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Katharine Andrew was in Hinsdale just once before accepting the position of manager at the Hinsdale Historical Society. During the "one horrible semester" that she spent on the Niles North High School cross country team, Andrew traveled to Katherine Legge Memorial Park and still recalls the beautiful, historic homes she saw along the way. After her interview last year at Hinsdale's Immanuel Hall, she found herself excited once again by the town's history. "I couldn't say no...
By Sandy Illian Bosch [email protected] Before August 2021, Barb Thayer assumed that a diagnosis of breast cancer was like a diagnosis of any other disease - you either had it or you didn't. She soon learned how far from the truth that assumption was, and how truly unique each woman's diagnosis, treatment and reaction to the disease can be. "Everybody's journey and diagnosis is so different," said Thayer, whose own cancer journey began with an August 2021 diagnosis that...
When Jarrar Salam transferred to Hinsdale Central High School from a boarding school in Connecticut, he had never attended a public school before. Compared to his school of 200-some students, his Central seemed huge and overwhelming, Salam said. It was the Ambassadors Club that helped him navigate his new surroundings and to become comfortable as a member of the Red Devil community. Club sponsor Donna Wheeler said about 50 to 60 ambassadors help 60 to 80 new students...
Longtime residents might remember a time when the skies over downtown Hinsdale were filled with melody and when the clock that sits atop the Memorial Building rang out to signal the top of each hour. "I remember it as young person, hearing the bell ring and listening to the music," said Cynthia Curry, one of a trio of Hinsdale residents who months ago took it upon themselves to see if the bell, clock and carillon could be restored. Their work paid off Sept. 5 when the...
His years spent growing up in Hinsdale gave Anik Zampini an up-close knowledge of life in the village. His years spent in places around the world showed him that his hometown is a great place to be, to live and to raise a family. Born in Hong Kong and after living in Italy, Nigeria, Thailand, Colombia and Venezuela, Zampini calls Hinsdale home. As a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Realty, his job is to make it home for others, too. "It's a dream come true," Zampini...
Jay Alfirevic was still a child himself when he began helping his parents in their support of an orphanage in Mexico. At nearly 66 years old, he's still helping children as a member of the Hinsdale Masonic Lodge and the Medinah Shriners. "You have to be a Mason in order to be a Shriner," said Alfirevic, who joined the Hinsdale lodge in 2005 and served as master of the lodge in 2010. He currently leads the Medinah Shriners, headquartered in Addison, as potentate. Looking back,...
There are nearly as many reasons to work out as there are ways to work out. As owner of Spark Fitness in Hinsdale, Ted Dres makes it his job to match up the two for everyone who walks through his doors. After a decade or more offering personal training at clients' homes, Dres purchased Spark Fitness 10 years ago and celebrated the business' 10th anniversary in August. His experience in helping people get fit and stay that way measures more than 20 years. Even before earning hi...
The patio outside The Community House was a cloud of pink Saturday night, as friends and family gathered to celebrate Hinsdale teenager Savannah Wood and her victory over osteosarcoma. Clad in all shades of Savannah's signature color, the crowd feasted on 13-year-old Savannah's favorite food and danced to her favorite music, all under a canopy of pink lights. Party planner Susan Cordogan, a Hinsdale resident and owner of Big City Events, decided the day before the event that...
The Swanson Group of Compass Real Estate was a team long before they sold their first house. "We started dating in high school," said Sarah, who along with husband Michael make up the Swanson Group real estate team. She was Sarah Buddig before marrying fellow Hinsdale Central grad and lifelong Hinsdalean Michael after college. The son of two real estate agents, Michael got his real estate license right after college, while Sarah headed to law school. As Michael's downtown...
By Sandy Illian Bosch [email protected] Boy Scout Troop 10 Hinsdale recently added seven members to its Eagle ranks, leaving a trail of improvement and service throughout Hinsdale and the surrounding community. Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable by a Boy Scout. It's an honor that culminates in a final project that has a lasting benefit for an organization other than Scouting. Projects often require many hours of preparation, the help of friends and...
When Sujit Menon and his wife decided to move their family out of Chicago in 2014, it was Hinsdale's schools that helped the couple to finally choose the village as their new home. Since then, Menon has committed his time and talent to making those schools even better for his own children and everyone in the community. Menon joined the Hinsdale Middle School Parent Teacher Organization board in 2018. "There was an opening for a webmaster," said Menon, who was working...
How can parents help kids get ready for school? The items on a child's classroom supply list often aren't the only things they're carrying back to school. Worries and uncertainties, said psychotherapist Sarah Stukas, can add to a student's back-to-school load, whether they're a kindergartner or a student headed to college. Stukas said a little preparation and a few simple tools and tricks can ease the mental load that can come with a new school year. Stukas is a licensed...
