - 12/31/19

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

5

INDEX

SATURDAY

SEPT

A FUN, SAFE, SPECIAL WAY TO CELEBRATE LOCAL BUSINESSES! • • • •

Complimentary sips and nibbles at 11 stops Fabulous swag bag with souvenir etched glass Party pedal cabs from Second City Tuk Tuk Exciting raffle with lots of chances to win

12 DETAILS:

1– 6 pm / Starts at Highwood City Hall

TICKETS: $35 Early Bird through Sept. 1 $40 thereafter Group discounts available.

COVID-19 precautions will be in place.

NEWS 12 lyon's den

Will Lyon of Lake Forest earns Barry M. Goldwater scholarship

John Conatser FOUNDER & PUBLISHER

14 fashionably great

Jennifer Sturgeon

LIFESTYLE & ARTS 16 north shore foodie

Savor summer with this Pea & Bacon risotto

LAST BUT NOT LEAST 18 sunday breakfast

REGISTER NOW: HIGHWOODCHAMBER.COM/EVENTS

Ten-year-old twin sisters raise money for a good cause with mask holders

School's in, again: LFCDS Director of Athletics Ted Stewart sells safe reopening of the school

ADVERTISING CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Wendy Franzen, Dustin O'Regan, Kemmie Ryan, Sherry Thomas

CONTRIBUTING WRITER Bill McLean

DESIGN Linda Lewis PRODUCTION MANAGER GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Amanda Alvarado ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART Barry Blitt ILLUSTRATOR Robin Subar PHOTOGRAPHY Kirsten Ulve ILLUSTRATOR Mindy Kovco ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER

ALL ADVERTISING INQUIRY INFO SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO 847.370.6940 & JENNIFER@JWCMEDIA.COM FIND US ONLINE: DAILYNORTHSHORE.COM LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! © 2020 THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND A PUBLICATION OF JWC MEDIA 445 SHERIDAN RD., HIGHWOOD, IL 60040

SPONSORED BY:

As hard as they try, nothing can replace getting measured in-store by a trained professional.

SHOP forestbootery.com

LAKE FOREST I MARKET SQUARE

No one Knows Growing Feet Better Trusted Since 1949

Back 2 School SALE TEACHERS & STUDENTS SAVE UP TO $15 OFF

On every shoe, boot or athletic when you shop Now thru September 13th

6

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Chicago North Shore Portfolio of Fine Homes D UN

ER

C

T ON

RA

CT D UN

LAKE FOREST

1020 Havenwood Lane Jane Hall

NE

W

TO

RK

CT

WINNETKA

$3,999,000 42844 N. Crawford Road $2,999,000 109 Woodley Road 847.917.5263 Jane Hall 847.917.5263 Karen Arenson

W

PR

IC

GLENVIEW

$1,615,000 1547 Kaywood Lane 847.917.5263 Francie Pinkwater

ET NE

EAST LAKEVIEW

W

TO

MA

$1,750,000 773.501.6201

E

LAKE BLUFF

MA

C

RA

ANTIOCH

NE

220 Moffett Road Jane Hall

ER

T ON

RK

STREETERVILLE

$1,299,000 990 N. Lake Shore #19-B $499,000 847.922.3398 Jennifer Ames 773.908.3632

ET N

WINNETKA

EW

PR

IC

E

EVANSTON

3150 N. Lake Shore #19-D $330,000 134 Green Bay Road #103 $265,000 2106 St. Johns Ave, Unit A $182,500 312.203.2416 Carly Jones Noah & Janet 312.203.2416 Noah & Janet 312.391.3170 Engel & Völkers Chicago North Shore

847.441.5730 • chicagonorthshore.evrealestate.com 903 Green Bay Road • Winnetka, Illinois Some sales sold while affiliated with another brokerage. ©2020 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

7

WORKING TOGETHER TO BRING YOU HOME NOAH & JANET

“ We are excited to join Engel & Völkers Chicago North Shore.

