DG Homegrown
Melissa Gorman creates a supportive resource for people living with cancer
By Valerie Hardy United by Unique” is the three-year theme for the annual World Cancer Day, which is held on Feb. 4. The alliterative credo reflects the fact that behind every diagnosis is a distinctly individual human story. The campaign aims to raise awareness and inspire action, specifically toward placing people at the center of…
Read MoreThe Fairmount Ave. Soap Box Derby
It’s all downhill for this Randall Park neighborhood tradition By Maureen Callahan It’s kind of a slice of Americana,” laughed Chris Mac-Kenna when he described Fairmount Avenue’s annual Soap Box Derby. It’s almost like a throwback in time. Picture a neighborhood in 1955. Neighbors socialize up and down the street while kids race down the…
Read MoreKidpreneur: A goal becomes a reality for Henry Casson
By Chuck Fieldman Henry Casson may only be a 9-year-old fourth-grader. But that hasn’t prevented the Downers Grove resident from already being able to add “entrepreneur” to his life experiences. Henry’s mother, Kelly Casson, said her son’s interest in running a business goes back to late 2022 when he became very interested in vending machine…
Read MoreA Full Plate: Bales Metal Surface Solutions celebrates four and a half decades
By Maureen Callahan We kind of live in an episode of How It’s Made,” jokes Stacey Bales, President of Bales Metal Surface Solutions, when she describes her family business. The Downers Grove based metal finishing company has been a fixture in the Belmont Avenue industrial corridor since Stacey’s father, Steve Bales, started it in 1978,…
Read MoreA business on a mission
A granola brand created by Downers Grove’s Kiley Fields tastes good and does good By Valerie Hardy According to food historians, granola was initially created in the early 1860s by James Caleb Jackson, a nutritionist from New York. Originally called “Granula,” Jackson’s invention is often considered the first dry, whole grain breakfast cereal. About 15…
Read MoreGripping Joy: Alison Miles jumped into socks one foot at a time
By Maureen Callahan About five years ago, Downers Grove resident Alison Miles began feeling tired and weaker than usual. Simple tasks such as lifting a laundry basket had become difficult. Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with Pompe disease – a relatively rare genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness. The body is unable to break…
Read MoreDavid Rokos: A local musician’s new album makes a smooth landing
By Valerie Hardy | Photos by 726 Visuals When his second album, “This Is Landing,” was released in June, David Rokos reflected on his path to this point. Rokos recalled “falling in love with Blink-182” when he first heard their music. He asked his parents for a guitar and began taking lessons at the Lincoln…
Read MoreLore Swieca: Celebrating the turn of a century at the friendly confines
By Cynthia Maquet In 1930, Downers Grove resident Lore Swieca attended her first Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Ninety-three years later, she is still a loyal Cubs fan. On July 16, 2023, Swieca and 54 of her closest friends and family took a charter bus from Downers Grove to the Friendly Confines to celebrate her…
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