City of West Chicago, Illinois

Where History and Progress Meet

At Home with Merle Burleigh – March 15, 2023

By

At Home with Merle

MERLE’S CORNER

  • Brr! was the word of the day as persons participated in the West Chicago Police Department Polar Plunge at Hawthorne’s Backyard Bar & Grill Saturday, March 11, 2023. The monies raised, more than $7,500, benefitted Special Olympics Illinois. In addition to policemen, other participants were aldermen from West Chicago, and individuals from West Chicago Fire Protection District, Leman Middle School, West Chicago Community High School and the DuPage County State’s Attorneys Office. https://merleburl.com)

 

AROUND AND ABOUT

 

  • West Chicago Public Library holds a design a bookmark contest. The library will distribute the bookmark to the community. Four winners receive copies of their bookmarks, a $25 gift card and a special gift with their winning design on it. Age categories are children, birth to 5, 6-11; teen, 12 to 17; and adult 18 and up.Deadline for entries is Sunday, March 26, 2023. The public votes on the entries from Monday, April 3, through Friday, April 14. Patrons can only submit one entry, Artwork can be tradition or digital graphic art. For more information and to obtain an entry form, visit https://wcpld.info.

 

  • In honor of Women’s History Month and all the powerful women in the community, Cantigny Park, 1S152 Winfield Road, hosts an afternoon of activities to empower women of all ages. It takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 19, 2023, at various locations.Activities include Story time, Female First in War Tour, Suffrage Cash Craft Station and Meet the Peaches. To view the full schedule and special guests, visit https://cantigny.org/,event/lets-go-girls
  • American Legion #342 Vice commander Jacquline Meemken-Sutherland and Support Over Stigma co-host a female veteran event, “I Am the Veteran,” at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 19, 2023, at St. Charles Veterans Center, 311 N. 2nd St. The focus of the event is female veterans. Speakers are Georgiann Conway, American Legion State of Illinois Veteran Service Officer; Debby Bigelow, Senior Veterans Service Representative; and Zoeie Kreiner, founder and CEO of Support Over Stigma. In addition of giving guests the opportunity to network and discover new resources, the event includes food and door prizes To make a reservation, visit https://www.supportoverstigma.org/events.
  • “Virtual Chair Yoga” is the West Chicago Public Library program at 3 p.m. Monday, March. 20, 2023. Susan from Dancing Cranes demonstrates the benefits of yoga without getting down on the floor. In an hour of Chair Yoga, persons breathe more deeply; stretch, strengthen and move their body; relieve stress and relax. To register visit info, under event calendar.
  • West Chicago Public Library holds Gettin’ Crafty program, ”Book Page Frames,” Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in the main meeting room, 118 W. Washington St. The virtual program is at 6 p.m. The in-person program is at 7 p.m .Upcycling old book pages with some floral embellishments, participants make a unique 4x6 inch picture frame. To register visit info, under event calendar.
  • West Chicago Garden Club meeting is Thursday, March 23, 2023, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 155 N. Prince Crossing Road. Social time is at 6:45 p.m., short business meeting at 7 p.m. and program at 7:15 p.m. Paul Hack presents “Tree Pests and Diseases of the Urban Forest.” He has more than 25 years of experience in arboriculture, horticulture, facilities and grounds maintenance, training personnel, and working in a leadership role. He currently is a Sales Arborist at SavATree.
  • The City of West Chicago is accepting applications from vendors through Friday, April 14 for its annual Blooming Fest from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 20. 2023, in downtown West Chicago. Craft and food vendor spaces are available. There are no fees for not-for-profit organizations and West Chicago Downtown TIF District vendors. Available vendor spaces are limited, and all fees are non-refundable. Direct sales companies will not be approved. To submit an application, visit htpps://westchicago.org/bloomingfest. https://merleburl.com)

 

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES

 

  • Performing at the WC Social Club, 920 Roosevelt Road, at 8 p.m. Friday, March 17, 2023, is Taj Farrant, Nothin But the Blues Tour. Special guest is Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice.Tickets and reserved seats are available at https://bit.ly/3YeunUP

 

  • West Chicago resident Raul Ortiz recently opened his business, OBG Remodeling. He is a graduate of West Chicago CommunityHigh School. https://merleburl.com)

 

  • Kramer Tree Specialists, 300 Charles Court, hosts Mulch Madness Thursday, March 23, 2023. Mulch tours begin at 3:30 p.m., food and networking at 4 p.m., and presentation on mulch benefits and uses at 4:30 p.m. Reservations are required and may be made at https://bookwhen.com/kramertreespecialists/e/ev-sg43-20230323153000?fbclid=IwAR1gAx0C5J1ml2IEeZM9qdFbstGlpIwrL0_YB869jbwZM3KB-ZszEWLZIPI. (https://merleburl.com)

 

  • Dimitri Karantonis of FNBC Bank & Trust recently graduated from the Future Leaders Alliance program through the Illinois Bankers Association. FLA enhances the professional development of future leaders in the banking industry. The 14-month program includes comprehensive training sessions focusing on education, community service, and networking. (https://merleburl.com)

 

  • COVID-19

 

The DuPage County Health Department developed a dashboard to provide information on the total number of people, in DuPage County, who have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, the dashboard includes a map which shows the distribution of reported cases by municipality and is updated at 4:00 p.m. daily. DuPage County's "COVID-19 Dashboard" is a one-stop-shop for all the information it offers including a town-by-town breakdown of cases. As of Monday, March 13, 2023, there were11,778 cases and 67 deaths; this is the number from the beginning of track recording.

