Getting on Board in Lake Forest
By Adrienne Fawcett Remember when people took to scrubbing food packages with antiseptic wipes before bringing them into the house at the...
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!
Kim Piekos
- Jan 10
Equestrian Center Makes Jump to Lake Forest
By Kim Piekos It’s a frigid day on the North Shore – too cold for the 57 horses that board at the Glen Grove Equestrian Center to head...
Kim Piekos
- Jan 6
Hitting a High Note: Lake Forest College Welcomes Music Institute of Chicago
By Kim Piekos Joining the backpack-laden students at Lake Forest College this fall were nearly three dozen exceptional 13-to-19-year-old...
Vivian Hirschfield
- Jan 4
Taking a 10-Minute Break is Essential to Good Mental Health
By Vivian Hirschfield Hi readers! I tackled final exams and end-of-year responsibilities in December, but I am back with my column as...
Adrienne Fawcett
- Dec 28, 2021
The Deer Path Inn: The Place to Be Seen … And Get Lost In
By Adrienne Fawcett It’s Friday evening, that time when the stress of work and school give way to the weekend. Meeting a friend for...
Adrienne Fawcett
- Dec 23, 2021
This Store Is a Great Fit for Lake Forest
By Adrienne Fawcett Trey Gonzales and Kip Helverson bought a small business just ahead of a worldwide pandemic, which prompted seemingly...
Thais Souza
- Dec 21, 2021
The Most Wonderful Time of Year
The kids (and parents!) had a blast at Lake Forest Parks & Recreation’s Santa Drive Thru event on Saturday. A magical little piece of the...
Whitley Pleas
- Dec 20, 2021
With Winter Arriving, Snow Operations Team Ready to Clear Roads
By Whitley Pleas When Lake Forest residents wake up to find the streets dusted with snow, few are aware that the city’s Snow Operations...
Whitley Pleas
- Dec 17, 2021
Christmas-Tree Lot Continues to Thrive More Than 70 Years After Opening
By Whitley Pleas Each year, on the day after Thanksgiving, Kim Placentino’s front yard transforms into a Christmas wonderland. A...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Dec 15, 2021
Festive Pop-Up Shop Boosts Local Non-Profits
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman Pop-up shops are a festive way to shop for the holidays, and Lake Forest Station takes that experience one...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Dec 13, 2021
Popular LFHS Class Is All Business
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman There is a certain excitement when you walk into a Business Entrepreneurship class at Lake Forest High School. ...
Whitley Pleas
- Dec 10, 2021
Seven Fun Things to Do in Lake Forest
By Whitley Pleas Lake Forest residents believe it is one of the best places in Illinois – if not the country – to raise a family. With...
Whitley Pleas
- Dec 9, 2021
Small Businesses in Lake Forest Persevere Despite Unprecedented Economic Shifts
By Whitley Pleas In Lake Forest, small business owners survived both the COVID-19 pandemic’s height in 2020 and labor shortages and...
David A.F. Sweet
- Dec 6, 2021
Deep Dive: Lake Forest’s David Waud Goes to the Bottom of the Ocean to See the Titanic
By David A. F. Sweet Journeys into space have made headlines recently. But what about those who, instead of being flung into the...
Adrienne Fawcett
- Dec 3, 2021
Holy Spirit Takes Food-Pantry Concept to New Heights
By Adrienne Fawcett The Friday before Thanksgiving, volunteers of The Church of the Holy Spirit food pantry joyfully gave away 100 frozen...
Kim Piekos
- Dec 1, 2021
Rotarians Provide Warmth to Needy Children
By Kim Piekos The boxes labeled Operation Warm overflow with colorful, two-toned parkas, sized for children big and small, as three men...
Thais Souza
- Nov 30, 2021
Let It Glow
The Lake Forest Tree Lighting Ceremony drew thousands to Market Square for a joyful time on the day after Thanksgiving. The tradition --...
