the daily

Christmas Walk 2009 offers an evening of festivities

The 18th annual Christmas Walk takes place Saturday (Dec. 5) in downtown La Grange.

Click here for a schedule of events and a map of merchants holding open houses this year.

Cossitt School holds 2009 used clothing sale Saturday

This year's used clothing sale at Cossitt School will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, from 8 a.m. until noon.

The sale features fall and winter clothing in "gently used" condition for boys, girls and infants. Sports shoes, bicycles and baby equipment also will be offered for sale.

A half-priced yellow-tag sale runs from 11 a.m. until noon.

Only adults will be admitted before 10 a.m. Children will be allowed thereafter if accompanied by an adult.

Cash and personal checks (with ID) will be accepted as payment. Sorry, no credit or debit cards.

The school is located at 115 W Cossitt Ave, one block west of La Grange Rd. Click here for map and directions.

For more information, call (708) 352-1931.

West End Art Fair 2009 sets up this weekend

The 14th annual West End Art Fair happens this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12-13, along Burlington Ave in front of the Stone Ave train station in La Grange.

The juried festival, which features 125 artists from across the country, will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days. Visitors will find paintings, sculptures, woodwork, jewelry, photography, watercolor, and mixed media creations.

One of the easels to be offered at the
Art Under the Stars auction.

The fair also will be the setting for an Art Under the Stars auction Saturday evening of 47 artworks that were displayed on easels all summer long throughout the downtown and the West End business districts. The artworks all are take-offs with a La Grange twist of well known masterpieces by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh, Rockwell, Wyeth and Salvador Dali.

Click here to view all 47 easels in an online gallery hosted by the La Grange Business Association (LGBA), which sponsored and promoted the event known as The BIG Picture. The easels also will displayed all day Saturday under the trees at the Stone Ave station.

Proceeds from the auction, which begins at 5 p.m., will benefit the Pets and Pals Charity and the La Grange Historical Society.

In conjunction with the auction, the LGBA also is hosting three other events on Saturday:

• High School Film Festival from 11 .a.m to 4 p.m. in the newly renovated La Grange Theater. Students from Lyons Township High School and Nazareth Academy will showcase their short films on the big screen. The festival has five categories including dramatic shorts, comedic shorts, stop-motion animation, computer generated animation and music video. A first prize of $100 in LGBA gift certificates will be given in each category in addition to a $100 overall audience favorite award. The awards will be presented at 5:30 pm at the Art Under the Stars auction.
  
• Masterpieces on Glass from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Indian Guide tribes, Boy and Girl Scout troops, church youth groups, and individual families will team up with local businesses to create a painting of “Their La Grange” on a 4x4 foot section of the sponsoring business’s window. The pieces will be judged and prizes will be awarded at the Art under the Stars auction that evening. There is no entry fee for this contest and those interested should contact Heather Cavanaugh at heather@lgba.com for more information.
• Architectural/Historic Trolley Tours of La Grange from noon until 4 p.m. The La Grange Historical Society will host the trolley tours, which are intended to give interested residents and visitors the opportunity to learn about both the history and architectural importance of La Grange. The tours are free but tickets are required. Tickets are available at the community development office in the La Grange village hall and, if there are tickets remaining, at the festival.
  

WGN-TV gives a boost to "best downtown" kudos

Having read in Chicago Magazine's August edition that La Grange has the "best downtown," WGN-TV reporter Marcus Leshock last week visited the central business district to check out firsthand "what makes it so special."

Leshock spoke on camera with Village President Elizabeth Asperger, toured the La Grange Theatre with one of its owners, JohnRot, dropped into Horton's hardware department and also spoke with Chris Spagnola and Mary Libsch, proprietors of Knead Marketplace.

Here's his report...

 

Asperger on Chicago mag's "best downtown" kudos

In her opening remarks at last Monday's meeting of the village board, President Elizabeth Asperger thanked local business owners, village staff and residents for efforts that resulted in Chicago magazine citing La Grange as having the "best downtown" among Chicago suburban communities.

"This designation really affirms the positive momentum that we have enjoyed, the work that has taken place in our central business district for at least the last couple of decades," Asperger said.

Related story:

• La Grange has "best downtown," Chicago Magazine says

Proposed ordinance to expand drinking options for diners and others on tap for board consideration

UPDATED: Aug. 10, 11:00 p.m. -- The La Grange village board tonight unanimously adopted the ordinance outlined in the story below. It's effective date is Nov. 1.