The company has a stellar national and global reputation with an emphasis on impeccable client care, and cutting-edge marketing and technology.” - Noah Levy & Janet Karabas Noah Levy

Janet Karabas

312.203.2416 • noah.levy@evrealestate.com

847.331.2051 • janet.karabas@evrealestate.com

noahandjanetgroup.evrealestate.com • 903 Green Bay Road • Winnetka, Illinois Some sales sold while affiliated with another brokerage. ©2020 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

8

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

PRIVATE BEACH RIGHTS 124 S. Deere Park Drive • Highland Park • $1,095,000 Recently Sold*

GLENCOE

WINNETKA

WILMETTE

HIGHLAND PARK

GLENCOE

419 Greenleaf Avenue

388 Chestnut Street

1025 Greenwood Avenue

857 Highland Place

433 Oakdale Avenue

*Buyer representation

NOAH AND JANET Noah Levy

312.203.2416 • noah.levy@evrealestate.com noahandjanetgroup.evrealestate.com

Janet Karabas

847.331.2051 • janet.karabas@evrealestate.com

Engel & Völkers Chicago North Shore

847.441.5730 • chicagonorthshore.evrealestate.com 903 Green Bay Road • Winnetka, Illinois *Some sales sold while affiliated with another brokerage. ©2020 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

9

NEWS PLANTING A LEGACY

From PG 1

BY SHERRY THOMAS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Klaus Schmechtig arrived in America from Germany in 1955 with little but the dreams he had of making a better life for himself. Like other immigrants in that era, he knew that any future relied on cultivating skills in a trade, so he went to work for a man in the landscaping business.

As fate would have it, that man was the uncle to a woman, also a German immigrant, who would become his wife just two short years later.

“My dad worked with my mother's father. The uncle's business was located in Northbrook. Mother was from Stuttgart, Southern Germany, and dad immigrated from Breslau, which was in East Germany then but is now Poland,” explains Michael Schmechtig, who continued his father’s dream and legacy with Schmechtig Landscapes, which was founded in 1960, the year he was born. “Mom’s father was a Master Gardener in Germany, but it was my uncle that gave my dad his first landscaping job. He asked him for a raise to help him support his new family. When the raise didn’t come, he decided to start his own business.”

The rest is, as they say, history.

Schmechtig Landscapes has thrived on the same old-world traditions Klaus and Gabriele brought with them from the old country—handed down to Michael and recently Michael’s son Matt Schmechtig, who represents a third generation on the family business.

The company’s success is building on a philosophy of treat the landscape of a client’s property as an extension of their home, combining design solutions with experienced horticultural landscape maintenance services. These long-term client relationships are the backbone of that success, with a reputation built on referrals.

“I wish my Grandfather was around to see this,” says Schmechtig. “He was also a landscape contractor. He did not work with my father but you could say that Matt is the fourth generation to practice

the trade.”

Schmechtig, who turns 60 this year along with the business, says he was cutting the family lawn as soon as he was tall enough to push a lawnmower.

“I started working for my father during my freshman year in high school. He would drop me off at swim practice every morning and pick me up after practice to work with him. I enjoyed working outside, getting a tan, getting a good work out.

Clients with swimming pools would invite me to

10

take a dip. I never did,” he said. “There’s one story I can’t share but I did get to meet some celebrities.”

When Michael graduated from high school, his mother said he should “go to school and get a real job.”

“Like a good son, I listened to her. I received a bachelors degree in computer science and math from University of Illinois,” says Schmechtig, explaining that both he and son, Matt, joining the family business wasn’t necessarily their first choice.

“Matt received a degree in culinary management from The Art Institute of Chicago. But we both realized we loved working outside, working with plants, and creating functional and beautiful outdoor spaces and environments, so we both came back to

work to stand the test of time.”

And stand the test of time it has, in ways that go beyond the North Shore.

