Full Circle: Retiring Teacher Grateful for Lasting Connections with Local Family
By Kim Piekos When newly retired Lake Forest reading specialist Traci Riege (now Franksen) began her career at Sheridan School 36 years...
Lake Forest Love
Telling the Stories About the Community We Love
Lake Forest, Illinois
Welcome to lakeforestlove.com, a blog destination where we curate the amazing
stories of our community, shine a light on them and share them back with you.
We believe there are so many ways to fall in love with Lake Forest—
the open spaces, schools, extraordinary organizations, community spirit,
lakefront, retail and dining offerings, and its kind and generous heart.
We also feel there are stories about people who live and work here that you might like to know.
There is so much to love and we’re just getting started. So welcome. You’re going to love it here!
David A.F. Sweet
- 6 days ago
Collectors’ Classic Cars, Today’s Superstars Can Be Seen at Auto Show
By David A. F. Sweet The third annual Lake Forest Then & Now Auto Show will be held on Sunday, Oct. 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the West...
David A.F. Sweet
- Sep 26
Fleet Department Makes Sure Hundreds of Vehicles Run Smoothly
By David A. F. Sweet The City of Lake Forest Fleet Section supplies vehicles and equipment to Police, Fire, Streets & Sanitation and...
maddie szczerba
- Sep 23
Share Your #LakeForestLove This Fall
Celebrate the start of fall by sharing your #LakeForestLove! Use the hashtag #LakeForestLove when you post pictures of people, places...
David A.F. Sweet
- Sep 20
New Arborist Skillfully Manages What Can be a Dangerous Job
By David A. F. Sweet Kelly Bougher is a maintenance worker and a certified arborist in the Forestry Department for the City of Lake...
Kim Piekos
- Sep 15
Passion for Battlefield History Inspires LFHS Student to Write Children’s Book
By Kim Piekos A passion since childhood for America’s battlefields and a desire to tell unusual stories about women who fought on them in...
David A.F. Sweet
- Sep 8
Bottom Line: Krygeris Helps Citizens Understand City Budget
By David A. F. Sweet Mark Krygeris is a Staff Accountant with the City of Lake Forest. A significant part of his responsibility is...
David A.F. Sweet
- Sep 6
London Calling: New Head of Lake Forest Open Lands Is a Hands-On Veteran of the Non-Profit
By David A. F. Sweet Growing up in Lake Bluff, one of Ryan London’s earliest memories involved nature – an appropriate recollection for...
Katie Heraty
- Sep 5
Food Bank's Opening in Town Draws More Than 200
By Katie Heraty Northern Illinois Food Bank held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for its North Suburban Center on Aug. 16 to...
David A.F. Sweet
- Aug 29
A Long Love of Eminent Architect Brings Designer to Lake Forest
By David A. F. Sweet Perusing the stacks inside the architecture library at the University of Virginia in 1985, Greg Koester came upon...
Kristin Elliott
- Aug 26
Lake Forest Dancers Help Raise Thousands for Highland Park
By Kristin Elliott & Laura Biernacki Sixteen park district dance companies from across the northern suburbs joined together for a special...
David A.F. Sweet
- Aug 23
Picture This: Selfie Day Is a Hit in Lake Forest
By David A. F. Sweet Scores of Lake Forest residents and workers shared selfies in front of City Hall and other City buildings on Aug....
David A.F. Sweet
- Aug 18
Fountain of Youth: CROYA Remains the Rare Place Teenagers Can Call Their Own
By David A. F. Sweet Spread across one wall of Todd Nahigian’s office is the word CROYA. Since he manages the Lake Forest organization –...
David A.F. Sweet
- Aug 16
NFL-Supported Wheelchair Football Team Places Fourth in First Home Tournament
By David A. F. Sweet The Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, based in Lake Forest, and its Chicago Bears Wheelchair Football Team...
Thais Souza
- Aug 11
Branching Out at Twigs Camp
By Thais Souza The Lake Forest Parks & Recreation’s Twigs Camp wrapped up its season on Aug. 4 with a performance of Alice in...
