Robert Thompson Marks 26 Years at Lake Street Church

By Victoria Scott

Within the last 18 months three Evanston clergymen have celebrated 25 years with their congregation.  Peter Knobel (Beth Emet the Free Synagogue); Robert Thompson (Lake Street Church) and David Handley (First Presbyterian Church) have had significant impacts on their congregations - and their city.  Here is the story of one.

Robert Thompson preached his initial sermon at the First Baptist Church of Evanston, 607 Lake St., on Nov. 2, 1980, just two days before the country elected Ronald Reagan president. 

He was just 31 years old.  He suggests that he had gone to seminary mostly to escape the draft.

Twenty-six years later, in the wake of midterm elections signaling another political shift, Rev. Thompson is still at the helm of the church whose address, but little else, remains the same.

Under his guidance, First Baptist Church has effected change both inside and outside its walls. 

Even its name is different.  In 1995 the church became the Lake Street Church to reflect a position Rev. Thompson describes as "very much on the margins" of the American Baptist tradition.  It is still affiliated with the American Baptists, he says, because the denomination, with its "free church tradition," grants autonomy to local congregations.

The name change occurred in 1995, ten years after Rev. Thompson began advocating for it.  First Baptist, he says, was "always a liberal church" but on his arrival had only 95-100 people, mostly elderly, attending worship services on Sunday.

The old guard "couldn't fathom a name change," he says.  Yet he says he "knew there were people in the community who would respond - but couldn't get past the name of the church."

The situation had not altered by 1994, when Rev. Thompson counted just 75 in the congregation the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  He was spending 15 to 20 hours a week on sermons and thought, "Why should I invest myself?  I can find something else to do." 

That December he announced to the board that "things had to change and that I had a plan."  In fact, he admits he only "sort of did."  But he initiated talks with each board member so as to include everyone in the decision. 

The next year they voted to become Lake Street Church.

Between 275 and 300 people now attend Sunday services there.

The church waded into community affairs long before its name change.  One of its biggest efforts was to bring together Evanston's white and African-American populations in the early 90s.

After learning that African-Americans had left their church in the 1870s to found their own Second Baptist Church, First Baptist decided to make amends.

A committee at First Baptist drafted a statement of reconciliation, says Rev. Thompson, and presented it quietly to Reverend Hycel Taylor and his church leaders.  The two groups expressed the desire for a public witness and began planning for a Reconciliation Service.

The service began with a sermon by Rev. Thompson at Second Baptist.  Then some 800 people, Rev. Thompson recalls, walked from there to First Baptist, where Rev. Taylor preached.  The event concluded with a celebratory picnic across the street from the church in Raymond Park.

Still, finding "a way to bring together African-Americans and whites so we actually live together," says Rev. Thompson, is "a persistent issue."

He also sees affordable housing as a present and growing problem in Evanston.  He points to the proliferation of expensive condos - and the failure of the referendum to increase the real estate transfer tax in order to fund affordable housing.  Evanston, he worries, is "squeezing out the possibility of affordable housing." 

His church intervened early in the problem of homelessness.  In 1994 Connections for the Homeless converted the church basement to Evanston's only shelter for the homeless, Hilda's Place.

Under Rev. Thompson's leadership Lake Street Church has stretched beyond the borders of Evanston - and of Christianity - to explore interfaith worship.  Rev. Thompson served for four years as chairman of the Parliament of World Religions.  And he continues to facilitate programs like "Being Muslim in America," which drew 150 people to Lake Street Church in October.

Somewhere along the way, he says, he saw his "impure motives" for attending seminary transformed into a real calling to the pastoral ministry.  And he has some advice for his younger self: "Sit down and shut up."

One of the gifts of aging, he says, is the "capacity to sit and be present with others and ourselves in a way we may not have been able to be at a younger age. My days of ambition are behind me," he says.  "To everything there is a season."

The heterogeneity within a liberal Christian church makes it hard to agree on "what holds us together," he says.  He watched the church struggle to write a new covenant two years ago.  In the process, he says, it revealed itself to be "a healthy spiritual community - one that has the capacity to reflect" and is therefore "best-equipped to make a difference in the world."  

Considering his 26-year ministry in Evanston, Rev. Thompson says he is most gratified by "what an extraordinary community" Lake Street Church has become.  "It's all about the people," he says.