Today, the company’s creations can be found from Chicago to Lake Geneva and have been seen on HGTV and on WGN’s “Bring It Home.” A member of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association since 1988, the company was also the first landscape design firm to design the outdoor space at the Merchandise Mart’s DreamHome, has won the Best of Houzz Award eight years in a row since 2013, and is a proud supporter and board member of Designs for Dignity.

“Our mission has always been to be a leader in the industry. Our work is always a team effort and

“I just moved into a new home and I am excited to renovate my landscaping … it needs it,” he explains. “I will be putting in a new front walk made with natural stone. First impressions are important.

I will also create a new backyard outdoor room to entertain family and friends. The space will feature an outdoor kitchen, dining area, and lounge area with a fire pit. I have a deck off of my family room where I started my first container garden. I am also growing vegetables and herbs. It’s been a lot of fun using what we grow when we cook. The best part is that the chipmunks, rabbits and squirrels haven’t found it yet.”

The company has continued serving clients throughout these unprecedented times, and if any-

the landscape profession.”

They also both pride themselves on taking what Klaus built, and bringing it into a new century.

“My father passed on many great industry and business philosophies and procedures that we still follow today,” says Schmechtig. “His main concern and motivation was always to do whatever was in the best interest of the client, which is to provide a functional and aesthetically pleasing living environment. He also believed in doing the job the right way and not to cut any corners. We want our

getting recognized for what we do is very rewarding and develops a sense of pride within the company,” says Schmechtig, who also served as president of Illinois Landscape Contractors Association in 2017. “We are happy to share our work and horticultural knowledge with the public. Our goal is to educate the public regarding proper landscape design and maintenance practices, making the environment a better place for all of us.”

Schmechtig Landscape’s work with Designs for Dignity, a Chicago nonprofit that has harnessed the power of design to transform spaces for the marginalized and at risk for 20 years, is very near and dear to the core of what the company is all about.

“Helping nonprofit organizations create functional and aesthetically pleasing indoor and outdoor environments that they can be proud of affects so many people,” says Schmechtig. “We feel it is our obligation to give back to the community and this has been a great avenue for us. You always get back way more than you give. It is truly a pleasure working with so many talented people and worthy organizations.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed plans to celebrate Schmechtig Landscape’s 60th anniversary until 2021, Michael Schmechtig says the family still has a lot to look forward to this year.

thing, business is booming.

People are spending more time at home and are making more design and maintenance improvements to increase the use and value of their homes,” he says. “This is why we are in business, to improve the use and the value of a homeowner’s property.

With so many people working from home it has made it easier for us to find time to meet with them.”

Schmechtig is also excited about the promise and the new energy that his son brings to the company his father started all those decades ago.

“To survive and be successful, a company must always reassess and evaluate itself to stay relevant.

Matt brings us a new perspective and ideas on what we can and should be doing,” he adds. “I am so impressed with his attitude, ideas, and knowledge regarding running the business. He has introduced us to a new software package to help us run the business that we will be implementing this year.

We are working on new procedures and systems in all areas of the business and we are already seeing results. I am looking forward to seeing this progress continue.”

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

Schmechtig Landscapes is located at 20860 West Indian Creek Road in Mundelein. For more information, call 847-566-1233 or visit schmechtiglandscapes.com.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

I F S P A C E I S Y O U R N E W L U X U R Y, T H E N W E ’ V E G OT YO U COV E R E D P R I C E R E D U C TI O N

IN DIVID UA L LOTS P R I C ED F R OM $730,0 0 0 – $1 , 495 ,0 0 0 LOTS 4–1 0 W HI T EHA L L L N . | L A K E FO R E ST, I L | $4, 5 0 0,0 0 0 15 Total Acres of Privacy or Utilize the Sub-Divided Separate Lots for Development

1 6 2 8 W. O L D M I LL RD. | LAKE FO REST, I L | $759,000 Designed by David Adler | Part of the Famed Albert Lasker Estate P R I C E R E D U C TI O N

