Mt. Greenwood Chicks Dig Hot Purses and More at "ALL ABOUT ME"

I just heard about this great little boutique in Mt. Greenwood. The owners love Mt. Greenwood and are thrilled to be doing business here. We are thrilled to have them! I have not been there yet! I'm scared! I love purses and accessories and I am afraid I will spend too much money! When I go I will be sure to report back. In the meantime, check this great place out. Fantastic selection at great prices. Purses and accessories for all occasions or for no reason at all! ALL ABOUT ME 11015 s. Kedzie, Chicago, IL 60655 708-699-5656 www.allaboutme11015.com "Purses for every occasion"

BAJA SoL Tortilla Grill in Oak Lawn is Fabulous!

We visited BAJA SoL at 5273 W. 95th Street in Oak Lawn the other night after my daughters 1st soccer match and could not have enjoyed it more! First off it is bright and open and beautifully decorated, great beachy music overhead and sports on the flat screen. It's self service which we love..no tipping...to add to the bill! The menu is super extensive but easy to understand. There are so many options and extras you will absolutely find something you will love. Our favorite part is the ALL YOU CAN EAT SALSA AND TORTILLA CHIP BAR! An excellent selection of, I believe, 10 salsas from sweet to spicy, chunky to smooth including fresh ingredients like mango and pineapple as well as the typical pico de gallo and red and green salsa's. The other bonus is as Jamie Fox would say, "blame it on the al, al, al, al, al, alcohol", but the beer selection is great and the margaritas in many flavors are deliciosa! We really enjoyed our Fajita Burrito and regular burrito prepared with enchilada sauce and suizo(cheese), guac and sour cream. The children's offerings are great too, my daughter had a chicken taco, rice and churro with a drink all for $3.99. We can't wait to go back on a Sunday, children's meals are 99cents!!! The next closest BAJA SoL is in Minnesota so "Welcome to The Neighborhood!"
BAJA SoL, 5273 W. 95th Street Oak Lawn, IL 60453 (708)576-8560 FAX YOUR ORDER: (708)576-8562 www.baja-sol.com Open daily 10:30-10pm

Mt. Greenwood Park - The "Bing Bong" Park!

My daughter and I have nicknames for all of the parks we frequent, I call Hurley Park "Squirelly, she calls it Curley", we call Beverly Park, "The baseball park", (her cousin plays there), Kennedy is Grandma's Park,(it's near Grandma's house), Munroe is "The dog park", Crescent is "the log cabin park",(I hope it retains some of the charm after the remodel!), and Mt. Greenwood Park located at 3721 W 111th St Chicago, IL 60655(312) 747-6564 is the "Bing bong park". It perfectly describes this massive park,(with field house, baseball/softball diamonds, swimming pool, ice rink? and running/bike paths), but the new feature of the park is the playground with so much going on it spins your head!! Musical toys standing 10 feet tall, metal xylophones, several man made hills, bouncy rides, climbing "thing-a-ma-jigs", a water feature,(not yet activated) and of course all the typical swings & slides, pulleys and bars etc...They could not cram one more thing into the space and kids go absolutely bonkers when they are there! Let your child out and into the enclosed area with foamy cushion floor, sit back relax and let them wear themselves out! You will NEVER hear, "Mommy, I'm bored" at this Mega Park!

Historic Chicago Firehouse FOR SALE in Beverly Area, Chicago

There is a fantastic property available for sale in Beverly waiting for it's new creative owner! Be a part of the growing Beverly/Morgan Park Retail Establishment! Contact Dan Klaiber City of Chic. Ofc. of Community Development at 312-744-4470 or Alderman Rugai's Office at 773-238-8766 for details in regard to this unique property. The old Chicago Fire station on 95th Street just past the Metra tracks at Vanderpoel(approximately 1700W)This station would make a wonderful art gallery, art school, specialty market or restaurant,(without alcohol, not zoned).