The Reverend Robert Thompson has presided over many changes during his pastorate at Lake Street Church, including a new church name and exploration of interfaith worship.

"The Syringa Tree"

A Book Review By Sue Brooke

"The Syringa Tree" by Pamela Gien is a powerful novel based loosely on her own life and on her award-winning play of the same name.

The author grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, during apartheid. Her own grandfather was murdered by Rhodesian freedom fighters, and for years her family concealed their nanny's child so it would not be sent away to Soweto.

The rule was very strict: No black people without papers were allowed in the suburbs after dark.

When the story opens, Lizzy Grace is 6 years old, a hyperactive child with a vivid imagination. She plays beneath the syringa tree, a beautiful lilac-flowering tree that one can hide in for hours.

 Her father, a doctor, is away from home most of the time. Her mother is pretty and sweet but fragile, so Lizzy turns to her nanny, Salamena, for nurturing. Soon Moliseng is born to Salamena, and, because they cannot get working papers for an infant, they have to hide the baby away from all prying eyes.

Lizzy's father is an atheist of Jewish descent and her mother is of English descent, which means they do not fit in with the Afrikaners.

The descendents of the Dutch Boers, Afrikaners feel that the land is theirs and theirs alone and the Dutch Reformed Church is the only religion.

Next door lives Loeska, the child of a lofty Afrikaner family, and Lizzy longs to play with her and her toys, like her shiny new bicycle. But because Loeska treats Lizzy as though she is beneath her, Lizzy turns more and more to Salamena and her baby for company.

It is her job, she is told, to hide the tiny baby away whenever there is a knock at the door.

The story, covering the years of apartheid, relays poignantly what it was like to be a white outsider, watching as the blacks were sequestered off to poverty in Soweto.    

Whites, too, lacked a voice in the government. Yet some did resist. Many were sent to jail or deported. Some left and abandoned their homeland, feeling shame and guilt and yet love for the land they had left behind.

This powerful novel will make readers wonder if they would have had the courage to do what was right. Pamela Gien makes her native South Africa come alive in all its beauty, as she writes about her days of hiding beneath the flowering syringa tree.

"Miss Witherspoon"

A Play Review By Brian Murphy

Miss Witherspoon is having a bad afterlife. She is sick of the living process -- the learning of language, dealing with one's parents, and growing to fear that which we cannot control -- and has decided to spend eternity in a euthanized state, free of the worries of the world, the human condition and the afterlife. Unfortunately her caseworker, Maryamma, refuses to allow Miss Witherspoon to escape into nothingness, instead urging her to return to earth until she improves her karmic balance.

Playwright Christopher Durang ("A History of the American Film," "The Actor's Nightmare") is best known for producing works that are cynical, satirical, absurd and funny. The Next Theatre Company does an impressive job translating Mr. Durang's caustic yet surprisingly optimistic take on reincarnation and human responsibilities.

Director (and Next Artistic Director) Jason Loewith has assembled a perfect cast, especially Linda Kimbrough (Miss Witherspoon). Mr. Loewith's greatest gift as a director lies in his ability to guide his performers with great care, allowing the playwright's voice to speak clearly to the audience. Although Miss Witherspoon's ramblings about the ills of the world (9/11, Skylab crashing to the earth) are slightly manic, Ms. Kimbrough wisely holds back.

Miss Witherspoon does not care to return to try and make the world a better place; she would rather commit suicide (which she does, repeatedly) than live in the monotonous, bitter world. Mr. Durang flings Miss Witherspoon back and forth from earth to the afterlife; each time Miss Witherspoon fails miserably to improve her karma. In one life, she has affluent parents, and in another, her parents are rednecks. Both sets are played by Kirsten Fitzgerald and the very talented Joseph Wycoff ("The God of Hell," "Omnium Gatherum").

While her guiding force on earth is a teacher (Genevieve VenJohnson), her unwanted inspiration in the afterlife consists of caseworker and karmic expert Maryamma (Anita Chandwaney), Gandalf from "Lord of the Rings" (Mr. Wycoff is hilarious as the bearded sage) and Jesus, presented here as an African-American woman (Ms. VenJohnson shines as a surreal son of God).