353 N . DEER E PA R K D R . E. | HI G HL A N D PA R K , I L | $5 , 30 0,0 0 0 Resort Style Living with Lake Views | Private Beach | Indoor Pool | 1.5 Acres

1 6 02 -1 6 B R A E S I DE L N . LOT 1 & 2 | NO RT HB RO O K, I L | $ 1,8 00,000 Create Your Dream Estate | 2.6 Acres | Serene & Perfect Location

c o n t ac t yo ur l o c al e xp e r t s A N N I E R OYS T E R L E N Z K E

K AT I E M O O R

8 4 7. 4 1 4 . 4 0 4 5

8 4 7. 8 0 7. 3 6 6 0

LAKE FOREST OFFICE

WINNETKA OFFICE

W W W. DAW N M C K E N N A G R O U P. C O M |

@ T H E DAW N M C K E N N AG R O U P

# 1 R E A L E S TAT E T E A M I N I L L I N O I S & T H E M I D W E S T CHICAGO, IL

HINSDALE, IL

L A K E F O R E S T, I L

WINNETKA, IL

NAPLES, FL

Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2020 Coldwell Banker Realty. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Realty fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker logo, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury and the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.*Source: Wall Street Journal Real Trends 2019. Based on closed transactions from the Midwest Real Estate Data and Southwest Florida MLS and other internal sources 1/1/2019 – 12/31/2019. Coldwell Banker Real Estate #10 Large Team in Rental Income for North America; #1 Large Team in Rental Income for Illinois

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

11

NEWS

LYON’S DEN LAKE FOREST RESIDENT AND UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SENIOR WILL LYON EARNS PRESTIGIOUS BARRY M. GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP.

BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Lake Forest native and former Northridge Prep High School golf captain Will Lyon has zero interest in shooting for a green jacket at the Masters.

He’s been too busy succeeding wildly in a white lab coat at the University of Illinois.

What Lyon, a senior chemical and biomolecular engineering major, sees under a microscope means more to him than what any under-par round of golf does.

“I don’t play as much golf as I did in high school,” Lyon admits.

But he continues to ace courses that are all about centrifugation and statistical thermodynamics.

Lyon’s drive and approach in college classrooms earned him a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship worth $7,500 in March. Recipients were recognized for their potential to contribute to the advancement of research in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering at the graduate-school level.

Lyon aims to get a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and later land a job at a pharmaceutical company.

“I’m interested in the drug-discovery process, in developing cures to diseases, and in saving lives,” says Lyon, an alumnus of Deer Path Middle School

in Lake Forest. “I’ve been getting valuable experiences in lab work at Illinois, especially this summer, with an opportunity to work in more of an independent role.”

More than 1,300 sophomores and juniors had been nominated by faculties at colleges and universities nationwide this year for a scholarship that was established in 1986 and named after the fiveterm United States Senator from Arizona.

A total of 396 nominees received a Goldwater award in 2020.

Only four students could be nominated from each school.

“With the high caliber of our STEM students, just being nominated from Illinois is a big deal,” David Schug, the director of the National and International Scholarships Program at the University of Illinois, said in a statement.

Lyon arrived relatively late to the science game.

He enjoyed math and chemistry in his upper-class years at Northridge Prep in Niles, but he was unsure of what to pursue in college. Talks with Dr. Bernoli Baello, a Northridge Prep chemistry teacher, helped Lyon improve his academic forecast from mostly cloudy to mostly clear.

“We talked possible career paths in chemistry, and he gave me a lot of good advice,” Lyon recalls.

“Very smart man.”

It didn’t take Lyon long to flourish in science at the Big Ten school at Urbana-Champaign. Only

one University of Illinois sophomore—in a pool of 150 candidates— received the Donald Othmer Academic Excellence Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2019, and that was a certain former Knights studentathlete who wielded a 3-wood and shot for a 4.0 report card each semester at Northridge Prep.

