By the time parents near their mid-50s, empty nest syndrome is often on their minds. For us, as life would have it, we are getting to experience the opposite. I have yet to come across a name for it - full nest syndrome just doesn't have the same zing - but we somehow have ended up with more kids living in our home than with which we began.
Our daughter, her boyfriend and our grandson currently share our home with us. Baby accoutrements fill our small living room. Containers of formula, accompanied by gallons of water take up the kitchen table. Four people now share one bathroom, the washer and dryer... Even the cars. In addition (but not people-related) a large rabbit lives in the dining room, and an aging cat occupies any available space.
I often wonder if I should send out cards to friends: "We humbly apologize for not having invited you over for dinner in ages. We just can't fit any more bodies in our small house. Please forgive our social lapse."
When will this end? To be honest, a large part of me isn't in any hurry. I've often heard others morn over not getting to see their grandchildren as they grow, and how they feel like they miss out on fostering a relationship with these precious little beings. Parents of grown kids complain how they feel out-of-touch, and don't hear from their children nearly enough.
We, on the other hand, get to see, play with and frequently babysit our adorable grandson. We get to share in daily milestones, big and small. Walking through the living room, we can catch a smile. His sweet babbling voice entertains us when we're sitting in the kitchen.
I won't regale you with the downside list, though there are many issues to deal with, on a daily basis. For in all honesty, our little multi-generational household comes with many pleasures. I would indeed like to have an empty nest, but for now, our house is a heartful home.
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Fox Valley faith communities join for Day of Peace
by Rachel Baruch Yackley
Daily Herald (post)
9/13/2011
A network of Fox Valley faith communities invites you to a communitywide celebration of the International Day of Peace (Peace Day) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.
The first “Peace Day” was celebrated in September 1982 after being established by a United Nations resolution to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The International Day of Peace provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.
The local celebration of the International Day of Peace will kick off with a gathering at 10 a.m. for the dedication of the recently installed Peace Pole at Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors, 121 S. Third St., in Geneva, across from the old Kane County courthouse.
This Peace Pole is part of the international Peace Pole Project. It bears a phrase, “May peace prevail on earth,” in Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Algonquin-Native American language indigenous to the area and Swedish, along with “May peace be in our homes and communities” in English.
Activities will continue a block east at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, 110 S. 2nd St., Geneva.
At 10:30 a.m., attend an interactive program titled “Have you heard the one about: How to respond to hate language,” presented by nonviolent communications trainer Thom Thomas.
Ask questions of religious leaders in a panel on Building Bridges from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. with representatives from the Islam, Unitarian, Jewish and Christian faiths. A panel discussion with young adults will follow at 1 p.m.
Children of all ages will be treated to puppet shows about diversity, craft projects, along with the opportunity to meet and greet children from other religions and ethnicities from 1 to 2 p.m.
Additionally, the UUSG sanctuary will be open throughout the Day of Peace event for meditation and reflection.
Preceding Saturday’s event will be a free public screening of “Divided We Fall” at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at the UUSG. This award-winning documentary features stories of Sikhs, Muslims and Arabs in America, and interviews with scholars, lawyers and legislators about race, religion and security in post-9/11 America.
This local celebration of the International Day of Peace is a secular event, open to everyone of all ages and faiths.
For a complete schedule of this event, visit www.uusg.org or www.fvjn.org, or call (630) 232-2350.
Information on the International Day of Peace is available at www.internationaldayofpeace.org.
Folk Fest fun for everyone returns to Fox Valley
by Rachel Baruch Yackley
Daily Herald
8/31/2011
Considering a staycation for Labor Day weekend? Then check out the 35th annual Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Sept. 4-5, at Island Park in Geneva.
Bring a blanket or folding chairs, and pack a picnic basket or purchase food from vendors in the park. Sit on the grass or under the big tent near the beautiful Fox River, and spend either or both days soaking in the sounds of traditional and roots folk music on eight concert and workshop stages, with more than 36 top folk music and storytelling acts from the Midwest and around the country.
Traditional and roots folk music “is basically the purest form of the old ballads, from 300 to 500 years ago,” said Juel Ulven, the organizer of this annual event. “They're songs that were preserved by people who couldn't read and write, so they were passed on from neighbor to neighbor, or in families.”
Each stage offers something different, from the likes of the captivating Chicago Sacred Harp Singers, to the Dulcimer Society of Illinois, and more. Hands-on teaching will be offered (so bring your instruments), as well as dancing and topical workshops, which explore music and story themes.
On Sunday evening, join in a barn dance at 6 p.m., and take the kids along to hear spooky ghost stories, starting at 7:30 p.m.
For the first time in its history, the Folk Festival will kick off with a local live 98.7 WFMT radio show from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Previous years' festival preview shows have taken place in the radio station's studio in Chicago, while this one will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, located at Second and James streets in Geneva.
Eight festival artists, who will also perform onstage during the festival, will perform live at the radio show: Cathy Barton and Dave Para, Andrew Calhoun, Andy Cohen, Tracy Grammer, Anne Hills, David Massengill, and Sanctified Grumblers.
This festival preshow is open to the public and tickets are still available in advance: $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, teens and college students, with ticket prices an additional $5 at the door. For advance tickets, call 630-897-3655.
“With the city (of Geneva) behind us, they identified three places we could do this,” said Ulven. “It's a unique opportunity. Normally, live shows are only for (WFMT) Arts Circle members, who pay an initial $250 membership and an additional $250 each year.”
Local support for this festival has grown by leaps and bounds, over the years.
The city of Geneva “does so much for us,” Ulven said. “They're co-sponsoring the radio show to the tune of $500, and they gave us another $500 for advertising. They've really stepped up to the plate. The Geneva Park District (of which Island Park is a part) is always a good friend to us, every year.”
Festival goers are charged a reasonable requested donation for each day.
“All donations go to pay the performers and directly related artist costs. Performers from all over the world work the festival for a fraction of what they usually command, because of the incredible Chicago area and Midwest exposure. And the extensive CD and media sales nicely supplement the festival pay,” Ulven said.
About 120 people, some who come from other states for the weekend, voluntarily work the festival. No one is paid, including Ulven, who works hard all year long to make this event happen.
Although one of several annual folk music festivals in Illinois, this one, presented by the Fox Valley Folklore Society and the Geneva Park District, is considered to be the biggest in the state.
Admission to the Folk Festival is a suggested donation of $15 per day for adults, and $10 per day for teens and seniors. Children ages 12 and younger get in for free.
For more information and a complete schedule, visit foxvalleyfolk.com or call (630) 897-3655.
Island Park is located just south of Route 38 between Route 25 and the Fox River. Plenty of free parking is available behind the Kane County Government Center, 719 S. Batavia Ave., at the south end of Third Street. Another option is to come by train, as the park is only three blocks from Geneva's Metra station.
Small family farm transforms into 5 bountiful acres
by Rachel Baruch Yackley
Daily Herald
5/14/2011
Ten years ago, Tim Fuller and Beth Propst bewildered their neighbors by transforming the yard of their home into a mini farm.
What began as a small effort to grow their own food flourished into Erehwon Farm, which provides healthy produce to hundreds of people.
After getting things growing in their yard near St. Charles in 2001, “the neighbors were starting to comment,” said Tim Fuller. “Then (in 2005) we got in with Garfield Farm Museum (at Mongerson Farm). Last year, we got an opportunity to start over at our new location, which we are leasing and helping the owners develop.”
Erehwon Farm is now at 40W248 Hughes Road in Elburn, just west of the Mill Creek subdivision. Two brothers, Hazis and Rakip Azemi, both stonemasons whose father immigrated here from Albania, own this acreage.
“We have about 5 acres, here,” Fuller said. “We have a lot of trees and we're designing an edible forest garden with apple trees, peach trees, berry bushes, and lots more. We have maple trees (which were tapped this spring, yielding 5 gallons of maple syrup). “On the ground we're growing asparagus and all sorts of things. We also have an herb culinary garden. And part of our farm is designated for picking by CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members.”
From the ground up, everything is unique about this farm, starting with its name. “Erehwon,” which is “nowhere” backward, was inspired by a mythical place described in a novel with the same name, by author Samuel Butler.
“What I feel is our mission is to provide affordable food to local folks around here,” Fuller stated. “I believe in small and simple and in (using) a low amount of equipment. For example, one of the things we've done is develop a low-cost portable hoop house. Part of our mission is also to educate. People can grow their own food anywhere.”
Traditional growing is key on this farm, with an emphasis on “natural.” No chemicals of any kind are used. Nonetheless, this is not a certified organic farm.
“We don't see the need (to become organic),” Fuller said. “We mulch our own compost which we heat in an oven per organic requirements. And we don't use any chemicals. We probably exceed organic guidelines.”
The farm also accepts yard and kitchen waste for composting from its customers as a way to help the environment, as well as old newspapers and cardboard for mulching.
Fuller and Propst are learning how to interplant crops and keep the beds full. They transplant into beds, and also grow starts (new plants from seeds) of their own.
Erehwon offers a three-season CSA program, with this being the first year of their spring offering. About 30 subscribers (or households) are participating in the spring CSA, 100 subscribers are expected for the summer CSA, and 40 subscribers for the fall.
This CSA draws subscribers from all around the western suburbs, who purchase shares of what is grown at the farm and receive the freshest possible produce, May through December.
This farm's produce is also sold at two local farmers markets: Geneva Green Market (June 2 to Aug. 8), and Batavia Farmers Market (June 25 to Oct. 15).
Current customers and CSA subscribers have already been able to enjoy Fuller's “spicy health mix” salad greens mix, Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, broccoli raab, scallions, garlic scapes and more.
Subscribers pay in advance, thus helping with the costs of farming, and deal directly with the farmer who is growing the food. They can even volunteer to pitch in and help around the farm.
Farming is not without its challenges, one of which is making a living. Some of the farming costs are offset by CSA subscriptions, which are paid at the beginning of each season.
Fuller also said, “Wind has been our biggest challenge, with the hoop houses. We build it so that if it fails, it falls gently and doesn't hurt the plants. We learn by doing; we look at the last one that failed and we learn.”
Erehwon continues its plans to grow, while drawing ever more customers and remaining dedicated to providing quality locally grown produce.
You can find abundant recipes on the farm's website (erehwonfarm.com), such as arugula and pear salad, turkey and greens quiche, kale chips, radish tart, baked squash with apples, and more, all of which incorporate fresh locally grown produce.
Plenty of opportunities exist for checking out this local farm. Coming up this week is the first open house at the new location. This free event, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 21, is open to all, and will include an edible farm tour, cooking demonstrations, a scavenger hunt for kids, and a chance to feed and pet goats.
For more information about the farm or the CSA program, call Fuller at (630) 485-9963, or visit erehwonfarm.com.
Future Peace Corps worker helps villages obtain clean water, improve health
by Rachel Baruch Yackley
Daily Herald
2/22/2011
In spring, students throughout the country are pondering what college to go to, and on what path their choices will take them.
St. Charles East High School graduate Elizabeth Chadwick, who attends University of Wisconsin-Madison, probably never imagined her choices would take her across the world to Africa.
Chadwick, a 2007 graduate of St. Charles East, recently spent three weeks in the country of Uganda. Uganda is in the East African plateau, just south of Sudan, and just west of Kenya. While there, she was able to share her experiences with the Daily Herald, via e-mail.
Q. Where exactly are you, and what are you doing in Uganda?
A. “Oli Otya” (“hello” in Luganda language) from a bustling Internet cafe overlooking the chaotic streets of Kampala, Uganda! “Agande” means hello in Rukiga, a language spoken in the west, which is where I was when I e-mailed you last.
I just got back to the capital city of this east African country after spending 11 days in the rural southwest part of the country. (Seventeen) undergraduate students, including myself, have come here to study international health and nutrition for three weeks, as part of a study abroad program with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Last semester we had seminars about Uganda’s health care system and general issues of public health and social issues that Uganda is currently facing. After learning about all these things “textbook” style, we finally arrived here and got to see the reality of these issues.
Q. What are you doing on this trip?
A. We spent the time touring public hospitals, health clinics, malnutrition clinics, and meeting traditional healers (including a bone-setter). After touring Mulago (Hospital, in Kampala), the national referral hospital, we traveled west through the highlands along the Rwandan and Congolese borders to study rural health care.
Along the journey we hiked through a tropical rain forest, swam in Uganda’s deepest lake, visited the source of the Nile River, walked along the equator, helped construct a rainwater collection tank, played many games of football (soccer) with the locals, saw many wild animals (including a hippo grazing in front of my door after arriving home after a New Year’s celebration in a national park), endured frequent power outages, and slept peacefully every night under a mosquito net.