While Mr. Durang's characterizations and plotlines may tend toward the absurdist, they never stray completely from reality. Even the most ludicrous character has something true to say and the most bizarre scenario contains a core of verity. Miss Witherspoon has been bruised and beaten by life and she just wants to escape it. Most people have at least some understanding of that feeling.

Mr. Durang shows us that that anything can and should be laughed at, because if we do not, we may start crying. Mr. Loewith's play moves us in powerful waves and is constructed in multiple layers, like the well-imagined, cut-out stage built by scenic designer Brian Sidney Bembridge. By the time you think to look into the dark corners and wonder how all this makes you feel, it is over, leaving one to think and to heal simultaneously. It is outstanding.

Miss Witherspoon runs 80 minutes with no intermission.

The Next Theatre Company is located at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street. The production runs through December 17, 2006. For Tickets and performance information, call 847-475-1875 x2.

Inspired Creative Kids Corner Needs New Space

By Nick Churchill

At 3009 Central St., just north of Central Park, Creative Kids Corner sits in a small red brick building that a passerby might not give a second glance. A fenced side yard is full of children's play equipment.

Besides these brightly colored pieces, a small sign hanging over the front door is the only indication that this building is any different from the countless condominiums that dot both sides of the street.

But the inside of the building leaves an impression: children's artwork hangs on mural-painted walls, a full kitchen looks on to a whiteboard glossed over with translations of French food recipes, and what seem to be closet doors open to reveal unanticipated rooms.

This is the space that Creative Kids Corner - a childhood development center focusing on arts education - stands to lose at the end of the year.

CKC is losing their two-story home - which includes rooms used for motor development, art, music, dance and cooking - because the building they occupy is changing hands.

"We've been looking for a new location tirelessly," says CKC director Linda Kusel. "We've been looking at houses of worship, we are applying for studio space at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, and we've looked at commercial space. We knew the museum was the new landlord and had hoped we could remain neighbors."

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, CKC's next-door neighbor, officially becomes the new landlord in January, when it begins to operate independently from Kendall College.

CKC was also owned and operated by Kendall until the college moved to a new Riverworks campus on Chicago's Goose Island in January 2004.

CKC learned of the property transfer in August and was granted a four-month extension thanks to a vigorous writing campaign from parents to the center's contacts at Kendall College.

But CKC is in a state of limbo as the museum and Kendall settle on the terms of their separation.

"The new board [of the museum] wants to maintain and operate the museum independent of Kendall. We're moving to hopefully having everything in place by the end of the year," says Kendall Vice- President David Donnenberg.

Entering its ninth year, CKC offers a wider variety of classes than ever and utilizes all of its space, making the move that much more difficult.

From creative dance to French cooking and language, from Chinese language and culture to a class for siblings, all classes are taught by a specialized and talented staff of nearly a dozen.

"Everybody has their own outside talent and additional career - it's a cool environment," says Ms. Kusel. Children range from 6 months to 13 years old, but classes are all age-specific.

Babies and toddlers come with their parents to interact in the center's warm learning environment. "They tailor it to the age of the children," says parent Beth Gladstein, "but it's fun for the adults too."

CKC has supportive families who return to them year after year, child after child. "It's like an institution," says parent Liz Landon. "My third child is in the program. The predictability - it's like a pre-preschool."

She also says that CKC is one of the few places where infants can interact with others their own age. Ms. Kusel values her clientele and has posted signage around the play areas to ask for their help.

"People have been throwing out suggestions. They are being as helpful as they can be," Ms. Kusel reiterates, stressing the fact that space is difficult to find in Evanston.

For now, CKC's best hope for a new space may be the Noyes Cultural Arts Center. As the holiday season approaches, Mrs. Kusel has drawn on loyal former parents and staff members for references, and is trying to stay positive about her chances of finding a new home for her center and her children.

Evanston EATS

Gingerbread Home for the Holidays

By Mary Helt Gavin

Gingerbread Home for the Holidays. It was not clear who was more interested, children or adults, as chef Michael Niksic took them step-by-step through the baking and making of a gingerbread house earlier this month at the Library.

From the practical - beveling the edges of each piece of the house so the icing will stick like glue - to the whimsical - creating a beach house, a Halloween house or a valentine house - Mr. Niksic assured his audience members that they could construct a sweet house for the holidays.

He provided recipes for the gingerbread and patterns for the house and passed around some balls of dough so rookie cooks would know how it is supposed to feel when it is ready to bake.

