The Winthrop Harbor Firefighter’s Association, in conjunction with “Team Lily” is holding a special fund raising event “REMEMBERING LILY”, on Saturday May 12th.

Lillian (Lily) Pierro, the infant daughter of Winthrop Harbor Fire Lieutenant Tom Pierro and his wife, Brenda, was born very prematurely in early December of 2011, and passed away on March 13th, 2012, after spending her entire short life at the Neonatal Intensive Care unit of Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL. Extraordinary medical bills and related costs have mounted. The Winthrop Harbor Firefighter’s Association and the Pierro families support group, “Team Lily”, are holding this event to help Lily’s family and the NICU at Lutheran General Hospital.

The event is to be held on Saturday, May 12th from 4pm until midnight, at Stone Creek Grill, Sheridan Road just south of the State Line in Winthrop Harbor, IL. All day admission of $20 for adults and $10 children, includes food, drinks, entertainment by bands, a DJ, a bagpipers, plus raffles, a silent auction, and door prizes.

Open House: My Sister’s Cottage: 1225 Sheridan Road at Harbor Plaza (near the corner of the ‘L’) is having an open house Thursday and Friday April 19 & 20 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Their merchandise features a wide array of home décor and gift items unrivaled by the best gift stores, but at a reasonable price.

Two sisters, Cindy Dawson and Karen Bennett originally opened My Sisters Cottage unique gifts and home décor store in Zion (next to Lucy’s Appliances) in July 2008. In November of 2010, the store relocated to Winthrop Harbor in the Harbor Plaza in the corner of the L-shaped complex: 1225 Sheridan Road. Karen’s work demands caused her to leave the store and a new partner, Berni Urban came in. These two have worked together for over twenty years at Abbott Labs and became as close as sisters, so felt the store name remained appropriate.

An array of various items in popular decor themes is available, including urban cottage which is heavily influenced with French Country, everyday and shabby chic.

The Cottage carries both Caren and Camille Beckman hand and facial products. Both products are formulated to soothe, heal and condition your skin from head to toe.

Wood Box Signs adorning the wall are also very popular with their sentimental, humorous and sassy sayings.

The Cottage has added a new card line from Legacy. These cards have an added element, matching envelopes.

Wonderful jewelry including necklace sets, earrings, bracelets and rings fill one corner of the store.

The two proprietors had an outdoor porch built indoors to display garden items currently, but they decorate it appropriately for each season.

The food items featured are perfect for scrumptious party or gift items, including that for a hot cheese dip or basting, another for a cheese ball.

The Cottage carries soy based candles from Bridgewater and Greenleaf along with primitive blends from Black Crow Candles. They currently have a Fragrance of the Months section that includes jar & votive candles, along with reed diffusers, tarts and scented sachets.

New to the Cottage is the New Baby area. There is a wide variety of baby items, including keepsake silver rattles, birth certificate holders, baptism & christening frames, newborn gifts, early learning toys and books.

“We try to keep everything as local as possible, feeling it’s very important to support local businesses. We have our own line of clothing called ‘Harbor Girl’ done by Whistling Pete’s in Winthrop Harbor. They are short and long sleeved T shirts in warm-weather fabric. Sweatshirts will be added this year with matching flip flops.

“We have been told by many customers that this is the closest thing to Long Grove they have seen. Our product mix is what we attribute that to because we try to keep the price within people’s budgets, given the economy,” said Cindy Dawson. “Larger stores that carry what we carry are almost double what we charge.

“We tell people, ‘Just come in, walk around and enjoy yourselves. You don’t have to buy anything.’ We try to give people a shopping experience that’s also a social experience. Many people come in, see something they like, go home and try to figure out where they can put it, then come back to buy.”

They get new shipments all the time and redecorate for each season, going to the appropriate buying shows four times a year to see where the product lines are evolving to keep up with the trends and constantly get new products as the market introduces them.

