By Jillian Beaster The Committee Representing Our Young Adults (CROYA) annual poinsettia sale is in full effect through Nov. 11. Elizabeth Tunney, a senior at Lake Forest High School, is fundraising chair and retreat leader for the CROYA youth organization. She oversees the poinsettia sale. Elizabeth Tunney (left) gets together with CROYA co-founder Margot Martino after delivering poinsettias to her in 2025. “Something that I think makes people want to help is that donation

By Jillian Beaster What started as a small support group of international students has evolved into a thriving organization that highlights the diverse cultures of Lake Forest College (LFC) students. LFC’s International Student Association (ISA) is a cultural and community-based club that aims to uplift and support its members through events, fundraisers and collaboration. One World: A Cultural Journey, ISA’s largest event of the year, will showcase art, dance and music at th

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 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

By Spencer Trees The Lake Forest High School Boys Varsity golf team is no stranger to success. In their time in the North Suburban Conference (NSC), the Scouts have won three state championships in the past 20 years and captured numerous NSC titles. “Our goal is to win state,” said senior golf captain Michael Hahn. Added senior captain Raunak Whadera, “We came in fourth last year, but five out of our six starters have returned, and we think we have a really good chance to

By David A. F. Sweet Growing up in the Milwaukee area, Elizabeth Sweet loved playing all sorts of sports, from basketball to soccer to cross country. She dreamed of playing varsity basketball at Homestead High School in Mequon. She achieved that goal – but few watched their games. Elizabeth Sweet's Fill The Stands helped girl athletes attend a pro women's soccer game recently. “We had a big field house, and 200-300 watched the boys. For us, it was just parents and the band

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 Carol Summerfield In 1897, Illinois became the first state to provide women with the opportunity to become a registered and licensed architect. And, in 1898, Marion Mahony Griffin passed the Illinois state exam, making her the first officially licensed female architect in United States history. She was also the first employee hired by Frank Lloyd Wright. But women architects were a limited group, with only one other female in the licensed architect ranks through 1920. In

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 Tess Uihlein The following talk was given by Senior Class President Tess Uihlein during the Lake Forest High School graduation this month. When telling people I was given the opportunity to write a graduation speech, I was typically met with wide eyes, quickly followed by unsolicited advice. My oldest brother Mac said, “As long as you don’t talk about the definition of a Scout.” The senior class president of 1988, Vince Vaughn, told me to make people laugh, but quickly

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 David A. F. Sweet The City of Lake Forest tapped The Cotton Duck as its new food partner at Forest Park Beach. Co-founders Cecilia Lanyon and Dominic Zumpano, who are Lake Forest residents and long-time restaurateurs in the city, discussed what they plan to offer this summer. Why were you interested in running the Forest Park Beach concessions? I (Cecilia) grew up in Lake Forest, and summertime meant every day at the beach! We are so fortunate to have access to this gor

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 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 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