Q. Why did you pick Uganda, and with whom did you go?
A. At UW-Madison I have been involved with a student organization/nonprofit called the Village Health Project, which raises money for clean water and health projects in rural Uganda. Many of the projects we work on are in collaboration with this study abroad program. I knew that I needed to come here and see Uganda for myself.
All of the students are from UW-Madison and a few of us have been involved with VHP. Some of the information I learned here will be used to write a grant for a new VHP project to help provide healthy food for students at a primary school.
Q. What were your biggest challenges, personally, in Uganda?
A. One of the biggest challenges for me was seeing malnourished children in the rural villages; it just breaks your heart. Many of these children were orphans whose grandmothers were now taking care of them, but didn’t have the means to feed them, or weren’t feeding them nutritious foods. Most of them couldn’t afford to take their children to the hospital (everything within the hospital itself is free, but transport there is too expensive for people).
When you see those situations you want to empty your wallet to help, but that’s not a solution, especially when these situations are the result of much bigger, systemic problems. Why was that child orphaned in the first place? Was it AIDS? Why wasn’t the grandmother buying or growing nutritious foods? How come the hospital isn’t easily accessible?
Q. What were your greatest moments?
A. One of the greatest moments for me was visiting the home of a community health worker who had a rainwater collection tank in her back yard. The tank was built using funds from the Village Health Project and it was an incredible feeling to see how our fundraising work in Madison had been transformed into a life changing water system for a family in Uganda.
Most people must walk great distances to get their drinking water, which is usually from very contaminated, stagnant ponds. However, the rainwater collection tank gathers water from a gutter system on the roof of the house when it rains and can last through the dry season. I was elated to hear how thankful the family was for the tank and how much it has benefited them and their neighbors.
Q. How does a typical village in Uganda compare to St. Charles? And how does the city of Kampala compare to Chicago?
A. It’s nearly impossible to compare any village in Uganda to a town in the U.S. If St. Charles were made up of red, dirt roads without stoplights, little electricity, thousands of bicycles, banana trees instead of oak trees, goats instead of squirrels, and outdoor fruit markets instead of restaurants, it just might look like a town in western Uganda.
Kampala and Chicago are similar only in that they both have terrible traffic jams. Most of the roads in Kampala are single lanes with few functional stoplights. There aren’t many tall buildings in the city and despite its urban setting it is very green and lush. The streets are lined with markets and people. People selling newspapers and fresh fruits weave in and out of traffic looking to sell their goods to commuters. Huge Marabou storks are perched on top of every building and circle in the skies above when not busy munching on garbage.
Aside from cars, there are also matatus (public mini-buses), boda-bodas (motorbikes), and bicycles.
Q. Was this your first trip to Africa?
A. This is my second trip to Africa. In spring 2010 I studied abroad for a semester at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. However this is my first time to Uganda.
Q. What are you studying at UW-Madison?
A. I’m majoring in biology and getting a certificate in global cultures. I love biology because the complexity and beauty of living organisms is fascinating to me. I chose global cultures because I think learning about other people, places, languages and cultures is important for having a balanced perspective of people and the world.
Q. When will you graduate, and what are your plans?
A. I’m graduating this May. I’ve already accepted a job with the Peace Corps as a secondary (high school) science teacher in French-speaking West Africa (country to be determined). After that … who knows.
At this point I see myself going to medical school or getting a master’s (degree) in public health, but I expect that my Peace Corps experience will have a lot of influence on the direction I head, afterward.
Elgin-bound Poundstone chats about cats, comedy and webcams
by Rachel Baruch Yackley
Daily Herald
11/30/2010
“My show is largely autobiographical,” said Paula Poundstone, during a recent phone interview about her upcoming performance in Elgin.
“Kids, animals, current events, myself and my experiences. I try to keep it informal, and I love talking with people in the audience.”
One of the most enjoyable interviews I can remember, this wasn't all jokes, but a lot of conversation with a warm, witty, spontaneous woman, about what makes her so good at what she does.
There was an incredibly funny moment when, while talking with Poundstone, I checked out her website (www.paulapoundstone.com) to check out what she calls her “Diner Cam.”
Sure enough, there was a streaming video from a Webcam aimed at her cats' food and water dishes. Yes, that's plural: Poundstone's household boasts 16 cats, as well as a rabbit, a lizard, and a dog. Oh, and three teenagers.
I was watching a couple of cats eat while we talked, and in popped Poundstone's smiling face, right by the dining felines.
“Here I am,” she said, and waved at me.
In essence, I saw her live, but it was like only getting a tiny bite of chocolate; I'd really like more.
Her Elgin performance is set for 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, at the Hemmens. Details and tickets are available at hemmens.org.
Improvisation is a big part of Poundstone's show, although she does make a few notes, especially about current events, which she reviews before going onstage, to help her remember “what's on the forefront of what I want to talk about.”
During a weekend of performances in Bozeman, Montana, Poundstone experienced one of the reasons why she loves doing stand-up comedy.
“This was three nights away from home; I rarely do that, as it's really, really hard on my family, and on me. Then I got some difficult family news, and I had to go to the theater. I wasn't feeling good, but I was marshaling my forces,” she said. “I went onstage and had such an incredibly good time. The crowd was so good. While onstage, I kept thinking to myself, ‘I am the luckiest person in the world.' I get to go to work and I feel uplifted. I really appreciate how lucky I am.”
Performing onstage, in front of a live audience, is truly what inspires and drives this comedian.
“There's something really important about being together with people. I talk to the crowd a lot. And I believe it has to do with the people who come to the show,” she said.
Growing up in Massachusetts, Poundstone wasn't the class clown, but exhibited the ability to make facetious observations from a young age. She still treasures a report card note made by her kindergarten teacher, who said she enjoyed Paula's “humorous comments about our activities.”
“I like the sound of laughter,” said Poundstone, “but it truly is in the eyes of the beholder.”
In 1979 Poundstone began working on her comedy at open mic nights, while busing tables. She was 19 and still living in New England.
“A lot of what I learned, I learned by watching others who didn't do it well. You kind of watch others' mistakes,” she said.
“When I started, it was hard to get work. So I took a Greyhound bus around the country to see what people were doing in other cities. I'd get off the bus someplace like Denver. I'd spend the day there, go to clubs, and talk with comics.”
Eventually she settled in California, where she made a home, a family, and continued to pursue her comedic passion.
Not everything Poundstone does is for the purpose of making others laugh. A National spokesperson for The Association of Library Trustees Advocates Friends and Foundations, Poundstone said, “I do stuff with Friends of the Library. I help them promote and fundraise. Libraries are often one of the things on the economic chopping block, but they're really one of the best deals in town. Socioeconomically, they are a really important link.”
An avid reader herself, she mentioned that books on tape have been a staple, shared with her family especially while driving.
“My kids listen to ‘Harry Potter,' read by Jim Dale, over and over again,” she said. “My kids don't watch TV, but I wish I could tell you that made them voracious readers. They're just so busy, with homework, (school) orchestra, and more.”
Poundstone is also a writer; her first book, “There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say,” was published by Random House, and she is working on her second book.
She also co-authored three math books in the “Math With a Laugh” series with Faye Nisonoff Ruopp, and “A Prairie Home Companion's Pretty Good Jokes,” with Garrison Keillor.
Her first comedy CD, “I Heart Jokes: Paula Tells Them in Maine,” is also available. In addition, she is a frequent writer for the Huffington Post.
Poundstone can be heard regularly on the NPR weekly news quiz show, “Wait Wait …Don't Tell Me,” as well as on NPR's “Morning Edition.”
Although she doesn't watch TV, she has appeared on Letterman, Leno, and Craig Ferguson.
A panelist on “Wait Wait” for the past 10 years, Poundstone enjoys the spontaneity of this radio show.
“We all know, going in, that it's based on the world's news, but I don't have jokes prepared ahead. I love that feeling, like being a batter in the batter's cage,” she said.
The recipient of several honors, Poundstone was the first woman to win an ACE (the cable EMMY) for Best Standup Comedy performance, and was the first woman invited to perform at the White House correspondents' dinner.
Earlier this year, she was invited to serve as judge in the humor category of the 2010 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the largest recognition and scholarship program for teenage artists and writers.
Adults and kids are welcome to her show, but like many comedians, Poundstone said, “It depends on what offends people. I curse occasionally; I don't limit myself.”
Pillow cases are needed to create kids' dresses
by Rachel Baruch Yackley; Daily Herald 11/9/2010
Sundresses may be the last thing on your mind as the weather turns colder, but it's just about all Ruthie Ratke thinks of these days.
This local resident and lifelong seamstress is spending her time coordinating an effort to make 1,000 dresses by Thanksgiving, which will be donated to young girls in need in Africa and the Philippines.
Each of these dresses is made out of a pillowcase, with the help of numerous volunteers.
The idea for this project came from, “a friend from my church, Hosanna Lutheran Church in St. Charles,” Ratke said. “She heard of someone making dresses out of pillowcases for children in Haiti. I talked with my pastor and he said let's go for it.”
Since then, Ratke and her volunteers have been working steadily to reach their goal.
“We're using our own pattern, basically cutting off the top (of the pillowcase). The side seams are already sewn, and the hem is there. Then it's just cutting armholes and binding the armholes and the top, and putting ties on the top. It's a quick and easy sundress and takes about 20 minutes to make,” Ratke said.
Volunteer sewers have been adding their own embellishments to the dresses, too, such as colorful ribbons and decorative buttons.
Dress sizes will fit girls approximately 3 to 10 years old, as king-size pillowcases can be used for taller girls.
Ratke has an immediate and ongoing need for donations of new and gently used pillowcases, double fold bias tape, and half-inch elastic.
“As I get supplies, I'm making packets for volunteers. Each packet is one dress. Every Sunday, people pick up packets and bring dresses back to me. We're up to 100, so far,” she said. “I am committed to making sure every pillowcase is made into a dress.”
Hoping to set up a sundress “sweatshop,” where the brunt of her goal can be tackled in one day, Ratke said she has to receive more supplies before this can be scheduled.
“My church does a ministry every Christmas of shoeboxes filled with toys. We're thinking of adding the dresses into the shoeboxes,” Ratke said.
This 1,000 Dresses Project may go on beyond the Thanksgiving deadline, as Ratke would like to see it become an ongoing effort. She also said that extra dresses will be sent to “needy girls in our own country.”
This is a ministry project through Hosanna Church, but “it was my idea, and I'm the one doing it,” said Ratke, who added, “It is open to anyone; you don't have to be a member of the church.”
Ratke began sewing 56 years ago when she was but a child. Over the years, she worked as the wardrobe mistress at a televised fashion show at Navy Pier, as the costume mistress of a local dance studio, and made most of her children's clothing when they were young, as well as drapes and decorative items for her family's home.
She recently realized one of her dreams when she opened her own store, A Thimble Change, 1303 W. Main St., in St. Charles, in March of last year.
“God has blessed my business, and this is my way of saying ‘thank you,'” said Ratke. “And the outpouring of people who want to help is awesome.”
Among those who are participating in this project are students in the St. Charles East High School Fashion Design class, who are making dresses as part of their Charity Project; St. Charles North High School cheerleaders, who are collecting donations of new and used pillowcases; and local Girl Scout troops.
Anyone interested in helping Ratke reach her goal of 1,000 dresses can pick up packets with everything needed from Hosanna Lutheran Church and A Thimble Change. Donations may also be dropped off at these two locations.
Ratke's store is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Hosanna! is at 36W925 Red Gate Road, St. Charles.
For details, visit www.athimblechange.com.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Jewish Girl and the Wonderful Mother-in-Law
By Rachel Baruch Yackley
InterfaithFamily.com
August 9, 2010
"Will you bring the children for Easter and Christmas?" Mrs. Patricia Yackley asked me, as we sat across from each other at her kitchen table.
"Children? What children?" I thought to myself, then, after a thoughtful pause, I realized she meant the children I would be having with her son, whom I'd only been dating for a month.
That was the first time I met my (then future) mother-in-law. Right from the start, I could tell she was a warm, funny, open-minded woman with a huge heart.
Pat and Bud Yackley (Bud passed away three years ago) raised five children in a traditional Catholic home. All the kids attended Catholic elementary school. The eldest, Luke, was studying to become a priest, but decided to marry and have a family, and later became a deacon. Pat does the rosary every day, without fail. My husband Mike says that his mother knows all the Catholic saints. Crosses, crucifixes, and pictures of Jesus adorned almost every room. It was obvious, from the get go, that this was a religious family.
Then in I walked--the Jewish girl.
Pat doesn't remember our first conversation around the table, but recalls having a leg up on me, as Mike told her, after our first meeting, that he'd met the girl he wanted to marry.