“We are very interested in what customers think and accommodating what they want, so we ask their opinion and buy accordingly. If people see something on display, even furniture, we’ll sell it to them.”

“We also do silk floral arrangements in either the customer’s container or one of ours.”

Customers are notified by postcard for the two annual open houses: spring and holiday, but those with email addresses also receive more frequent postings of things that are too exciting not to know about.

It’s good to check My Sisters Cottage frequently too, as their merchandise covers every taste and you won’t want to miss anything that you can’t live without!

Phone (224) 789-7383
Open Monday-Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-2 Closed on Sunday.
They can also be seen on Facebook under: mysisters cottage.

Westfield School – 2309 9th St, Winthrop harbor, IL 60096

Date and Start Time:
Saturday, April 21, 2012, 8:45 a.m.

https://register.itsracetime.com/Register/?event=9830 *separate service fee to register online*

Entry Fee:
13 and older ~ $20 12 and under ~$12
Day of race: $25/$15

Race T-Shirt:
Guaranteed to all who register prior to April 1, 2012

Location:
Start and finish will be at Westfield School, 2309 9th Street, Winthrop Harbor, IL 60096. There is plenty of free parking and restrooms at the run site.

Check-In Time:
Saturday, April 21, 2012, 8 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.
Kids race starts immediately before the start of the 5K at 8:45 a.m.

Refreshments and First Aid Station:
Will be provided!
Course/Timing:
The 5K will be on paved city streets and on a paved trek through the park. Electronic timing equipment will be used in the 5K. The kids’ ½ mile will not be timed.

Age/Award Divisions:
Male and Female/ 6-9, 10-14, 15-19,
20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65 and over

Awards:
Medals are awarded to the male and female finishers in each age group (1st, 2nd, 3rd place); no duplications. All kids in the ½ mile race will receive a ribbon.

Additional Information:
Proceeds from this event directly support:
EC-4 students and technology in the school phodge@whsd1.org

Interested in volunteering or sponsorship?
Please contact 847-872-5438

Photo Courtesy Michelle Lavigne - Sun-Times Media

During the competition, each of the finalists must answer in a video a weekly question, which are then voted upon.

If Kubic wins the $10,000 grant, he said he is unsure on how he will spend it. However he has been working not only with school administrators, but his students to find out what would be best for the overall student body.

During his 8 years of teaching at Grayslake High School, he introduced Advanced Placement psychology classes to the school along with Public Service Practicum, where he and his students plan out and participate in public service projects. Also to raise awareness of the homeless in the area, every year he holds cardboard box camp out.

If you would like to help Chris win the competition, visit this page: http://www.good.is/vote_contests/gato2#39

Schedule UMC Anniversary activities 2012: Sunday March 4, 3 pm: Reenactment of founding. Also video clips, pictures and display of artifacts. Call church at 847 872-5757 for reservations and info.

April 29 & 29: Homecoming weekend to welcome church members and pastors involved over years in the church.
August 19: Community Wide Picnic at Faith Field; picnic area behind church. Picnic fare and entertainment provided.

Click to Enlarge

The eldest of seven children, Sadie Watts, born in 1918 in Muscle Schoals, Alabama, moved with her parents to Waukegan when she was still in high school, which she continued in Waukegan and has lived in Zion since 1950. Her father ultimately worked at the Waukegan train station for many years.

She has proven a stellar citizen throughout her years. Hanging on her wall are myriad plaques of commendation, including a Lifetime Community Service award, the most Influential African-Americans of Lake County of the year, The Lake County Civil Rights Award for her contribution to the Civil Rights movement in Lake County, IL. From the Forest Preserve, she was given a Profile in Excellence award, to name only a few.

In 1941, she married her husband, Dement Watts in Waukegan, whom she had attended high school with in Muscle Schoals. Older than she, he joined the navy as soon as he finished high school, which he made his career. All during WW II while she worked at the Great Lakes Navy base. All the U.S. service branches then were segregated. The couple had one daughter who now teaches on a university level.

