Family Sledding at Lake County Forest Preserves

The dog days of winter are upon us, when we are all hoping for warmer weather to arrive sooner rather than later. Even with it being cold outside, there are plenty of activities for everyone in the family to enjoy such as sledding, skiing or any activity at our forest preserves, Broadway shows and musicals at the Genesee Theatre and Lincolnshire Marriott Theatre, and indoor entertainment at RinkSide Sports. These are more reasons why Lake County is perfect for family fun all year round!

I like to get out and enjoy the forest preserves every time I get a chance to especially during the winter the months. The sled hill at Old School off St. Mary’s Road in Libertyville is open every day when conditions allow until sunset. This is a great hill in the area and I almost always see other people using it when I drive past. The only things that are not allowed on these hills are sleds with metal runners and snowboards. Another great hill in the area is the sled hill at Lakewood Winter Sports Area, off Fairfield Road in Wauconda, which is lighted and open daily until 9pm. If you are into cross-country skiing, you can also do that on the groomed trails at both of these forest preserves. The Lakewood Forest Preserve also has marked snowmobile trails.

Recently I found out that January is National Ice Skating Month. Now, mind you I am not a good ice skater as I have only done it several times. The above mentioned Forest Preserves as well as Independence Grove, offers outdoor ice skating. At Independence Grove, the designated skating area is located on the southern end of the lake, west of the main recreation area. If you prefer skating indoors, RinkSide Sports inside Gurnee Mills Mall is the perfect place. I recently stopped in and did some ice skating, mini golf and played some arcade games. RinkSide offers so much to do, that when you get cold from skating you can warm up by playing laser tag or try any of their other activities. Check out my experience at RinkSide in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GlUk2atx6k.

My wife and I also enjoy going to the Lincolnshire Marriott Theatre for one of their amazing Broadway shows or musicals. You can see the stage from any seat, making this a great venue to watch a play. Currently, the musical, Guys and Dolls is playing through March 27th but they also have these shows upcoming 42nd Street, SHOUT!, For The Boys, and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. They even have a children’s theatre and the next show is; How Can You Run With a Shell On Your Back?, which starts March 3.

Another great place to watch Broadway performances is the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan. This is a magnificent theatre in general and has a lot of history. Some of the upcoming shows are Skinnygirl Night Out – A Conversation with Bethenny Frankel, star of “The Real Housewives of New York” which is this Friday, January 28th. On February 5th it is The Temptations and February 7th is Riverdance – The Farewell Tour. Be sure to check out our website http://www.lakecounty.org for all shows and events happening throughout Lake County. Hope to see you out and exploring our great area!

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The TreeHouse in Lake Zurich has quickly become my go-to place to let the kids burn off energy. What appears to be one ginormous jungle gym seems to keep my children playing for hours on end and even allows me the luxury of sitting down and reading a little bit.

The good: I appreciate that I can see the kids from just about every angle which really comes in handy. I can sit on one of their comfy couches and find my kids relative easily unless they are hidden by another child or in a blind spot somewhere. There is also a smaller play area for little kids with lots of soft toys, balls and even a little ramp/slide combo. The big kids do tend to play in this area as well but I never noticed any problems and they were always very gentle with the little ones. Plus, it seems like most toddlers are more keen to keep up with the bigger kids so the toddler area doesn't satisfy them for long.

Keep in mind that most kids under the age of three or four seem to need a little coaxing to get started. This structure has many net bridges and other obstacles that could appear intimidating to little ones. Thankfully parents are able to go through all of the obstacles with their kids, with a bit of crouching and flexibility of course. Or you can hang out in the large open area in the center of the structure while the kids play which is what i did with several friends the first time we visited the treehouse. My daughter wasn't truly comfortable on her own until she was 2.5 years old while my son, let's call him monkey boy, was relatively happy without me at the ripe old age of 16 months. Sure he couldn't do all of the obstacles but there is enough that he can do to keep him happy for hours because he lives to climb and this place offers him ample opportunities to express his monkey spirit. Despite their relative independence here, they still love for me to play with them and I happily oblige because it really is a lot of fun and a good workout.

