Beautiful, Fun, Important: Simply Put, Lake Forest's Ravines Are Extraordinary
By David A. F. Sweet Steve Bent grew up on Lake Road next to a ravine. He spent his youth roaming its slopes and exploring other nearby...
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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
- 5 days ago
New Deerpath Golf General Manager Impressed by Customers, Community
By David A. F. Sweet John Westly started playing golf at age 4 in Asheville, N.C. He was taught by his grandfather; his parents didn’t...
David A.F. Sweet
- May 22
Former Parks & Rec Director Fred Jackson Stays Engaged with Successful Golf Fundraiser
By David A. F. Sweet Fred Jackson worked for the Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Department for 48 years. At the start, he was a teenager...
By a Lake Forest Love Writer
- May 18
Join the Tour of Historic Architecture Plaques in Lake Forest on May 21
By a Lake Forest Love Writer The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation has mounted 18 plaques -- provided through donations to the LFPF...
Kim Piekos
- May 15
Reading, Writing and a Lifelong Friendship for LFHS Teachers
By Kim Piekos Some people’s lives are woven together in ways they could have never predicted. That is certainly true for Lake Forest High...
David A.F. Sweet
- May 11
Scotty Searle Recalls Life in the Lake Forest Showhouse
By David A. F. Sweet Scotty Searle moved into this year’s Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens house when she was 15. Her parents, Bill and...
Caroline Gerber
- May 8
LFHS Senior Possesses Passion for Sailing
By Caroline Gerber Lake Forest High School's Henry Scholz was first introduced to sailing when at age 8 his father signed him up for the...
By a Lake Forest Love Writer
- May 4
Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens to Feature Nine-Acre Estate
By a Lake Forest Love Writer The Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago is transforming a red brick Georgian-style...
Emma Stadolnik
- Apr 27
Venerable Lake Forest Foundation Has Served Underprivileged Youth for 25 Years
By Emma Stadolnik Twenty-five years ago, Barbara Monsor sat around her kitchen table in Lake Forest surrounded by family and friends to...
Mariana Vaca
- Apr 25
Fish Stories: Latest LFHS Play Guaranteed to Entertain
By Mariana Vaca Storytellers come as artists and writers, but many of the stories we carry in our families today are shared through oral...
Kim Piekos
- Apr 19
Alumnus Shares Impact of LFHS on His Life
By Kim Piekos Opened in 1935, Lake Forest High School has produced numerous alumni who have impacted the world in their areas of...
Kenna McBean
- Apr 17
LFHS Students Perform in Europe for First Time Since Pandemic
By Kenna McBean This past spring break, the Lake Forest High School band, orchestra, and choir flew to Germany, Austria, and the Czech...
The History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff
- Apr 13
Renowned Lake Forest Golfer Was Also Portrayed in The Great Gatsby
By The History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff One of the premier women’s golfers of the 1920s, Edith Cummings grew up around golf...
Thais Souza
- Apr 10
Groundbreaking Ceremony Launches Future of Better Fields, New Courts at Deerpath Park
By Thais Souza Better athletic fields, new pickleball courts, renovated tennis courts, a walking path and more amenities are coming to...
Mariana Vaca
- Apr 7
Food for Thought: Chef Z Serves Up Great Dishes at Deerpath Golf Course
By Mariana Vaca Our favorite recipes are passed down and enrooted in our family members, who use them during summer cookouts or during...
By a Lake Forest Love Writer
- Apr 4
An Eggs-eptional Time
By a Lake Forest Love Writer Many residents and their children enjoyed a wonderful opportunity for family fun and entertainment at the...
Mariana Vaca
- Mar 27
Athenson Continues to Lead in All Aspects of Life
By Mariana Vaca From high-school football to the U.S. Army, seventh-generation Lake Forester Nick Athenson has been a leader. Athenson...
David A.F. Sweet
- Mar 23
Former Investment Executive Embraces New Role: Writing Murder Mysteries
By David A. F. Sweet Longtime Lake Forester Steve Timbers enjoyed a successful career in the financial industry, working as president...