Sadie’s penchant for making quilts began early on in her life, which she continued until recently, because she says “I’ve made enough quilts,” estimating them to number several dozen. While she loved making quilts of all sorts, one of her particular interest was making slave quilts.

Since slaves could not read or write and it was illegal to teach a slave to do so, encoded quilts were created to hang on the path of escaping slaves to guide a safe route that no one could interpret but whose who needed to know, including whites and freed former slaves who were helping other slaves to escape.

Most stories about their heritage were memorized and passed down through their generations as the only way they could be preserved. Most quilt patterns had their roots in Africa and were passed down the same way.

They bore secret messages and instructions about routes and other different meanings and warnings. A star pattern could mean to travel by night while a flying geese pattern meant to follow the direction the geese migrate when flying north in the spring. A sailboat meant there was water nearby or that boats would be available. A bear paw meant to follow the bear tracks and go over the mountain. North Star and flying geese. The ‘drunkard’s path’ pattern meant not to travel in a straight line. The designs were abstract enough that they aroused no suspicion; especially a land owner or overseer who might see them hanging on the line, a branch or window sill to ‘air out,’ while really, they warned or implied the safest way to the Underground Railway. Most travel was done at night when they were least likely to be seen, while hiding during the day anywhere they could find to hide: bushes, or with both sympathizing whites and blacks harbored them during the day.

Stitching and knotting also played a part in the secret messages of routes and distances between safe houses. Other communications were in spirituals such as “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” which means follow the Big Dipper. Unsuspicious code words were also used on common dialogue that had hidden meaning only to those who knew their deeper messages.

She vaguely recalls from her youth hearing various black people around her talking about escaping to the north. They went with no particular destination in mind, only north.

Sadie’s uncle was such a person, traveling with a group, moving steadily northward, always by foot or hopping a freight when possible, hiding among the cargo. They had to learn to gage when to jump safely when they heard and felt the train slowing down to stop, as it had to be done before the train reached a town. They had to know also where to hide until the next train came, which could sometimes be two or three days.

They didn’t know where the trains were specifically going, but as long as they got them across the Mason Dixon Line; the main objective, it was fine.

She regrets not having the slave quilt available for a picture, but instead, displays her family tree quilt bearing photos of various family members through the generations of her heritage.

The Zion-Benton Boys and Girls Club of Lake County/Zion-Benton Unit ‘Have a Heart’ dinner of Feb. 10, 2012 drew the largest crowd of their five-years. The event, taking place at the Illinois Beach Hotel, was privileged to have Billy McKinney as the keynote speaker, though McKinney said the honor was his.

McKinney graduated in the Zion-Benton class of 1973 as a high school athlete extraordinaire excelling in three sports: that of basketball, baseball and football. His name is still legendary in Zion. His basketball scoring record remains unchallenged and his basketball jersey was retired, where it still hangs proudly in the Zion-Benton high school gym as an inspiration.

After attending Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, he played for the Denver Nuggets, at which time he was voted the most popular Nugget. In the mid-to-late 80s, he was voted most popular Nugget before becoming Assistant General Manager to the Chicago Bulls. Following that, he was invited to Minneapolis to serve as the General Manager of that new ball club.

Despite his illustrious career, he still has a soft spot for his boyhood days in Zion because of the sense of community, which he still recalls fondly and holds dear. Among his favorite memories are his days in the Waukegan Boys and Girls Club because Zion’ unit wasn’t formed until 2008.

He cited Zion mentors and friends from his high school days, many of whom were in the dinner’s attendance, saying he held them his mentors like John Samuelian and Loren Sparks in especially high esteem for taking time and showing the had good faith in him. Jack Senter, class of 1974, who co-emceed the event with John January, was a devoted fan, attending all his games, while John January was always someone he looked up to as an example of the kind of person he wanted to be. When they told him there would one day be a B& G Club in Zion and wanted him to speak, he said, “Just tell me when and I’ll be there.”

