Stories for you

Oak Brook resident builds career, pursues dreams at Brookfield Zoo Chicago
By Anna Hughes | Photos courtesy of the Brookfield Zoo Chicago For most people, the dolphin show at Brookfield Zoo Chicago is entertaining. Captivating. Majestic. For Tim Sullivan, it was life-changing. Sullivan was 17 years old the first time he saw the show. He went home that night—for the first time ever—with a career path…

Oak Brook Historical Society Starts Intern Program
The Oak Brook Historical Society is pleased to announce the launch of the John and Janet Baar Summer Intern Program, a unique opportunity for students and history enthusiasts to gain hands-on experience in museum operations and historical preservation. John Baar, a veteran educator and former Village Trustee, and his wife Janet, a retired Abbott Labs…

Butler School District helps shape the next generation of Girl Scouts
By Anna Hughes For over a century, Girl Scouts have been making a positive impact on their communities and in the world. The organization has produced generations of leaders, fiercely passionate women, philanthropists, and lifelong friendships. There are troops in over 92 countries, and over 50 million women have been a Girl Scout at one…

Writer’s Workshop: Oak Brook resident to tell her life story in upcoming book
By Anna Hughes Sitting on the couch of her Oak Brook home, Joan Salvato gestures to a large black photo album on a chair across the room. She jokes that, at 88 years old, it’s too heavy for her these days and asks me to bring it over to her. Despite our 64-year age difference,…

Growing Pains
Get to know the dads behind the Candor Health Executive Board By Anna Hughes Growing up is hard. Sometime around the end of elementary school and during middle school years, clothes start to fit differently. Friends start to act differently. Sleepover talk turns from Barbies to boys. From games to girls. These years of being…

The Best of Chicago, for Chicago
Meet Julie Maddox, creator of NBC’s “Chicago Today” By Cynthia Maquet Lifestyle, fashion, food, health, and beauty are just a few of the trending topics that are covered every weekday morning on NBC’s Chicago Today. The show, which first premiered in September of 2019, will begin its sixth season of entertainment this fall with the…

Turning a Leaf
by Mia Jones As the days start to get a little cooler and kids are going back to school, there are a variety of fall events across DuPage for everyone to enjoy this year. Whether it’s a nature-filled walk or a fundraiser with brewery samples, we’ve got you covered. Elmhurst Craft Beer Fest Elmhurst History…

Something to Write Home About
Hinsdale author earns national recognition for her latest novel By Anna Hughes Meet Cristina Henríquez. She’s a critically acclaimed author who has called Hinsdale home for the last 17 years. The Northwestern alum has written four books: Come Together, Fall Apart (New York Times Editors’ Choice selection); The World in Half; The Book of Unknown…

Hall of Famer and San Francisco Forty-Niners General Manager John Lynch
By Maureen Callahan Few professional athletes can claim a record within 500 yards of former Tampa Bay Buccaneer/Denver Bronco John Lynch. Now guiding the Forty-Niners from the General Manager’s office, Lynch leads with a spirit of courageous competition. Hinsdale Magazine Group Contrib-uting Editor Maureen Callahan caught a few moments of the Hall of Famer’s summer…

Fall at the Sports Core
Cool sunny days make fall the perfect season to enjoy your sport of choice at the Oak Brook Sports Core. Whether your passion is golf or tennis, the excellent facilities here can help you take your game to the next level this fall. Oak Brook Golf Club With 18 scenic holes, Oak Brook Golf Club…

Former Hinsdalean takes home the Miss Illinois USA crown
She is Beauty, She is Grace By Anna Hughes Grace Rodi has spent half her life in the pageant industry. Her passion started at 12 years old when she received a letter in the mail inviting her to participate in a local competition. At 5-foot-11, she was too tall for gymnastics, and her self-proclaimed “two…

A Fighting Illini
Local UIUC freshman discusses cancer battle in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month By Anna Hughes Adrian Lam was weeks away from starting his freshman year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was a healthy, active 18-year-old boy from the western suburbs both excited and nervous to take the next step in his life.…

Global Reach with Local Roots
Ball Horticultural Company has grown to be the industry’s innovator By Anna Hughes Ball Horticultural Company is to be a major force in horticulture right here in the western suburbs. Driven by its commitment to pioneering plant science and supporting the needs of growers and retailers worldwide, it has grown from a small flower business…

Resurrecting Mary: Chicago’s most famous ghost-in-residence
By Maureen Callahan Legends. Every corner of the world has them. Local lore is part of a location’s identity. One dyed-in-the-wool staple of this area is the story of a young girl on her way home from an evening ball. Since the Roaring Twenties, Resurrection Mary has managed to elude dance hall patrons and cab…

Travel: Pure Michigan
Autumnal days on Michigan’s “Sunset Coast” are the perfect weekend trip when the weather turns cool By Mia Jones Discover why Lake Michigan’s coastline is a fantastic place to visit even beyond the summertime. Within a comfortable, maximum three-hour car ride from the western suburbs of Chicago, you can take your pick from vineyards, restaurants,…

What’s Brewing
Local Oktoberfest celebrations have fun for the whole family on tap this fall When September hits, Oktoberfest isn’t far behind. The famed fall festival originated in Munich, Germany, in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Ludwig, the Crown Prince of Bavaria, to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The celebration, open to the entire city, included…