During the demonstration he also made the two required icings: royal icing, used to glue the parts of the house together, hold the candy decorations and secure the house to its base, and meringue, used for decorative icicles and swirls.

"You do not have to be a pastry chef to do this," Mr. Niksic told his audience, as he demonstrated such things as filling and using a pastry bag, keeping the roof from sliding off and fastening the chimney to the house.

The decorations themselves give the personal touch, and Mr. Niksic showed the boys and girls and their parents how to make Snoopy's dog house and decorate it for Christmas, hanging a wreath on the front and putting a stuffed Snoopy in front or within. The candy on the roof always includes his signature candy-cane heart, Mr. Niksic said, fixing their crooks and ends together and gluing the heart with royal icing.

The house is "completely edible," Mr. Niksic said, but it is "not intended for that use. Once finished, the house should be kept away from direct heat, sunlight and humidity. The handling instructions he included with the recipes give tips on storage - a house should last for three to five years - and repair.

Mr. Niksic, who gives regular demonstrations of creating gingerbread houses, can be reached at 847-763-8186.

Chef Michael Niksic's Meringue

8 extra-large egg whites or 12 oz. liquid measure (Must be clean, no yolks)

16 oz. (1 lb.) granulated sugar

2 T cream of tartar, slightly rounded

Use whip attachment on the mixer. Add egg whites first, then the sugar and cream of tartar together. Mix at a medium-slow speed for about a minute, then whip on high and till mixture holds a firm peak and sugar granules are completely dissolved.

This icing is for decorative purposes and is not strong enough to hold the house together. Use the meringue to cover the [Styrofoam] base; to represent icicles hanging from the roof and as fallen or drifted snow to trim window sills, tree branches, fences or street lights. This is enough for two houses, depending on the size of the base. The icing can be covered with ground Oreo cookies for an "earth" effect or yellow corn meal for "beach" effects.

Recipes for royal icing and the gingerbread-house dough appear online, www.evanstonroundtable.com.

Ladd Arboretum: Part Two

By Libby Hill

If the north portion of Ladd Arboretum is a walk in the wild, south of Bridge St. it is comparatively tame. Open settings characterize various commemorative sections, which are bound together by a gravel pathway.

Friendship Garden
A stroll toward Emerson Street, starting at the Bridge Street parking lot, will take a walker first to the Rotary Club of Evanston's International Friendship Garden. The Friendship Garden was intended to be the only part of the arboretum with any semblance of formality. Actually, it was not in landscape architect Ralph Melin's original plans. The Evanston Review explains that Melin's original designs for the south section were put aside when Rotary's Community Service Committee, chaired by City Manager Bert W. Johnson, proposed creating a garden as "a living symbol of our friendship for Rotary clubs throughout the world, an example of people to people friendship." The Club raised $12,000 for the plantings, and the garden became a reality in late April 1961. It is significant that Edward R. Ladd, in whose memory the arboretum was founded, was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Evanston.

Standing at the entrance and looking to the south, the visitor is immediately struck by the perfect symmetry of the plantings. Symmetry was a Ralph Melin trademark.

The Friendship Garden begins between identical rows of carefully manicured shrubs. The shrubs widen to encircle a garden designed in the form of Rotary International's wheel-shaped emblem. The three-season plantings are enticing even in fall, when the auburn shrubbery contrasts with waving cream-of-wheat-colored grasses and pruned leafy perennials. Immediately beyond the circle is an approximately 650-foot formal grassy mall, flanked by identical rows of flowering crabapple trees. Behind the crabapples are taller, regularly-spaced hawthorn trees.

Gardens need maintenance. Without it they become overgrown, weedy and shabby, and trees die. In 1999 the two rows of flowering crab trees, which were highly susceptible to apple scab, were replaced with 54 more disease-resistant ‘Profusion' cultivars. In 2005, to celebrate its national centennial, the Rotary Club of Evanston rejuvenated and rededicated the circle garden and added an underground irrigation system.

At the far south end of the mall, the Club added a friendship circle. A Club brochure shares its hope that the circle, built from stone and brick, will provide a tranquil, scenic location for meetings, performances, lectures and other special functions. Individuals and groups are invited to recognize a special person or organization by purchasing various sizes of commemorative bricks.