Looking back, Pat recently said, "I certainly didn't mind him marrying a Jewish girl. I just wanted him to marry somebody religious. I didn't want an atheist in the family."
Pat has always embraced me with the love she gives to everyone in her family, and when we adopted our daughter Rebecca, whom we had already decided we would raise in the Jewish faith, Pat's bottomless love was always there for her.
One manifestation of this Catholic grandma's love for her Jewish granddaughter was her creation of the "spring basket," in lieu of the traditional Easter basket.
"I just wanted her to get into the holiday spirit," said Pat, who doesn't recall, anymore, how she came up with this idea. "It always had a color theme; I'd even put in little pictures for her room, or anything I found in that color scheme."
Filled with packets of seeds, gardening gloves, candy, plastic eggs filled with coins, little stuffed animals and more, it wasn't so much what was in the baskets that made a difference. What conveyed the uniqueness and depth of caring expressed by my mother-in-law was the fact that she took the time to come up with even a different name for the Easter basket, in an effort to make it inclusive for her granddaughter.
Pat also made a point of giving Rebecca Hanukkah presents each year, even when we gathered around my in-laws' Christmas tree.
Recently I asked Pat one of those questions I've wondered about since Mike and I married, just over 20 years ago: Does she worry about our souls? Does she worry that we --Rebecca and I--won't go to heaven with Mike?
"I pray for all of you, but (I pray) that you're happy, healthy, and holy in whatever way you want to do that," she said. "I don't worry about your souls; I know you're good people."
As a family, we are fortunate in many ways. I am blessed with a fabulous mother-in-law, and my husband, who gets along famously with both my parents, is blessed, too. It certainly didn't hurt that my mom (and my dad, as well), adored Mike from the moment they met him. And like Mike, they may very well have hoped, from the get-go, that I'd met the man I was going to marry.
Over the years, we've had many holidays and life-cycle events we've shared between our two families. My in-laws came to the synagogue for Rebecca's baby naming ceremony, and enjoyed meeting everyone and being part of our Jewish community for her bat mitzvah. Pat invites my parents to join us at her home for Christmas dinner every year, and everyone exchanges Christmas and Hanukkah gifts. She mails Rosh Hashanah cards to my parents, and they mail Easter cards to her. Each year they all comment about how they receive the best cards from the other.
These days, Pat's four sons and daughter, and their spouses, her 11 grandchildren (plus four step-grandchildren), and her 9 great-grandchildren, are all lucky to have Pat in their lives. She lends an ear to everyone, she never judges, and she's always quick to share a laugh. Even the staff and other residents in the senior apartment complex where she lives, repeatedly tell us how wonderful she is, and what a joy she is to have around. We all think she's fabulous!
***
Rachel Baruch Yackley is a teacher, a writer, a mother and a wife. She has been a freelance writer for over 12 years, and her articles have appeared in newspapers and other publications. Currently Rachel works with children with autism.
InterfaithFamily.com
August 9, 2010
"Will you bring the children for Easter and Christmas?" Mrs. Patricia Yackley asked me, as we sat across from each other at her kitchen table.
"Children? What children?" I thought to myself, then, after a thoughtful pause, I realized she meant the children I would be having with her son, whom I'd only been dating for a month.
That was the first time I met my (then future) mother-in-law. Right from the start, I could tell she was a warm, funny, open-minded woman with a huge heart.
Pat and Bud Yackley (Bud passed away three years ago) raised five children in a traditional Catholic home. All the kids attended Catholic elementary school. The eldest, Luke, was studying to become a priest, but decided to marry and have a family, and later became a deacon. Pat does the rosary every day, without fail. My husband Mike says that his mother knows all the Catholic saints. Crosses, crucifixes, and pictures of Jesus adorned almost every room. It was obvious, from the get go, that this was a religious family.
Then in I walked--the Jewish girl.
Pat doesn't remember our first conversation around the table, but recalls having a leg up on me, as Mike told her, after our first meeting, that he'd met the girl he wanted to marry.
Looking back, Pat recently said, "I certainly didn't mind him marrying a Jewish girl. I just wanted him to marry somebody religious. I didn't want an atheist in the family."
Pat has always embraced me with the love she gives to everyone in her family, and when we adopted our daughter Rebecca, whom we had already decided we would raise in the Jewish faith, Pat's bottomless love was always there for her.
One manifestation of this Catholic grandma's love for her Jewish granddaughter was her creation of the "spring basket," in lieu of the traditional Easter basket.
"I just wanted her to get into the holiday spirit," said Pat, who doesn't recall, anymore, how she came up with this idea. "It always had a color theme; I'd even put in little pictures for her room, or anything I found in that color scheme."
Filled with packets of seeds, gardening gloves, candy, plastic eggs filled with coins, little stuffed animals and more, it wasn't so much what was in the baskets that made a difference. What conveyed the uniqueness and depth of caring expressed by my mother-in-law was the fact that she took the time to come up with even a different name for the Easter basket, in an effort to make it inclusive for her granddaughter.
Pat also made a point of giving Rebecca Hanukkah presents each year, even when we gathered around my in-laws' Christmas tree.
Recently I asked Pat one of those questions I've wondered about since Mike and I married, just over 20 years ago: Does she worry about our souls? Does she worry that we --Rebecca and I--won't go to heaven with Mike?
"I pray for all of you, but (I pray) that you're happy, healthy, and holy in whatever way you want to do that," she said. "I don't worry about your souls; I know you're good people."
As a family, we are fortunate in many ways. I am blessed with a fabulous mother-in-law, and my husband, who gets along famously with both my parents, is blessed, too. It certainly didn't hurt that my mom (and my dad, as well), adored Mike from the moment they met him. And like Mike, they may very well have hoped, from the get-go, that I'd met the man I was going to marry.
Over the years, we've had many holidays and life-cycle events we've shared between our two families. My in-laws came to the synagogue for Rebecca's baby naming ceremony, and enjoyed meeting everyone and being part of our Jewish community for her bat mitzvah. Pat invites my parents to join us at her home for Christmas dinner every year, and everyone exchanges Christmas and Hanukkah gifts. She mails Rosh Hashanah cards to my parents, and they mail Easter cards to her. Each year they all comment about how they receive the best cards from the other.
These days, Pat's four sons and daughter, and their spouses, her 11 grandchildren (plus four step-grandchildren), and her 9 great-grandchildren, are all lucky to have Pat in their lives. She lends an ear to everyone, she never judges, and she's always quick to share a laugh. Even the staff and other residents in the senior apartment complex where she lives, repeatedly tell us how wonderful she is, and what a joy she is to have around. We all think she's fabulous!
***
Rachel Baruch Yackley is a teacher, a writer, a mother and a wife. She has been a freelance writer for over 12 years, and her articles have appeared in newspapers and other publications. Currently Rachel works with children with autism.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Pushing the Envelope Farm
Will work for food: Community farm offers free garden plots, outreach
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald Correspondent
Published: 7/26/2010 12:00 AM
Have you ever dreamed of having your own farm, where you can grow fresh, healthy food for yourself and your family? Now you can, and for free, too, thanks to the efforts of a few local Geneva residents.
Making something from nothing and sharing all with the community is the heart of what's happening at Pushing the Envelope Farm, a nonprofit community farm in Geneva.
Full-time farm manager Libby Voss and a wealth of volunteers hoe, till, plant and harvest edibles at Pushing the Envelope Farm. This venture offers 10-by-20-foot plots, free, to anyone in the community, as well as to Continental Envelope employees.
Diana Morin of Geneva works on her quarter of an acre at the farm, which is bigger than the plots farmed by families for home use.
Morin sells some of what she grows on her plot at the weekly Geneva Green Market, held on Thursdays at 75 N. River Lane.
Lovage, dill, snow peas, sorrel, and Swiss chard have been her biggest producers, so far.
"I've been (farming) here only this year, but I've been doing this for four years, and taken what I grow to the Market," said Morin, as she bent over her rows of plants and plucked out the weeds.
Owner Fred Margulies also farms his own plot, where Brussels sprouts, collards, tomatoes, borage, and lemon verbena can be found.
Kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, peas, asparagus, raspberries and more fill the rows of the farm's one-acre market plot, also called The Market Acre. Money earned from the weekly market goes toward covering the farm's expenses.
Thirteen years ago, brothers Fred, Norman, and Sheldon Margulies bought 23 acres of land on Averill Road in Geneva, just north of Roosevelt Road. About seven acres were used to build their business, Continental Envelope.
At that time, most of the remaining land was used by a local farmer, who, in 2008, decided to farm elsewhere. The land lay fallow for a time, until Fred, his wife Trisha, and their adult children decided to start a community farm on their property.
"Our three younger kids (Elisheva, Elan and Ariel) are very helpful and knowledgeable, and concerned that the values we're working on are transmitted. We have learned from them. The values we're working on now are values our children have taught us," Trisha Margulies said. "This whole enterprise is one they are involved in. It's very fulfilling."
The seeds for the farm idea sprouted three years ago, after Fred, Trisha, Elisheva, Elan, and Trisha's mother, Esther Shendelman, attended the annual Hazon Food Conference, first in 2007 and then again in 2008, which "inspired us," Margulies said.
Hazon is a Jewish organization which work to "create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community and a healthier and more sustainable world for all," which parallels the Margulies's vision.
"It's about being more aware of choices, more aware of food, responsibility for family and for the environment," said Margulies. "It's about families planting, growing, and eating together."
Getting started was a big hurdle, as the Margulieses had never done anything like this, before.
"I went to the Geneva Green Market, where I met people and introduced myself. I was amazed there was such a commitment here, with the Green Market, and two organic farms, nearby," said Margulies, who began meeting with people like Green Market founder Karen Stark, as well as the owners of Erewhon Farm in Elburn and Heritage Prairie Farm in La Fox, for advice and help.
"They said this is what you have to do with the soil: let it lie fallow, and put in coverage crops," she said.
Finally, in 2009, Tim Fuller of Erewhon Farm came out and plowed the land.
Then it was time to bring the concept to life.
"We wanted to make this a community farm for people who didn't have land to grow their own food. And we wanted to do it as a nonprofit," Margulies explained.
"We want to help people know what it is like to grow and pick a fresh carrot. We want to share diversity. We want to teach people from farm to table, and do it for the whole community."
The first people to dig in the dirt were employees of Continental Envelope. About a dozen people from the factory plus several area residents each have their own plots.
Various groups have also gotten involved, including a group of Asian refugees in a mission program from Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles, who have their own plot.
Volunteers are always welcome to work on The Market Acre. A group of young people age 18 to 24 from Maywood, who are gaining valuable experience through a Loyola University Medical Center outreach program - Cook County Green Corps - come out weekly and work on weeding and harvesting produce for the Geneva Green Market, as well as clients from AID (Association for Individual Development) in St. Charles.
Voss, the farm manager, who came from Washington State with a wealth of knowledge and experience, will have her first intern when a student from the Hadassah College in Jerusalem arrives for the summer.
It's not all about growing and weeding: the farm also offers educational opportunities to learn about food consumption, the morality of food production, and the importance of a locally produced meal.
There is a religious component to all that's being done here, too. The Margulies family is dedicated to contributing to and enhancing the Jewish community in the area. As such, they are offering the farm as a place for children working on their bar or bat mitzvahs to do the typically requisite mitzvah project - a volunteer outreach project - by volunteering in The Market Acre.
Members of Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors in Geneva, as well as interested people from area synagogues, are encouraged to contact the farm about starting their own plots and getting involved.
Plans are already underway for a Jewish nature camp, programs on Jewish holidays, and educational opportunities on the relationship of Judaism to agrarian traditions.
In the secular community, school-age children are equally welcome to volunteer on the farm, as well as college students looking for alternative learning experiences.
"The bottom line is we all need more education. We can't eat better, nor grow better, if we don't know better," Trisha Margulies said.
This is not a certified organic farm, but keeping things natural is the focus. Hence, no chemicals are used. Use of the land is free, and "farmers" need only provide their own seeds and plants.
"You can always do short season stuff and have things (to eat) throughout the season," said Voss, who reminds everyone that almost any produce can be preserved by freezing, canning and pickling, to "extend the eating season," and enjoy all year long.
More from the farm
• Visit the Pushing the Envelope Farm stand on Thursdays, at the Geneva Green Market, and buy truly locally grown produce. Keep an eye out for a future On-Farm Stand, as well.
• Volunteers are welcome to come out to the farm to lend a hand and gain knowledge about farming.
Anyone interested in farming a plot for themselves should contact Voss for more information.
• Free community potluck and movie nights are planned for the fourth Saturday of the month this summer. A potluck dinner gathering kicks things off at 7:30 p.m., and the movie starts at 9 p.m. Bring a dish to share and your own washable dishes. These movie nights are appropriate for all ages.
