Downers Grove Issue May-June 2024
A Page Out of History: Downers Grove’s Baseball History
BY MAUREEN CALLAHAN I PHOTOS COURTESY OF DOWNERS GROVE MUSEUM Baseball. It’s the American game. Not only is it the country’s earliest seriously organized sport (there were cricket leagues before it), but, as Civil War and baseball historian Bruce Allardice points out, the game helped heal a fractured country after a war. The Downers Grove…
Read MoreNazareth Academy Roadrunners return with hopes of defending their repeat state titles
By Anna Hughes It takes a lot to make a great baseball player: determination, grit, talent, and commitment. The Nazareth Academy varsity team has lots of those. They’re the back-to-back IHSA 3A state champions (2022 and 2023). With two trophies in just two years, they’re a force to be reckoned with. Led to victory by…
Read MoreSummer is right around the corner, and we’ve rounded up the best events of the summer including live music, fresh food, and family fun.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Paramount Theatre April 24-June 16 paramountaurora.com Enjoy an evening at one of Chicagoland’s most highly esteemed theatres for their production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. This Tony and Grammy-award-winning show tells the true story of King’s rise to fame, starting from her days dreaming of stardom in Brooklyn. Set…
Read MoreA Downers Grove North alumna who has appeared twice on Jeopardy! Who is Erin Portman?
By Maureen Callahan l Photos courtesy of Jeopardy! Downers Grove North alumna and Plainfield High School teacher Erin Portman has a lot of curiosity about life. Portman knows at least a little about a lot of topics. She recently put her acquired knowledge to good use, playing a game that focuses on inklings of vast…
Read MoreA local 24-year-old’s expertise in typewriters led to a thriving business and book
By Valerie Hardy Lucas Dul is a self-described simple person with a passion for complex machinery – specifically typewriters. Dul’s interest in typewriters may come as a surprise, however, given that he is only 24 years old. Though a digital native, Dul loves “all things analog.” The lifelong Downers Grove resident first became aware of…
Read MoreTop Shelf: Pasta Pappone makes for a delicious dinnertime… anytime
By Valerie Hardy Though neither is Italian, Jon and Mary Beth Mulholland created a lucrative pasta business lauded for its products’ authenticity, efficiency, and – most importantly – taste. The Naperville couple headquartered their gourmet-flavored pasta business in Downers Grove, but over the past few years, the brand has made a name for itself nationwide.…
Read MoreBen’s Memorial Mile helps raise mental health awareness while remembering Ben Silver
By Maureen Callahan I Photos courtesy of Ben’s Memorial Mile May marks the 75th anniversary of Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a time to consider the importance of mental health in our daily lives. Tragically, each year, thousands of people commit suicide while battling mental illness. Every summer, Downers Grove pauses to remember Downers Grove…
Read MoreFostering Love: Two local families offer foster children a safe place to belong
By Maureen Callahan The second Sunday in May is the day we honor Mom. Hers is the first love we know in this world. There’s a special group of moms also recognized this month – foster moms. May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. Hinsdale Magazine Group takes its hat off to the foster moms…
Read MoreLauren Lakeberg blends a love of photography, nature, and disc golf to create a niche business
By Valerie Hardy Lauren Lakeberg’s first word was “light” – fitting, given that she grew up to become a professional photographer. “Photography has been with me my whole life,” she said. Lakeberg got her first camera from her mother, and said once she took it apart and understood how it worked “from the inside out,”…
Read MoreAnchor on Main Street: Remembering Mochel’s Hardware
By Maureen Callahan Sometimes, a community business becomes like a town’s anchor. For 111 years, that place was Mochel’s Hardware on Main St. Charles Mochel and business partner Levi Mertz initially opened the store as Mertz & Mochel in 1884. The pair quickly earned the trust of customers in need of hardware for home repairs…
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