As a business owner in Hinsdale, Lynette Lovelace was always looking for new ways to provide for the people of Hinsdale - and new ways to attract those people to the village's downtown. Lovelace was at a meeting of the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce when she suggested the idea of a downtown concert series to draw people to the business district. The events would be held on Thursday nights to coincide with the later hours of several downtown merchants. "Everybody looked at me...
Anyone who has experienced cancer, as a patient or a loved one, knows that the disease affects far more than the physical body. During Wellness House's Mind Body Fest from Aug. 19-24, people with cancer, their families, caregivers and friends can explore ways to manage the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual effects of cancer. "This event really highlights our mind-body programs and our exercise programs," said Brittany Brady, community engagement and program events...
Like most kids growing up in Hinsdale, Ella Horstman spent part of each summer at the village's parks, the community pool, and of course, attending the Fourth of July parade. It wasn't until this summer that she took a peak behind the curtain to see the work and planning involved with making those activities available. "Seeing how everything works is really interesting," said Horstman, who is about to complete her summer internship with the Hinsdale Parks and Recreation...
With the creation of audio recordings and ebooks, the experience of reading no longer is defined solely by the turning of paper pages in a bound volume. Likewise, the local library is home to collections that offer far more than traditional books. Yet Karen Keefe, executive director of the Hinsdale Public Library, said old-fashioned paper books are still the most sought-after objects among library patrons. "About 20 percent of our circulation is now digital," said Keefe, who...
What does a harness horsemen's association do? For 40 years Hinsdale has been home to a nonprofit organization that supports an activity enjoyed around the world - harness racing. Headquartered in an office at 15 Spinning Wheel Road, the Illinois Harness Horsemen's Association works to preserve, promote and maintain harness racing in Illinois. Led by Executive Director Tony Somone, the organization represents 2,500 to 3,000 members of the industry, including owners, breeders,...
Some summer camps require things like bug spray, hiking shoes and sleeping bags. Equipment for the camp attended by 13 kids in Hinsdale July 10-14 included drumsticks, microphones and earplugs. Pop Legends camp is one of several weeklong day camps held at Hinsdale's School of Rock. While Pop Punk camp features favorite songs by bands like Paramore, Green Day and Blink 182 and the '90s camp showcases the best bands of the late 1900s, Pop Legends is the place for fans of stars...
Before Jestine Lenckus became a Realtor, she was a homeowner. While navigating the sale and purchase of several homes, Lenckus said she was left wanting to know more about the numbers behind her real estate decisions. Now a real estate agent herself, Lenckus said she provides clients with the data and statistics she wanted as a buyer, along with a keen knowledge of the market and an eye for any property's potential. "That's something I like to do for my clients," said...
The picturesque neighborhood known as Robbins Park has been part of Hinsdale since the beginning and remains home to some of the village's most historically significant homes, three of which have been owned by preservation enthusiast Mimi Collins. "I've restored them all," Collins said of the trio of houses, all of which were among the 139 homes considered "significant" in the village's efforts to have the neighborhood declared a National Register Historic District in 2007....
Tyler Hamman has learned a lot as owner and founder of Ty's Treats, including the fact that his young customers prefer their SpongeBob ice cream treats with gumball eyes rather than chocolate ones. "When they replaced the gumballs with chocolate, kids started buying them less," said Hamman, who opened Ty's Treats at the Hinsdale Community Pool this summer. Hamman got his first job working behind the front desk of the pool when he was 15. The next year, he worked for Sauced...
Why did you start LoMo Juice Co.? As high school students at Hinsdale Central, Lauren (Kneupfer) Rozum and Melissa (Gamauf) Abraham had big dreams, one of which was to one day be partners in a business of their own. "We didn't know what we were going to do," Abraham said, but the answer became evident soon after she moved back to her hometown from Chicago. Abraham asked Rozum, who was already living in Hinsdale, to recommend a local juice spot. Abraham said she was surprised...
The Fourth of July parade has been a summer tradition for generations of kids growing up in Hinsdale, including Tim Balster. From the time he was in elementary school, Balster said he always found a way to not only watch the parade, but to participate. He pulled a model of the Liberty Bell behind his decorated bike and at age 11 traversed the entire parade route via pogo stick. After a few years of juggling while riding a unicycle, Balster landed on his most notable mode of...
The stately brick structure known as the Memorial Building sits atop a hill in the heart of Hinsdale. Built nearly a century ago as a standing, living tribute to those who fought in the first World War, it serves as a hub for the workings of the entire village. After a call to action from the editor of The Doings newspaper in 1927, the community quickly came together to form the Hinsdale Memorial Building Committee. The committee of Hinsdaleans designed the plan for the...
Both of Samiksha Gupta's parents work in computer science. But it wasn't until she took a class in the subject that Gupta discovered her own fascination with the field and its application to what she considers two of her greatest passions - exercise and giving to her community. "You could create an entirely different world using this language," Gupta said of the computer coding she learned and used to create an app that allows users to link a commitment to fitness to...
