Civil War Battle at the Glen in Glenview

We enjoyed going to the Glen in Glenview for yesterday's Civil War battle reenactment. The mock battle itself was quite smoky, as you can tell from the picture above. Next year begins America's Civil War 150th anniversary (sesquicentennial), so the Civil War will likely become a topic for everyday conversation in the coming months. Visiting actual Civil War battlefields also is sure to become a popular vacation destination over the next few years. Several states already have websites.

Americas Civil War battlefields are disappearing at an alarming rate, and the Civil War Preservation Trust works to save them for coming generations. Their website gives further information including a great online Civil War History Center

Lazy Sunday in Wilmette

It's a lazy Summer Sunday in Wilmette. Everyone at our house is tired from working at the Kenilworth Union Church Rummage Sale, yesterday. After so much excitement, today we are looking for something fun to do. But first, we did find this gem while doing the online equivalent of reading the Sunday paper:

"[I]nstead of being vilified, as we were under Bush, the United States is now suddenly bordering on being irrelevant.

Relations with China and Russia have been deteriorating.

China wags its finger at us over our spendthrift ways, and who can blame them for worrying about whether we can ever afford to pay them back?

North Korea sinks a South Korean boat, and the U.S. provides no leadership. Instead, the Obama administration issues what amounts to a tersely worded press release.

Relations with the government we prop up in Afghanistan are, at best, strained.

No U.S. president since Carter has been as crossways with Israel, our one solid Middle East ally.

And on the homefront, unemployment still hovers around 10 percent. Factor in those who have lost hope and have stopped looking, and the jobless rate is in the high teens."
You can read the entire editorial at the Denver Post.

But no need to sit around the house pouting. We are off to The Grove in Glenview, to view the Civil War re-enactors. There is plenty to see and do there (here's today's schedule), and the day is lovely. We are going to take our mosquito repellant with us!

Ravinia Chic - a Marugoto Tamachan, the Japanese Watermelon Cooler

Do you have a Marugoto Tamachan watermelon cooler yet? Imagine the jealous stares when you wheel one down the sidewalk at Ravinia! Available for only $230., the Tamachan can keep your hot foot hot and your cold food cold, and weighs a mere 14 pounds. High tech and stylish, the large wheels will likely keep it from being confused with a beauty salon hair dryer. Watermelons are expensive in Japan--home of the Marugoto Tamachan--and often given as gifts, so the price is really quite reasonable.

Don't Argue with an Ibex

Don't Argue With an Ibex? Well, that's this video's name. I suppose the ibex is the animal, but with the weather so hot, I am too lazy to even look "ibex" up on Wikipedia. I imagine that nearly the whole world will have seen this very amusing video by, say, Monday night. I don't know whether this video was filmed in real time or used some artistic license, but if you have ever had a stubborn and strong-minded pet you are sure to laugh.

Police Investigating Attempted Child Abduction in Wilmette

Wilmette police are investigating an apparent attempted abduction of an eleven year old girl that occurred at 2:10 pm on Saturday, July 10, 2010, in an alley near the intersection of Sheridan and Lake in Wilmette. The girl reported that she was walking in the alley, when a black Audi sedan stopped next to her. The driver yelled at the girl to get into the car, then got out of the car and pushed her towards the vehicle. The girl screamed and ran away.

Police are seeking a Caucasian male between 45-50 years of age, 6'0-6'2 in height, 160 lbs, with straight medium length brown hair. At the time of the incident, the offender was wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans.

The Wilmette Police say that identifying the offender is a priority. While noting that incidents of this type are extremely rare, the Police recommend that parents discuss safety with their children. Specifically, children should be cautioned that if they are approached by someone they do not know, they should go to a neighbor or trusted adult and ask them to call their parents or the police.

The Wilmette Police Department indicates that it will be increasing patrols in the Sheridan and Lake area, and is asking citizens who might have information on this case, to contact the case officer, Detective Roger Ockrim at 847-853-7558.

Glenview Independence Day Parade - July 5, 2010

This morning we decided to head off to the Glenview Independence Day parade. It was terribly hot outside, but cooler than yesterday's parade in Northbrook. Illinois 10th Congressional candidate Bob Dold and most of his family, along with many supporters, was a highlight. Dold is an extremely hard worker who spends long hours on the campaign trail and enjoys meeting voters. We did not see Dold's opponent, Dan Seals, at the parade, although he had a group marching.