In November 2006 the Club added a simple aluminum globe sculpture at the mall's halfway point, signifying its global reach. At the globe, be sure to look down at the base, where prints of maple leaves and seeds have been whimsically pressed into the concrete.

Independence Knoll
The flagpole atop Independence Knoll flies the U.S. and Evanston flags. The knoll is framed by symmetrical weeping willows and Cockspur hawthorns. The sections are seamlessly integrated, and the circle is, in fact, carved into the knoll.

The original flagpole, a gift of the North Evanston Fourth of July Association, was dedicated on July 4, 1965. (The Association upgraded the flagpole a few years ago.) The Evanston Review covered the 1965 scene with marvelous photos. One shows Cyrus R. Broman, then president of the Association, atop a platform on the knoll. He is scattering three pounds of soil delivered from Independence Mall in Philadelphia by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

During the ceremony, Harry L. Wells, then vice president emeritus of Northwestern University, emphasized the importance of the adjoining sections. He stated that the knoll symbolizes "the quiet meeting place of minds, the only way to settle the crisis of the world today... a sanctuary for birds, quiet paths among flowers and shrubs, an international friendship garden, in the hope that we might have world peace." Two members active in founding the Association drove up in a 1922 Ford, symbolizing the year in which the Association was founded.

Profits from the Association's 1962 and 1963 Fourth of July programs in Dyche Stadium [now Ryan Field] financed the landscaping and the flagpole. (Does anyone else remember when the fireworks, held in the stadium for a price, were invisible to bystanders, who waited patiently outside to see the Big Ones?)

Washington Heritage Walk
The path south from Independence Knoll is part of the 100-yard long Washington Heritage Walk. A gift of Washington National Insurance Company, once headquartered in Evanston, the section was originally named "Cherry Tree Walk," to honor George Washington and his legendary, ill-fated cherry tree. The plantings were varieties of cherries, which belong to the rose family.

Over time, the cherry trees failed to thrive. In summer 1987 the company revitalized the walk in honor of its 75th year of being in business, 50 in Evanston. Working with Fred Gullen, parks horticulturalist, they diversified the trees to hardier specimens that, according to the plaque, "exemplify the horticultural interests of our nation's first president."

George Washington was an inveterate gardener who, when he was not leading troops across the Delaware or elsewhere, longed to be home tending his estate. He favored the inclusion of native plants. Mr. Gullen chose the natives Red chokeberry, (Pyrus arbutifolia), Fringe-tree (Chionanthus virginicus), Washington hawthorne (Crataegus phaenopyrum), Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Red lake currant (a Ribes rubram cultivar), Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), Redbud (Cercis canadensis), and Dwarf catalpa (Catalpa bignoniaceae ‘nana'), in addition to exotic dwarf Korean lilac, Japanese tree lilac, Nanking cherry, Bonica rose, Dr Merrill magnolia, horse chestnut, and honey locust, many of which survive to this day. At the end of the walk is a circle divided into four sections by pathways, each section planted with hardy shrub roses surrounded by perfectly trimmed yew hedges.

Women's Terrace/Lilian Aspegren Gazebo
A short walk through evergreens, birches and undulating terrain brings you to the "Women's Terrace," hidden behind very tall junipers and shorter shrubs. On April 29, 1971, Dorothy Bohnen, a long-time member of the Ladd Arboretum Committee, suggested to the Committee that "the rest of the Arboretum yet to be planted [from the Washington National Section almost to Emerson Street] be dedicated to women of Evanston, past and present." She later recommended the section be set off by "a summer house or gazebo-type structure which could serve as a focal point and might be used for weddings or receptions." The honorees were to be "women who have lived in Evanston at least ten years, who are deceased or nearing retirement and have made a major contribution to Evanston or [have a] long active life of contributions." Committee minutes include discussions about how to recognize honorees but indicate no permanent resolution to this question.

The gazebo, a simple colonial style brick structure with a shingle roof, was designed by Howard Irwin and Ralph Melin and donated by the Aspegren family in honor of Lilian Aspegren, a lifelong Evanstonian involved in many civic activities. The gazebo and Women's Terrace were dedicated on Arbor Day, 1975.