The firehouse is located steps from the 95th street Metra stop, within a few blocks from new and exciting retail businesses that have recently opened as well as the new Chicago Public Library and New Chicago Fire Station. It is a short drive to the Dan Ryan going east and I294 going west. Call for info. and welcome to Beverly!

Olde Western Avenue in Blue Island, Illinois, A Cultural and Dining Experience!

You will kick yourself if you have not been down to Olde Western Avenue in Blue Island lately or EVER! There are new restaurants and businesses mixed in with the old and classic. An evening there can involve stopping in at the old Jeben's Hardware store to see what is new(or old) and then dinner at an Italian, Mexican or New Orleans Style restaurant, music at an Irish, Mexican or American Pub and dessert at a Mexican candy store! On a warm evening you can enjoy one of several patios and just sit back relax and enjoy the historic street scene dating back to the 1800's!

It's a little tricky getting to Olde Western Avenue, you take Western Avenue South, passing 129th Street keep going, you will go over the bridge, keep right and at the bottom of the bridge, turn right and then right again on to Olde Western Avenue, proceed back North on Olde Western Avenue to reach the shops and restaurants.

Here is a list of some of what you will find from 13300 to 13500 South Olde Western Avenue:

Maple Tree Inn - New Orleans Style Restaurant, Bar and Patio
Mario's Tacos - Mexican Restaurant, Bar and Patio
Mariscos 7 Mare's - Mexican Seafood Restaurant
Giuseppe's Trattoria Italiana - Italian Restaurant
Gayla's Irish Saloon - Irish Pub
Pepe's Groceries and Tortlleria - Grocery and Fresh Tortillas!
Dulcefiesta - Mexican Candy, Ice creams and treat store
Jeben's Hardware - Historic Hardware and Collectibles

Take a drive or even bike from Beverly/Morgan Park to this lovely little area! You will be back again and again!

Enjoy Patio Dining on the South Side of Chicago!

We have it all on the Southside including some great Patio Dining! So get out there and enjoy it while summertime in the city is here! Here are a few spots we love, if you know of other great patios please comment and I will be sure to add them!

Have fun early in the evening enjoy delicious pub food, play bean bag toss and toss a couple back at Quigley's Irish Pub at 4010 W. 111th at Pulaski, Oak Lawn in the corner of the shops.

It's Fiesta time on these lovely patios, enjoy a Margarita, a Mojito and some great Mexican cuisine at Mario's Tacos flower filled patio at 13325 S. Old Western Avenue in Blue Island or at La Fiesta at 3333 W. 111th Street in Mt. Greenwood.

The Maple Tree Inn also in Blue Island 13301 S. Old Western Avenue has a wonderful summer porch and the view here is amazing! Sit and watch the trains go over the massive steel bridge that looms in the near distance as you enjoy your New Orleans style cuisine, how perfect! See the photo above.

The ultimate bar patio is of course at Cork & Kerry's on 10614 S. Western Avenue. This legendary south side bar is the place to see and be "in the scene", this summer in particular for the college crowd.

The screened in patio at Limestone Grill at 13415 S. Ridgeland, Palos Hts.,keeps the bugs away and maximizes this wonderful casual fine dining experience.

Enjoy a wonderful cup of coffee, espresso or treat on the patio at any of our wonderful coffee shop cafes at Favia,107th and Hale, The Beverly Bakery, 10528 Western , The Blue Moon Cafe, 1742 W. 99th St. just East of the Metra Train Stop,pictured above! They have a great cozy "hidden courtyard patio" and on the weekends and for special events you can enjoy live music! Check their website for schedules.

We have some new entrants to the patio scene recently with Fat Tommys(3101 W.) and TaTa's Pizza(3019 W.)on 111th Street, located in Mt. Greenwood. They have really nice lovely outdoor seating for all to enjoy! Marco's Beef at 2547 W. 111th Street next to Cardinal Fitness also has a cute little outdoor dining area.