• Contact farm manager Libby Voss for more details on all the opportunities at the farm, at lvoss@pushingtheenvelopefarm.org. Be sure to check out the Web site: www.pushingtheenvelopefarm.org.
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald Correspondent
Published: 7/26/2010 12:00 AM
Have you ever dreamed of having your own farm, where you can grow fresh, healthy food for yourself and your family? Now you can, and for free, too, thanks to the efforts of a few local Geneva residents.
Making something from nothing and sharing all with the community is the heart of what's happening at Pushing the Envelope Farm, a nonprofit community farm in Geneva.
Full-time farm manager Libby Voss and a wealth of volunteers hoe, till, plant and harvest edibles at Pushing the Envelope Farm. This venture offers 10-by-20-foot plots, free, to anyone in the community, as well as to Continental Envelope employees.
Diana Morin of Geneva works on her quarter of an acre at the farm, which is bigger than the plots farmed by families for home use.
Morin sells some of what she grows on her plot at the weekly Geneva Green Market, held on Thursdays at 75 N. River Lane.
Lovage, dill, snow peas, sorrel, and Swiss chard have been her biggest producers, so far.
"I've been (farming) here only this year, but I've been doing this for four years, and taken what I grow to the Market," said Morin, as she bent over her rows of plants and plucked out the weeds.
Owner Fred Margulies also farms his own plot, where Brussels sprouts, collards, tomatoes, borage, and lemon verbena can be found.
Kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, peas, asparagus, raspberries and more fill the rows of the farm's one-acre market plot, also called The Market Acre. Money earned from the weekly market goes toward covering the farm's expenses.
Thirteen years ago, brothers Fred, Norman, and Sheldon Margulies bought 23 acres of land on Averill Road in Geneva, just north of Roosevelt Road. About seven acres were used to build their business, Continental Envelope.
At that time, most of the remaining land was used by a local farmer, who, in 2008, decided to farm elsewhere. The land lay fallow for a time, until Fred, his wife Trisha, and their adult children decided to start a community farm on their property.
"Our three younger kids (Elisheva, Elan and Ariel) are very helpful and knowledgeable, and concerned that the values we're working on are transmitted. We have learned from them. The values we're working on now are values our children have taught us," Trisha Margulies said. "This whole enterprise is one they are involved in. It's very fulfilling."
The seeds for the farm idea sprouted three years ago, after Fred, Trisha, Elisheva, Elan, and Trisha's mother, Esther Shendelman, attended the annual Hazon Food Conference, first in 2007 and then again in 2008, which "inspired us," Margulies said.
Hazon is a Jewish organization which work to "create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community and a healthier and more sustainable world for all," which parallels the Margulies's vision.
"It's about being more aware of choices, more aware of food, responsibility for family and for the environment," said Margulies. "It's about families planting, growing, and eating together."
Getting started was a big hurdle, as the Margulieses had never done anything like this, before.
"I went to the Geneva Green Market, where I met people and introduced myself. I was amazed there was such a commitment here, with the Green Market, and two organic farms, nearby," said Margulies, who began meeting with people like Green Market founder Karen Stark, as well as the owners of Erewhon Farm in Elburn and Heritage Prairie Farm in La Fox, for advice and help.
"They said this is what you have to do with the soil: let it lie fallow, and put in coverage crops," she said.
Finally, in 2009, Tim Fuller of Erewhon Farm came out and plowed the land.
Then it was time to bring the concept to life.
"We wanted to make this a community farm for people who didn't have land to grow their own food. And we wanted to do it as a nonprofit," Margulies explained.
"We want to help people know what it is like to grow and pick a fresh carrot. We want to share diversity. We want to teach people from farm to table, and do it for the whole community."
The first people to dig in the dirt were employees of Continental Envelope. About a dozen people from the factory plus several area residents each have their own plots.
Various groups have also gotten involved, including a group of Asian refugees in a mission program from Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles, who have their own plot.
Volunteers are always welcome to work on The Market Acre. A group of young people age 18 to 24 from Maywood, who are gaining valuable experience through a Loyola University Medical Center outreach program - Cook County Green Corps - come out weekly and work on weeding and harvesting produce for the Geneva Green Market, as well as clients from AID (Association for Individual Development) in St. Charles.
Voss, the farm manager, who came from Washington State with a wealth of knowledge and experience, will have her first intern when a student from the Hadassah College in Jerusalem arrives for the summer.
It's not all about growing and weeding: the farm also offers educational opportunities to learn about food consumption, the morality of food production, and the importance of a locally produced meal.
There is a religious component to all that's being done here, too. The Margulies family is dedicated to contributing to and enhancing the Jewish community in the area. As such, they are offering the farm as a place for children working on their bar or bat mitzvahs to do the typically requisite mitzvah project - a volunteer outreach project - by volunteering in The Market Acre.
Members of Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors in Geneva, as well as interested people from area synagogues, are encouraged to contact the farm about starting their own plots and getting involved.
Plans are already underway for a Jewish nature camp, programs on Jewish holidays, and educational opportunities on the relationship of Judaism to agrarian traditions.
In the secular community, school-age children are equally welcome to volunteer on the farm, as well as college students looking for alternative learning experiences.
"The bottom line is we all need more education. We can't eat better, nor grow better, if we don't know better," Trisha Margulies said.
This is not a certified organic farm, but keeping things natural is the focus. Hence, no chemicals are used. Use of the land is free, and "farmers" need only provide their own seeds and plants.
"You can always do short season stuff and have things (to eat) throughout the season," said Voss, who reminds everyone that almost any produce can be preserved by freezing, canning and pickling, to "extend the eating season," and enjoy all year long.
More from the farm
• Visit the Pushing the Envelope Farm stand on Thursdays, at the Geneva Green Market, and buy truly locally grown produce. Keep an eye out for a future On-Farm Stand, as well.
• Volunteers are welcome to come out to the farm to lend a hand and gain knowledge about farming.
Anyone interested in farming a plot for themselves should contact Voss for more information.
• Free community potluck and movie nights are planned for the fourth Saturday of the month this summer. A potluck dinner gathering kicks things off at 7:30 p.m., and the movie starts at 9 p.m. Bring a dish to share and your own washable dishes. These movie nights are appropriate for all ages.
• Contact farm manager Libby Voss for more details on all the opportunities at the farm, at lvoss@pushingtheenvelopefarm.org. Be sure to check out the Web site: www.pushingtheenvelopefarm.org.
Geneva Arts Fair
Geneva Arts Fair features top talent from around the country
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald correspondent
Published: 7/23/2010 12:01 AM
The range of the shades of gray is Fred Ullrich's specialty, one might say.
The product of this Geneva-based photographer's talent is replete with a veritable palette of grays, all of which combine to create stunning black and white photography.
See for yourself at this year's ninth annual Geneva Arts Fair, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 24 and 25, on Third Street in downtown Geneva.
A veteran exhibitor, Ullrich is back, with his unique prints of architecture, nature, rural images, glimpses of Europe, and photographs of what he calls "quiet spaces."
Not only are his images unique, but Ullrich's techniques almost put him in a category all his own.
"I work with a 4-by-5 wooden field camera. I shoot with 4-by-5 black and white film, and I develop with pyro (pyrogallol film developer). Paul Strand and all the masters used it. It really expands the zonal range, the varying range of grays you can get," said Ullrich, who is retired from his years as manager of Fermilab's visual media services.
"When I'm working well, working with the camera and looking at an image, form is more important than color. I look for everyday objects that resonate with me," he said. "You can render things in great detail, to infinity. The size (of my photos) is big - three times the resolution. I let the light speak for itself."
Ullrich does not use digital photography as an art form, and his techniques differ from it, in many respects. While developing, he wears gloves and a respirator, because of the chemicals used in this traditional "wet chemistry" developing process. The time factor is significantly longer, too.
"The shooting takes maybe three hours; the processing two hours, and the printing takes eight hours," he said.
The results of all this work are unique 16-by-20 inch fine prints, hand printed on fiber base paper.
To illustrate the visual difference, Ullrich will have one of his prints alongside a digital copy on display at the show.
Over 20,000 visitors are expected at this year's Geneva Arts Fair, presented by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce. This juried show was voted a Top 200 Fine Craft Fair for 2010 by Art Fair SourceBook, and was a 2009 winner of "Best Craft or Art Show" by West Suburban Living Magazine.
Among the artists will be Rosie and Dave Claus from Naperville, with their stunning gourds, topped with beautifully woven fiber embellishments. This year's show also includes ceramic creations by Glenn Woods and Keith Herbrand of Pottery Boys Clay Studios in Blue Island, Ill., unique must-have furniture by Charlie and John Sweitzer of Champaign, and many more artists from New York, Florida, Minnesota, and all points in between.
An emerging artist section will again be included this year, as well as a hands-on art activity for children, where they can put their own imaginations to work to create a mural.
On Saturday, eight $500 awards of excellence will be presented for two- and three-dimensional work. Emerging artists will also be competing to win Geneva Cultural Arts Commission awards as a kickoff for their careers.
Visitors can dine without having to drive anywhere else, as Geneva restaurants and merchants will be providing guests with sales, food and wine specials throughout the weekend.
Details, including a list of artists, are available at www.genevachamber.com/artfair.html.
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald correspondent
Published: 7/23/2010 12:01 AM
The range of the shades of gray is Fred Ullrich's specialty, one might say.
The product of this Geneva-based photographer's talent is replete with a veritable palette of grays, all of which combine to create stunning black and white photography.
See for yourself at this year's ninth annual Geneva Arts Fair, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 24 and 25, on Third Street in downtown Geneva.
A veteran exhibitor, Ullrich is back, with his unique prints of architecture, nature, rural images, glimpses of Europe, and photographs of what he calls "quiet spaces."
Not only are his images unique, but Ullrich's techniques almost put him in a category all his own.
"I work with a 4-by-5 wooden field camera. I shoot with 4-by-5 black and white film, and I develop with pyro (pyrogallol film developer). Paul Strand and all the masters used it. It really expands the zonal range, the varying range of grays you can get," said Ullrich, who is retired from his years as manager of Fermilab's visual media services.
"When I'm working well, working with the camera and looking at an image, form is more important than color. I look for everyday objects that resonate with me," he said. "You can render things in great detail, to infinity. The size (of my photos) is big - three times the resolution. I let the light speak for itself."
Ullrich does not use digital photography as an art form, and his techniques differ from it, in many respects. While developing, he wears gloves and a respirator, because of the chemicals used in this traditional "wet chemistry" developing process. The time factor is significantly longer, too.
"The shooting takes maybe three hours; the processing two hours, and the printing takes eight hours," he said.
The results of all this work are unique 16-by-20 inch fine prints, hand printed on fiber base paper.
To illustrate the visual difference, Ullrich will have one of his prints alongside a digital copy on display at the show.
Over 20,000 visitors are expected at this year's Geneva Arts Fair, presented by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce. This juried show was voted a Top 200 Fine Craft Fair for 2010 by Art Fair SourceBook, and was a 2009 winner of "Best Craft or Art Show" by West Suburban Living Magazine.
Among the artists will be Rosie and Dave Claus from Naperville, with their stunning gourds, topped with beautifully woven fiber embellishments. This year's show also includes ceramic creations by Glenn Woods and Keith Herbrand of Pottery Boys Clay Studios in Blue Island, Ill., unique must-have furniture by Charlie and John Sweitzer of Champaign, and many more artists from New York, Florida, Minnesota, and all points in between.
An emerging artist section will again be included this year, as well as a hands-on art activity for children, where they can put their own imaginations to work to create a mural.
On Saturday, eight $500 awards of excellence will be presented for two- and three-dimensional work. Emerging artists will also be competing to win Geneva Cultural Arts Commission awards as a kickoff for their careers.
Visitors can dine without having to drive anywhere else, as Geneva restaurants and merchants will be providing guests with sales, food and wine specials throughout the weekend.
Details, including a list of artists, are available at www.genevachamber.com/artfair.html.
"As You Like It"
Shakespeare troupe brings 'As You Like It' to Island Park, Geneva
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald correspondent
Published: 7/15/2010 12:01 AM
All ages are invited to experience a unique take on the Shakespeare comedy classic, "As You Like It," when Geneva's annual Shakespeare in the Park brings the Midsummer Theatre Troupe back to Island Park Saturday.
Sit back on your blanket, enjoy your picnic dinner, and watch Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke, fall in love with Orlando, the disinherited son of one of the duke's friends.
When Rosalind is banished from the court by her uncle, Duke Frederick, she disguises herself as a boy, and travels with her cousin Celia and the jester to the magical Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile. Never fear: a happy ending is guaranteed for all.
