Catch and Release

Now there’s a great place to enjoy fishing right in Libertyville! Butler Lake in Libertyville now allows catch and release fishing on the lake and it’s tributaries. Butler Lake is located off Lake St. just west of Milwaukee Ave. The Libertville village trustees recently adopted an ordinance that allows for catch and release fishing in designated areas on Butler Lake. You must get an annual permit from Village Hall or the Parks and Recreation Office. There is no cost for Libertyville residents and a $10 fee for non-residents.

The permit will allow you to fish on Butler Lake in the designated fishing areas using hook and line only. Fishing off the Lake Street bridge is prohibited. The use of motor boats on the lake is strictly forbidden. If you want to know more about fishing or get involved with local fishing enthusiasts, check out the Libertyville Fishing Club.

Don’t forget, not far from Butler Lake is Main Street Smokehouse. Stop by for some amazing regional BBQ after a day of fishing!

As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions on what makes Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills such a great place to live, work and play!

Ooh-lala…Crepes! Cooking Class in Libertyville

“Someone’s in the Kitchen” offers a “Crepes- Ooh-lala!” cooking class tonight at 6:30pm.

Someone’s in the Kitchen invites you to join Mark Seaman, renown Pastry Artist and Chef, who will be whipping up these tasty, delicate morsels and show you just how easy they are to prepare.  There will be a variety of flavors including Beautiful Berry Crepes and Chocolate Crepes with Cream. The cost for the class is $60. And the best part is not only do you get to see how to make the crepes, but you get to taste them! Yummy!

In addition to the Crepes class, several other cooking classes are being offered throughout the month of June. July and August as well as kids cooking classes are also posted on the Someone’s in the Kitchen website. Located at 522 N. Milwaukee Ave., in downtown Libertyville, Someone’s in the Kitchen has cookware, kitchen gadgets, knives and gourmet items to make any cook happy. You can also purchase The Olive Tap olive oils and balsamic vinegars at Someone’s in the Kitchen now.

Don’t forget, just up the street is Main Street Smokehouse. Regional barbecue in downtown Libertyville.

As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions on what makes Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills such a great place to live, work and play!

"Come and See" Old No.1

The final drive is underway to fund the recently completed restoration of Old No.1 and you’ll get to take a look at the fully restored Old No.1 at the “Come and See” event today.  In order to make the fundraising fun, the Centennial Committee members and firemen will be on hand to answer questions and explain the restoration process. The vehicle, which is a 1925 Stoughton firetruck, will be used in parades and on display at community events.

So Come the Old No.1 in her restored glory today from 2-4pm at the Midlothian Fire Station in Mundelein.

Before the “Come and See” Old No.1 event, you can check out Libertyville’s Historic Walking Tour and the Old Navy Vernon Hills Safety Day and Bike Rodeo.

As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions on what makes Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills such a great place to live, work and play!

Libertyville 2010 Historic Walking Tour "The American Front Porch"

Mainstreet Libertyville is hosting the 7th annual self-guided Historic Walking Tour on Saturday from 10am-2pm. This year’s focus is “The American Front Porch.”

According to a press release from Mainstreet Libertyville:

“The front porch began to proliferate in American architecture in the Mid-Nineteenth Century. By the beginning of the Twentieth Century, it had become a nearly universal component of the middle-class American home. The popularity of the porch was in large part the result of social and technological changes, including increased leisure time, advances in construction technology and new interest in nature and the American landscape. Despite a loss in popularity around the 1930s, the porch is an important part of much new residential construction today.”

There will be about 20 selected homes on the tour. Mainstreet Libertyville volunteers will be in Cook Park and will have Tour Booklets available for a $10 donation which will provide a brief history of the homes and directions. Several of the homes will have gardens and interiors open for viewing. So enjoy a walk, bike or ride around historic Libertyville on Saturday for the Historic Walking Tour of the “The American Front Porch”

If the kids are looking for something for them, don’t forget the Old Navy Safety Day Bike Rodeo in Vernon Hills.

As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions on what makes Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills such a great place to live, work and play!