Please let me know if you know of any other great summer patio ideas on the Southside!

Beverly Yoga Center - Featuring Yoga in The Park!

I have enjoyed the benefit of taking only a few classes at the Beverly Yoga Center, located 1917 W. 103rd Street, 2nd Floor in the heart of "Downtown Beverly"773-239-YOGA (9642), but definitely plan to attend more. I found the entire experience to be enjoyable, peaceful, hard work and relaxing all at the same time. I was very surprised at how sore my body was after the first class. Not because the class was strenuous but because I had moved and manipulated body parts like never before! Now I get it! This could be addictive! I love how you do not have to pay a membership fee and can pay for one class at a time or a bunch at a time. There is so much going on at this cozy center that I can not begin to tell you. You have to check out the website by clicking on the heading above or go to www.beverlyyogacenter.com I will mention the program below because I just think it's great for the neighborhood and hopefully lots of neighbors will attend classes and it's only $5 per class! Hope to see you there!

Yoga in the Park
The very popular Yoga in the Park will return this summer and be held at Ridge Park,(9626 S. Longwood Ave.) on Saturday mornings from 9:00-10:00 a.m. Yoga in the Park will run in June and July and cost $5 per class. After a long winter, this is a great opportunity for the community to come together, practice yoga and feel connected to the outdoors. There is nothing more uplifting than a Saturday morning yoga class in the warm sun and fresh air! Go to the website for full details on this class and more.

Ms. Priss - Where Stylish Beverly/Morgan Park Women Love to Shop!

Ms. Priss 9915 S. Walden Parkway, is an adorable shop right in the heart of the 99th Street Metra shopping district with beautiful stylish clothing and accessories for women.

Owner/buyer and local resident, Stephanie Colson fills this cozy boutique with unique clothing and items from designers not seen anywhere near the South side! From designer jeans to T's, tops, dresses, suits, slacks and gorgeous blouses and sweaters you will also want to accessorize with a super hot jewelery, bag or scarf! You would have to go downtown to Armitage & Halsted to find the designers that are regularly stocked in this trendy shop.

When an occasion calls for something special or you are just ready to treat yourself to something that no one else has...stop by Ms. Priss and select something(s)fresh and new! Check out their website for more info: www.mspriss.homestead.com or call 773-233-7747.

The Merry Gentleman Movie - Filmed & Funded Locally starring Michael Keaton

The Merry Gentleman was funded by a local Beverly resident and filmed in many Beverly locations.

The film will be opening at Crestwood Theaters this weekend. This opening is a major development for the film and I encourage everyone to try and make it out to Crestwood. A strong opening weekend at this location would be great !

Click on the heading above to view the trailer and get screening locations for the film - or go to http://www.themerrygentlemanmovie.com

The Merry Gentleman was produced and financed by one of our own, Paul Duggan, a longtime Beverly resident. Filmed in Chicago, several scenes in the movie were shot on location at Paul's home in Beverly where he lives with his wife, Debbie, and children Samantha and Allison. Also starring in the movie is Tom Bastounes, another Chicagoan with ties to Second City.

The movie is garnering great early reactions, and in an interview with Michael Keaton, David Letterman said he loved the film, and hoped Hollywood would make more like it.

Click here for a feature on the movie from today's Chicago Sun-Times
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/1548702,CST-FTR-merry29.article

We also have a Facebook page - become a fan of the movie at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1078104345#/merrygentleman ;

Rent an iGo car hourly! Pick it up in Beverly in the Ridge Park parking lot!

This service is amazing! Rent a car at a very reasonable hourly rate. No office, no hassle. Everything is done on line! Pick it up and GO!
I-GO Car Sharing and the Chicago Park District have joined forces to bring the Beverly community an I-GO Car Sharing vehicle. A silver Toyota Scion xB is now located at Ridge Park, 1817 W. 96th St., in a reserved parking spot generously provided by the Chicago Park District. The car is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to I-GO members. To apply for membership, just go to www.igocars.org.