Prairie Lookout
Beyond the gazebo is an attractive sign introducing the prairie patch along the bank of the North Shore Channel. The Evanston Environmental Association pamphlet from the late 1970s shows a prairie restoration covering the banks from Emerson Street to Green Bay Road, the low plantings preventing timber fall-downs that might restrict channel flow. Only this small piece was completed. Carved from the poison ivy, buckthorn, garlic mustard and other invasive species that have taken over the banks, the prairie patch is a small but welcome relief. A prairie requires regular burning to maintain its diversity and health. From its inception, it has received scant attention, yet it remains surprisingly tough and diverse. Quietly overlooking the prairie opening, one may enjoy a variety of blooms, birds and butterflies.

The 1970s pamphlet designates the section between the gazebo and Emerson Street as the "Dwight & Lucy Fitch Perkins Memorial Section." Committee minutes indicate that the gift was originally intended by donors Larry and Midge Perkins, eminent lifelong Evanstonians themselves, to honor Larry's sister Eleonor, who had died in 1969. The plantings were to be simple with "a burst of color, fall or spring, [to] best express her "vivid personality." The name change to the Perkins's parents is unexplained in the minutes, and the sign on the pink granite boulder is missing. Dwight Perkins was an outstanding architect and father of the Forest Preserve System. His wife Lucy was best known for her series of children's books about twins around the world. Ladd Arboretum ends (or begins if you are starting at Emerson) here with plantings of river and paper birch and knolls of blue spruce.

The City's consultant, BauerLatoza Studio, has the challenge of creating a master plan for the arboretum. The arboretum today invites the visitor to take a daily run, walk a dog, ride a bike, watch birds, head off in a canoe or kayak, or quietly enjoy serene communication with nature. How does the variety of commemorative installations in the south section contribute to the original purpose of the arboretum, to create a living educational and aesthetic memorial to longtime civic leader, Edward R. Ladd? (See Evanston RoundTable Nov. 1, 2006)
Other than regular maintenance, what would benefit - or not benefit - the arboretum? Could volunteer groups "adopt a knoll?" Channels are open for opinions about the entire arboretum. Contact Stefanie Levine, the City's landscape architect, in the Evanston Parks/Forestry and Recreation Department, 847-448-8043. Or fill out a public survey form, obtained at the Ecology Center building, 2024 McCormick Blvd or online at www.laddarboretum.org.

The flag at Independence Knoll and the Rotary Friendship Garden are focal points of the south section of the Ladd Arboretum.

The prairie restoration section was rescued from invasive non-native plants.

Feeder Watchers Wanted for Christmas Bird Count

People can perform a valuable scientific service from the comfort of home by counting the birds at their feeders on Dec. 30 for the 46th Chicago North Shore Christmas Count, sponsored by the Evanston North Shore Bird Club.

The local count takes place in a 15-mile diameter circle which includes most of Evanston, Skokie and Morton Grove and is part of a nationwide effort through the Audubon Society to find out which birds are thriving and which are not.

Last year's feeder watchers counted 30 bird species including Coopers hawk, cedar waxing and red-breasted nuthatches. Interested feeder watchers should call Eleonora di Liscia, ENSBC Feeder Count Compiler, at 847-568-0160, to participate.

Ann Harness of Evanston has participated in the feeder count for at least ten years. She started feeding birds at her home 25 years ago and the prior owners fed birds 90 years before her, she said.

"Once in a while I've had life birds here. The very first redpolls I ever saw were at my windowsill, and once I had a whole flock of evening grosbeaks," said Ms. Harness.

While redpolls and evening grosbeaks normally live farther north, the birds periodically migrate to our area during years when food is scarce.

Ms. Harness enjoys the Christmas feeder count because "that way I can participate no matter what the weather," she said.

Hardy birders will be cruising the count area; anyone who wishes to join may call compiler, Tim Wallace, 847-548-2654. The Waukegan Count takes place Jan. 1; interested birders can call Joel Greenberg at 630-725-9416.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count began in 1900 as an alternative to the Christmas hunt. Data from the count is widely used by scientists to track the changes in bird populations.

In the 1960s, Christmas Bird Count data alerted scientists to the decline of the bald eagle, which was later linked to DDT poisoning. Banning of this pesticide has since led to the recovery of the eagles as well as other hawks. Recent count data documented a 90-percent decline in crows after the arrival of the West Nile Virus in Evanston.