Performed outdoors on a stage surrounded by the beauty of Island Park, this performance will entertain and delight viewers with unique characterizations and unexpected twists.
A touch of Cirque du Soleil even comes into play, thanks to the creative prowess of artistic director Toni Hix.
"It's just sort of colorful, and the characters are characters, with a little bit of exaggeration," Hix said. "Once (the actors) enter the magical Forest of Arden, everything is colorful and bright."
One of Shakespeare's idiosyncrasies is his prolific use of figurative language, which can pose a problem for modern ears. To overcome what can be a disconnect for the audience, Hix has incorporated more action into the play to convey the meaning of the words "through the physicalities," she said. "I cut a lot of the descriptive passages related to mythology and to religion in Medieval times."
Hix also reduced the length of the play, limiting it to 90 minutes, and there is no intermission.
Live music will be performed during the play, the likes of which are sure to surprise and delight the audience.
Five actors will be playing ukuleles - not your typical Shakespearean instrument - and the musical selection, such as songs by John Mayer, will be like nothing you've ever heard in a show like this, before.
The configuration of the cast also differs, Hix said, as "I've condensed the cast to 12 people," although a few actors will reappear throughout the performance, after quick wardrobe changes, as more than one character.
Working together in this unique production is "really for our own enjoyment," said Hix. "I love Shakespeare so much, I just want people to like it. I love it when people come up to me and say, 'I got it!'"
As a traveling troupe, much differs from what you may expect. Tents, lights, a prop box, two benches, and sound equipment make up their set and staging equipment.
Depending on who you ask, some say an outdoor performance is the best way to enjoy Shakespeare.
"There are two different kinds of Shakespeare, outside. There's those that do it in an outdoor space with an attached building, like (the American Players Theatre in) Spring Green, Wi., and those who do it like we do," said Hix.
"I think we're the only ones who travel. We do only comedies, which are best suited for families with children, who are looking for a Ravinia-like experience."
Midsummer Theatre Troupe flourished in 2001, after getting its start as part of a troupe which used to perform in Batavia. This Shakespearean traveling theater performs one production each summer, in a few different venues.
In addition to the upcoming performance in Geneva, you can also see this comedy performed outdoors at 7 p.m. Friday, July 16 at Central Park in Naperville (free); 6 p.m. Sunday, July 18 at Cantigny Memorial Park in Wheaton ($10); and 7 p.m. July 20 and 27 at America's Historic Roundhouse in Aurora (free).
The Midsummer Theatre Troupe is fortunate to be under the leadership of Hix, who has experience as a casting director for feature films, television and live theater production in both Hollywood, Calif. and Chicago. She has been with Warner Bros., Samuel Godwin, Daystar, Touchstone, NBC and ABC/Harpo Productions, and has worked with Adrianne Barbeau, Lou Gossett, Jr., Beverly D'Angelo, Timothy Bottoms, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Danny Glover, among others. While teaching drama in L.A., she was Cuba Gooding Jr.'s sole drama teacher.
Shakespeare in the Park is hosted by the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission.
"It's one of our events," said Cultural Arts commissioner Vic Portincaso, who will also be performing as two of the characters, Sir Oliver Martext, and Lord Vic.
"This is our fourth year doing this. We hire in the troupe, and Toni does such a great job. It's geared toward families, so bring the kids and introduce them to Shakespeare," he said.
Hundreds of people have filled the park for the troupe's performances in years past, so come early, set down your blankets or chairs, and claim your spot. There is no rain date scheduled.
While you wait for the performance to start, enjoy a bite to eat or some refreshments which will be for sale in the park by Mill Race Inn, Stockholm's Restaurant, and Graham's Chocolate. Live music will also be performed before the show.
Admission is free, although a $5 donation is suggested. Seating will be on the lawn, and audience members are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnics.
Island Park is along the east side of the Fox River at the intersection of State (Route 38) and Bennett streets (Route 25) in Geneva. Free parking is available at the government center on First Street. It's just a short walk on the covered bridge across the river to Island Park.
'As You Like It' cast and crew
Aurora: Robert Becker, Tim Lieske, Connie Pfister, Gary Puckette, Don Reid, Colette Shelby, Todd Von Ohlen
Batavia: Peter Hix, Toni Hix, Nicolette Pollack
Chicago: Walter Bezt, Mark Brouwer
Geneva: Kristen Duerdoth, Sandy Portincaso, Vic Portincaso
Naperville: Robbie Holden, Dan McQuaid
North Aurora: Robb Cleave
South Elgin: Katrina Syrris
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald correspondent
Published: 7/15/2010 12:01 AM
All ages are invited to experience a unique take on the Shakespeare comedy classic, "As You Like It," when Geneva's annual Shakespeare in the Park brings the Midsummer Theatre Troupe back to Island Park Saturday.
Sit back on your blanket, enjoy your picnic dinner, and watch Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke, fall in love with Orlando, the disinherited son of one of the duke's friends.
When Rosalind is banished from the court by her uncle, Duke Frederick, she disguises herself as a boy, and travels with her cousin Celia and the jester to the magical Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile. Never fear: a happy ending is guaranteed for all.
Performed outdoors on a stage surrounded by the beauty of Island Park, this performance will entertain and delight viewers with unique characterizations and unexpected twists.
A touch of Cirque du Soleil even comes into play, thanks to the creative prowess of artistic director Toni Hix.
"It's just sort of colorful, and the characters are characters, with a little bit of exaggeration," Hix said. "Once (the actors) enter the magical Forest of Arden, everything is colorful and bright."
One of Shakespeare's idiosyncrasies is his prolific use of figurative language, which can pose a problem for modern ears. To overcome what can be a disconnect for the audience, Hix has incorporated more action into the play to convey the meaning of the words "through the physicalities," she said. "I cut a lot of the descriptive passages related to mythology and to religion in Medieval times."
Hix also reduced the length of the play, limiting it to 90 minutes, and there is no intermission.
Live music will be performed during the play, the likes of which are sure to surprise and delight the audience.
Five actors will be playing ukuleles - not your typical Shakespearean instrument - and the musical selection, such as songs by John Mayer, will be like nothing you've ever heard in a show like this, before.
The configuration of the cast also differs, Hix said, as "I've condensed the cast to 12 people," although a few actors will reappear throughout the performance, after quick wardrobe changes, as more than one character.
Working together in this unique production is "really for our own enjoyment," said Hix. "I love Shakespeare so much, I just want people to like it. I love it when people come up to me and say, 'I got it!'"
As a traveling troupe, much differs from what you may expect. Tents, lights, a prop box, two benches, and sound equipment make up their set and staging equipment.
Depending on who you ask, some say an outdoor performance is the best way to enjoy Shakespeare.
"There are two different kinds of Shakespeare, outside. There's those that do it in an outdoor space with an attached building, like (the American Players Theatre in) Spring Green, Wi., and those who do it like we do," said Hix.
"I think we're the only ones who travel. We do only comedies, which are best suited for families with children, who are looking for a Ravinia-like experience."
Midsummer Theatre Troupe flourished in 2001, after getting its start as part of a troupe which used to perform in Batavia. This Shakespearean traveling theater performs one production each summer, in a few different venues.
In addition to the upcoming performance in Geneva, you can also see this comedy performed outdoors at 7 p.m. Friday, July 16 at Central Park in Naperville (free); 6 p.m. Sunday, July 18 at Cantigny Memorial Park in Wheaton ($10); and 7 p.m. July 20 and 27 at America's Historic Roundhouse in Aurora (free).
The Midsummer Theatre Troupe is fortunate to be under the leadership of Hix, who has experience as a casting director for feature films, television and live theater production in both Hollywood, Calif. and Chicago. She has been with Warner Bros., Samuel Godwin, Daystar, Touchstone, NBC and ABC/Harpo Productions, and has worked with Adrianne Barbeau, Lou Gossett, Jr., Beverly D'Angelo, Timothy Bottoms, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Danny Glover, among others. While teaching drama in L.A., she was Cuba Gooding Jr.'s sole drama teacher.
Shakespeare in the Park is hosted by the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission.
"It's one of our events," said Cultural Arts commissioner Vic Portincaso, who will also be performing as two of the characters, Sir Oliver Martext, and Lord Vic.
"This is our fourth year doing this. We hire in the troupe, and Toni does such a great job. It's geared toward families, so bring the kids and introduce them to Shakespeare," he said.
Hundreds of people have filled the park for the troupe's performances in years past, so come early, set down your blankets or chairs, and claim your spot. There is no rain date scheduled.
While you wait for the performance to start, enjoy a bite to eat or some refreshments which will be for sale in the park by Mill Race Inn, Stockholm's Restaurant, and Graham's Chocolate. Live music will also be performed before the show.
Admission is free, although a $5 donation is suggested. Seating will be on the lawn, and audience members are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnics.
Island Park is along the east side of the Fox River at the intersection of State (Route 38) and Bennett streets (Route 25) in Geneva. Free parking is available at the government center on First Street. It's just a short walk on the covered bridge across the river to Island Park.
'As You Like It' cast and crew
Aurora: Robert Becker, Tim Lieske, Connie Pfister, Gary Puckette, Don Reid, Colette Shelby, Todd Von Ohlen
Batavia: Peter Hix, Toni Hix, Nicolette Pollack
Chicago: Walter Bezt, Mark Brouwer
Geneva: Kristen Duerdoth, Sandy Portincaso, Vic Portincaso
Naperville: Robbie Holden, Dan McQuaid
North Aurora: Robb Cleave
South Elgin: Katrina Syrris
Storefront Shakespeare
Storefront Shakespeare performs first shows in Geneva
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald Correspondent
Published: 7/2/2010 12:00 AM
Turning a dream into reality can take a lot of sweat and greasepaint.
Just ask Nora Manca, president and artistic director of Storefront Shakespeare, a new theater company which recently performed the first week of its very first production of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
"I've achieved my career goal; I'm the director of a Shakespearean theater," Manca said.
Storefront Shakespeare is a mobile theater company, which uses empty storefronts and other large spaces.
Using Promenade, a nontraditional form of theater in which the entire space becomes the stage, this theater company's performances engage the audience in an interactive as well as an entertaining experience.
For the company's first production, Manca chose to direct a cast of about 25 actors in this tale of four intertwining stories, written by her favorite bard.
"Shakespeare's stories are so interesting and so complex, and the language is so beautiful and witty," she said. "I saw my first play when I was four, and have been obsessed with it ever since. It was 'Taming of the Shrew,' and I was so bothered by (the character) Petruchio. When I found out he was a wife beater (in the play), I was so mad at him," but she was hooked.
Another fan of Shakespeare is cast member Nadia Handler, a 15 year-old high school student from St. Charles, the youngest performer on stage.
Auditions were open to actors ages 16 through adults, but Handler's talents got her in the door and into the cast.
Handler appeared in "Beauty and the Beast" at Noble Fool Theatricals, and as the fairy Peaseblossom in a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Thompson Middle School.
In Storefront Shakespeare's version of this play, she is performing the role of Hermia, who loves one man, but is loved by another.
"The actors are part of the audience, and the audience is part of the play. It's wonderful," Handler said. "They follow along, watch, and laugh. They even move around if they can't see."
Handler met Manca while performing at Noble Fool. She learned about auditions for this current production through a Facebook posting.
"I really like Shakespeare. It's hard, but once we learn the meaning of the lines, it's really fun. It's a great experience for actors," Handler said.
Besides appearing in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Handler is preparing for her lead role in "Tied to the Tracks," a musical melodrama opening at Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles Thursday, July 15.
Manca, who lives in North Aurora, has been working up to this her entire life.
"I've been doing theater since I was about 10 years old," she said. "I just had a passion for it. I started a mini theater company when I was 13; we did 'Romeo and Juliet' for three years."
After high school, she attended North Central College, and completed a bachelor's degree in theater performance, with an emphasis in directing. She also minored in art. She has directed four previous productions: "Steel Magnolias" at the Geneva Underground Playhouse; "Potea Safari" at the Masala Yangu restaurant in Naperville; and "Euripides' Medea: A Director's Nightmare" as well as "An Ideal Husband" as guest director at Benedictine University.
She was the assistant director for "Beauty and the Beast" at Noble Fool Theatricals in St. Charles.
"Last year I got the idea for a promenade-style production of 'Midsummer Night's Dream,' but no theater was right for what I had in mind. Some friends and I started brainstorming and decided we needed to form our own company and use empty storefronts. We wanted to be right where the people were," she said.
Preparations for this premier production involved a bevy of talented friends who pitched in with everything from creating costumes to crafting sets. Props and decorations were cobbled together from donated items, as well as from bits and pieces found at yard sales and the Goodwill store, enabling this company to function with absolutely no budget.