I-GO members who want to reserve the car can search for it on I-GO’s website by address, neighborhood, vehicle type, or its specific vehicle ID number: 4479.

To celebrate this exciting, new joint effort with the Park District, I-GO is offering new membership applicants a special discount: $25 off the normal sign-up cost of $75. Anyone wishing to take advantage of this offer just has to enter the promotion code RIDGE50 in the “Promotions” section of the online application form.

I-GO is the only non-profit, locally based car sharing service in Chicago. I-GO’s 12,000+ members have access to 200 low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles in more than 30 neighborhoods across Chicago, Evanston, and Oak Park. Members don’t pay for gas, insurance, or reserved parking spaces, and reserve cars online or by phone for trips lasting from a half hour to all day. I-GO’s cars—ranging from hatchbacks to compact SUVs to plug-in electric cars—are self-accessed by means of an automated smart card that’s held over a windshield-mounted reader to unlock the vehicles. The ignition key is attached to a fob that, when removed from a glovebox-housed keypad device, triggers the recoding of personal trip data in I-GO’s computer network.

Members may choose either a standard I-GO smart card that accesses every car in I-GO’s fleet or the new www.igocars.org or call I-GO Member Services at (773) 278-4446.

Francesca's is now open on 95th in Oak Lawn!

Francesca's on 95th in Oak Lawn: Now Open!
The 18th Francesca's location is now open in the suburb of Oak Lawn!

With it's charming Italian trattoria setting, Francesca's on 95thfeatures seating for 140 guests in the dining room, 60 in the lounge and 2 fantastic party rooms for private dining.

Just 1-1/2 miles East of I-294, Francesca's will be part of Oak Lawn's newest lifestyle development, The Shops of Oak Lawn at the intersection or 95th Street and Mobile Avenue.

Historic former Library buildings FOR SALE in Beverly Area of Chicago, 2121 W. 95th Street

The Chicago Public Library/Beverly Branch Building is now available for purchase. The city is planning an RFP,(Request for Proposal). But in the meantime if you are interested call the Beverly Area Planning Assoc. office and indicate your interest. 773-233-3100. This building would make an amazing restaurant or cafe. It would also be the perfect space for an art gallery or unique retail business. The building is built with brick and Indiana limestone. The same stone that was used in the Beverly Castle and current Starbucks located at 103rd and Longwood Drive. There are unique stone carvings as well as stained glass and leaded windows. There are 2 separate buildings,(1 two story and 1 one story), and an enormous parking lot in between. Located at 2121 W. 95th Street. It is on a very high traffic street with easy access to the Dan Ryan and direct shot to I294. It is located across the street from the brand new multi million dollar Beverly Branch Library and new Chicago Firehouse(the old Firehouse building, located slightly east of here on 95th St., is also available). There is a considerable amount of new retail development within walking distance. This is a very special building and deserves a special owner!

The Southside Irish Parade will Change Drastically in 2010!

The Piper is playing the final song..see the attached link to the South side Irish Parade organization website. They have published a press release indicating that the South side Irish Parade parade, as we know it, will not exist in the same format in 2010. I am certain this was a very difficult decision for the parade committee to make and I support them 100%. I think we should all support them. The people that made this decision are from the community and are devoted to insuring that the parade,(or event associated with St.Patrick's Day), is a true reflection of our community and I believe they found that although there were many people who were able to enjoy and take the good from the event, there were too many others that did not respect the theme, the history or our community while enjoying themselves.

I support the committee in their endeavor to re-design an event that reflects the love for the Irish culture, it's history and it's people and those that love them or just enjoy being Irish for a day or two! I believe that this decision by the committee is a true indication of the strength and integrity of the members as well as the community as a whole. This was a hard decision made by people willing to take such a step for the betterment of our wonderful neighborhood.