Birds that visit Chicago backyards in winter include the charcoal gray dark-eyed junco, tree sparrows, downy woodpeckers, and, yes, American robins. While the robins of summer have flown south, winter robins hail from Canada.

On the lakeshore, birders might expect to see bufflehead and common goldeneye ducks, only found here in winter. In years of short northern food supplies, the lakefront provides a home to the dramatic snowy owls.

Some of the most interesting birds found on a Christmas Bird Count have included varied thrush and Townsend's solitaire, both western birds, and the sage thrasher, normally found in sagebrush country.

GroundBreaking

Pitching in at the groundbreaking are, from left, Developer Ron Fleckman; City Planner Morris Robinson, First Ward Alderman Cheryl Wollin, Second Ward Alderman Lionel Jean-Baptiste, Mayor Lorraine Morton, Developer Walter Kihm, Fifth Ward Alderman Delores Holmes and Community Development Director James Wolinski

.Ground was broken Nov. 15 for the first large-scale market-rate new housing development on Evanston's west side in many years. The Church Street Village project will see 40 townhouses built by Cyrus Homes on the site of the former Hines Lumberyard at 1613 Church St. Developer Ron Fleckman says 12 of the units have already been sold. The announcement of plans for development of the Hines site sparked planning now under way by the City to rezone largely under-utilized industrial property all along the former Mayfair railroad corridor for residential use.

The new development will feature energy-efficient geothermal heating systems, and Mayor Morton shook hands with members of the Community Builders crew who will be working on that and other aspects of the project. Prices for the two- and three-bedroom townhomes, most with two-car garages, range from $367,500 to $480,500.

 

Honoring Alice.

Pictured left to right are Ms. Kreiman's granddaughter, Naomi Talsky; Mr. Brown; Ms. Kreiman; and Housing Options President Peter Michaels

.Nearly 100 persons, including Mayor Lorraine Morton and Alderman Elizabeth Tisdahl, 7th Ward, gathered at a private home on Sunday to honor Alice Kreiman and her work at Housing Options for the Mentally Ill in Evanston, Inc. Housing Options renamed Bell House, its first home, Kreiman House, in recognition of her dedication. Ms. Kreiman served on the Board of Housing Options for nine years, recruiting others "and really building up the board," said one former board member.

Putting his hand on her shoulder, Alexander Brown, executive director of Housing Options, said to her, "I've seen you dominate meetings. ... When there were heated discussions, Alice calmly pushed us to finally agree and do the right thing."

"Alice's activities on behalf of children and persons with disabilities are well-known in this community," said Jerry Kreiman, her husband.

Ms. Kreiman also served on the District 65 School Board, as both member and president, was active at the Evanston Art Center, overseeing the holiday market for many years, and served on the board of the McGaw YMCA during the construction of its new recreation wing. Her behind-the-scenes advice to elected officials and other civic leaders seemed equally well-known. Lucile Krasnow, a former Housing Options Board member, said, "I'll bet everyone here has sometime gotten a call from Alice to serve on some board or committee somewhere."

Input Needed for Board, Commission Study

In June, the City of Evanston formed a joint committee with members of the League of Women Voters Evanston to review the City's 38 boards and commissions.

This review is an action item for the City's Strategic Planning Goal 11: More Effectively Utilize Boards and Commissions.

The joint committee has begun to review the function, responsibility and structure of all the boards and commissions to maximize their effectiveness.

Recommendations for changes on the individual boards and commissions will be submitted to City Council and the individual boards and committees. Improved recruitment processes, standardized training, orientation and succession planning for members and assigned staff, and routine periodic review procedures and oversight will be recommended for future development and implementation as a result of the study findings.

The review process includes analyzing findings gathered through interviews and questionnaires from members and staff of the City's boards and commissions. A resource sub-group is researching board and commission procedures, practices, and benchmarking techniques used in other cities.

As part of the review, the joint committee is also soliciting comments from City residents who have attended any City board or commission meetings regarding their experiences and suggestions.

Evanston residents who are not currently serving on a board or commission can fill out the short questionnaire online by going to www.cityofevanston.org/boardsurvey.

Alternatively, a copy of the questionnaire will be mailed by contacting Jessie Feldman, 525 Grove St. #6A, Evanston, IL 60201.