 

REMEMBRANCES

 

  • Sincere sympathy is extended to the family of Rickey Eskridge, who at the age of 59 passed away Thursday, March 9, 2023.

 

  • Deepest sympathy is expressed to the family of James Christian “Chris” Wicklund, who at the age of 50 passed away Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.

 

SCHOOLS

 

  • WeGo Say Yes to the Dress Boutique is open from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. March 18, 2023 in Student Services at West Chicago Community High School.There are more than 300 new and gently used prom dresses, shoes and accessories. Also available are a DJ and refreshments. The high school and USAgain worked together on this event. Prom is Friday, April 21, at the Museum of Science and Industry. (https://merleburl.com)
  • West Chicago Community High School collaborated with Larkin High School to host the Upstate 8 Conference Art Show in which all 10 high schools submitted art pieces on display at a the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin. The results of WCCHS student submissions are First Place, Belle Wiehle, Painting; Third Place, Enaya Kazmi, Digital Photography; Honorable Mentions, Brooke Schliephake, Digital photography; Leslie Munoz, Ceramics;Vanessa Munoz, Digital Illustration; and Lila Espino, Sculpture. (https://merlecom)
  • Name to the DuPage County All-Area Girls Basketball Team of the “Daily Herald” was Jasmyn Trigueros, sophomore at West Chicago Community High School. Named as an Honorable mention was Abby Schroeder, a sophomore at Wheaton Academy. (https://merleburl.com)
  • Eleven Wheaton Academy students recently competed against 2,500 business students at the DECA State competition. Mateo Noguera Montoya won first in Entrepreneurship and Sam DeCastro won fifth in Retail Merchandising. They will compete at the National in April at Orlando, Florida. Andrew Hancock finished eighth in the Principals of Finance event. https://merleburl.com)
  • State Senator Karina Villa presented certificates to the Leman Middle School Girls Soccer team. The team won the Illinois Prairie Athletic Conference Championship for the 2022 season. ()
  • West Chicago Community High School team won first place in the 27th annual Illinois LifeSmarts competition. Members of the team are Dana Tomasevic (captain), Christina Guo, Angie Jacobo, and Arely Jacobo. This team also participated last year in the LifeSmarts state competition and successfully defended their state title.They will represent Illinois at the National LifeSmarts competition from Thursday, April 27, through Sunday, April 30, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. LifeSmarts begins as an online competition and concludes in a “game show format” face-to-face competition.  Don Zabelin is the coach.

LifeSmarts, a program of the National Consumers League, tests high school student’s knowledge of financial management, technology, the environment, health & safety, and consumer rights. (https://merleburl.com)

 

  • A good-sized crowd attended the first Unified basketball game Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at Leman Middle School. Presenting the Colors for the National Anthem were members of the West Chicago Police Department and West Chicago Fire Protection District Attendees received WCPD goodies. It was a well played game with the Leman Chargers winning with a score of 46-44. (https://merleburl.com)

 

  • WeGo Drama at West Chicago Community High School presented a special preview of its three Illinois High School Association Drama Competition Shows. One was a true-crime play, “The Incident Room” by Olivia Hirst and David Byrne. Additionally, there was an original student film and an incredibly inventive group interpretation.

The company of actors and crew for the show included Alex Durkin, Arson Gutierrez, Sarah Larimer, William Wenberg, Mariana Acosta, Stephanie Alfaro, Noemi Amaro, Michael Angeles, Kenya Bahena, Jacob Benitez, Alex Bradley, Lucas Brown, Guadalupe Carreto, Wil Cooper, Pamela Cruz, Danais Gomez-Garcia, and Daniel Guevara,

Others were Sentia Irakoze, Kayliana Koeune, Matthew Krysinski, Chris Nunez, Edg Oropeza, Romina Pietanza, Baron Plumlee, Jocelyn Ramirez, Alex Rocha, Vincent Ross, Ryley Salazar, Dayan Zenteno;, Carolyn Fleming, Elizabeth Hurley, Avery Moffatt, and Mariah Varnado.

