Historic Old Town Building Would Look ‘Horrible’ With Accessible Garage For Teen In Wheelchair, Neighbors Say November 15, 2018
OLD TOWN — One Old Town family’s push to add a garage to their historic home — a garage they say they need for their daughter who uses a wheelchair — is being met with opposition from a historic group in the neighborhood. Homeowners Bill Deakin and Lisa Diehlmann own a house in the 1800 […]
Storm Drops Inch Of Snow On Chicago, But More Could Come This Weekend November 15, 2018
NORTH CENTER — A Thursday morning snowstorm dropped more than an inch on parts of the city. The storm was largely over as of 10:30 a.m., with the worst of it hitting the South Side, said Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Midway Airport reported 1.1 inches of snow, and Castro said most areas probably […]
The Hideout Could Get Landmark Status, But Supporters Still Want Lincoln Yards Plan To Slow Down November 15, 2018
LINCOLN PARK — Dozens of supporters of The Hideout, a small but influential bar and music venue located near the site of the massive Lincoln Yards project, showed up to a public meeting Wednesday night to urge Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) to delay any movement on the development until after the February municipal election. The Hideout’s […]
Love The Hideout? Then ‘Please’ Show Up To Lincoln Yards Meeting, Owners Tell Supporters November 14, 2018
CHICAGO — If the proposed Lincoln Yards development turns out to be anywhere near as massive as planned, The Hideout, a bar and venue beloved by musicians and progressive politicos, could be in danger. And while owners of the bar have been defiant about plans to stay put in the shadows of a possible soccer stadium, […]
Free Lincoln Park ‘ZooLights’ Begins Nov. 23 With 2.5 Million Lights November 13, 2018
LINCOLN PARK — Lincoln Park Zoo will flip the switch on 2.5 million lights around the zoo beginning on Nov. 23. The 24th annual “ZooLights” is a hit each year, offering people a chance to stroll around the animals, drink warm spiced wine and cold beer, watch ice sculpting and more. The lights are on […]
Chicago Is Colder Than Alaska Today (And Yes, This November Has Been Brutal So Far) November 13, 2018
NORTH CENTER — Chicago’s getting hit with its eighth day in a row of unusually chilly weather. The city got as cold as 19 degrees at O’Hare Airport on Tuesday morning, and temperatures were only expected to hit the mid- to upper 20s during the day, said Ben Deubelbeiss, a National Weather Service meteorologist. That’s significantly […]
Can King Drive Sparkle Like The Mag Mile This Holiday Season? Volunteers To Light Up South Side Stretch November 13, 2018
WASHINGTON PARK — A group of volunteers are trying to make King Drive as bright as the Mag Mile for the holidays. My Block, My Hood, My City — which takes kids from the South and West sides to explore the city and supports local block clubs — is collecting holiday lights to decorate the South […]
3 Masked Men Rob A Trio Of 7-Elevens In Bucktown And Lincoln Park Within An Hour November 12, 2018
BUCKTOWN — Three 7-Eleven stores in Bucktown, Lincoln Park and the DePaul campus area were robbed within the same hour early Sunday by a group of three men, according to police and a 7-Eleven franchisee. The robberies took place at: • 5:20 a.m. Sunday in the 2600 block of North Clark Street • 5:28 […]
Rally To Save Old Town School Of Folk’s Armitage Avenue Building Planned For Saturday November 9, 2018
LINCOLN PARK — Students unhappy with the Old Town School of Folk Music’s decision to sell its Lincoln Park building are planning a rally Saturday afternoon in front of the school. Students plan to gather at 3 p.m. at the school’s 909 W. Armitage Ave. building. It’s happening two days after students delivered to the […]
People In Lincoln Park, Near North Side Robbed Of Phones 4 Times Last Week November 9, 2018
CHICAGO — People walking in Lincoln Park and on the Near North Side had their phones snatched from them four times last week. Three of the robberies happened on Halloween. The robbers, one or two boys or men, walked up to victims and grabbed their cellphones, according to a Chicago Police community alert. In some instances, […]

The Fire Station Park, a project of the Lincoln Central Association, has won a 2017 Chicago Excellence in Gardening Award, a city-wide gardening competition created to acknowledge the many gardeners who help to make Chicago a beautiful, sustainable and welcoming place to live and work.