A proposed overhaul of village liquor laws would greatly expand the number and types of venues where alcoholic drinks could be served in La Grange, and even allow diners and patrons of certain businesses to bring their own beer and wine, according to a report authored by village staff.

The report recommends that the village board adopt an ordinance granting the changes at its regular meeting Monday night.

This comprehensive update of the liquor code has been in the works since 2007 and is needed "to better reflect the changing needs of our businesses, the growing popularity of our downtown, and the marketplace chanhes related to the sale and service of alcoholic liquor," the report said.

Under the new ordinance, licenses would be created specifically to permit food and wine boutiques, cabarets and movie theaters to sell alcoholic beverages by the glass under prescribed conditions.

New tasting licenses would allow grocers and other food retailers that already hold a package beer and wine license to routinely offer sample portions by the glass to customers.

Almost any retail or service business wishing to serve complimentary drinks at a grand opening or other promotional occasion could apply for a "single event" license, with a maximum of four events per business annually.

Another new and somewhat controversial "bring your own" license would allow restaurants patrons to consume beer and wine they obtained from outside sources. BYO licenses would be available to any restaurant, whether or not they already possessed a license to sell alcoholic beverages.

Businesses offering craft-making or make-your-own meals also could obtain a BYO license to allow  consumption of beer and wine by customers while actively engaged in those activities.

The new licenses were approved earlier this year by the village liquor commission after public hearings and discussions with representatives of the La Grange Business Association (LGBA), during which concerns were raised about the BYO concept.

Some restaurant owners already holding "full" liquor licenses felt that allowing any restaurant to offer BYO service would create additional competition and weaken the value of their existing sales licenses.

As initially proposed, full-service license holders were excluded from offering BYO service, but the classification was expanded to include existing licensees as a compromise, according to the staff report. However, many existing licensees told the village they likely would not offer BYO service.

Concerns about public safety also were raised over the BYO licenses. Full service licensees are required to have their servers and sellers undergo training in order to recognize and deal with intoxicated patrons.

Restaurants who hold only a BYO license would not be required to undergo training or background checks, But they, and all holders of any new liquor licenses would be required to maintain an adequate level of liability insurance.

Restaurants currently licensed would enjoy a couple of additional perks under the new ordinance. They could sell packaged bottles of wine to diners who had just finished a meal, allowing patrons to enjoy at home the same wine they had consumed with their meal. Also, those restaurants could sell bottles of wine in volume that would then be stored on premises for the purchasers to enjoy with meals consumed at the the restaurant at later dates.

The ordinance also sets new hours during which alcohol can be consumed. For restaurants: i1 a.m. until 1 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. For all other businesses: 8 a.m until 11 p.m., seven days a week.

In a separate but related item on its omnibus agenda, the village board Monday night likely will approve two liquor licenses for Q Barbeque, a new restaurant opening this fall  at 70 S La Grange Rd, replacing Roly Poly Sandwiches, which is closing. Both businesses are owned by Michael LaPidus, who also serves as president of the LGBA.

If approved, one license would allow Q to sell beer and wine by the glass. The second is a liquor license for its catering operation.

Click here to read the full staff report and ordinance.

Major roof fire erupts at Wal-Mart in Hodgkins

La Grange personnel were among more than 75 firefighters who responded Thursday afternoon to a raging fire that erupted on the roof of the Wal-Mart store at the Quarry shopping center in Hodgkins.

Click for larger image

The fire broke out shortly after 1:00 p.m. as a construction crew was working on a major expansion of the store. Billows of thick black smoke rising from the fire could be seen easily from downtown La Grange. The fire was so big, it sent debris flying onto Interstate Hwy 55, reports said.

No one was injured as shoppers and workers were evacuated from Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and other nearby stores.

The fire was under control by about 2:15 p.m., according to Chief Dan Hermes of the Pleasantview fire protection district.

Hermes told Chicago television station WLS that crews from neighboring communities, including La Grange, were needed in the event firefighters had to "open the roof" to the battle the fire.

"Roof fires are very dangerous, especially if you get a fire underneath the tar paper, it can travel very far," Hermes said. "It could have been a lot worse but we were lucky. We were able to contain it in the immediate vicinity."