Mark Begovich directed the WeGo Drama stage productions with Nicole Stadler. Technical Direction was by Christopher Jensen.  Hair and make-up was by Jaime Elza. The student film was directed by Ryley Salazar with Alexander Bradley. .https://merleburl.com)

 

  • Wheaton Academy Varsity Quiz Bowl team won second place and Junior Varsity team won first place at the Metro Suburban Conference Tournament. Daniel Titcomb placed 1st for most toss-ups answered; David Zhang placed tenth for toss-ups answered at the varsity level; and Everett Miglio placed second for most toss-ups at the JV level.https://merleburl.com)

 

COMMUNITY MEMBERS HIGHLIGHTS

 

  • West Chicago residents Mike Fortner and Becky Hall, members of Acappellago, perform in the “Springtime, the Only Pretty Ringtime” concert. There are 2 performances; one is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 350 E. Madison St. in Lombard, and the other is at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Congregational Church of Batavia, 21 S. Batavia Ave. The ticket price is $17, $14 for senior citizens/students. To order tickets call 708 831 1822 or online at https://acappellago.org/concert-tickets/. Shakespearean madrigals will mingle with the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” and “Good Day Sunshine, ”as well as compositions by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ralph Vaughan Williams, the inimitable PDQ Bach and Sting. Acappellago, founded in 2002, is an a cappella chamber choir performing in the western suburbs of Chicago. https://merleburl.com)

 

  • Bill Recchia, Basketball Head Coach of West Chicago Community High School, is retiring, He served as coach for 11 years, making him the longest tenured coach in the history of the school. As coach, he had 100 wins, which is the second most in the school’s history. The team was Conference Basketball champions in 2016, the only one in the history of the school. He is a graduate of WCCHS. (https://merleburl.com)

 

  • Alignable named West Chicago resident Tyler Dameron as the Local West Chicago Business Person of the Year. Alignabale is a referral network built exclusively for small business owners by small business owners. (https://merleburl.com)

 

  • As part of the Romeoville Art Society exhibit at the White Oak Library District, the art work of Gallery 200 member Marita Valdizan is on display. The exhibit is in honor of Women’s History Month. (https://merleburl.com)

 

  • As part of the West Suburban Music Teachers Association, West Chicago residents Debi Inch and Janna Williamson were AIM Performance Exam co-chairs. The event took place Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. The Achievement in Music Program, is an exciting and motivating program for students, designed to develop strong performances and technical skills as well as a thorough understanding of musical theory. There are twelve levels in the program, with Level 1 divided into three parts, Levels 1A, 1B, and 1C. Each level has theory, performance, and technical requirements that follow a logical progression from early elementary through advanced. Both Inch and Williamson are piano teachers. (https://merleburl.com)

 

  • West Chicago residentJayme Sheahan recently celebrated her 35th year with FedEx.

 

  • John Watanabe, former West Chicago resident and 1982 graduate of West Chicago Community High School, recently was an interview guest on "Pro Wrestling Potluck.” It is based in the Northeast and hosted by Scotland Green. Watanabe talked about his start in the Midwest, moving to the West Coast and his occupation now. Watanabe continues to live in Southern California, currently employed in his twelfth year as a full-time on-air personality and in production at KWVE 107.9. (https://merleburl.com)

 

WEST CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT

 

  • The West Chicago Park District is accepting applications from residents within the Park District boundaries for the position of Park Commissioner. This is a volunteer position, filling two unexpired terms from May 9, 2023, to May 13, 2025. The Board of Park Commissioners acts as the legislative and policy-making body of the district in the operation, control, improvement, and planning of its parks, recreation programs, facilities, personnel, and fiscal operations management. The Board meets at 6 p.m. on the first and second Tuesday of each month. Applicants must provide a one-page letter describing why they wish to serve on the Board along with the completed prospective Park Commissioner Questionnaire. Applications will not be accepted after March 31, 2023. For further information, visit we-goparks.org/board-of-commissioners. Application packets can be mailed to West Chicago Park District, Attn: Board Secretary, 201 W. National St.,West Chicago, IL 60185 or email mmedeiros@we-goparks.org.

 

CLUB/ORGANIZATION NEWS

 

  • WeGo together for Kids distributed more than $80,000 in financial assistance to the families it serves. All of WeGo Together for Kids’ Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds are spent for this phase.

 

  • West Chicago Rotary Club sent three students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Camp. RYLA is a not-for-profit training program for leaders and potential leaders, freshmen through seniors.The camp program is for three days. The program emphasizes leadership skills, personal development and citizenship.

 

ODDS AND ENDS

 

  • Effective immediately the speed limit on Purnell Road between Winfield Road and Gary’s Mill Road is reduced to 35 mph. New posted speed limit signs are in progress. The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is enforcing the new limit.

 

  • Officers of the West Chicago Mosquito Abatement District are President, Rosalinda Campos; Treasurer,Becky Stout; Ethics, Don Voelz; and Secretary, Merle Burleigh.

 

  • DuPage County Forest Preserve crews conducted a prescribed fire at Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve Thursday, March 9, 2023. Spring brings the return of burn season, since dead vegetation is still present, but greenery has not started to to grow. https://merleburl.com)

 

  • DuPage County launched a new web site, https://www.dupagecounty.gov/. I did find it easier to use, even the Election Division.

 

  • Early voting at temporary locations for the Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Consolidated Election begins Monday, March 20, and ends Monday, April 3. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, no Sundays. In addition to the permanent location at DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road in Wheaton, other permanent locations are now open. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. week days and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. For information on locations, look under Voter Information.

 

My email address is merleburl@earthlink.net