On a sunny autumn day last week, I took a trip down to the Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda to check out a photographic exhibit entitled "The American Soldier". I had read that the exhibit contained photographs from every American war dating back to the Civil War, but aside from that I wasn't sure what to expect. As I entered the corridor that began the gallery, I was greeted with huge, beautifully rendered photographs portraying scenes from 19th-century American history. The first word that struck me was the same word that I would use to describe the exhibit as a whole: powerful.

The first black & white prints showed small battalions of American soldiers, their faces reflecting emotions that formed a recurring theme throughout the gallery- a mixture of weariness and pride. Two portraits showed black soldiers embracing, former slaves who had fought for their freedom amongst thousands of others. Many photos stood out, and it was interesting to see shots that dated back to near the birth of the camera. A striking photo of a Union Women's Volunteer Unit showed a couple of dozen women in matching dresses, each holding matching rifles. A caption below the photo explained that the women in the unit came from every segment of the society, "from debutante to prostitute".

I entered the World War I section and marveled at a picture of smiling American soldiers drinking from steins. The caption told that the photo was from Verdun, France, 1918, and the soldiers were enjoying recently captured German beer. A nearby shot showed a massive parade of soldiers, thronged on each side by cheering citizens, marching down 5th Avenue in New York on November 11th, 1918, after the signing of the armistice. Flash forward a few decades and I found myself in the midst of World War II, where photos from early June, 1944, showed American troops during the famous siege of the beach in Normandy. A poignant picture nearby showed a fallen soldier with crossed rifles placed near his body in tribute.

Bundled-up soldiers rested in a snowy forest pass in La Roche, Belgium, in a photo from January 1945, and a crowd of cheering figures in striped uniforms eagerly greet soldiers in a shot from the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria on May 6th. Many photos were particularly solemn, such as one of the infamous "March of Death", where captured American soldiers were made to march 90 miles over six day from Bataan to Cabanatuan in the Philipines, their hands bound and without food or water. A fascinating portrait showed three American soldiers known as Navajo Indian "Code Talkers", a special unit that assisted in radio communication by speaking in their native tongue, which was indecipherable to outside forces.

I browsed through stunning portraits of soldiers from the Korean and Vietnam wars, and many of the images began to bear more familiarity to me as I entered the gallery of more "modern" wars- the first Gulf War, and the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Photos from Kuwait in 1991 showed soldiers dwarfed by a backdrop of a massive wall of fire, which turned out the be the blazing Burgan oil fields. Aside from combating enemy troops, soldiers were also made to fight against the elements, as shown by shots of soldiers hunkering down in near invisibility during violent sandstorms.

It dawned on me that American troops throughout history have fought in just about every environment imaginable, from snowy mountains to steamy jungles, to barren desert and urban streets. A photo from Afghanistan in 2002 showed soldiers patrolling rocky outcroppings as they wound their way through mountainous caves. I reflected that though the wars and soldiers were different, common threads seemed to run through the war-time experience. The faces of the men and women portrayed reflected grief and shell-shock, but also great courage, strength, and hope.

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I always love driving into the town of Antioch. It has an old fashion feel that is very inviting. One of its hidden charms is a little theatre on the north side of town called the PML theatre. PML stands for Palette-Masque & Lyre. This is its 48th season! Parking for the theatre is plentiful in the lots behind it.

Walking into the theatre is an experience in itself. You can feel the ambiance of a family atmosphere as everyone starts to greet each other from the last show when they were together. The actors are local talent, with auditions always open to the public. The theatre is a very personal experience with about 150 seats throughout. At the beginning of the show, an announcer, who is also one of the lead actors, comes out and does a raffle with the audience for a prize if their seat number is picked. And then the play begins-All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Five actors doing the whole show talking and singing and only using five boxes as their props. The play was made up of many different stories throughout, representing different stages of life from youth, to parenthood, to old age.

An intermission was held and we went downstairs to enjoy the punch and cookies that were being offered. The lights dimmed so we all knew when to head back up for the second half of the play. When the play ended the audience applauded loudly for the actors. The play was very inspiring.

Afterwards my husband and the two couples that we were with walked over to a restaurant called Oliveri North. It was a chilly night but looking into the stores as we walked made you forget the cold. The men’s store had every Chicago Team jersey on display in one of their windows and in the other window they displayed dress clothes for men. Then there was the antique store, a resale store, an exercise place and a hair salon. As we crossed the street to get to the restaurant you could smell the popcorn coming from the one-show theatre that was showing a children’s movie. Then we got to the restaurant and all enjoyed our Italian dinners so much that we decided to do this whole evening over again in Antioch. The next play at the PML Theatre starts in January and is called What the Butler Saw-a British Adult Farce.

Sounds very interesting!

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On Saturday, November 1st, I had the pleasure of taking my four year old grandson to see the 5th annual Jackie's Magic Show at Warren Township High School in Gurnee. We went to the children's matinee and the auditorium was filled with parents and their young children. Music played while we waited and the opening song was "That's Entertainment".