The Jesse White Tumbling Team came to the parade, but it was mostly a different group than came to Wilmette on Saturday. It's a long drive to the parade for the tumblers, but I imagine they love their enthusiastic fans in the area. The tumblers are extremely popular, and have been seen in the Glenview parade for many years.

The Bolivians came to celebrate the 4th of July with us, but I don't think they drove their truck from Bolivia.

The Polish Roman Catholic Union dancers somehow managed to look cool. That was a feat given the temperature.

State Senate candidate Hamilton Chang was marching with his family and I managed to get a really bad photo of him with two of his sons while he was straightening up after shaking someone's hand. His finance background and U of C MBA will be a real plus for Illinois.

I'm sorry there isn't enough space or time to cover all the great participants in this year's parade. This was an outstanding parade, and with a length of over 1 1/2 hours, amazing for a small town such as Glenview. Thanks to everyone who braved the extremely hot weather; you made a great celebration!

Bob Dold in Northbrook 4th of July Parade

Well I thought I had a better picture of Bob Dold at the Northbrook 4th of July parade, but turns out I am not much of a portrait photographer. Dold's opponent, Dan Seals, did turn up at the Highland Park parade earlier in the day. Seals had encouraged his supporters to come out and meet him in Northbrook, but he never showed up.

Northbrook Parade: While Bob Dold Shakes Voters' Hands, Dan Seals Went Missing

Although 10th District Congressional candidate Dan Seals announced on his website that supporters could join him in the Northbrook 4th of July parade by meeting him on the corner of Western and Cherry at 2:30 pm, he was nowhere to be seen either on the corner at the announced time or in the parade. While we wrote Seals off a long time ago, I felt a little sorry for those who turned out on the corner to meet him. Well, not too sorry, because it is obvious that it's time for Seals to fold his tent in this campaign and slip away quietly in the night. Possibly, with him also being reported AWOL in the Lake Bluff parade, he's already done that and moved back to his old neighborhood.

Since this is about year six of Dan Seals' candidacy for a seat in the next Congressional district to the North of where he lives, I imagine he has a good inventory of pictures of himself at parades, so I suppose his absence doesn't matter much. Having been nearly run over by a large pickup truck toting a large Seals sign in the back, I would be remiss not to say that Seals did have a small but enthusiastic group of what appeared to be mostly high schoolers marching for him.

Bob Dold, who is running against Seals, was busy working the crowd during the parade. I borrowed a camera to take some pictures and will post them as soon as I can get hold of the camera.

Jesse White Tumblers Visit Wilmette on July 3, 2010

The Jesse White Tumblers have been coming to Wilmette's Independence Day Fireworks for several years now. It's unclear who loves it more--the fans or the tumblers. I have never seen the Jesse White Tumbling Team receive a more enthusiatic reception than they do in Wilmette, and I have never seen them perform better than they do at Wilmette's lakefront. The entire crowd--but especially the children--treat the Tumblers as the big stars they are, and the Tumblers love to run by, high-fiving the little kids. With this perfect crowd-performer synergy, no wonder the Tumblers choose to return again and again to Wilmette!

This year Jesse White, the former Chicago Public School gym teacher, state legislator, and now Illinois' Secretary of State, came along with the team (there are several sub-teams, I think; that's Jesse White driving the van), and I can't think of a better Independence Day gift to Wilmette's children than for them to see a humble and honest politican who works hard to improve his community. The Jesse White Tumbling Team come from challenged backgrounds as different as could be from our local community, but with discipline, hard work, and the high ideals instilled by Secretary White, the tumblers are on the road to very bright futures. Let's hope that the Jesse White Tumblers continue to return to Wilmette for many years to come!

4th of July Fireworks - Wilmette and around town

Looking for 2011 info? Click here.

Getting ready for the 4th of July? We are at our house! But please don't think Wilmette is the only place to see firworks this year. The Chicago Sun-Times has a great interactive map of all the 4th of July fireworks displays in the Chicago area over the next four days. For those people who simply can't get enough of fireworks, a little planning will insure that you can start tonight and end Monday in your quest for free ariel entertainment.

For people attending the 3rd of July fireworks at Gillson Park in Wilmette, the only sensible choices are to take the Pace bus or walk. Special fireworks busses start running at 4pm. A great place to park is the Wilmette Metra station. The parking is free, but the bus now costs $3.50 for a round trip ticket.