Northbrook in 60 seconds
Spartans backers unite for bash
Tickets are still available - but probably not for much longer - for the Glenbrook North Booster Bash on June 12.
Held from 6-9 p.m. at Willow Hill Golf Course, 1350 E. Willow Road, Northbrook, the evening offers a chance to hang out with neighbors, Glenbrook North coaches and fellow Spartans. It can be especially nice for incoming Glenbrook North families.
The event will be held outdoors, though at the time of the announcement masks and social distancing were encouraged. Booster Bash will offer food, beverages and entertainment. And, with proceeds benefiting Glenbrook North athletics, there will be opportunities to contribute to the cause, including a 50/50 raffle.
The Glenbrook North Booster Club is the sole fundraising group supporting the Spartans athletic department.
Ticket price includes dinner catered by Josh's of Northbrook, which will offer a choice of chicken, hamburger or Polish sausage plus sides and chips. Willow Hill will provide cash bars inside and outside for speedy service.
The emcee-DJ duo Spice City Music - comprised of Glenbrook North students - will provide entertainment, and along with the raffle there is a virtual online auction held concurrently with Booster Bash. Contributions of new merchandise or professional services, of over $100 in value, are still being sought; contact auction coordinator Heather Wilensky at heathermichellewilensky@gmail.com for details.
A ticket to attend costs $50. A 50/50 raffle ticket is $20, and attendance is not required to participate.
There also are three levels of sponsorship available: $250, $500 and $1,000 levels. Each level of sponsorship includes two tickets to Booster Bash.
To purchase tickets, visit the Glenbrook North Booster Club website at gbnbooster.org.
Bravo
The North Shore Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary June 9 and June 11-12, with both in-person attendance and online streaming. In-person concerts will be held at The Village Presbyterian Church, 1300 Shermer Road, Northbrook, and will be limited.
Artistic director and violinist Vadim Gluzman and NSCMF executive director and pianist Angela Yoffe have assembled a strong program performed by many musicians familiar to Music Festival audiences since its 2011 debut.
Surprisingly, thanks to donor support including lead sponsor The Alphadyne Foundation, complementary attendance is provided both in-person and online. To reserve in-person seating, call (847) 370-3984 or email office@nscmf.org. There will be a "robust" safety protocol for those wishing to attend the performances at the church.
The June 9 concert will be "Mostly Beethoven" in honor of Ludwig Van's 250th birthday. Performers include Atar Arad, viola, a professor at Indiana University's renowned school of music; and the Ariel String Quartet, winner of the Cleveland Quartet Award.
June 11 presents both a preconcert performance by students from the Betty Haag Academy of Music and a program titled "Romance from France" featuring recipients of the North Shore Chamber Music Festival's own Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund.
June 12 offers "Brahms & Company," heavy on piano. An initial Haydn piece features both Gluzman and Yoffe along with cellist Wendy Warner. A Dohnányi modern sextet follows, capped by Brahms' "Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34."
Should in-person attendance not be available, the concerts will be streamed at the festival website, www.nscmf.org and on the platform of the festival's media partner, The Violin Channel.
For a brochure and to inquire about attendance, visit the North Shore Chamber Music Festival website.
Police report of the week
A Northfield resident on Colonial Drive reported a suspicious incident to the Northfield Police Department around 8:50 a.m. May 20. The caller reported finding a chicken drumstick wrapped in wire in the resident's backyard.
Welcome to the fleet
The Northbrook Fire Department welcomed a new vehicle to its fleet earlier this month. The new fire engine will be placed in service at Station 10, 650 Huehl Road.
The new engine includes advanced life support medical equipment in addition to fire suppression equipment. It replaced an engine that had been on the job 20 years.
Northbrook Fire Chief Andy Carlson said the new, custom-made fire engine had been ordered in June 2020 and approved as part of Northbrook's budget in the 2019-20 fiscal year. Delivery usually takes around nine to 10 months, he said.
Northbrook gets its engines from Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisconsin.
"These vehicles are really high-tech, complicated, state-of-the-art," Carlson said. Other than driving people for medical treatment, the engines offer "basically everything" that an ambulance has, he said.
The Northbrook Fire Department maintains two front-line engines and a ladder truck. The engines stay in service 20 years, their first 10 in front-line service before joining other emergency vehicles in reserve. Retired engines typically go to auction or are donated to small fire departments in need around the country.
Carlson added that the department is set to receive a new ambulance within the next 2-4 weeks. That will join the fleet of three front-line ambulances with two in reserve. The village retains ambulances for 11 years, he said, five to six years in front-line service.