Coincidentally, Loren Sparks won the raffle for a basketball signed by all the Bucks, and a personal autograph from Billy McKinney.

Keeping his word, he happily joined the dinner group last Friday night, February 10 and is no doubt responsible for drawing such a big crowd, despite the bitter cold and icy weather.

He recognizes the importance of a club for a B&G Club, saying they need a place to fill their time in a positive manner. B&G Club supplies that with great roll models and mentors. Several students and parents expressed their gratitude, saying what a difference it had made in the students’ lives.
“With more than 1.3 million young people dropping out of high school yearly, there is a need to provide programs to teach students academic success, building good character and citizenship, daily guidance in behavior and attitude as well as healthy living style.”

The statistics are staggering for need of change. “At North Chicago high school, less than 60 percent of the freshman will graduate. In Waukegan, 30 percent will drop out before reaching sophomore year and less than 30 percent of the high school seniors will meet state standard for reading and math,” McKinney said.

“They’re our future leaders, so we are investing in our future when we support them. While we’re guiding the ship now, we will be passing the torch. The more we can spend time with these kids and get involved with their lives and share personal and professional experiences with them, mentor them how to be good young men and women, good students, children, teammates and pillars of the community, the better off we are all going to be.”

Pastor Doug Carlson and wife Judy were honored with flowers and an appreciation plaque for stepping up and offering Grace Missionary Church as the B&G meeting place. The church board and members approved and the B&G Club thanks them heartily for making the difference in the lives of these young kids.

When thinking of where we might want to donate, let’s remember the B&G Club for their ongoing operating expenses and how we will be investing in our community by investing in our kids.

By: Sandy Dickson

When Wadsworth son of Aime and Ron Gramer, Marine Lance Corporal John Daniel Gramer, was injured in a training explosion in Iraq in October of 2008, even the doctors didn’t know it would be such an arduous process to get healed. A staple-sized piece of shrapnel had ripped through his femoral artery, which was patched up in Germany, but the fact that it had nicked his iliac artery as well, was unknown at the time. Subsequent profuse internal bleeding almost caused him to lose his life, but fortunately, a doctor specializing in this just happened to be visiting Camp Lejuene, NC, where Gramer had been transferred, who was able to perform a lifesaving operation.

Gramer, now age 23, came home to Wadsworth in October of 2010 after being medically retired, but has dealt with medical problems since his injury because of nerve damage.

Anna Sherony, working with Wounded Freedom Fighters, who has orchestrated many wonderful things to honor our war heroes, was responsible once more for arranging the donation of the new pearlized royal blue and fully loaded 2011 Chevy Cruz Eco car, known for getting 42 MPG and enough leg room to accommodate Gramer’s need to stretch his legs because of his nerve damage.

Gramer didn’t know he was to be given a car, even though his own was about to conk out permanently and he was desperately in need of a new ride. He only knew that he was told to show up at Raymond Chevrolet in Antioch and that there would be some flags and fanfare by former veterans since he never received the hero’s welcome of so many other vets.

His grandmother, Karin Dietmeyer of Wadsworth, had driven him to the car dealership and then handed him the keys to the awaiting new Cruze Eco.

“This is more than I could ever dream of,” Gramer said.

Dealership owner Raymond Scarpelli said, “It’s easy to give back. I’ve been very blessed with good business and good community, so why not?”

Gramer is still on the road to recovery from his injuries while attending College of Lake County for his Associates degree, to be followed by going to the Northern Illinois University for a teaching degree for history.

The Semper Fi Fund, Disabled Patriot Fund and group For The Fallen work hard to provide vehicles for our wounded heroes. Other supporters for this mission to provide Gramer with a car were Midland national Life Insurance Company and SIGMA Financial Corporation.