What made this all come together into a run of performances already enjoyed by many was the availability of a vacant storefront in downtown Geneva.
Manca explained that she and executive director Racole Fisher "went walking around downtown Geneva. We wanted a place with a lively and active downtown. We took down phone numbers (of vacant stores), and made calls. Then we got approval and a permit from the city of Geneva."
The two women were able to find a temporary home for the company's first production at an empty storefront at 228 S. Third St. They may have gotten more of a "lively and active downtown" than they could have imagined, as their play opened and ran the week of Geneva's annual Swedish Days festival.
"We had pretty good attendance, especially for our first week," Manca said.
Upcoming performances of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" will take place today through Monday, July 5, at 228 S. Third St. in Geneva, with shows at 7 p.m. each evening, and additional 3 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $10 and may be bought on line at www.storefrontshakespeare.org, or at the door. Only cash or checks will be accepted at the door.
Monday's performance offers $8 pricing for Industry Night, to active and interested performers, tech and crew people, especially those who are interested in auditioning for the company's next performance. General admission remains $10 per person.
The following week, Storefront Shakespeare will move "Midsummer Night's Dream" to Sky Yoga Studio, 2035 S. Washington St., Suite 147 in Naperville. This is not an empty storefront, but is owned by a friend.
Shows will be at 7 p.m. July 9-11, with a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, July 10, only.
The next production by Storefront Shakespeare will be "As You Like It," with a Bollywood twist.
"I hope we can find a (performance) space near an Indian restaurant, and tie it all in," Manca said.
Whether you want to learn more, buy tickets, or audition for the company's next production, visit www.storefrontshakespeare.org, or call (630) 677-0983.
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald Correspondent
Published: 7/2/2010 12:00 AM
Turning a dream into reality can take a lot of sweat and greasepaint.
Just ask Nora Manca, president and artistic director of Storefront Shakespeare, a new theater company which recently performed the first week of its very first production of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
"I've achieved my career goal; I'm the director of a Shakespearean theater," Manca said.
Storefront Shakespeare is a mobile theater company, which uses empty storefronts and other large spaces.
Using Promenade, a nontraditional form of theater in which the entire space becomes the stage, this theater company's performances engage the audience in an interactive as well as an entertaining experience.
For the company's first production, Manca chose to direct a cast of about 25 actors in this tale of four intertwining stories, written by her favorite bard.
"Shakespeare's stories are so interesting and so complex, and the language is so beautiful and witty," she said. "I saw my first play when I was four, and have been obsessed with it ever since. It was 'Taming of the Shrew,' and I was so bothered by (the character) Petruchio. When I found out he was a wife beater (in the play), I was so mad at him," but she was hooked.
Another fan of Shakespeare is cast member Nadia Handler, a 15 year-old high school student from St. Charles, the youngest performer on stage.
Auditions were open to actors ages 16 through adults, but Handler's talents got her in the door and into the cast.
Handler appeared in "Beauty and the Beast" at Noble Fool Theatricals, and as the fairy Peaseblossom in a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Thompson Middle School.
In Storefront Shakespeare's version of this play, she is performing the role of Hermia, who loves one man, but is loved by another.
"The actors are part of the audience, and the audience is part of the play. It's wonderful," Handler said. "They follow along, watch, and laugh. They even move around if they can't see."
Handler met Manca while performing at Noble Fool. She learned about auditions for this current production through a Facebook posting.
"I really like Shakespeare. It's hard, but once we learn the meaning of the lines, it's really fun. It's a great experience for actors," Handler said.
Besides appearing in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Handler is preparing for her lead role in "Tied to the Tracks," a musical melodrama opening at Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles Thursday, July 15.
Manca, who lives in North Aurora, has been working up to this her entire life.
"I've been doing theater since I was about 10 years old," she said. "I just had a passion for it. I started a mini theater company when I was 13; we did 'Romeo and Juliet' for three years."
After high school, she attended North Central College, and completed a bachelor's degree in theater performance, with an emphasis in directing. She also minored in art. She has directed four previous productions: "Steel Magnolias" at the Geneva Underground Playhouse; "Potea Safari" at the Masala Yangu restaurant in Naperville; and "Euripides' Medea: A Director's Nightmare" as well as "An Ideal Husband" as guest director at Benedictine University.
She was the assistant director for "Beauty and the Beast" at Noble Fool Theatricals in St. Charles.
"Last year I got the idea for a promenade-style production of 'Midsummer Night's Dream,' but no theater was right for what I had in mind. Some friends and I started brainstorming and decided we needed to form our own company and use empty storefronts. We wanted to be right where the people were," she said.
Preparations for this premier production involved a bevy of talented friends who pitched in with everything from creating costumes to crafting sets. Props and decorations were cobbled together from donated items, as well as from bits and pieces found at yard sales and the Goodwill store, enabling this company to function with absolutely no budget.
What made this all come together into a run of performances already enjoyed by many was the availability of a vacant storefront in downtown Geneva.
Manca explained that she and executive director Racole Fisher "went walking around downtown Geneva. We wanted a place with a lively and active downtown. We took down phone numbers (of vacant stores), and made calls. Then we got approval and a permit from the city of Geneva."
The two women were able to find a temporary home for the company's first production at an empty storefront at 228 S. Third St. They may have gotten more of a "lively and active downtown" than they could have imagined, as their play opened and ran the week of Geneva's annual Swedish Days festival.
"We had pretty good attendance, especially for our first week," Manca said.
Upcoming performances of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" will take place today through Monday, July 5, at 228 S. Third St. in Geneva, with shows at 7 p.m. each evening, and additional 3 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $10 and may be bought on line at www.storefrontshakespeare.org, or at the door. Only cash or checks will be accepted at the door.
Monday's performance offers $8 pricing for Industry Night, to active and interested performers, tech and crew people, especially those who are interested in auditioning for the company's next performance. General admission remains $10 per person.
The following week, Storefront Shakespeare will move "Midsummer Night's Dream" to Sky Yoga Studio, 2035 S. Washington St., Suite 147 in Naperville. This is not an empty storefront, but is owned by a friend.
Shows will be at 7 p.m. July 9-11, with a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, July 10, only.
The next production by Storefront Shakespeare will be "As You Like It," with a Bollywood twist.
"I hope we can find a (performance) space near an Indian restaurant, and tie it all in," Manca said.
Whether you want to learn more, buy tickets, or audition for the company's next production, visit www.storefrontshakespeare.org, or call (630) 677-0983.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Diversity at the Table
By Rachel Baruch Yackley
March 24, 2010
"My father was a wandering Aramean."
Well, not exactly, but my father, who is Jewish, was born in Barcelona, Spain. He always brings engaging personal stories and a true appreciation for the Passover story to the seder. My mother, who is also Jewish, grew up in Peoria, Ill. Both sets of my grandparents were Jewish. The three generations of relatives who gather around our seder table each year come from my mother's side of the family. Some are Jewish, some are not. We are from different countries, different races, different ethnic backgrounds, and from a wide range of religious upbringings.
My sister Lisa's husband, Robert Johnson, was born in Jamaica. While growing up, Robert was exposed to Christianity and then became immersed in Rastafarian religion at a young age.
With an introduction to the Exodus story in Bible class taught in public school in Jamaica, then a more in-depth exploration of the Old Testament through Rastafarian, Robert was no stranger to this story when he first joined our seder table about 25 years ago. As such, it makes sense that he finds meaning during this holiday in "the link with the ancestors, through time and space," he said. "I'm intrigued when I hear Hebrew. There is a whole familiarity. There's a certain level of comfort."
My cousin Carol Gaebler--her father and my maternal grandfather were brothers--grew up in a Jewish home with two Jewish parents. Currently our seder organizer, Carol hosted for many years and has led the seder as well.
"I like most of the Passover story and see it as a metaphor for journey and growth. It took me a long time to decide that it was probably all metaphor and that none of it probably really happened," Carol explained. "I think of it as the holiday that heralds spring. I like the songs and hiding the afikoman (half of a matzah saved for the end of the meal), and watching how the kids do things differently in different years."
Carol and her husband, Robert (Bob), have a full house during Passover, with their visiting grown children and their families, as well as other out-of-town relatives.
"When I hear about families where the aunts and uncles and cousins never see each other, I am grateful for the Passover holiday because that is the only time the whole family is together. It keeps the contact up. I would say also that seder is valuable as a memory bank--I have memories of my mother, of [cousin] Joel, of [sister-in-law] Ruth at the seders. It is a way of invoking their presence, which is kind of bittersweet," Carol said.
With two of her three sons married to non-Jewish spouses, Carol added, "I also welcome the chance to have an interfaith ritual for my two non-Jewish daughters-in -law."
Bob Gaebler wasn't raised in any particular religion, and gravitated toward the Unitarian Church at the young age of 13.
Around this same time, Bob's family sent him to live with a Jewish family in Detroit, where he found it easy to fit in with the family's religious observances.
"By the time I met my wife, I had been exposed to a variety of Jewish influences and felt quite at home with a Jewish wife and Jewish kids," Bob continued. "Carol's mother, Marie Armin, clearly wanted our kids to have a Jewish education, and she was such a sweetie, who could resist?"
Carol and Bob have three sons: David, Ken and Mike. David's wife, Lois Griff, comes from a traditional Jewish background; Ken's wife, Ellen Hanson, who is not Jewish, graciously hosts our rather large seder gathering each year; and Mike's partner, Susan Lowance, was raised Episcopalian.
Mike usually brings a salad to the seder, and this year he and Susan will also be bringing their 11-month-old son, Sam, the newest addition to our table.
Our seders are always filled with moments of fun, meaning, connections, music and more.
While Mike shared that he enjoys relaxing with and seeing family, Susan said she enjoys "watching my partner struggle to explain how he is related to everyone in the room."
As a group, we are always open to enhancing our seder experience, and Mike said he would like to add a matzah-ball-eating-contest. I'm leading this year, so I'll think about how we might incorporate that into our Passover meal, especially if Mike can be talked into making extra matzah balls.
Many of the men in our family love to cook, and my husband, also named Mike, is no exception. Raised in a traditional Catholic home, with eight years of Catholic school under his belt, Mike spends days making a mean batch of horseradish from scratch for the seder each year.
Some of our relatives travel from Canada for the seder. Linda Fried, whose late husband, Joel, was a first cousin of my mother's, makes the trip down each year. She's always been so involved in our family's Jewish gatherings that for years I thought she was the Jewish link.
"I come from an agnostic background," Linda said. "My father was a Quaker who left his religion in the second World War and joined the Navy. My mother's background is less established, but she may have been Unitarian, the only religion we were raised in, for a brief period."
Each year, Linda brings the matzah balls to the seder. I've never done a count, but I'm sure it's at least 75 matzah balls. She also makes a wonderful flourless chocolate cake. "It's based on ground almonds, eggs and chocolate. Every year Lois (one of Carol's daughters-in-law) asks me what's in it. And Joel wouldn't eat it because he said it mimics cake that is leavened," she said.
Linda has two grown children, Judith and Ben, who both live on the West Coast. Ben and his partner, Jennifer, whom Linda considers her daughter-in-law, as they've been together for many years, make it in for seder when they can.
In her musings about our melting pot of a family, Linda added that "Jennifer provides an interesting mix. Her mother is Quebecois and her father is African American, with some Native American mixed in. Her background is Catholic, though I don't know how observant."
Another cousin, Laura Black--her maternal grandmother and my maternal grandmother were sisters--comes to us from Ohio. She has her own unique interfaith mix.
"My religious background is closet Jewish, born and raised Unitarian. I consider myself a Jewish Unitarian," she said.
Eloquently expressing the feelings shared by many of our family members, Laura said: "What I love most about our family's seder celebration is the chance to connect with my larger Chicago family. I love the traditions of our seder celebration. For me, it's both a connection to my Jewish heritage and to the customs celebrated by this larger family, of which I am proud to be a part. I am a more recent participant/celebrant, so it's a learning experience as well. Sometimes what I think I can contribute the best for now is an attitude of appreciation.
"The food is almost secondary; although it's always good, and there are food traditions, like Mike's horseradish. It's just great to be there with folks who respect each other enough to maintain such a treasured connection. Even if I cannot always come to the seder myself every year, I still feel a part of it all."
Laura did not grow up in a Jewish home. Her father, who grew up surrounded by the Pueblo Indian culture of the American Southwest, instilled her with many of those values and sensitivities. But interestingly enough, it's a ceramic seder plate she crafted some years ago that encompasses her religious and spiritual influences.