Whitley Pleas
- Nov 29, 2021
Calvert Returns to Roots With Elawa Farm
By Whitley Pleas Having grown up on a farm in Central Illinois where her family has lived for generations, agriculture is in Laura...
Whitley Pleas
- Nov 26, 2021
Gorton Stays Vibrant With Creative Solutions Amid Pandemic
By Whitley Pleas Even as the pandemic brought unprecedented change in 2020, Gorton Community Center Executive Director Amy Wagliardo...
Kim Piekos
- Nov 23, 2021
Read All About It: Non-Profit Boosts Literacy Through Tutoring
By Kim Piekos Come into the Reading Power room at the Green Bay Early Childhood Center in North Chicago, where colorful board books line...
Adrienne Fawcett
- Nov 22, 2021
Bart the Cart Explains What You Can – and Cannot – Recycle in Lake Forest
By Adrienne Fawcett Since Lake Forest launched its Rethink Recycling program in the spring of 2020, campaign spokes-mascot Bart the Cart...
David A.F. Sweet
- Nov 19, 2021
Shedding Light on a Lake Forest Holiday Tradition
By David A. F. Sweet Since the Lake Forest Tree Lighting Ceremony dawned in 1987, Tim Haskett has been involved in each one. Back then,...
Saige Joseph
- Nov 17, 2021
All the World’s a Stage for Teens Performing Shakespeare
By Saige Joseph Shakespeare is difficult for adults to perform, let alone teenagers, but Lake Forest High School freshmen and sophomores...
Vivian Hirschfield
- Nov 16, 2021
Sadly, There’s No Longer Time to Procrastinate
By Vivian Hirschfield Happy fall! Today, in my Lake Forest High School journalism class, my teacher Mr. Leyden talked about...
David A.F. Sweet
- Nov 15, 2021
Morning Star: Lake Forest’s Larry Potash Keeps Popular TV News Show Humming
By David A. F. Sweet After a comfortable morning in the television studio, WGN anchor Larry Potash wasn’t expecting to soon be sitting...
Rick Day
- Nov 12, 2021
You’d Be a Lucky Duck to Try This New Restaurant
By Rick Day Tucked into the back corner of the courtyard at 950 N. Western Ave., there sits a nondescript storefront which at first...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Nov 11, 2021
Nine Questions with Scouts’ Coach Chuck Spagnoli
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman Lake Forest High School Varsity Football Coach Chuck Spagnoli has been the driving force behind the team for...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Nov 10, 2021
Getting the Ball Rolling: Youth Soccer Group Enjoys Prolonged Success
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman As the days get shorter and frost covers the grass, soccer fields -- filled recently with enthusiastic...
Vivian Hirschfield
- Nov 8, 2021
Getting Through the Day Is Far From Routine
By Vivian Hirschfield Hello readers! I’m back for a third week. Writing these pieces has started to feel like a routine. When I realized...
Whitley Pleas
- Nov 5, 2021
Like Father, Like Son: New LFC Basketball Coach a Familiar Face
By Whitley Pleas For the past six years, Ryan Davis experienced a coaching partnership like no other: his father, Ken Davis, served as...
Jennifer Karras
- Nov 1, 2021
All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go
Costumes did the trick on Halloween, as Lake Foresters gathered candy on a brisk fall day.
David A.F. Sweet
- Nov 1, 2021
Cool(er) Hand Luke: Lake Forest Resident Plants Flag in Tailgating Business
By David A. F. Sweet What happens when former Chicago Bears quarterback Bobby Douglass shows up to your playoff tailgate party? Lake...
Vivian Hirschfield
- Oct 28, 2021
Write On: How I Found My Groove
By Vivian Hirschfield Hey! It’s Vivi (or Viv) again. If you need a refresher, writing is my passion. I can say that with confidence...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Oct 27, 2021
Lake Forest Native's Store Balances Education, Adventure
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman Born and raised in Lake Forest, Allison Gurza returned home after college and taught at the School of St. Mary...