So be positive! Once you are over the shock that organizers would make such a bold, intelligent move, contact the committee and provide your suggestions on how 2010 and beyond can become a wonderful, cultural/entertainment/food event that can be enjoyed safely by all that attend. Click on heading above or go to www.southsideirishparade.org

ALL THINGS IRISH ON THE SOUTH SIDE

It's that time of year & since I live with a couple of very "Irish people", I thought I would let you know where I go to buy things to make my Irish people happy! (by the way contrary to popular belief, I am not Irish I am 50% Italian & 50% Scottish), but my husband grew up in the cottage above and some day I may be spending some time on the "old sod", so I guess I need to start getting acclimated! Now just to get into the spirit of things, Rosey, "The Ass" in Massbrook, County Mayo, Ireland says hellooooooo Southsiders! ->

Stop by County Fair at 105th & Western they usually increase their selection of "Irish products" around this time. Let them know if you would buy these products year round and maybe they will keep a permanent section. That way I will not have to travel as you will see below!

The 7-11 formerly the White Hen at 103rd & Central has an extensive Irish section. From food products to sweets it is a great place to pick up a few things in a pinch!

Jack & Pats Butcher Shop - at around 107th & Ridgeland, has all the meats, breakfast meats & a big line of Irish grocery & snack products all year round! Thanks Jack & Pats!

Winstons Restaurant & Grocery - 7900 W. 159th Street or the butcher shop only at 4701 W. 63rd St in Chicago. Basically everything Irish from meats & bakery to grocery products, papers & souvenirs. The restaurant in Tinley is excellent! With Irish & American food a small bar and party room.

The Beverly Bakery Cafe- 10528 S. Western has a lovely selection of Irish baked goods including great soda bread & yummy Irish desserts. I heard they may be planning several specials for the week of St. Pats day. This is a great place to start the parade with an early morning breakfast while all the action starts to happen out front! Be sure to stop in!

Souvenirs
Southside Irish Imports- Mt. Greenwood at 3446 W. 111th Street, you can't miss it just look for all the Irish Stuff!! They have an enormous selection of gifts, wearables, decorative items, novelties and on & on & on...

Guinness, Bailey's, Powers & Such..
Town Liquor at 100th & Western is THE BEST local shop to go to. They are family owned & have a great selection of beers & fine wines and will be very helpful with all your party needs.

Kenwood Liquors - 10750 S. Cicero in Oak Lawn. I have to mention this SS institution. My friend Tom G. runs the place like a well oiled machine. Hands down the best prices anywhere in the city. First because he does such huge volume & second because he accepts no credit & debit cards & passes the savings on to the customer,(what a novel idea!)

I hope this list helps! If I can think of anything else I'll add it. Please add any other suggestions in the comments. Happy St. Pats to all the "real" Irish, the partial Irish & those that live with them, love them or both!!!

Irish Mania in Beverly, Morgan Park! It's that time again!

You can feel the green creeping in.. It starts with decorations in the windows of homes through out Beverly, Morgan Park and Mt. Greenwood. Yes, green shamrocks and Irish flags and even green mini lights on bushes and trees. Then the green mania spreads to the stores, you start to see Sox-Side Irish t-shirts and green and gold Mardi gras like beads and tiny, plastic, green mugs hanging from necklaces,(presumably for those wee tiny people to drink milk from!).

For the "more sophisticated" green manics, The Beverly Art Center announces it's Irish Film Festival and the parade committee has a fundraiser at Bourban Street. Then you start to see green cookies and an increased amount of Irish soda bread appears on shelves at County Fair and The Beverly Bakery. Green cookies magically arrive on the shelves of local coffee shops like Blue Moon, Favia and The Beverly Coffee Shop. We see specials like "smoked butt" and corned beef and cabbage more frequently on the menus at Ken's, Richie's and at Quigley's. The green is creeping and it permeates the entire South side.