Lyon’s research contributions in the lab of chemical engineering professor Huimin Zhao resulted in authorship of a published manuscript. As a junior he researched organic synthesis and transition metal catalysis.

Illinois’ campus reopened in June, allowing Lyon and others with fellowships to work in labs alongside graduate students. Stops at a Fernando’s food truck for tacos with out-of-this-world salsa sated and Will Lyon fueled him. A James Scholar Honors program member, Lyon returned to Lake Forest in early August for a couple of weeks to decompress, briefly.

“GRE test,” Lyon says of the next item on his lengthy Challenges to Slay list. “I’m preparing for that right now.”

Ask him to come up with the names of his top

role models and he’ll reveal them before you finish asking the question.

“My mom and dad,” Will says of Ann and George Lyon. “Each has an incredible work ethic.”

Illinois senior chemistry major Sriyankari Chitti, of Marlboro, New Jersey, also earned a Goldwater Scholarship in March.

6 Cliff Road Redefines luxury in every detail.

6 Cliff Road

4 BED

Highland Park

$3,990,000

7.1 BATH

Step outside onto the shore of Lake Michigan. Designed by legendary architects Holobird & Root and built in 1890, the former Fort Sheridan Pumping Station was transformed to residences in 2008. A stunning harmony of old and new, industrial and organic, open up to sweeping views of Lake Michigan, with easy beachfront access and the quiet trails of Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve. Gorgeous hand-scraped walnut flooring, classic archways and wooden beams recall the structure’s past life providing fresh drinking water to historic Fort Sheridan.

Glo Matlin 847.951.4040 glo.matlin@compass.com Zack Matlin 847.722.2977 zack.matlin@compass.com

12

The Matlin Group is a team of Real Estate agents affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed Real Estate broker with a principal office in Chicago, IL and abides by all applicable Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only, is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, and changes without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of Real Estate brokerage.

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Luxury Lakefront Living Can Be Yours 1420 Sheridan Rd Wilmette Apartment 5A - $400,000 Fabulous corner condo affords beautiful views of the sunrises over Lake Michigan in addition to dramatic sunsets. Terrific 2 bedroom 2.1 bath condo with lake and shoreline views. Great sunlight.

Apartment 4H - $585,000 Fabulous northeast corner apartment.

Move right into the updated 2 bed, 2.1 bath condo. Gracious marble floor foyer with chair rail and crown molding. Spacious living room with lake views, hardwood floors and a decorative fireplace.

Carrie Healy Broker Associate CRS, GRI, ABR, e-Pro, GREEN 847.507.7666 carrie.healy@compass.com

Count on Carrie for a Shore Thing!

Carrie Healy is a Real Estate broker affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed Real Estate broker with a principal office in Chicago, IL and abides by all applicable Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only, is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, and changes without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of Real Estate brokerage.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

13

NEWS

FASHIONABLY GREAT ENTERPRISING 10-YEAR-OLDS LAUNCH MASK HOLDER BUSINESS FROM THEIR HIGHLAND PARK HOME.

BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Twin sisters Brie and Tyler Stolberg thought outside the Lemonade Stand when they came up with their summer business venture in early July.

Way outside.

The 10-year-old Highland Park residents stayed inside and made hundreds of mask holders for sale.

A mask holder? Think reading glasses holder, only thicker, more colorful, and necklace-like to support the mask for those in-between-face-covering moments in the pandemic era.

The custom-beaded mask holders come in a variety of fun patterns for kids, from cool-looking camouflage to bedazzling rainbow, as well as sophisticated designs for adults that incorporate trendy metallics and unique metal spacers.

The Braeside Elementary School students have even created and sold hyper-personal mask holders adorned with names of children, grandchildren, and schools.

“Everyone needs a mask, right?”Tyler says. “Why not make a fashion statement while wearing one?”

Lake County’s young Donna Karans had generated more than $3,000 in sales through August 21.