Saige Joseph
- Oct 25, 2021
Lake Forest High School Columnist Reveals the Joys of Theatre
By Saige Joseph Since my freshman year at Lake Forest High School, I’ve been involved with the theatre department. I’ve been performing...
Kim Piekos
- Oct 21, 2021
Lake Forest Cemetery Is Alive with History
By Kim Piekos Hanging out with the gravedigger at Lake Forest Cemetery could be unnerving for anyone -- but not so when the cemetery...
Vivian Hirschfield
- Oct 20, 2021
First Words from a New Teen Columnist
By Vivian Hirschfield Hi readers! I’m a new teen columnist for Lake Forest’s beloved Lake Forest Love, and one of the first lessons I...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Oct 18, 2021
That’s the Spirit: Home Tour Raises Record Amount for Foundation
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman Beset by continued pandemic-related restrictions, the Spirit of 67 Foundation Planning Committee needed to...
Whitley Pleas
- Oct 15, 2021
From Flags to Scholarships, Lake Forest American Legion Continues to Give Back
By Whitley Pleas Inside their home on McKinley Road on Columbus Day, the members of McKinlock Post 264 of the American Legion began...
Adrienne Fawcett
- Oct 15, 2021
Horse Sense: Non-Profit Lets Children and Adults Live Their Best Days
By Adrienne Fawcett Best Days Happen Here. That’s the mission statement for Equestrian Connection, a horse-assisted therapy program for...
Kim Piekos
- Oct 13, 2021
Something to Write Home About: Big Changes at Ragdale
By Kim Piekos The bucolic Ragdale campus, home to one of the nation’s largest residential artists’ communities, is generating quite a bit...
Adrienne Fawcett
- Oct 4, 2021
Entrepreneur Ensures Luxurious Scarves Zoom Ahead
By Adrienne Fawcett DESEDA is out to do to silk scarves what Ralph Lauren did to the polo shirt, what Levi’s did to denim and what Swiss...
Judy Carmack Bross
- Oct 1, 2021
Local Author Addresses Most Controversial Finish in Sports History
By Judy Carmack Bross Lake Forest author David Sweet proves that for holding the reader spellbound, a final-seconds sports battle beats...
Jennifer Karras
- Sep 28, 2021
Hundreds Attend Walk to Address Mental Illness
Lake Forest non-profit Paws for Patrick held its first annual Walk for Wellness and Family Fair at Deerpath Community Park on Saturday. ...
Kim Piekos
- Sep 27, 2021
Local Legends Share Behind-the-Scenes Anecdotes from Illustrious Lives
By Kim Piekos Lake Forest and Lake Bluff have been home to many legendary figures over the years, people who have contributed...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Sep 23, 2021
Local Group Shares Ways to Improve Environment
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman We have heard the phrase “Save the Planet” for generations. It often seems out of reach for those who want to...
Rebecca Foster-Goodman
- Sep 21, 2021
Having a Ball: The Bandits Love Playing Lacrosse
By Rebecca Foster-Goodman Once considered an elite sport played at prep schools, lacrosse has seen a massive rise in popularity in Lake...
Adrienne Fawcett
- Sep 16, 2021
Bagpipes & Bonfire Is Sure to Give You Surprises -- and Chills
By Adrienne Fawcett Lake Forest Open Lands Association has quite a few surprises in store for guests of Bagpipes & Bonfire on Sunday,...
Jennifer Karras
- Sep 13, 2021
Five Questions with Lake Forest Academy Field Hockey Coach Greta Kullby
By Jennifer Karras Greta Kullby was recently named head coach for varsity field hockey at Lake Forest Academy. A 2017 Lake Forest High...
Kim Piekos
- Sep 10, 2021
Mother-Son Duo Hit the Books with New Store
By Kim Piekos The pandemic required many people to pivot from their life routines in 2020. That included 22-year-old Patrick McNeill and...