David A.F. Sweet
- Mar 20
Third Generation of Tiegs to Work for City of Lake Forest Makes His Mark at Water Plant
By David A. F. Sweet Since it was founded in 1861, the City of Lake Forest has welcomed thousands of loyal employees. But the Tiegs are...
Judy Carmack Bross
- Mar 16
Lake Forest Author and Pulitzer Prize Finalist Shares Insights on New Novel
By Judy Carmack Bross “My favorite characters are the agents of chaos -- those who show up to upset the scene,” said Lake Forest author...
Caroline Gerber
- Mar 13
Legendary LFHS Head Custodian Does It All -- Including Giving Motivational Speeches
By Caroline Gerber As any Lake Forest High School student can tell you, Rickey Myles is far more than the head custodian. He is a school...
David A.F. Sweet
- Mar 9
How a Long-Time Emergency-Room Physician Became President of Lake Forest College
By David A. F. Sweet Each day Dr. Jill Baren arrived at her job as an emergency-room physician during a 30-year career, she had no idea...
Caroline Gerber
- Mar 6
Strings of Success: A Violinist’s Journey
By Caroline Gerber Junior Aidan Watts’ musical journey began 15 years ago, at the age of two, when he attended a youth musical class...
Kim Piekos
- Mar 2
Lake Forest Organizations Collaborate to Bring Native Voices to Life
By Kim Piekos Hundreds of years ago, Native American Indian tribes traversed what is now Lake Forest as they transitioned between summer...
Mariana Vaca
- Feb 27
Woodlands Academy Junior Creates Tree Placards for Forest Park
By Mariana Vaca Lake Forest is abundant with trees – it has even received a Tree City USA certification. During the COVID shutdown, a...
David A.F. Sweet
- Feb 23
Compost Helps Things Grow – Including the Business of Longtime Lake Forest Entrepreneur David Gorter
By David A. F. Sweet While a student at Lake Forest College, David Gorter became an entrepreneur. Starting as a chimney sweep, he...
David A.F. Sweet
- Feb 21
Veteran Patrol Officer Anderson Dedicated to Keeping Citizens Safe
By David A. F. Sweet Rick Anderson is the day-shift patrol commander for the Lake Forest Police Department. He has served as a...
David A.F. Sweet
- Feb 16
Compost & Recycling Draws Loads of Discarded Materials -- And a Few Regulars
By David A. F. Sweet Despite the chilly weather on the last day of 2022, an outdoor spot in Lake Forest welcomed scores of visitors. They...
Mariana Vaca
- Feb 13
Talent Pool: LFHS Girds for Big Show with Emphasis on the 1980s
By Mariana Vaca The 1980s are making a comeback -- not only in fashion but in February’s Lake Forest High School Talent Show. According...
Jane Slover
- Feb 9
Mini-Klondike Derby Features Snow Shoes, Fire Building
By Jane Slover Scouts BSA Troop 48 held a Mini-Klondike Derby at Northcroft Park recently for a number of participants. The event was...
Kim Piekos
- Feb 6
Citadel Theatre Boasts Hollywood-Level Technology in New Show
By Kim Piekos Though Lake Forest’s Citadel Theatre may feel intimate with its 144 seats, prepare to be transported to a high-tech...
David A.F. Sweet
- Feb 2
Inspector Keeps City Buildings Running Smoothly
By David A. F. Sweet Richie Paulsen Jr. was hired in 2015 as a seasonal worker for Building Maintenance before becoming a full-time...
Hardik Singhal
- Jan 30
Springer Chases His Dream in the Bahamas
By Hardik Singhal High school students typically just complete their regular eight semesters at their school and hope to find out what...