Then like the sun breaking over Croke Park in Dublin as County Mayo wins the All Ireland in Gaelic Football, the green mania blankets the South side on March 15th with the South Side Irish Parade!

Then just as the sun never shines for long in Ireland, before you can repeat "fiddle dee, fiddle dee dum" three times and spin your self around twice, 3 to 7 hours later, depending on when you got started, all the fun and excitement is over!

Before you know it, in the wink of a Leprechaun's eye, like Mardi Gras at the stroke of midnight, at the end of the parade, the 22nd District with the help of officers from all over the city on foot and on horseback sweep the street of people figuratively and literally. Following close behind is the Chicago Dept. of Streets and San. sweeping the street again of all of the green rubbish,(and empty beer cans that were technically not allowed), and before you know it Beverly and Morgan Park is back to normal.

So if you enjoy the "green mania" jump on board and enjoy the ride. Go to the Beverly Art Center, shop and dine out in order to enjoy all of the lovely green and Irish foods and treats. Stock up for the parade, celebrate the day and have yourself, "a bit o' craic",(a good ol' Irish time)!

If your not a fan, take a deep breath, relax, ignore the green mania and head out of the area early on the morning of the 15th before the barricades go up. When you return it will all be over! Slainte!

Soups On! At the KODA Bistro Cooking Class!

I really enjoyed last Saturday early afternoon at Koda Bistro and Wine Bar in Beverly at 10352 S. Western Avenue. Chef Aaron Browning wowed a full house with 3 of his favorite easy to make soups including the recipe for their wonderful classic French Onion soup. Students were comfortably seated in the beautiful wine bar area and had clear sight to Chef Aaron's preparations via the overhead camera projected on the flat screen behind him. Everyone relaxed and enjoyed a glass of wine or delicious coffee as they watched and learned. Questions flowed through out the class and Chef Aaron was happy to respond as well as add his own unique stories and anecdotes from his travels in Europe and experiences in renowned kitchens including The Everest Room under Chef Jean Jojo. We learned how to prepare and sampled Potato Leek Vichyssoise, Country Lentil with Smoked Bacon and his Classic French Onion rendition. I can not wait to try them all at home and I am looking forward to the next class, RISOTTO! That's in March, contact KODA Bistro for more info. www.kodabistro.com 10352 S. Western Avenue 773-445-KODA (5632)

Fernando's Shoe Repair in Evergreen Park, El mejor del mejor!

I knew there was something I liked about Fernando's Shoe Repair at 10030 S. Kedzie in Evergreen Park, besides the excellent workmanship and service. Fernando, the owner, was once the man behind the scenes at Sam the Shoe Doctor in the lower level at Evergreen Plaza. When I was growing up in Beverly, Sam's was THE place to get your shoes and leather goods repaired. Fernando has brought his 30+ years of experience plus the skills of his craftsman in the back, to his own shop right here in the area. Fernando can do anything in regard to shoe, handbag, belt, briefcase, luggage, leather, vinyl and heavy cloth repair. He can repair baseball gloves and other sports equipment, he does complete dye work and orthopedic work. You can be sure to trust Fernando's with your finest goods considering he is the exclusive repair shop for Nordstrom's and Aldo's as well as several hospitals and boutiques in the area. I am looking forward to picking up my boots that had to be sewn and dropping off a few more pairs of shoes to repair. When Fernando is done they are as good as new. In this economy it just makes common sense to use Fernando's! We are so fortunate to have this experienced, friendly expert on the South side! Fernando's 10030 S. Kedzie 708-423-1922

Lil's Dietary - Where Everyone is Special!

There is an amazing little shop right here in West Morgan Park in the little strip mall at 111th and Fairfield. Find Lil's Dietary at 2738 W. 111th Street. Lil's is a very special shop for people with special or medical dietary needs. The store is named after the owners mom who lost her battle to diabetes in 2000. She was a wonderful person who helped everyone. Now the family carries on her legacy by treating all of their clients like family.