Questionnaires will also be available at all locations of the Evanston Public Library and the City Clerk's office in the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge. For more information on the survey, contact Brad Yatabe in the City of Evanston Law Department, 847-866-2937.

Vehicle Stickers on Sale

Vehicle stickers and residential parking permits for 2007 are on sale in the City Collector's Office and Parking Systems, located in the on Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.

The 2007 vehicle stickers are $60 and must be purchased and displayed by Jan. 10, 2007. City of Evanston ordinance requires all vehicles registered to Evanston addresses to properly display valid City vehicle stickers. A penalty of an additional 50 percent of the original fee will be added to all applications received after Jan. 10, raising the passenger-car vehicle sticker to $90.

City Council amended the City Code that increases the penalties for not obtaining or displaying a vehicle sticker to $50 plus a $20 additional penalty if not paid within 10 days. Senior citizens ages 65 and older are eligible for a 50-percent discount on the purchase of 2007 vehicle stickers if income-level qualifications are met.

Linda Twyman Vigil

Family, friends and neighbors of Linda Twyman, an Evanston resident who was murdered in her home over Thanksgiving last year, invite the community to a vigil and gathering at 4 p.m. on Dec. 2 in front of 1144 Ashland Ave., where she lived.

Before the vigil, starting at 2 p.m., friends of Ms. Twyman will distribute Crimestopper fliers. At 4 p.m., holding roses, they will gather at the Ashland Avenue address then adjourn to the Malankara Church, 1208 Ashland Ave., where friends and family of Ms. Twyman will speak.

A representative from Crimestoppers will be at both the vigil and church gathering. The organizers say everyone is welcome "to honor her memory, hope for justice and support the neighborhood in memory of Linda Murphy Twyman."

At present, Acting Police Chief Dennis Nilsson told the RoundTable, there is no news in this year-old unsolved murder. "I ask every Monday about news from old cases, and so far there is nothing new."

League Sponsors Talk on Guantanamo

"Guantanamo: Who Will They Come for Next?" is the topic of the League of Women Voters lunch to be held at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 5 at the Celtic Knot Restaurant, 626 Church St.

The featured speakers will be Gary Isaac, an attorney with Mayer Brown Rowe and Maw, who was the co-author of an amicus brief in the Supreme Court in Rasul v. Bush on behalf of retired military officers and who has, since 2003, been actively involved in litigation challenging the U.S. Government's detention of alleged "enemy combatants" at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base and elsewhere and Joe Margulies, an attorney and professorwith the MacArthur Justice Center and at Northwestern Law School, who has represented detainees held at Guantanamo and is the author of "Guantanamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power."The cost is $15, payable at the door; reservations are recommended by contacting Mimi Gilpin at mimi.gilpin@comcast.net or at 847-328-3963.

Evanston Fire Department Seeks Applicants

The City of Evanston Department of Fire and Life Safety Services is planning a test on March 10, 2007, to recruit new members. Anyone who wants to take the test and is interested in a career with the Evanston Fire Department is requested to complete an application and submit it in person by 5 p.m. on Feb. 23, 2007, to the City's Department of Human Resources, Suite 1600, 2100 Ridge Ave.

Online applications are available for download at www.cityofevanston.org/joinefd. Paper applications can be obtained between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. from the Human Resources Department and the Fire Department Headquarters, 909 Lake St.

Applicants are welcome to attend an optional tutorial on March 3, 2007.

Contact the Evanston Department of Human Resources, 847-866-2918.

Community Snow Meeting

Snow parking regulations in Evanston begin Dec. 1. All Evanston community members are invited to the City of Evanston's first community snow meeting to find out what they need to know when it snows. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30 in the Council Chambers of the Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.

City of Evanston Public Works staff will present the rules and regulations about parking in Evanston during snowfalls, hand out new snow brochures and answer questions from the audience. Evanston Mayor Lorraine H. Morton will also make a presentation to the classes at District 65 schools who participated in the City's inaugural Painting Evanston's Plows (P.E.P) contest. Call the Streets and Sanitation Division, 847-866-2940.

Thanksgiving Cornucopia.

Last Wednesday, Evanston firefighters put together Thanksgiving baskets and delivered them to Family Focus to be given to 12 local families. The baskets, with "turkey and all the fixings," were purchased with Evanston Firefighters Association IAFF Local 742 union funds, said firefighter Rob Byrne.