Each mask holder is 20 inches long and costs $15.

The twins’ father, Robin Stolberg, set up a bank account for the business, and their mother, Alison Stolberg, is the “momager” of Twin Beads by Tyler & Brie.

At least 10 of the Stolbergs’ Braeside schoolmates own a mask holder.

But the best part about the nascent business isn’t the money; it’s the twins’ collective heart. A portion of the proceeds from each mask holder sold in September will go to Chicago Lighthouse North in Glenview.

The Chicago Lighthouse—world renowned and one of the most comprehensive social service organizations in the country—serves the blind, visually impaired, disabled and Veteran communities throughout the Chicago area. Its services for more

Twin sisters Brie and Tyler Stolberg of Highland Park are turning masks into a fashion statement with their custom-beaded mask holders.

than 67,000 people include education, rehabilitation, employment, assistive technology, and other programs that help clients live as independently as possible.

Alison Stolberg has served as an Associate Board member of the organization that was founded in 1906 on the principles of equality, independence, and dignity for all.

“We want to donate The Chicago Lighthouse, definitely,” Tyler says “It’s what keeps us going.”

Ross Cosmetics & Boutique in Highland Park sold a dozen of the twins’ mask holders and recently ordered six more. The store on Central Avenue found room for the merchandise—after the 10-yearolds had made a PowerPoint presentation, right in the middle of the boutique.

“It was the cutest thing, the two of them dressed up in their best outfits, talking about themselves and their business,” Alison Stolberg recalls.

“We spent half the night getting ready for our presentation,” Brie says. “My sister and I wanted to make sure it was good and full of details. We told the owner we love beading and artwork.”

Ross’s owner didn’t just listen to the pitch-perfect pitch; she also videotaped the presentation.

Alison and her twins deliver the mask holders to buyers who live anywhere on the North Shore.

(Imagine Nike Inc. owner Phil Knight, a box of sneakers tucked under his arm, knocking on your door). Word got out about the mask holders outside of Illinois. Tyler and Brie holders have been shipped to mask wearers in Florida, California, New York, and Wisconsin.

“The smile I see when someone holds their mask holder for the first time,” Brie says, referring to one of the many rewards of being a first-time business owner. “It’s exciting. We made five mask holders today. You should see one of the ones Tyler made.

It’s white and pink and yellow, really pretty.”

But Tyler’s favorite pattern is camouflage.

“It’s very my style,” she says. “And it goes with a lot of my clothes.”

A woman who lives near the Stolbergs received her mask holder in July. Her initial look, upon seeing the accessory?

Stunned.

“She also was very happy,” Brie says. “It was nice to see her react the way she did.”

Grandma Joann’s smile hasn’t abated a smidge since.

For more information about the twins’ venture and how to order mask holders, check out their Facebook page and Instagram account, each at “Twin Beads by Tyler & Brie.”

14

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

consistently ranking at the top I want to put my experience and market expertise to work for you.

LET’S KEEP MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER.

*

**

*Rankings based on 2019 residential sales in the six-county metro area. Ranked #28 out of 100 agents in the Chicago Metro Area by Chicago Magazine. **Source: MRED LLC, Closed Sales Volume, Residential Properties (Detached & Attached), Wilmette 1/1/2019 - 12/31/2019.

8 4 7. 2 2 6 . 5 7 9 4 | L O R I N E U S C H E L . C O M LO R I . N E U S C H E L @ AT P R O P E R T I E S . C O M

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

15

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

NORTH SHORE FOODIE

SIMPLY FRESH NO NEED TO OPEN A BOTTLE OF WHITE WINE FOR THE FEW TABLESPOONS YOU’D REQUIRE: LEMON BRIGHTENS UP THIS EASY RISOTTO.