Wal-Mart remains closed this afternoon as workers clean up debris from the fire, but a store representative said it was hoped the store would reopen by 7:00 this evening.

Video of the fire provided by abc7chicago.com.

Village should let pawn shop open rather than pay $250,000 or more for 'snobbery,' newspaper opines

La Grange officials should allow pawnbroker Andrew Grayson to open for business in a vacant storefront next to Village Hall in order to avoid paying a quarter-million dollars or more as a consequence of outlawing downtown pawn shops just weeks after issuing Grayson a business license, the Suburban Life newspaper said in an editorial published in this week's newsstand edition.

"Snobbery definitely has its price, and La Grange officials seem eager to pay that expense in lieu of living by their own rules," the newspaper said.

Grayson and his landlord, John Brannen, in a letter to La Grange officials June 25 proposed the village pay them each $125,000 or face a "likely lawsuit" if officials proceeded with their effort to amend the downtown zoning code to prohibit pawn shops and a half-dozen other newly undesirable businesses. 

The village board of trustees July 13 formally approved the amendments upon the recommendation of the plan commission, which held a public hearing on the matter June 29.

At that hearing, Grayson said he felt "misled and duped" by village officials who initially embraced his plans to open All-Star Jewelry and Loan at 71 S La Grange Rd and issued him a business license May 21. 

Suburban Life said Grayson "acted in good faith" and "had met the legal requirements for opening a legal business."

"Rather than accepting the reality that the town's zoning permitted such businesses downtown, village officials caved in to the gripes of local merchants," the newspaper said. "And now they will probably have to shell out at least $250,000 because they have refused to stand up for Grayson's right to operate a business."

Instead of blocking Grayson's plans, the village "should let the free market decide if La Grange is fertile soil for a pawn shop," the newspaper said.

Reached for comment Wednesday afternoon, Grayson said he was unaware of the editorial, but welcomed the support. He declined to comment on the status of any discussions with village officials other than to say, "My attorney is handling that."

Village officials also have made no public comment on the matter. However, it is assumed that the "probable or imminent litigation" cited by the village board of trustees for meeting in closed session July 7 was in reference to the letter sent by Grayson and Brannen.

In a related legal action, the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan July 15 asked the village's attorney, Mark Burkland, to explain the basis for citing that exception to the Open Meetings Act.

The Attorney General's action was taken in response to a request from La Grange Today publisher Thom Rae, who said he believes the closed session may have been improper as the board had not yet formally taken any action upon which the litigation could be based.

Rae cited a 1983 opinion from then-Attorney General Neil Hartigan who determined that a closed session held by the Springfield city council following threats of litigation over a proposed land annexation was "premature" because the council had not yet approved the annexation.

Burkland's response to the Attorney General is expected by Aug. 14.

La Grange has best downtown, Chicago mag says

La Grange has the "best downtown," according to the August edition of Chicago Magazine, which annually ranks the best things to be found in the region.

Noting that La Grange was not unlike many suburbs whose downtowns had attracted "appealing restaurants and stylish boutiques" in recent years, the magazine found it unusual that "tried-and-true old-timers like the hardware store, the art league and the camera shops have stuck around, too."

Kudos also were given to the weekly farmers market and police patrolling on Segways.

"It all feels like a Mayberry for the 21st Century," the magazine wrote, echoing a description often invoked by Village President Elizabeth Asperger.

Ed. Note: A hat tip to reader Barista...Kook for the heads up on this story.

Village Potters offer some bowls for life's cherries

Local residents who take classes at the Terra Incognito clay studio and gallery in downtown La Grange know the joy of sharing one's work with family and family. Clay bowls and sculptures make lovely gifts.

But after several months of taking classes, their creative output was accumulating while their lists of likely gift recipients was dwindling. Who else might appreciate their clay craftwork? they wondered.

They found their answer at the La Grange Farmers Market, where 19 of the students have been offering their wares for sale every Thursday morning under the moniker, Village Potters.

In the video below, one of students, village resident Juanita Davis, talks about the group's venture and shows off some of their offerings.

This video was shot in mid-May soon after we acquired our camera. The footage was edited earlier this month as it took some practice to get the hang of our new editing software. Sales at the Farmers Market have grown significantly for the Village Potters, Juanita reports. Two weeks ago, the booth sold 40 pieces. All 19 potters have sold at least one piece so far this summer.