Elmhurst ISSUE March-April 2026 - Downers Grove Magazine

First Audience

By Magazine Staff | February 20, 2026

How music begins at home and grows into a lifelong passion BY LAURA MICHAUD AND MELISSA G. WILSON The Living Room Debut Before there are stages, spotlights, or packed auditoriums, there is almost always a living room. Or a kitchen. Or the back seat of a car. For many performers, the first audience is family—people…

Mahjong Madness

By Valerie Hardy | February 20, 2026

A captivating game, equal parts strategy and social, is sweeping its way through the suburbs BY VALERIE HARDY Step back, bridge, and bunco. There’s a new game in town—mahjong—and it’s spreading like wildfire across the western suburbs and throughout the nation. The History of the Game Many Americans only recently learned mahjong, but the game…