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By Kristin Elliott Who makes the best chili in Lake Forest? Find out on Saturday, Nov. 7, when the Lake Forest Club hosts its inaugural Police vs. Fire Chili Competition from noon to 2 p.m. This friendly competition brings our Lake Forest Police and Fire Departments together for rivalry, community spirit, and, of course, delicious chili. The department with the winning recipe will earn bragging rights, take the inaugural trophy back to the station, and be featured on the Lake

By Jillian Beaster Libraries are spaces designated for personal development, connection, and solace. Molly Scheibler, the new executive director of the Lake Forest Library, believes in the mission of libraries. “I believe deeply in the value of public libraries and the role they play in enriching lives and strengthening communities,” she said. “I am happy to give anybody a tour,” says Molly Scheibler of the library. Scheibler feels fortunate to work in Lake Forest, as she

By Jillian Beaster During Lake Forest College Homecoming earlier this month, Jillian Beaster met with four alumni of Lake Forest College (LFC) to gather insight into the experiences, stories and moments that bind Foresters together across the decades. Taylor Moore – ‘21 Born and raised in Chicago, Taylor Moore attended Lake Forest Academy before joining the Lake Forest College community. “When I finally [toured] campus for the first time, I remember thinking ‘Oh, now this is

By Carol Summerfield Inspired by Europe, American art colonies began in the late 19th century as havens from rapid industrialization, allowing painters, writers, and composers to live communally, pioneering a new era of American artists. The first residential programs developed on the East Coast, such as Cos Cob (Greenwich, Conn., 1890) and Byrdcliffe (Woodstock, N.Y., 1903), the oldest continually operating artists’ colony in America. As train transportation to the west bec

By David A. F. Sweet Sitting outside of Hometown Coffee in Lake Forest, Jennifer McGregor and Paul Sacaridiz talked about when they first met – which was steps away inside the café. Having been appointed the executive directors of two local non-profits – the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation in McGregor’s case and Ragdale in Sacaridiz’s – the two discussed their overlapping missions and ideas they might explore by working together. The fruits of this conversation will be

By Kristin Elliott If you’ve called Public Works, you’ve most likely spoken with Becky Pocasangre, the department’s Administrative Assistant and a friendly, knowledgeable first point of contact for residents. For 22 years, Becky has been helping connect residents with the right information, people, and Public Works services, all while keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes. What does a typical day look like for you? There really isn’t a typical day! I respond to r

By Jillian Beaster After achieving her childhood dream of becoming a law-enforcement officer in 2019, today Ashley Molinelli is one step closer to another dream: working with dogs through the Lake Forest Police Department K9 program. “I absolutely love dogs … [and] I love proactive police work,” Molinelli said. “I think it's the best way to combine the two.” "I'm excited to learn about my dog and reading my dog to the point where I know everything about them," says Ashley M

By Jillian Beaster Lake Forest College (LFC) has often been referred to as a “best-kept secret,” but based on its recent growth, the secret seems to be out. In August, LFC welcomed 539 students to campus, the largest incoming class in its 169-year history. With 423 first-year students and 116 transfer students, the administration attributed the growth to various factors. Members of the largest incoming class in Lake Forest College history gather on the basketball court. “We

By David A. F. Sweet Lake Forest boasts an illustrious golf past. Charles Blair Macdonald, who became an esteemed architect nationwide, created the first golf course in the United States beyond New York – featuring seven holes with tomato cans buried in the ground – by Lake Road in 1892. Both the U.S. Open and BMW Championship have been held in Lake Forest. And now, the Deerpath Golf Course is making history; the venerable public course is about to celebrate its 100th anniv

By Laurie Stein Historians estimate that, by the end of the 1920s, three-quarters of the American population visited a movie theater every week. Locally, at the beginning of the decade, movies were shown at the DeLuxe Theatre at Westminster and Bank Lane. Joseph O'Neill opened Lake Forest’s first motion picture house on Westminster in 1912, next to the new location of his hardware store. The Lake Forest City Council spent the next six years regulating this new-fangled oper