Sally Drucker, LCA Parks Chair and Board Member, and LCA Vice President Kathy Jordan received the award on behalf of Lincoln Central at the awards ceremony in the Chicago Cultural Center.

LCA President Kenneth Dotson said, "Congratulations to Sally, in particular, whose vision and leadership of the park has brought this wonderful achievement to LCA."

The competition featured gardens from 26 Chicago Wards, including homes, schools, churches, universities, associations, businesses and demonstration gardens. Categories included community gardens, school gardens, residential gardens (vegetable, ornamental, specialty) and other gardens. Fire Station Park was entered in the "other" category, since it includes both vegetable and ornamental plants indigenous to Illinois.

Newsletter & Website Each Receive Awards for Publication Excellence

LCA was honored earlier this month with a Grand Award and two Excellence Awards in the 2017 APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. LCA was the only volunteer non-profit to be honored in the international communications competition, now in its 29th year.

Other organizations whose creative was honored include Ford Motor Company, American Cancer Society, Bank of America, GEICO, International Monetary Fund, Merrill Lynch, American Bar Association, Lockheed Martin, Augusta National Golf Club, Pacific Life, Disney, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Prudential Insurance, NASA, the National Football League, among others.

The Grand Award (shown below) came in the Design & Illustration category for LCA's suite of event and organization logos shown below. Judges attributed the award to (read more).

Natural Elements Salon Is "Best Place to Get Fit & Refreshed

Natural Elements Salon, owned and operated by LCA member Edda Coscioni, is the "Best Place to Get Fit and Refreshed," according to online voting in the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Awards. The awards ceremony, hosted by WGN-AM's Patti Vasquez, was held at the Steppenwolf Theatre on October 24. Other winners Molly's Cupcakes for "Best Place for Coffee & Sweets"; Nookies for "Best Place to Brunch"; Dirk's Fish and Gourmet Shop for "Best Place to Shop"; the J. Parker for "Best Place to Drink"; Westend Dental for "Best Neighborhood Service Provider"; Lincoln Park Zoo for "Best Place for Arts and Culture"; and Summer House Santa Monica for "Best Place to Dine." Read more about the awards.

.......the "superb visuals" of the logos and their "clever headlines and slogans." APEX Grand Awards, the highest given in this competition, honor the most outstanding work in eleven main categories.

For the second consecutive year, LCA's newsletter, From the Heart, received an APEX Award for Publication Excellence. Judges cited a September 2016 sidebar article authored by Kathy Jordan on the late Conrad Moulton, father of local artist Josh Moulton, as an example of the newsletter's quality content. The senior Moulton was a famed, New York-based illustrator of print advertising, text books, and encyclopedias for four decades. APEX Excellence Awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the ability to achieve overall communications effectiveness.

LCA's website also received an APEX Award for Publication Excellence, in the 1 to 2 Person Published Website category.

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Nov 22, 2018 – LCA Monthly Board Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Dec 11, 2018 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Dec 27, 2018 – LCA Monthly Board Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Jan 8, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Jan 24, 2019 – LCA Monthly Board Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Feb 12, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Feb 28, 2019 – LCA Monthly Board Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Mar 12, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Apr 9, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, May 14, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Jun 11, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Jul 9, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Aug 13, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Sep 10, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Oct 8, 2019 – LCA Monthly Zoning Meeting

With dozens of kids breaking through a "Bauler 2016" banner, the Bauler playground at Wisconsin and Cleveland opened to the public after months of work to remove old equipment and install new, updated playground equipment loaded with innovative, fun pieces to explore.

LCA has served as the fiscal agent for Bauler Park for many years, but President Kenneth Dotson credited 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith, the Bauler Park Advisory Council, headed by Leslie Miller, and the Chicago Park District for the successful outcome. "LCA has long assisted Bauler Park," said Dotson, "but projects like this don't get done, especially not ahead of schedule, without a group of dedicated parents and neighbors, the full support of the Alderman and resources and execution from the Chicago Park District. The Bauler playlot renovation was no exception." The renovation was part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's "Chicago Plays" initiative, which is providing updated equipment for playgrounds in the city.

The completion of the renovation comes just in time for LCA's 9th Annual Howler at Bauler, the annual Halloween celebration for neighborhood children that is held in the park each October. More on the history of Howler at Bauler is included in the November issue of From the Heart.