David A.F. Sweet
- Aug 8
Two Lake Forest Sailors Ready for Nationals
By David A. F. Sweet Two Lake Forest sailors, Alec Ranker and Leo Kumar, are poised to compete in the U.S. National Sailing Championship...
Shelby Birnbaum
- Aug 4
A Successful Gala Behind It, Citadel Looks Forward to Performances
By Shelby Birnbaum As a new season beckons this fall, Artistic and Managing Directors Scott and Ellen Phelps of the Citadel Theatre are...
David A.F. Sweet
- Aug 2
Be Like Mike: Perry a Mainstay at the Boat Launch
Mike Perry has worked at the Forest Park Beach since it was renovated in 1987. Lake Forest residents created this video to show their...
David A.F. Sweet
- Aug 1
Lake Forest’s Charlie Potter Helps IMAX Movie About Prairie Wetlands Take Off
By David A. F. Sweet A yellow warbler that weighs as little as a few sheets of paper flies 3,000 miles -- even traveling over the Gulf...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jul 28
Skin in the Game: Lake Forest Entrepreneur Charges Ahead in Competitive Field
By David A. F. Sweet When Genevieve Dolan was 13, the Lake Forest resident started seeing a dermatologist because she was suffering from...
Kim Piekos
- Jul 26
Spirit of Gratitude Propels Senior Resident to Encourage Others
By Kim Piekos Some people spend their lives dedicated to others. Lake Forest’s Pat Handley is one of them. A senior citizen, she juggles...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jul 19
Motherly Influence: Margot Martino’s Caring Ways Helped CROYA Blossom
By David A. F. Sweet When Margot Martino moved to Lake Forest in the early 1970s, the news about teenagers in town was grim. "People were...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jul 13
Green Light: The Lawn Welcomes Golfers at Deerpath
Deerpath Golf Course opened its 30,000-square-foot, 18-hole putting green -- known as The Lawn -- on July 6. Youngsters get a look at The...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jul 11
Let There Be (LED) Light: Lake Forest Replacing Gas with Bulbs in Historic Lamps
By David A. F. Sweet For 120 years, gas lights have been a fixture in Lake Forest, lodged in the community as deeply as the fountain in...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Jul 7
Fourth-Generation Lake Forest Resident Continues Family Legacy of Giving Back
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman Anyone who has walked through the doors of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital has most likely gotten...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jul 1
Summer Loving via #LakeForestLove
Summer is a beautiful time in Lake Forest; celebrate by sharing your #LakeForestLove! Forest Park Beach is already busy with parents and...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jun 27
This Is Now: Lake Forest App Lets You Check Beach Parking, Watch Baseball
By David A. F. Sweet Ever been excited to arrive at Forest Park Beach on a gorgeous summer day – and find there was nowhere to park?...
Kim Piekos
- Jun 23
Striking the Right Note: Rolek Celebrates 25 Years at Helm of Chamber
By Kim Piekos You can sense Joanna Rolek’s stage presence the minute she walks in the door. She commands attention naturally, overflows...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jun 16
Athletes with Disabilities Shine at GLASA Games
By David A. F. Sweet Hundreds of athletes with disabilities from 17 states competed at the GLASA Great Lakes Games Presented by The...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jun 13
Recalling the Grandeur of David Adler’s Lake Forest Estates
By David A. F. Sweet “What is it about Adler that draws you in to these extraordinary things he has created?’ That is a question...
Joey Nassar
- Jun 9
‘The Resilient Heart of a Scout’
Student Body President Joey Nassar delivered the address at the Lake Forest High School graduation ceremony on the school’s front lawn on...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jun 6
‘My Work Is Never Boring’: City Clerk Discusses Job as Early Voting Nears
By David A. F. Sweet The Illinois General Primary Election is coming up on June 28, and Lake Forest citizens will be able to cast their...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jun 2
‘Believe that you are smart, strong, brave, beautiful’
Tom Herion has been principal of Deer Path Middle School for two years. The following are his edited remarks from the Class of 2022...