Their mission is to provide greater food choices and one stop shopping for those on a medically necessary diet. They are not a health food store or a supermarket. They are a special diet food shop. They offer selections in pastas, frozen foods, cookies, crackers, baking and flour mixes, breads, sauces, cereals, etc. They have a comprehensive selection of specialty products available on their web site as well as lots of information, surveys, recipe ideas and so much more. They are continually searching to fulfill the special requests of their customers. If it is out there their goal is to find it! www.lilsdietary.com PH:773-239-0355 FX: 773-239-0357

Enjoy a Step Back in Time at J.R. Boz's Sweets and Eats

A super fun and nostalgic sweet shop just opened in the Mt. Greenwood area. Check out J.R. Boz's Sweets and Eats at 3402 W. 111th Streets at Homan. You and especially your children will not be disappointed! A long time area resident Mark Lund had a vision, when he purchased all of the fixtures from an old fashioned ice cream parlor some time ago his friend thought he was crazy. But when he saw those heart shaped iron parlor chairs he just had to have them. Now sometime later after lots of expense and work his vision is reality. Mark has created a child's wonderland of treats and eats. Start with the huge assortment of old time penny candy, the large variety of Edy's Grand Ice Cream cones and creations and add to that the fun food including "walking tacos", hot dogs, "bozco" bread sticks and homemade chili on the weekend. This shop will take you back in time to a place where children saved their pennies and nickels just so they could go and get a treat and J.R. Boz's fills the bill in every way. Parents will love the prices too. Mark has intentionally set them very reasonable, he wants everyone to have a smile when they leave not just the kids! Stop in soon and if your children have a perfect report card J.R. Boz's will treat them to a free single scoop cone. Coming soon.. a Birthday club and this is a great place for a kids party, talk to Mark to design the perfect event! What a fun shop! Just what the neighborhood needed!

Three Oaks Michigan - Our Favorite Small Town Getaway!

When we like to get away any time of the year we love to visit Three Oaks, Michigan. It's about an hour and fifteen minutes from Beverly off exit #4 in MI then 12 miles east on Hwy 12. Three Oaks is like a little old fashioned village with a definite upscale, artsy feel. It is the only town that is considered part of Harbor Country, not on Lake Michigan. Their slogan is "The Best Town OFF the Lake". Who needs the lake when you have the Acorn Theatre with live performances and plays that rival Chicago small theatre and the Vickers Theatre with first run international films everyday. There are several art galleries that have art opens and offer some of the finest art available, our favorite is Studio B, they often host artists from Chicago and the art is very affordable for the beginning collector. There are excellent shops, cafes, ice cream cafes & restaurants as well as unique home accessory shops. One of my favorite shops is IPSO FACTO they offer an array of salvaged, unique and odd art, decorative items and furnishings. If you like vintage wicker furnishing and mid century mod then check out Springdale,(I ran into former Gov. Big Jim Thompson there once, he has a 2nd home nearby). You can step back in time as you enter Driers Butcher Shop with sawdust on the floor and all the trimmings. Our favorite cafes are Baily's and Viola,(in the winter they take turns being open so as not to spread the off season customers too thin!). We always enjoy the Featherbone Bar and Grill on Hwy 12 or Nelson's the local Pub for cheap drinks, good food and a great juke box! When your there you can't miss the old Featherbone Factory just behind the post office they have an amazing selection of garden statuary and unique stepping stones that they make and a vast collection of garden accents and items. For a true nostalgic experience check out the Three Oaks Library and go back in time as you peruse the stacks or go upstairs to see the Three Oaks memorabilia and photos. We think Three Oaks is a hidden little gem that will be discovered by more soon. Home to the largest Flag Day Parade in the world and the Apple Cider Century Bike Classic bringing in thousands of cyclists once a year, we hope that once it is discovered that it will still retain it's current charm and character. Go to www.3oaks.org for more info.