The bad: I have to admit that my first impression upon walking in was something like "ten bucks for this" and, while the TreeHouse does not disappoint, I will caution that you can spend a lot of money here. Admission is $10 per child ages one and over but they offer a variety of membership options and, if you begin to go once every week or two, this is a great value. Keep in mind that you cannot bring you own food due to their strict peanut free guidelines. And, if your children are anything like mine, they want food any time they see another kid eating so we always plan to purchase food here and I just consider it a part of the price. On the upside, they have some fantastic menu items with lots more healthy options than you would expect. Lastly, winter weekends or days when kids are off school are crowded, sometimes unbearably so, if you have young kids, you might prefer going on a school day or coming early before it's too busy. And you will need to come early anyway if you want to claim a space on one of their couches.

The bottom line: Despite the price, we always have a blast here. I just cannot put a price tag on the chance to sink into a comfy chair knowing that both kids are having a great time in a safe and fun environment and without electronics. I am not even embarrassed to admit that I have as much fun as the kids when i join them in the treehouse. And it is always surprising to see how patient and helpful the children are with each other and aggression has been rare in my experience. After a long play group several months ago, one of my friends pointed out that "this place just has a great vibe" and I couldn't agree more.

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Written by Little Lake County Contributor Kristy Kempf

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by: Diana Dretske blogger of Illuminating Lake County, Illinois History

Lake County resident, Adlai E. Stevenson II (1900-1965) was one of the most important statesmen of the 20th century.

Stevenson was a popular and effective governor of Illinois from 1948 to 1952, before running twice unsuccessfully for president against Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956. He was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations from 1960 to 1965.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1961, Stevenson famously confronted Soviet Ambassador Valerian Zorin in an emergency meeting of the Security Council. He provoked Zorin to admit that offensive weapons had been placed in Cuba and declared that he would wait "until Hell freezes over" for Zorin's response.

Presidential campaign button for Stevenson and Sparkman, 1952. Senator John Sparkman was a conservative Democrat from Alabama. (LCDM 2009.5)

In 1937, Stevenson purchased property in Libertyville Township along today's St. Mary's Road south of Route 60. For this reason, he was known as "the man from Libertyville." Since 1960 the property has been part of the Village of Mettawa.

Stevenson loved this property and called it "the farm." He hired Frank Holland to be the farm manager and caretaker. Holland worked for the Stevensons from 1937 to 1963 and again from 1965 to 1970. Guests to "the farm" included Eleanor Roosevelt, a close friend of Stevenson's, and John F. Kennedy.

Adlai Stevenson with his farm manager, Frank Holland, on "the farm," 1948. Stevenson would share in the sheep shearing and other farm tasks. Photo courtesy of Jim Holland.

Stevenson had a remarkable political pedigree. His grandfather, Adlai E. Stevenson I, was Vice President under U.S. President Grover Cleveland from 1893-1897. His maternal great-grandfather, Jesse W. Fell, was a close friend and campaign manager for Abraham Lincoln.

There was a great sense of loss when Stevenson died suddenly of a heart attack in London, England in 1965. He was an eloquent speaker and was enormously informed in national and world affairs, working tirelessly to raise the level of the public's awareness about the world and America's place in it.

Cover of Life Magazine from 1965 in memory of Stevenson, showing him at home at "the farm." Copyright Getty Images.

In 1969, most of the property was sold to Edison Dick, a longtime friend of Stevenson. In 1974 the Dick family donated the estate to the Lake County Forest Preserves. The property has since been designated an Illinois Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Through a generous grant from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, the Stevenson Historic Home has been restored, and is open for tours. The 40-acre site is open daily for self-guided tours of the grounds. Tours of the home and exhibit gallery are by appointment and can be arranged through the Lake County Discovery Museum at 847-968-3381.

Presidential campaign slogan for Stevenson.(right)

The Stevenson Historic Home is also the site of the Stevenson Center on Democracy. The Center is a newly organized non-profit corporation which seeks to enhance the global understanding and practice of democracy, and continue Adlai E. Stevenson II's legacy. Learn more about upcoming events sponsored by the Center at the Stevenson Historic Home: www.stevensoncenterondemocracy.org/index.html

This blog was written by Diana Dretska. Here is a link to her blog page: http://lakecountyhistory.blogspot.com

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