David A.F. Sweet
- May 26
Six Questions with New Lake Forest Caucus President David Hunt
By David A. F. Sweet New Lake Forest Caucus President David Hunt is a private wealth advisor with Bernstein Private Wealth Management....
Rick Day
- May 23
Nearly 30 Years After Opening, Sushi Kushi Remains a Favorite
By Rick Day For many, the best way to get an authentic Japanese meal would be to go west – way west – via multiple long plane rides to...
David A.F. Sweet
- May 20
Sailing Away: Local Crew Heads to Nationals
The Lake Forest High School Sailing Team is headed to Seabrook, Texas from Friday, May 20 to Sunday, May 22 for Team Race Nationals. The...
David A.F. Sweet
- May 19
From Dragons to Bobcats, the Wildlife Discovery Center Is a Home for Those Who Need One
By David A. F. Sweet In a small room once dedicated to fitness machines at Lake Forest Parks & Recreation, the Wildlife Discovery Center...
David A.F. Sweet
- May 16
Building a Career: Borzick Reflects on 35 Years with the City of Lake Forest
By David A. F. Sweet As one enters Building Maintenance Supervisor Bill Borzick’s office, it’s hard not to notice a sign that says...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- May 12
Lounge Act: Cherokee Teachers Enjoy Rejuvenated Space
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman The kitchen is often called the heart of a home. It is where family and friends gather to share meals and make...
Kim Piekos
- May 9
History Center, LFC Unite to Create 50th Anniversary Exhibit
By Kim Piekos The History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff has partnered with students at Lake Forest College to create an exhibit...
Nick Winebrenner
- May 5
Fan-tastic: Dr. Camino Cheers for All Sports (Even Intramurals) at the High School
By Nick Winebrenner He’s not the loudest fan. He doesn’t paint his face. Or scream at refs. Instead, he enjoys bringing friends and...
Adrienne Fawcett
- May 2
Breaking New Ground: Club Enjoys Boom Time
By Adrienne Fawcett Since the pandemic started in March 2020, more than 1,300 properties have been sold in Lake Forest, and more than...
David A.F. Sweet
- Apr 28
Burr Oak Area Project Poised to Reduce Flooding for Residents
By David A. F. Sweet Back in 2019, the City of Lake Forest identified the Burr Oak Area Storm Sewer Improvement Project as the highest...
Gigi Snellback
- Apr 25
Why CROYA Is Like a Second Family
By Gigi Snellback Our lives are shaped by the people we choose to surround ourselves with. Luckily, I have made countless close...
Kim Piekos
- Apr 21
Noon Siren Marks Time, Nostalgia for Lake Foresters
By Kim Piekos Ask any resident, and he or she will tell you there is no doubt when it is noon in town. The siren that sits atop City’s...
David A.F. Sweet
- Apr 18
Olympic Gold Medalist From Lake Forest Finds New Ways to Enjoy the Sport She Loves
By David A. F. Sweet Growing up in Lake Forest in the 1990s, nothing pleased Hilary Knight more than to be dropped off to play hockey...
David A.F. Sweet
- Apr 15
Eggsciting Event
The Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Department’s Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza on April 9 drew dozens of children, who used their baskets...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Apr 14
New City Map Helps Residents Identify Tree Species
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman Corey Wierema, City Forester for the City of Lake Forest, sat down with Lake Forest Love to discuss how a new...
Vivian Hirschfield
- Apr 11
What I’ve Learned from My Brother Who Has Autism
By Vivian Hirschfield April brings rainstorms and, on sunny days, spring sports. For my family, April has a special meaning -- because...
Eva Jarad
- Apr 7
Safety First: Boat Improves Chances of Rescuing Those Struggling in Lake Michigan
By Eva Jarad Lake Forest Love had a chance to connect with Fire Chief Pete Siebert to ask questions about the City’s rescue boat. A few...