Mariana Vaca
- Jan 26
Novel Idea: Local Duo Lead Discussions on Works of Fiction
By Mariana Vaca Monthly subscriptions are an increasingly popular phenomenon that cater to individual interests from sparkly cosmetics to...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jan 24
Lake Forest Fire Department Finds Tremendous Success in Cardiac-Arrest Saves
By David A. F. Sweet Millions of television viewers, along with dozens of NFL players standing nearby, were stunned when Buffalo Bills...
Kim Piekos
- Jan 19
Charged with Determination: Lake Forest Teen Spearheads Battery Recycling Program
By Kim Piekos When Lake Forest teen Riya Bhatia and her mother came upon a box of old batteries in her family’s closet, they wondered how...
Maeve Bradley and Piper Rother
- Jan 16
Here Comes the Sun: LFHS Student Unites Passion for Robotics and Music
By Maeve Bradley and Piper Rother Lake Forest High School senior Luc Sun has always loved coding, but now, he is transforming his skills...
Jack Carrabine and Dennis Hickey
- Jan 13
Playing in the Band: Spencer Finds Niche at LFHS
By Jack Carrabine and Dennis Hickey You may think Danny Spencer is just an ordinary senior, but there is a lot about Spencer that you...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jan 9
A Tribute to Lake Forest’s Ellen Stirling
By David A. F. Sweet Even though Ellen Stirling’s grandmother launched the Lake Forest Sports Shop and her mother ran it while Ellen was...
David A.F. Sweet
- Jan 5
Lake Forest Native Sheds Light on Bernie Madoff in Powerful Netflix Documentary
By David A. F. Sweet When Lake Forest native Jim Campbell joined a Zoom call with Netflix true-crime director Joe Berlinger and his...
By a Lake Forest Love Writer
- Jan 3
Our Top Stories in 2022
By a Lake Forest Love Writer Welcome to 2023! Lake Forest Love posted scores of stories in 2022. What were the most popular ones? Check...
Lake Forest Parks and Recreation
- Dec 22, 2022
Santa Is a Driving Force
By Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Carloads of Lake Forest residents visited the Lake Forest Parks & Recreation's Santa Drive-Thru at...
Kim Piekos
- Dec 19, 2022
Lake Foresters Invest in Lake County Communities in Need
By Kim Piekos Interesting fact: a Lake Forest resident will live an average of 14 years longer than someone living in North Chicago. ...
David A.F. Sweet
- Dec 15, 2022
Slam-Dunk Hire: How Woodlands Academy Lured a Three-Time National Champion to Coach Its Varsity
By David A. F. Sweet Larry Farmer won three NCAA national basketball championships as a forward with UCLA in the 1970s, teams coached by...
Gorton Community Center
- Dec 12, 2022
A Joyful Time for Kids at Gorton
By the Gorton Community Center A beloved annual favorite that took place earlier this month, Gorton's Kids Only Holiday Shop lets...
Ean Goldstein
- Dec 8, 2022
Coffee Talk: Dickinson Head Gets to Know Lake Foresters
By Ean Goldstein Dickinson Hall has been a fixture in the Lake Forest community for nearly a century. Over the years, it has served a...
Ean Goldstein
- Dec 5, 2022
Hand It to Him: LFC Coach Mike Dau Has More Than 50 National Titles
By Ean Goldstein On an overcast November day in 1952, an aspiring college basketball player brought a friend to visit Lake Forest...
Ean Goldstein
- Dec 1, 2022
Boy Scout Troop Gives Back by Putting Up Wreaths
By Ean Goldstein With the holiday season upon us, Lake Forest residents may notice wreaths adorning various signs and light posts around...
David A.F. Sweet
- Nov 28, 2022
New Normal: Pop-Up Shop Welcomes Many Changes
By David A. F. Sweet Beloved by the community since it launched during the holidays in 2020 to support local non-profit organizations,...
David A.F. Sweet
- Nov 21, 2022
For First Time, Beloved Tree Lighting Celebration to Include Band, Heaters
By David A. F. Sweet It’s never easy to add excitement to a long-time, beloved event, but the Friends of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation...
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