PEA & BACON RISOTTO

SERVES 1 // ACTIVE TIME: 35 MIN // TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN

INGREDIENTS

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup Arborio rice

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup fresh peas

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 bacon slice, chopped

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Bring broth and water to a simmer in a small saucepan. 2. Cook bacon in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. 3. Add garlic to bacon fat in pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about one

minute. Add rice, stirring to coat. 4. Add 1/4 cup hot broth mixture and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed.

Continue simmering and adding hot broth mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROMULO YANES, RECIPE BY IAN KNAUER GOURMET © CONDÉ NAST 2009

is just tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, 18 to 22 minutes. (Reserve leftover broth mixture.) 5. Add peas and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. 6. Stir in cheese, butter, zest, and juice. Thin risotto with some of reserved broth mixture if desired and season with salt and pepper. Top with bacon.

16

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Photography by Dustin Halleck

847-566-1233 schedule your complimentary consultation today

w w w. s c h m e c h t i g l a n d s c a p e s . c o m THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

17

S U N D AY B R E A K FA S T

UNITED THEY STAND TED STEWART—A MAN WITH THREE TITLES—LAUDS THE TEAM EFFORT BEHIND LAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S REOPENING PLAN.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Decades ago, when Ted Stewart was a toddler, all things in his family’s house in New Hampshire had a shaky shelf life. Little Teddy was a bootieswearing bowling ball.

Everything under the roof was a pin.

“I reminded my parents of Bamm-Bamm,” says Stewart, Lake Forest Country Day School’s director of athletics, director of secondary school placement, and chair of physical education (ages 2 through eighth grade).

You remember Bamm-Bamm, the adopted son of Barney and Betty Rubble in the animated sitcom The Flintstones? Bamm-Bamm toted his club everywhere, and it didn’t always rest on one of his shoulders.

“I wrecked things,” Stewart says.

But Stewart and the others on the Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS) Reopening Team formed a sturdy bedrock of a 2020-2021 plan ahead of the first day of school, August 31.

COVID-19 concerns forced the 132-year-old school and other structures built for learning to deploy a Remote Learning curriculum in the spring.

This fall LFCDS students will transition back to on-campus learning under new protocols. Each day in the first week (August 31-September 4) of the school year will be a half-day on campus; starting at 1:30 p.m. during that week, Lower School and Upper School students will engage in remote lessons from home.

In an August 8 online letter to LFCDS families, LFCDS Head of School Joy Hurd writes, “We believe that building and maintaining the skills needed for remote learning from the beginning of the year will help ensure a smoother transition to remote learning if it becomes necessary later in the (school) year.”

LFCDS folks have plenty of reasons, notably the light average class size (10-12 students, Stewart reports), to feel confident they’ll be able to welcome the student body with sunny smiles or gentle elbow bumps or earnest nods for an extended period of time.

“We’re fortunate and thankful that our facility is a huge one,” says the 41-year-old Stewart, a former three-sport Little Green athlete at Central High School in Manchester, New Hampshire, and ex-football coach and assistant director of admission at Lake Forest Academy (LFA). “Social distancing, we can accomplish that fairly easily in our school. Every decision we make is with the best interests of the students and the students’ needs in mind, along with the health and the safety of our faculty and staff.

“Our plan in place is a good one.”

LFCDS’s “PE Live!” livestream last spring was a moving one, physically and emotionally. All homebound students participated each school day.

Instructors could view students; students could view instructors. It emerged as a combination of exercise, team building, and dance party.

“It was exciting, engaging,” Stewart recalls. “It also got pretty competitive.”

18

Each “PE Live!” session ended with the playing of the song “That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne Warwick.

“That song,” Stewart says, “had the best message.”

But Stewart, a Lake Forest resident, wanted to add some oomph to the livestream by providing something special for the gym students at the end of an upcoming rendition. He brainstormed for it in his bedroom one night. Ideas pinballed here, caromed there.

The mental zigs and zags subsided when it finally bamm-bammed him: Dionne.

Reach out to Dionne. Stewart then headed to a keyboard.