The show started promptly at 1pm with the emcee coming out to welcome everyone and to tell them that they could make noise during the live performances . The first act came out and one of the things we watched him do was tear up a newspaper and put it all together again! After his act was done the emcee came out to introduce the next act who told the audience to follow your dreams. Then he performed with magic circles and shared a new magic trick with the audience in which he made a smashed banana disappear in a scarf. My grandson will probably be going home and trying that one out.

The next act actually did the amazing Siberian Chain Escape with help from a boy and his mom from the audience. They chained and locked his wrists together and he came undone in one minute's time! Then he levitated the boy that was helping him. Next act was a magician with scarves that kept coming out of an empty tin can and then they all got magically connected.

The emcee came out then to introduce the last act for the afternoon. This magician lighted candles that he then made disappear. The lights in the auditorium were then turned down for the dramatic effect of red fire that he seemed to be pulling out of thin air all around him. Even coming out of his ears and mouth! After that act he came down off the stage and went thru the audience pulling coins out of children's ears. But the best act of his was the last when he went back on stage with a little girl from the audience and did a dancing scarf routine to Elvis music. To end the sho the emcee came out and so did all the magicians and teh crowd all clapped and cheered.

After the show the magicians stayed to sign autographs and there were two clowns making balloon scuptures for the children. My grandson and I had a very nice time at the magic show and I do plan on taking him back for the 6th annual show because "That's Entertainment".

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Halloween is almost here and what better way to set the mood than going to Lambs Farm’s Haunted Harvest! We arrived after dark and immediately knew this would be a definite change from our regular “day” trips to the farmyard in Libertyville. The ghosts and goblins were out!

As you walked to the entrance, you were greeted by Scooby Doo and other characters, selling some snacks and drinks to keep you warm. Yummy caramel apples and cider! We bought our tickets from a spooky character and headed off on our adventure. General admission was $15 and the individual attractions were an additional $3 - $5 each.

There were many activities to choose from; we decided to take a ride on the Enchanted Carousel first. What an experience to whirl around on decorated ponies against the jet black of the night. Exciting!


We walked through the farmyard on the CreatureWalk. You never knew what you would find around the next barn. Many of the animals were awake; however when you came upon those that were sleeping, it added to the eerie experience.

We walked through a blow-up haunted house, over a bridge that had its own four-foot wooden troll and then we saw it…the ghost in the barn. The “Jason” mask adorned a veil and moved around…very realistic, with hollers and screams and other sounds of the creepy season.


Two mice greeted us at the entrance to the goat and sheep area. We were able to go into the pen and pet the animals. Many climbed onto their platforms so they were at eye-level! Again, against the dark of the night, the Halloween music throughout the farmyard and all of the creatures, it gave you the goose bumps.

While we were there, we found out that there was a Little Goblins Gathering earlier that day as well! Activities included spooky crafts, costume contests for kids AND the family pet.

But for us, the Train of Terror was the highlight of the evening! As you walked up the ramp to the platform, a Grim Reaper slowly raised his outstretched arm, directing us toward the train…all aboard for the ride of your life! The train ran around the outside edges of the farmyard and creatures and scary characters jumped out to give you a fright from left and right. Lots of thrills came at the end of the ride while traveling through the Galter Choo Choo station.


After the train ride we decided that it was time to leave. We were sad to miss the other attractions like the Graveyard Golf and Monster Midway. We know there will be more time next year!

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Fall is not complete without a trip to a local pumpkin farm. We took a trip to Didier Farms near Lincolnshire for their Fall Pumpkin Festival. We went on Columbus Day when many kids were out of school, including mine. I thought it was going to be crazy busy. There were a lot people there and a few school buses, but it wasn’t crowded and there was ample parking. I was pleasantly surprised.
We began with a visit to see Lucy the pig and her new babies. The kids were fascinated by the mommy pig and babies! We then went to buy some tickets for rides and crafts. Tickets are $1 each and most rides and attractions take 3 or 4 tickets. They have some fun mechanical rides – scrambler, dragon train, mini cars, big strawberry ride, big slide, etc. We tried them all out and the kids loved it.
We then ventured over to the petting zoo. I am usually have reservations about petting zoos, but Didier Farms had a very well kept and clean area for the animals, very nice. There are also plenty of farm animals for viewing. The kids laughed at the goats up on a big platform and then they would run across a little bridge to their house, it was cute.
By now it was getting time for a snack and a beverage. We got some popcorn and lemonade in take a home pumpkin cup and straw. There was plenty of picnic tables inside and outside for us to sit for a few minutes and have a snack. The big pumpkin jumper was next – what a great way for the kids to burn off some energy!
It was getting pretty late and we needed to head home soon. We wanted to go through the corn maze and on a hayride to pick our own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, but we’ll have to save that for our next visit. We chose some pumpkins from the rows and rows of them they have scattered throughout the grounds. We also wanted to take part in some of the fun craft projects too, but simply didn’t have enough time. We then went into the big barn to pay for our pumpkins. They have a wonderful bakery and shop inside. You can get anything from caramel popcorn to donuts to apple cider. It all looked very delicious. Lots of fun Halloween décor as well!