"What I like to bring to our seder," said Laura, "is a ceramic slab-built seder plate I made a long time ago that has amazingly survived many moves, and that I always keep on display in my dining room. When I made it, I pressed various seashells I'd collected into the clay to make some interesting textures and designs, and to remind me of my reverence for the two most important things in my life: the natural world, and my 'Chicago family' roots."
March 24, 2010
"My father was a wandering Aramean."
Well, not exactly, but my father, who is Jewish, was born in Barcelona, Spain. He always brings engaging personal stories and a true appreciation for the Passover story to the seder. My mother, who is also Jewish, grew up in Peoria, Ill. Both sets of my grandparents were Jewish. The three generations of relatives who gather around our seder table each year come from my mother's side of the family. Some are Jewish, some are not. We are from different countries, different races, different ethnic backgrounds, and from a wide range of religious upbringings.
My sister Lisa's husband, Robert Johnson, was born in Jamaica. While growing up, Robert was exposed to Christianity and then became immersed in Rastafarian religion at a young age.
With an introduction to the Exodus story in Bible class taught in public school in Jamaica, then a more in-depth exploration of the Old Testament through Rastafarian, Robert was no stranger to this story when he first joined our seder table about 25 years ago. As such, it makes sense that he finds meaning during this holiday in "the link with the ancestors, through time and space," he said. "I'm intrigued when I hear Hebrew. There is a whole familiarity. There's a certain level of comfort."
My cousin Carol Gaebler--her father and my maternal grandfather were brothers--grew up in a Jewish home with two Jewish parents. Currently our seder organizer, Carol hosted for many years and has led the seder as well.
"I like most of the Passover story and see it as a metaphor for journey and growth. It took me a long time to decide that it was probably all metaphor and that none of it probably really happened," Carol explained. "I think of it as the holiday that heralds spring. I like the songs and hiding the afikoman (half of a matzah saved for the end of the meal), and watching how the kids do things differently in different years."
Carol and her husband, Robert (Bob), have a full house during Passover, with their visiting grown children and their families, as well as other out-of-town relatives.
"When I hear about families where the aunts and uncles and cousins never see each other, I am grateful for the Passover holiday because that is the only time the whole family is together. It keeps the contact up. I would say also that seder is valuable as a memory bank--I have memories of my mother, of [cousin] Joel, of [sister-in-law] Ruth at the seders. It is a way of invoking their presence, which is kind of bittersweet," Carol said.
With two of her three sons married to non-Jewish spouses, Carol added, "I also welcome the chance to have an interfaith ritual for my two non-Jewish daughters-in -law."
Bob Gaebler wasn't raised in any particular religion, and gravitated toward the Unitarian Church at the young age of 13.
Around this same time, Bob's family sent him to live with a Jewish family in Detroit, where he found it easy to fit in with the family's religious observances.
"By the time I met my wife, I had been exposed to a variety of Jewish influences and felt quite at home with a Jewish wife and Jewish kids," Bob continued. "Carol's mother, Marie Armin, clearly wanted our kids to have a Jewish education, and she was such a sweetie, who could resist?"
Carol and Bob have three sons: David, Ken and Mike. David's wife, Lois Griff, comes from a traditional Jewish background; Ken's wife, Ellen Hanson, who is not Jewish, graciously hosts our rather large seder gathering each year; and Mike's partner, Susan Lowance, was raised Episcopalian.
Mike usually brings a salad to the seder, and this year he and Susan will also be bringing their 11-month-old son, Sam, the newest addition to our table.
Our seders are always filled with moments of fun, meaning, connections, music and more.
While Mike shared that he enjoys relaxing with and seeing family, Susan said she enjoys "watching my partner struggle to explain how he is related to everyone in the room."
As a group, we are always open to enhancing our seder experience, and Mike said he would like to add a matzah-ball-eating-contest. I'm leading this year, so I'll think about how we might incorporate that into our Passover meal, especially if Mike can be talked into making extra matzah balls.
Many of the men in our family love to cook, and my husband, also named Mike, is no exception. Raised in a traditional Catholic home, with eight years of Catholic school under his belt, Mike spends days making a mean batch of horseradish from scratch for the seder each year.
Some of our relatives travel from Canada for the seder. Linda Fried, whose late husband, Joel, was a first cousin of my mother's, makes the trip down each year. She's always been so involved in our family's Jewish gatherings that for years I thought she was the Jewish link.
"I come from an agnostic background," Linda said. "My father was a Quaker who left his religion in the second World War and joined the Navy. My mother's background is less established, but she may have been Unitarian, the only religion we were raised in, for a brief period."
Each year, Linda brings the matzah balls to the seder. I've never done a count, but I'm sure it's at least 75 matzah balls. She also makes a wonderful flourless chocolate cake. "It's based on ground almonds, eggs and chocolate. Every year Lois (one of Carol's daughters-in-law) asks me what's in it. And Joel wouldn't eat it because he said it mimics cake that is leavened," she said.
Linda has two grown children, Judith and Ben, who both live on the West Coast. Ben and his partner, Jennifer, whom Linda considers her daughter-in-law, as they've been together for many years, make it in for seder when they can.
In her musings about our melting pot of a family, Linda added that "Jennifer provides an interesting mix. Her mother is Quebecois and her father is African American, with some Native American mixed in. Her background is Catholic, though I don't know how observant."
Another cousin, Laura Black--her maternal grandmother and my maternal grandmother were sisters--comes to us from Ohio. She has her own unique interfaith mix.
"My religious background is closet Jewish, born and raised Unitarian. I consider myself a Jewish Unitarian," she said.
Eloquently expressing the feelings shared by many of our family members, Laura said: "What I love most about our family's seder celebration is the chance to connect with my larger Chicago family. I love the traditions of our seder celebration. For me, it's both a connection to my Jewish heritage and to the customs celebrated by this larger family, of which I am proud to be a part. I am a more recent participant/celebrant, so it's a learning experience as well. Sometimes what I think I can contribute the best for now is an attitude of appreciation.
"The food is almost secondary; although it's always good, and there are food traditions, like Mike's horseradish. It's just great to be there with folks who respect each other enough to maintain such a treasured connection. Even if I cannot always come to the seder myself every year, I still feel a part of it all."
Laura did not grow up in a Jewish home. Her father, who grew up surrounded by the Pueblo Indian culture of the American Southwest, instilled her with many of those values and sensitivities. But interestingly enough, it's a ceramic seder plate she crafted some years ago that encompasses her religious and spiritual influences.
"What I like to bring to our seder," said Laura, "is a ceramic slab-built seder plate I made a long time ago that has amazingly survived many moves, and that I always keep on display in my dining room. When I made it, I pressed various seashells I'd collected into the clay to make some interesting textures and designs, and to remind me of my reverence for the two most important things in my life: the natural world, and my 'Chicago family' roots."
From a size 24 to a size 4: Geneva woman shares weight loss strategies
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald Correspondent
Published: 5/10/2010
"How'd she do that?" is a question Maureen Bliss hears, now and then, especially when people recognize her, which might not be easy.
Bliss is less than half the woman she used to be. Currently weighing in at 127 lbs., Bliss has lost 156 lbs. since June 2007.
"I'm so proud of myself," said Bliss, after going from a size 24 to a size 4. "I never thought this was possible."
It has taken a lifetime for Bliss to look her best. At 60 years old, this 5 ft. 4 in. woman, can look back and wonder at all that's behind her.
"As a young child, I was thin. We ate healthy, but we always loved our bread," said Bliss, who grew up in the western suburbs and has lived in Geneva for the past 10 years, with her husband Lee and their two dogs.
"In high school, I started gaining weight. I remember being teased about being fat, but it didn't keep me down."
Over the years, Bliss has tried diet pills, which helped for a while, but then she put the weight back on. She even looked into gastric bypass surgery as well as the lap band, but decided neither was for her. Both she and her husband tried Atkins, but she "never found a diet I could live with."
Then one day a neighbor invited her to come along to a Weight Watchers meeting, at the center at 2041 Lincoln Hwy. (Rt. 38), in St. Charles.
"I guess I never learned the tools to be thin. I owe it all to Weight Watchers," she said.
"Anybody who's overweight - the last thing you want to do is step on a scale in front of other people. Once I did that, I went home, cleaned out the pantry, and started (the program) the next day."
Bliss took it week-by-week, pound by pound. Her husband was so supportive. "We've been married 32 years, and he never ever said you need to lose weight." He also dieted alongside her, and lost 65 lbs., himself.
"Since I've done the Weight Watchers, he's gotten so involved in the kitchen. We eat so healthy and enjoy what we eat," Bliss said.
Offering tips for others, Bliss said one of the most important things to do is to always be prepared for anything. Her suggestions include: carry healthy snacks, don't keep "junk food" around the house, and keep a daily record of all you eat.
She and her husband also don't eat out as much as they used to, but when they do, Bliss brings her own bread, spray butter, fat free coffee creamer, and sugar substitute.
"How successful you are is really about choices," she explained. "We never aimlessly eat. It's a great program, and it really taught me how to eat.
"I equate how it works for me like a budget. You have so much to spend each day. When you eat more than allocated, you have to pay the interest, and that's added weight."
Attending the weekly Weight Watchers meetings provided Bliss with an enormous amount of support, with the combination of information shared at each meeting, as well as through the exchanges and friendships formed with other members. Now a lifetime member, Bliss still attends regular meetings, with the same group she's been with throughout her journey.
For the 21 months it took to lose the weight, Bliss said, "the (Weight Watchers) meetings were a priority. I didn't want to go in and weigh myself and see a weight gain; that was a big motivator. The first week I only lost 1.2 lbs., and I was really disappointed. But I talked to myself about how losing that once a week is a lot, in one year. All the women at Weight Watchers helped me too, from the people who weigh you in, to Terra Ayers, the leader who runs the meetings, they're all very, very good. And all the (members) are helpful, sharing stories and tips."
Not only has Bliss taken off all that weight, she's kept it off for over a year.
Although she didn't initially exercise, she now works out 30 minutes to an hour each day with her Wii Fit, or takes walks with her active husband, who has a third degree black belt in Hapkido.
One of the things people do wonder about is, after all that weight loss, what happens to your skin?
Not to worry, says Bliss, as "for the most part, it shrinks with you. I don't have sacks of skin hanging. It hasn't shrunk 100 percent; I do have bat wings under my arms.
"And whatever issues you had when you were fat, like if you were pear shaped before, you'll still be pear shaped after."
Now she can look at the one pair of capri pants, one pair of jeans, and one shirt she kept: "I hold them up and just can't believe how big I was."
Not surprisingly, the weight loss has brought some big changes to Bliss's life, besides multiple wardrobe changes.
"Before, when I was heavy, I never wanted to be in pictures, I didn't want to see old, old friends, and I didn't want to meet new people," she shared. "Now, bring it on!"
Published: 5/10/2010
"How'd she do that?" is a question Maureen Bliss hears, now and then, especially when people recognize her, which might not be easy.
Bliss is less than half the woman she used to be. Currently weighing in at 127 lbs., Bliss has lost 156 lbs. since June 2007.
"I'm so proud of myself," said Bliss, after going from a size 24 to a size 4. "I never thought this was possible."
It has taken a lifetime for Bliss to look her best. At 60 years old, this 5 ft. 4 in. woman, can look back and wonder at all that's behind her.
"As a young child, I was thin. We ate healthy, but we always loved our bread," said Bliss, who grew up in the western suburbs and has lived in Geneva for the past 10 years, with her husband Lee and their two dogs.
"In high school, I started gaining weight. I remember being teased about being fat, but it didn't keep me down."
Over the years, Bliss has tried diet pills, which helped for a while, but then she put the weight back on. She even looked into gastric bypass surgery as well as the lap band, but decided neither was for her. Both she and her husband tried Atkins, but she "never found a diet I could live with."
Then one day a neighbor invited her to come along to a Weight Watchers meeting, at the center at 2041 Lincoln Hwy. (Rt. 38), in St. Charles.
"I guess I never learned the tools to be thin. I owe it all to Weight Watchers," she said.
"Anybody who's overweight - the last thing you want to do is step on a scale in front of other people. Once I did that, I went home, cleaned out the pantry, and started (the program) the next day."
Bliss took it week-by-week, pound by pound. Her husband was so supportive. "We've been married 32 years, and he never ever said you need to lose weight." He also dieted alongside her, and lost 65 lbs., himself.
"Since I've done the Weight Watchers, he's gotten so involved in the kitchen. We eat so healthy and enjoy what we eat," Bliss said.
Offering tips for others, Bliss said one of the most important things to do is to always be prepared for anything. Her suggestions include: carry healthy snacks, don't keep "junk food" around the house, and keep a daily record of all you eat.