“I emailed Dionne Warwick’s fan club,” Stewart says. “Dionne’s people then contacted me within 24 hours. I wanted to know if Dionne would be interested in singing for us during ‘PE Live!’ Guess what? She sang our Dionne Warwick song for us, and the kids sang with her.

“I cried. That was awesome.”

Also splendid: LFCDS’s recent hiring of former LFA and University of Iowa football standout Faith Ekakitie. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers selected Ekakitie, a defensive tackle, with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 Canadian Football League Draft. The 27-yearold played one season with the Blue Bombers and another with the Mon-

treal Alouettes.

He’ll serve LFCDS as a first-year PE teacher in 2020-21.

“I’m super excited that he’ll work with us,” says Stewart, who coached Ekakitie at LFA. “Faith, like all of us here at Lake Forest Country Day, cares about kids.”

A kid w h o com-

Ted Stewart

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

I emailed Dionne Warwick’s fan club. Dionne’s people then contacted me within 24 hours.

petes in football and in swimming in high school is Halley’s Comet rare. Collide with behemoths one season, slice through water the next. But Stewart, a former offensive lineman and 200-yard freestyler, achieved that unusual double at Center High in the Granite State.

“Different sports, in a lot of ways,” says Stewart, who ditched his swimming cap and donned a football helmet at Hamilton College in New York.

“I got worse as a swimmer each season. I’m glad I did both sports, though, because I had the opportunities to experience different mental approaches each year. I still appreciate that to this day, especially as a director of athletics.”

Stewart worked with former NFL coach and current UCLA football coach Chip Kelly as a graduate assistant football coach at the University of New Hampshire. For two years he coached defensive linemen at Dartmouth College under former Big Green coach John Lyons, before completing administrative stints at Cardigan Mountain School and Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire.

“Coach Lyons was a good listener, empathetic, and very firm,” says Stewart, the father of four— ages 15 to 16 months—with his wife, Catherine, an attorney. “I learned a lot from him. He communicated well, demonstrated solid leadership.

And he was collaborative when I was there.

When I started at Lake Forest Country Day, I was more of a manager. Now? I’m more of a leader.

“Connecting with kids and colleagues is critical in the field of education, particularly during these challenging times,” he continues. “It changes your way of thinking, this pandemic. Don’t you think?

All of us, we’re thinking about dealing with life in the best way. I’ve reshaped the way I think about teaching and being a father.”

Stewart says that COVID-19 did not come “with a manual” but that’s he confident the team at LFCDS will chart the course for a successful school year.

“I’m optimistic,” he adds. “We’re going to get through this.”

Lake Forest Country Day School is located at 145 South Green Bay Road, 847234-2350. For more information about the school, its Remote-Learning Hub and updated reopening details, and other school news, visit lfcds.org.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Over $20 Million Sold in 2020

DAVE + AMY CHUNG

Dave + Amy Chung daveandamy@compass.com • daveandamychung.com 847.461.8856 • 851 Spruce St, Winnetka, IL 60093

The Dave and Amy Chung Team is a team of Real Estate agents affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed Real Estate broker with a principal office in Chicago, IL and abides by all applicable Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only, is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, and changes without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of Real Estate brokerage.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

19

WORKING FROM HOME

just got easier

310

RALEIGH ROAD KENILWORTH

6 bed, 6.2 bath // $3,775,000

560 OAK STREET, WINNETKA

6 bedrooms, 5.1 baths • $3,175,000

LAKEFRONT PROPERTY

LAKEFRONT PROPERTY

959 SHERIDAN ROAD, HIGHLAND PARK

233 SHERIDAN ROAD, KENILWORTH

6 bedrooms, 7.1 baths • $4,975,000

7 bedrooms, 7.2 baths • $9,975,000

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST A VIRTUAL TOUR

Milena Birov 847.962.1200 MILENA@ATPROPERTIES.COM

H E R I TAG E LU X U R Y. C O M

20

| SATURDAY AUGUST 29 | SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2020

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND