By David A. F. Sweet Like elsewhere in the world in 2020, smiling faces and fist bumps with friends were replaced with masks and remote classes at Lake Forest Community High School. Despite the historic upheaval, opportunity emerged from the crisis. Coming out of the pandemic, a new leader, Superintendent Dr. Matthew L. Montgomery, took charge, while a few top administrators headed to other jobs. It was the perfect time to implement a new culture – not from the top down, bu

By Bailey Angel Citadel Theatre recently welcomed the community to its first Mamma Mia! Sing-Along, an outdoor fundraiser on the lawn of the Gloria Dei Center at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart. Over one unforgettable July weekend, about 500 audience members packed elaborate picnic baskets, donned feathered boas and enjoyed music, laughter and community. The fundraiser brought together an all-star cast made up of familiar faces from throughout the Citadel family, incl

By Laurie Stein One hundred years ago this summer, Lake Forest entertained royalty. The Crown Prince Gustavus Adolphus and Princess Louise of Sweden visited the town on June 25, 1926. The Princess, the former Louise Mountbatten, was the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The royal party traveled up from Chicago to the Great Lakes Naval Station by motor yacht, where they were welcomed by Captain Hines in full regalia while great guns roared a royal salute. After drivi

By David A. F. Sweet Those driving west on Illinois past Gorton Center will notice a vibrant new mural to their left. Members of CROYA (Committee Representing Our Young Adults) spent a week this summer painting a flowing, red-white-and-blue 250 between the words America and Illinois. Rick Day and others from CROYA gather before the finished mural. “A number of people drove by offering a supportive honk, which meant a lot to be able to feel the community support through the

By David A. F. Sweet For the first time recently, Gorton Center welcomed members of the community to Sing at Gorton, where guitarist Dave Hiltebrand played well-known songs from the 1980s and 1990s, and visitors to the Stuart Room sang heartily. “Sing at Gorton is about creating space for people to connect,” said Amy Wagliardo, Gorton’s executive director, about the free gatherings. “Singing together is deeply human. It breaks down barriers, brings people into the moment, an

By Kristin Elliott For generations, Bank Lane has served as a discreet connector (essentially a service alley) in Lake Forest's Central Business District, helping residents access local shops, restaurants, and services and accommodating deliveries. This year, it is taking on a new role: a place to gather. Completed in the fall of 2025 concurrent with the Deerpath Streetscape Project, the first phase of the Bank Lane Pedestrian Corridor Enhancement Project transformed the blo

By Laurie Stein This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States, or “Semiquincentennial” if you’re a lover of large words. Such a milestone provides a wonderful opportunity to look back and celebrate our history – and with a full slate of events on the docket in 2026, residents will have ample opportunity to do just that. With the anniversaries of our nation, our town, and our many longstanding institutions to commemorate, the annals of such a history-loving co

By Carol Summerfield From movies and television shows, we have all seen the hall or the stairway bedecked with dozens of paintings of different generations in gilded frames, in their place of honor on the wall of a stately home. These ancestral portrait collections have been a part of society -- particularly European high society -- for hundreds of years. That tradition of having portraits of the family patriarchs and matriarchs migrated with its people to the United States.

By Lesley Fisher Lake Forest High School graduating seniors Dylan Cran and Campbell Gore were named the inaugural recipients of the Lake Forest High School Alumni Legacy Scholarship during the Scholarships and Awards Program on May 28. Dylan Cran is the son of Greg Cran ’92 and brother of Aidan ’21 and Lily ’23. Campbell Gore is the daughter of Shawn Valassis Gore ’94 and niece of Adrienne (Valassis) Stratman ’97, Lauren Valassis Hirsh ’99, and Doug Valassis ’03. Dylan Cran

By Laurie Stein With America’s 250th birthday coming up in July, we turn our thoughts back to other milestone anniversaries in the history of our town. The year 1876 marked the Centennial of the Declaration of Independence, America’s “first birthday party” where the nation for the first time took stock of itself as something other than a newcomer on the world stage. The Farwell family celebrates America's Centennial 150 years ago. But Lake Forest itself in 1876 was still

By David A. F. Sweet Earlier this year, the Lake Forest Police Department launched an online Crime Transparency Portal at cityoflakeforest.com/PoliceTransparency.. Featuring an interactive map, it displays incidents beyond those arrests that have appeared for years in the online police blotter. “Residents have told us they want to better understand what’s happening in their neighborhoods,” explained Chief of Police John Burke. “This portal helps us share more information a

By Liz Weithas In April, the Spirit of 67 Foundation awarded 30 grants totaling $145,905 to District 67 schools for the 2026-2027 school year. This allows Lake Forest children to enjoy incredible educational and cultural experiences that enrich their learning -- and also add a lot of fun to their school days. During Grant Week, volunteers from Spirit of 67 visited a different district school each day to announce their school’s awarded grants. At each school, they showcase

By a Lake Forest Love Writer The Lake Forest Civic Orchestra (LFCO) performed its final concert of the 2025-2026 season on May 3 at the John & Nancy Hughes Theater at Gorton Center. Guest conductor Nicholas Wallin led the orchestra and appreciative audience on a journey of mostly American music focused on the Appalachian region of the United States. Midwest Young Artists Conservatory competition winner Andrew Schinler performed the Rimsky-Korsakov trombone concerto on this

By David A. F. Sweet A Lake Forest Community High School student was frustrated with the 16th-century language of Romeo & Juliet. He struggled to relate to the Shakespearean tragedy involving teenage lovers. Peer Tutoring, which nurtures student-to-student sessions, helped bring understanding. “Everybody has big hearts,” says Elaine Metz about the Scout Buddies program, one of many where students help students. “The peer tutor told him, ‘You’re absolutely right,’ and got t

By David A. F. Sweet During this 50th anniversary year, no one would have been surprised had the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation (LFPF) quietly celebrated its many accomplishments and eschewed any new initiatives. But under Executive Director Jennifer McGregor, who replaced longtime leader Marcy Kerr in 2024, the foundation is charging forward with important work as it continues a decades-long collaboration with the City of Lake Forest that has helped preserve the commun

By David A. F. Sweet “Act well your part,” wrote essayist Alexander Pope in the 18th century. “There all the honor lies.” Acting well has never been a problem at Lake Forest Community High School, whose commitment to theater harkens to the school’s founding during the Great Depression. Today, students continue to carry out their roles with aplomb across an amazingly diverse selection of plays. Lake Forest High School depends on students to build sets for plays. Greek traged

By Kristin Elliott Smiles, laughter, and a whole lot of eggs highlighted Lake Forest Parks & Recreation’s 2026 Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza at Deerpath Community Park on Saturday. Kids took off in a flash, racing across the fields to collect colorful eggs, stopping only for bunny hugs and photo ops along the way. From giggles to golden eggs, the morning was packed with excitement and springtime magic. There’s nothing better than seeing families come together to celebrate the seaso

By Carol Summerfield In the 1950s, the interpretation of the American lifestyle underwent a seismic shift that was felt both inside and outside the home. As World War II ended and the massive factory-based industries that supported it sought new ways to use their machinery and floor space, they turned to the new needs of the American home. The ease of producing aluminum, glass, and plastic materials opened myriad possibilities. The factories offered three important things to

By David A. F. Sweet How many high-school friends end up teaching together – at the same high school they graduated from? Meet Julie Crouch and Carolyn Konz. Friends since fourth grade, both graduated from Lake Forest Community High School in 1993. Soon after college, they both returned to LFHS as teachers. But that’s not all: for the past dozen or so years, they have even co-taught an English class for sophomores, featuring books such as The Crucible and The Catcher in th

By Carol Summerfield In case you’ve opted out of large words this year, it is the 250 th anniversary (the semiquincentennial) of the United States. Or, as it’s being branded by history museums across the U.S., America 250. Many of the historical societies and small local history museums in America began around our Bicentennial in 1976. With the 200 th anniversary, we realized there was enough history that collecting and preserving it was worth undertaking. (Lake Forest was