She and her husband also don't eat out as much as they used to, but when they do, Bliss brings her own bread, spray butter, fat free coffee creamer, and sugar substitute.
"How successful you are is really about choices," she explained. "We never aimlessly eat. It's a great program, and it really taught me how to eat.
"I equate how it works for me like a budget. You have so much to spend each day. When you eat more than allocated, you have to pay the interest, and that's added weight."
Attending the weekly Weight Watchers meetings provided Bliss with an enormous amount of support, with the combination of information shared at each meeting, as well as through the exchanges and friendships formed with other members. Now a lifetime member, Bliss still attends regular meetings, with the same group she's been with throughout her journey.
For the 21 months it took to lose the weight, Bliss said, "the (Weight Watchers) meetings were a priority. I didn't want to go in and weigh myself and see a weight gain; that was a big motivator. The first week I only lost 1.2 lbs., and I was really disappointed. But I talked to myself about how losing that once a week is a lot, in one year. All the women at Weight Watchers helped me too, from the people who weigh you in, to Terra Ayers, the leader who runs the meetings, they're all very, very good. And all the (members) are helpful, sharing stories and tips."
Not only has Bliss taken off all that weight, she's kept it off for over a year.
Although she didn't initially exercise, she now works out 30 minutes to an hour each day with her Wii Fit, or takes walks with her active husband, who has a third degree black belt in Hapkido.
One of the things people do wonder about is, after all that weight loss, what happens to your skin?
Not to worry, says Bliss, as "for the most part, it shrinks with you. I don't have sacks of skin hanging. It hasn't shrunk 100 percent; I do have bat wings under my arms.
"And whatever issues you had when you were fat, like if you were pear shaped before, you'll still be pear shaped after."
Now she can look at the one pair of capri pants, one pair of jeans, and one shirt she kept: "I hold them up and just can't believe how big I was."
Not surprisingly, the weight loss has brought some big changes to Bliss's life, besides multiple wardrobe changes.
"Before, when I was heavy, I never wanted to be in pictures, I didn't want to see old, old friends, and I didn't want to meet new people," she shared. "Now, bring it on!"
Civil War ball, encampment to mark 150th anniversary of Camp Kane
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald Correspondent
Published: 4/28/2010
Enjoy an evening that will transport you all the way back to the 1860s, with a Civil War ball to benefit the Farnsworth Mansion Foundation's efforts to rebuild the Farnsworth Mansion, once an important historic landmark in St. Charles.
On Saturday, May 1, the public is invited to help the Farnsworth Mansion Foundation celebrate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, starting with a real Civil War encampment at 10 a.m., with closing ceremonies at 4 p.m., followed by the Civil War ball at 5 p.m.
This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the construction of the original Farnsworth Mansion, and it's just a year shy of the 150th anniversary of Camp Kane, the Civil War training camp, which was based in St. Charles.
Kim Malay, president of the Foundation, said this annual event is to "bring out awareness of this (mansion) project, and the importance of it. We also want to get the word out as we need additional volunteers and board members."
While the Civil War was raging, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed; Louisa May Alcott and Mark Twain were writing (among many others); liquid soap, coffee percolators and root beer were invented. Chicago got the first water supply tunnel in the U.S. It was undoubtedly a busy time of change.
At the same time, much was happening in St. Charles. Action began on September 18, 1861, when the 8th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, commanded by Col. John Farnsworth, brought 1,164 men into service on the eastern bank of the Fox River, at Camp Kane, in what is known as Langum Park.
Right at this same site, visitors will be able to walk through a realistic Civil War encampment on Saturday, May 1, as re-enactment troops train on battlefield tactics and drills. This is a free event, but donations to the Farnsworth Museum Foundation will be accepted.
Tickets are already on sale for the evening's Civil War ball. Guests are encouraged to dress in 1860s period costumes, which can be homemade or rented at All Dressed Up in Batavia, but Malay said, "You don't have to come in costume. Especially if it's your first year, just come check it out."
The ball will begin with a buffet dinner, followed by a short program.
"If everyone wants a taste of Underground Railroad history, we'll be talking about that, too," said Malay.
Period music and dancing, featuring the Century Air Minstrels, will highlight the evening. Dance lessons will be provided by Terrance Welch, so everyone will be able to join in the Virginia reel, the broom dance, the hat dance, and more.
All ages are welcome to the ball. Students from Wredling Middle School in St. Charles may even be attending, as an extension of their Civil War Week activities at school.
Farnsworth, an attorney and an Illinois congressman, owned the property on the east bank of the Fox River at the time of Camp Kane, and built his mansion in 1860, just west of the river. He died in 1897 and is buried in North Cemetery in St. Charles. The site of his home later became Mount St. Mary's Academy in 1907.
In 1993, the mansion was completely demolished, although the stone facade and the interior trim were salvaged. Not to be forever a footnote in local history, in 2000, the City Council approved the rebuilding of Farnsworth Mansion, on the south end of Langum Park.
When finished, the mansion will house an Underground Railroad and Civil War museum, which will feature the importance of the Civil War in Kane County and nationwide, as well as the local and national history of the Underground Railroad.
Local research shows that St. Charles has possibly more than 20 properties which were either stops along the Underground Railroad, or their first owners were members of the Kane County Anti-Slavery Society.
The Foundation was hoping to break ground on the museum by this year, but "the economy hit hard, and put a damper on our plans," said Malay.
But the delay has come with benefits. In 2009, the Farnsworth Foundation formed a partnership with The African Scientific Research Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Illinois in Chicago.
"We are working with the ASRI. The project is going to be a nationwide thing on the Freedom Trail, what the Underground Railroad is known as," Malay explained.
"The Mansion will definitely be a major focal point and will be a national resource for the project. Farnsworth was so involved in the abolitionist movement that this just seemed like the right thing to do."
Published: 4/28/2010
Enjoy an evening that will transport you all the way back to the 1860s, with a Civil War ball to benefit the Farnsworth Mansion Foundation's efforts to rebuild the Farnsworth Mansion, once an important historic landmark in St. Charles.
On Saturday, May 1, the public is invited to help the Farnsworth Mansion Foundation celebrate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, starting with a real Civil War encampment at 10 a.m., with closing ceremonies at 4 p.m., followed by the Civil War ball at 5 p.m.
This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the construction of the original Farnsworth Mansion, and it's just a year shy of the 150th anniversary of Camp Kane, the Civil War training camp, which was based in St. Charles.
Kim Malay, president of the Foundation, said this annual event is to "bring out awareness of this (mansion) project, and the importance of it. We also want to get the word out as we need additional volunteers and board members."
While the Civil War was raging, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed; Louisa May Alcott and Mark Twain were writing (among many others); liquid soap, coffee percolators and root beer were invented. Chicago got the first water supply tunnel in the U.S. It was undoubtedly a busy time of change.
At the same time, much was happening in St. Charles. Action began on September 18, 1861, when the 8th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, commanded by Col. John Farnsworth, brought 1,164 men into service on the eastern bank of the Fox River, at Camp Kane, in what is known as Langum Park.
Right at this same site, visitors will be able to walk through a realistic Civil War encampment on Saturday, May 1, as re-enactment troops train on battlefield tactics and drills. This is a free event, but donations to the Farnsworth Museum Foundation will be accepted.
Tickets are already on sale for the evening's Civil War ball. Guests are encouraged to dress in 1860s period costumes, which can be homemade or rented at All Dressed Up in Batavia, but Malay said, "You don't have to come in costume. Especially if it's your first year, just come check it out."
The ball will begin with a buffet dinner, followed by a short program.
"If everyone wants a taste of Underground Railroad history, we'll be talking about that, too," said Malay.
Period music and dancing, featuring the Century Air Minstrels, will highlight the evening. Dance lessons will be provided by Terrance Welch, so everyone will be able to join in the Virginia reel, the broom dance, the hat dance, and more.
All ages are welcome to the ball. Students from Wredling Middle School in St. Charles may even be attending, as an extension of their Civil War Week activities at school.
Farnsworth, an attorney and an Illinois congressman, owned the property on the east bank of the Fox River at the time of Camp Kane, and built his mansion in 1860, just west of the river. He died in 1897 and is buried in North Cemetery in St. Charles. The site of his home later became Mount St. Mary's Academy in 1907.
In 1993, the mansion was completely demolished, although the stone facade and the interior trim were salvaged. Not to be forever a footnote in local history, in 2000, the City Council approved the rebuilding of Farnsworth Mansion, on the south end of Langum Park.
When finished, the mansion will house an Underground Railroad and Civil War museum, which will feature the importance of the Civil War in Kane County and nationwide, as well as the local and national history of the Underground Railroad.
Local research shows that St. Charles has possibly more than 20 properties which were either stops along the Underground Railroad, or their first owners were members of the Kane County Anti-Slavery Society.
The Foundation was hoping to break ground on the museum by this year, but "the economy hit hard, and put a damper on our plans," said Malay.
But the delay has come with benefits. In 2009, the Farnsworth Foundation formed a partnership with The African Scientific Research Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Illinois in Chicago.
"We are working with the ASRI. The project is going to be a nationwide thing on the Freedom Trail, what the Underground Railroad is known as," Malay explained.
"The Mansion will definitely be a major focal point and will be a national resource for the project. Farnsworth was so involved in the abolitionist movement that this just seemed like the right thing to do."
Earth Day events in the Fox Valley
By Rachel Baruch Yackley | Daily Herald Correspondent Published: 4/14/2010
When Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson came up with the idea for Earth Day, first held on April 22, 1970, was he worried about global warming? Did he think about recycling?
According to the Web site earthday.environlink.org, Nelson, who died in 2005, began pushing this idea back in 1962, as a way to get politicians to address environmental issues.
"Forty years ago was the height of American consumerism," said Pam Otto, nature programs manager at the St. Charles Park District. "A lot was done at the expense of the environment."
By 1970, due to unregulated industrial practices, rivers were catching on fire, forests were being leveled, pesticide use was rampant and unchecked, and more. The inaugural Earth Day observance certainly focused on combating pollution and destruction of the environment.
During his years as Senator (1963 - 1981), Nelson said he "continued to speak on environmental issues to a variety of audiences in some twenty-five states. All across the country, evidence of environmental degradation was appearing everywhere, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The environmental issue simply was not to be found on the nation's political agenda. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not."
Since Nelson's efforts got the ball rolling, many changes have been enacted: eight months after the first Earth Day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created; the Clean Air Act was expanded in 1970 and again in 1977; the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 and 1980; and Congress established Superfund to clean up hazardous waste.
"There was a lot of push; a lot of focus, back then," Otto said. "Earth Day should be every day, but this annual event helps remind people this is our only planet, and we have to take care of it."
People are still concerned, and since the first official Earth Day celebration, grass-roots efforts have blossomed all across the country, in an effort to educate us and get us involved in helping not only our planet, but ourselves as well.
On the 40th annual Earth Day (coincidentally on April 22, once again) there are many events and activities in your communities. Take an opportunity to learn, share ideas, have fun, and whether it's on a local or a global level, help the planet.
(To see list of events held in April 2010, visit http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=372569.
When Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson came up with the idea for Earth Day, first held on April 22, 1970, was he worried about global warming? Did he think about recycling?
According to the Web site earthday.environlink.org, Nelson, who died in 2005, began pushing this idea back in 1962, as a way to get politicians to address environmental issues.
"Forty years ago was the height of American consumerism," said Pam Otto, nature programs manager at the St. Charles Park District. "A lot was done at the expense of the environment."
By 1970, due to unregulated industrial practices, rivers were catching on fire, forests were being leveled, pesticide use was rampant and unchecked, and more. The inaugural Earth Day observance certainly focused on combating pollution and destruction of the environment.
During his years as Senator (1963 - 1981), Nelson said he "continued to speak on environmental issues to a variety of audiences in some twenty-five states. All across the country, evidence of environmental degradation was appearing everywhere, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The environmental issue simply was not to be found on the nation's political agenda. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not."
Since Nelson's efforts got the ball rolling, many changes have been enacted: eight months after the first Earth Day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created; the Clean Air Act was expanded in 1970 and again in 1977; the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 and 1980; and Congress established Superfund to clean up hazardous waste.
"There was a lot of push; a lot of focus, back then," Otto said. "Earth Day should be every day, but this annual event helps remind people this is our only planet, and we have to take care of it."
People are still concerned, and since the first official Earth Day celebration, grass-roots efforts have blossomed all across the country, in an effort to educate us and get us involved in helping not only our planet, but ourselves as well.
On the 40th annual Earth Day (coincidentally on April 22, once again) there are many events and activities in your communities. Take an opportunity to learn, share ideas, have fun, and whether it's on a local or a global level, help the planet.
(To see list of events held in April 2010, visit http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=372569.
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