Take it on the run for Keshet's REO Speedwagon concert

There's a low ticket warning for the REO Speedwagon concert that caps the Kenny Rudin Keshet Concert and Campaign on Nov. 2.

The concert by the veteran rock act originally formed in Champaign, held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, concludes an initial campaign starting in August to raise $500,000.

REO previously played a concert for Keshet in 2010.

Keshet, in Northbrook, helps children, teenagers and adults with developmental disabilities feel a sense of belonging in their community. Formed in 1982, it serves 600 people annually with more than 75 different programs, 200 staff members and three residences, plus about 2,800 donors worldwide.

In 2019 the concert and campaign was named after former Keshet resident Kenny Rudin. He spent some 20 years growing up there, but died in 2019 at age 24, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. His parents, Debbi and Scott Rudin of Deerfield, are part of the Keshet concert and campaign leadership team.

Provided tickets are available past deadline, main floor tickets to REO Speedwagon were $250 and $185 for balcony level. There are also two main levels of sponsorship which includes tickets, again provided they're available, plus additional levels of sponsorship.

With the help of this fundraising concert, Keshet is nearing its fundraising goal for the year.

For tickets, visit the Keshet website, keshet.org. There's a banner right up at the top.

Trick or treat

Northbrook's Trick-or-Treat hours are 4-8 p.m. on Halloween, Monday, Oct. 31.

At the village website, www.northbrook.il.us, people may download door signs that say Trick-or-Treaters are welcome, or other signs that say no to Trick-or-Treaters.

Once it's all over, the village will hold a "pumpkin smash" from 12-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at Northbrook Court. People can toss their worn-out Jack-o'-lanterns for composting, play games and have some snacks.

Reading, writing, recognition

Retired Northbrook District 28 Superintendent Larry Hewitt cut the ribbon Oct. 20 on a new outdoor classroom at Northbrook Junior High. The space was built in recognition of Dr. Hewitt's 15 years in the district.

Located next to the junior high's outdoor garden, the outdoor classroom features seating and a teacher's desk made from cut rock. It includes pebble paths, native shrubs and perennial plants.

The space is centered around the Terezin Tree, a silver maple that is a descendant of a tree planted in the Terezin Concentration Camp in Prague and nurtured by children during the Holocaust.

Northbrook residents Sam and Dede Harris had donated the tree as an educational took and symbol of hope and courage. It was planted on June 1, 2017.

The $27,000 outdoor classroom, designed and built by J.D. Mathein of Green City Gardens in Northbrook, was funded in part by donations from each District 28 school parent-teacher organization, and by individual donations to salute Hewitt, who retired after the past school year.

"I've said several times during my tenure here what makes District 28 so special are the people - the staff, the board members, the parents, the children and the entire community," Hewitt said in a release.

"So here we stand, and thanks to all of you, this dream of mine and others is real, and as I gaze about I can picture in my mind teachers and students in the garden and in this beautiful classroom, using and enjoying what we've created."

Sunshine delivery

Students at Wescott School in Northbrook delivered some sunshine to the Sunshine State earlier this month.

It came courtesy of more than $2,600 in donations to American Red Cross Central Florida that Wescott students and staff collected from sales at a drive-through lemonade stand.

Wescott's Helping Hands Committee, comprised of teacher volunteers, led the effort. Students in each class rotated shifts at the lemonade stand that was located on Wescott's circle drive at 1820 Western Ave.

Supporters simply drove up to collect their cool glass of lemonade and support Red Cross Central Florida, helping residents recover from Hurricane Ian that struck the state in late September.

In a release from Northbrook/Glenview School District 30, Wescott School first-grade teacher Sharon Latek, Helping Hands co-chair with fourth-grade teacher Courtney Sislow, said: "This plan could not have been executed in less than a week without everyone's help."

When not manning the lemonade stand the Wescott students wrote chalk messages of support to the Floridians.

"The students were able to make signs, collect donations and be a part of making a positive difference in the world," Latek said. "The lemonade stand really complimented our school theme, 'Kindness begins with me.'"

Audubon-approved

The Northbrook Park District's Heritage Oaks Golf Course maintained its standing as "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary," the park district said.

This annual program for golf courses, which Heritage Oaks first gained in 2015, recognizes a course that preserves and enhances wildlife habitat and protects natural resources. Heritage Oaks is among 900 courses worldwide to hold this United States Golf Association-endorsed certification.

In a park district release, Audubon International CEO Christine Kane praised Heritage Oaks' watershed protection and its providing a sanctuary for wildlife.

To gain the acknowledgment, a golf course must meet criteria in environmental planning, water conservation, water quality management, chemical reduction and safety, outreach and education, and wildlife and habitat management.

The 2020 renovations of the course emphasized design that enhanced natural areas and improved stormwater management.