Lester: Suburban politicos have a secret society: 'Order of Raccoons'
Much ado has been made about the exclusive hunting society the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia belonged to, which came to light when he died last month while on an outing of the International Order of St. Hubertus. In recent months I've become aware of a local version, composed of suburban political and business figures, that's been in existence for more than 40 years.
Only, members say, the Royal Order of Raccoons - a twist off the social club featured in the 1950s
Jackie Gleason sitcom "The Honeymooners" - is a far less formal affair, sans St. Hubertus' green velvet robes and Latin motto. Instead, Raccoons say, activities primarily entail fishing, drinking beer and jawing about things in a manner their wives likely wouldn't approve of. Raccoon hats, however, are worn at times.
Just who?
The group was started by longtime Kendall County Republican chair Dallas Ingemunson in the early 1970s. He's deemed the "Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler" of the group. Other members include former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, former U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde's chief of staff Pat Durante, former Illinois House Speaker Lee Daniels, former Metra Chairman Jeff Ladd and Arlington Park Chairman Dick Duchossois. "It's all kinds of businessman, politicians, judges, elected officials on both sides," Durante, who declined to name any Democrats, tells me. "If the legislature could get along as well as we do," he said.
Meetings take place about four times a year, involving fishing trips in Hayward, Wisconsin, and meals often at Ki's Steak & Seafood Restaurant in Glendale Heights.
Office hours
Meanwhile, Ingemunson's middle son, Boyd, recently left the family business of politics to work on expanding the suburban music scene. Boyd Ingemunson spent months gutting the longtime
family law office on Bridge Street in downtown Yorkville and turning it into a pub and music hall, which will open to the public Friday with a concert featuring folk artists Roger Hoover and the Speedbumps and a range of local craft beers on tap. Ingemunson says a few touches of the law office remain, with some of its shag carpeting framed on the walls to absorb sound during concerts. Admission is $10. Check out The Law Office Pub & Music Hall's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/lawofficemusichall/?fref=ts.
Judge and jury
Two Kane County judges have been spending a good chunk of time outside the courtroom educating teens in the Fox Valley about the ramifications of sending harassing text messages, sexting or videotaping underage drinking parties. Chief Judge Susan Boles and Associate Judge Clint Hull tell me they'd been giving a talk about "reasons to leave a party" when they were approached by a middle school teacher about a perspective they might be missing - the pitfalls of being a technology-savvy teen. "We don't come off as hard-nosed judges who are set on scaring kids straight," Hull, a father of four, says. He tells me one of the most interesting parts of the experience is hearing thought-out questions kids ask after the presentation - such as, what happens if you receive an unsolicited nude photo of a peer?
(The answer? Get rid of it during a "reasonable" period of time, and don't access it often, Hull says.)
The judges' next presentation is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Thompson Middle School, 705 W. Main St., St. Charles.
Toe to toe and eye to eye
With their state Capitol offices close together during their days in the Illinois Senate, Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton and President Barack Obama were known for their toe-to-toe debates. One area where they might agree: Limits on politically incorrect speech on campuses. Roskam launched into a tirade on the subject during a Ways and Means Committee meeting in Washington last week, warning that colleges are increasingly "shutting down the marketplace of ideas" - which he said could ultimately risk their nonprofit status. Obama, meanwhile, has noted that limiting politically incorrect speech is a "recipe for dogmatism."
Kosher Iron Chef?
Three of the top kosher chefs in the Chicago area will compete in a cooking challenge spinoff of the popular Food Network show "Iron Chef" at 4 p.m. Sunday at Temple Har Zion in River Forest. Ayelet Danino from Skokie-based Bites of Pleasure, Glenn Simon of PaNosh kosher Catering in Buffalo Grove and Steven Greenberg of Chicago TailGators of Skokie will go head-to-head cooking one appetizer, one fish entree and one dessert from a mystery box of kosher ingredients. Dishes will be judged by John Shields and Karen Uhre, a husband-and-wife team who both worked at Charlie Trotter's. Interested? Attendees are asked to make a donation of at least $36 per person. You can register for the event by email at office@wsthz.org.