Overall, I was very impressed with Didier Farms. Well kept, clean, ample parking, very friendly and helpful staff and an awful lot of fun to be had! We were there about four hours, but could have easily spent all day.

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Fall has arrived, which also means fall festival season has arrived as well. This year, instead of going apple picking, we decided to head out to the Long Grove Apple Festival two weeks ago to check it out and enjoy the fall weather. Long Grove Apple Festival is a huge festival taking over the streets and shops of Long Grove with a lot to do and see.

We spent a lot of time in the kids area. They had pony rides which were a lot of fun for Reese along with several other rides like a train and a carousal. They also had 3 of the big blow-up jump tents. One of them was a huge slide which was a big hit. The kids ran around and seemed to get a lot of their energy out which was great for us! In the kids area there were also a lot of booths set-up selling kids items like hand-knit sweaters, jewelry, hair accessories, t-shirts, games, etc.

Long Grove has the best selection of food during their festivals. This one had Chinese food, BBQ, hot dogs, burgers and sandwiches. They also had booths with smoothies, lemonades and sweets. We settled on eating BBQ pork sandwiches which were delicious.

While we were there we also wanted to check out some of the shops. I've shopped in Long Grove before, however, the festival makes things more exciting and busy which I actually enjoy. There were some good sales and I was able to check out some stores I hadn't been into previously. They have great stores for even just browsing because a lot of the stores have fun little knick knacks and great gift ideas.

My favorite part of the day was dessert. I've heard about these apple donuts from some of my friends but had never tried one. Apparently they have apple donuts year round so I will definitely be back for more. The donuts were so good that we got a batch to take home too!

After spending several hours at the festival we called it a day. We had a great time and are still enjoying the bag of apples we bought before leaving. Picking apples is a lot of fun, however, this festival is definitely a great way to celebrate fall with the whole family and we plan to return next year as well!

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This past Friday I took a trek northwards to Spring Grove to visit the fabled Richardson Corn Maze. I wasn't quite sure what to expect...I had heard that the maze was huge, but aside from that I knew very little about it. I arrived in the late afternoon, and, after a brief orientation from a maze guide, I found myself stepping into a labyrinth woven of eight-foot stalks of corn.

What I had heard about the maze beforehand was immediately confirmed - this thing was indeed enormous. I strolled past the pumpkin patch and petting zoo, and watched as kids rolled around a small-scale racetrack on go carts. Looking ahead, I stepped through the archway and was swallowed up by the monstrous vegetation. The theme of this year's maze is the 2008 election, and my map showed an aerial view of the maze pattern - a cartoon donkey and elephant trying to reach the White House. Luckily for me there were numbered check points throughout the maze corresponding to those on my map, or I might have felt like one of the lost hikers from the Blair Witch Project. Consulting the map, I made my way toward one of the elevated foot bridges and climbed it for a higher view.

The bridges were definitely a nice touch - from the elevated platform I looked out across the tops of the plants, and was able to orient myself amidst the winding paths. I soaked in the panoramic view, from the big red barn and 50-foot lookout tour to the west to tiny houses off in the distance to the east. The maze itself wound for several miles, so I was in for some good exercise if I was to complete the entire stretch and visit each checkpoint (each checkpoint holds a hole punch with a unique imprint, and to properly complete the maze one needs a stamp from each location as proof of visitation).

Climbing back down into the maze of maize, I wound my way through the donkey towards the White House. Voiced drifted in and out of earshot as groups of explorers crossed paths and traced opposite sides of the rows. At times I felt like Alice in Wonderland wandering the rose bushes as the tops of the ears eclipsed my view, and, as someone six feet tall, I could only imagine how enchanting the maze would be to a youngster. I worked my way around the trunk of the elephant and took a rest on top of another bridge to gain some perspective.

After an unknown length of time ( I left my phone in my car), I wound my way determinedly towards my starting point. Perhaps stoked up by the hiking, my appetite crept into my thoughts and I found myself thinking about corn bread and corn chowder. I made my way back out of the maze and decided to climb the lookout tower for a higher view. The view from up top was sensational, as I was able to take in the full panorama of the surrounding area and bear witness to the colorful hues and long shadows cast by the setting sun.

Climbing back down, I stopped by the petting zoo and fed some grass to a quartet of gats, who seemed to enjoy being petted and scratched on the head. I walked through some pine trees and discovered a huge rest area of picnic tables and fire pits, all permeated by a natural pine scent courtesy of the surround trees. My first trip to the Richardson Corn Maze left a positive impression on me, and I reflected on my way home that the farm is one of the few places I could think of offhand that offers fresh air, natural beauty, and recreation for people of all ages.

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