Disc Golf Courses in Libertyville and Mundelein

Lake County has many disc golf (or frisbee golf) courses, and 4 of them in Mundelein and Libertyville alone! One of the area’s most popular is at Adler Park in Libertyville. The Adler Park disc golf course offers a decent challenge to most levels of players. Adler Park in Libertyville is nestled between the Des Plaines River and Milwaukee Ave. just North of downtown Libertyville and South of Buckley Road (Route 137). With mature trees and the Des Plaines River it is one of the areas most scenic. There are several holes that are a fair distance between each other and require more walking than you would think for a 9 hole course.

There are also 3 disc golf courses in Mundelein; Diamond Lake Slough, Leo Leathers Park, and Fremont School. Keep in mind that Fremont is closed during school hours.

What is your favorite disc golf course in Lake County? Have any comments or suggestions for the 4 disc golf courses in Libertyville and Mundelein?

Don’t forget the Des Plaines River Trail, that runs adjacent to Adler Park in Libertyville, offers plenty for those wanting to bike, hike or ride.

As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions on what makes Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills such a great place to live, work and play!

Championship Matches at Libertyville Cup Soccer Tournament

The Memorial Day weekend plays host the the Greater Libertyville Soccer Association’s (GLSA) Libertyville Cup Youth Soccer Festival. The soccer tournament is a 4 day event that has teams from Boys Under 8 through Boys Under 19 and Girls Under 8 through Girls Under 14. Memorial day is the day for most of the semi-final and championship matches. See all the brackets and game schedules then head out to the Libertyville Township Soccer Complex for a day of great youth soccer. There is no parking fees and concessions are available.

If you are looking for other activities to do outside of the Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein, Vernon Hills area, check out the Lake County, Illinois Convention & Visitors Bureau event page. And don’t forget every day is a great day to hike, bike or ride the Des Plaines River Trail.

As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions on what makes Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills such a great place to live, work and play!

Head to the Beach Without Traveling to Lake Michigan

You can dig you toes into the sand of the beach without having to leave the Green Oak, Libertyville, Mundelein, Vernon Hills area. Common thinking is that you need to head to the shores of Lake Michigan to enjoy the place where water meets sand. At Lake County Forest Preserve District’s Independence Grove, in Libertyville, we have a swimming beach right in our back yard! Located at 16400 W. Buckley Rd.(Route 137), East of Milwaukee Ave. Independence Grove’s swimming beach opened Memorial Day weekend and will be open every weekend (weather permitting) until June 13, when it will be open daily. Hours are 10am -6pm. Regular admission is $4 for Lake County residents, $7 for non residents, and children 2 and under are free.

There are plenty of other activities in Independence Grove besides the swimming beach, and will highlight a few of them in upcoming posts, or you can visit LCFPD for more information on Independence Grove. So enjoy this Memorial Day weekend and get out to the beach! Don’t forget the Mundelein and Libertyville Memorial Day Parades tomorrow!

As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions on what makes Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills such a great place to live, work and play!

Memorial Day Parades in Libertyville and Mundelein

Libertyville and Mundelein will both hold Memorial Day Parades this year. Libertyville’s memorial Day ceremony will begin at the Libertyville downtown Metra station at 9:30am on Monday, May 31, and will arrive at Cook Park at 9:45am. Scheduled to speak are, Michael C. Peck, superintendent of veterans affairs for Lake County, and Mayor Terry Weppler. You can get more information by visiting Libertyville’s website.

The Village of Mundelein and American Legion Post #867 have invited all veterans from the Mundelein area to participate in the Memorial Day Celebration, Monday, May 31 at 10 a.m. The parade will begin at the Mundelein Village Hall, 440 E. Hawley St. , and will end at Memorial Park where Mayor Kessler will speak.

Vernon Hills will not have a parade, but did hold a pre-Memorial Day celebration.

Don’t forget, the Cuneo Garden Art Fest is going on this Saturday and Sunday.

As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts and suggestions on what makes Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills such a great place to live, work and play!

Tuesday is $2.50 Burger Day at Morgan's in Libertyville

In the heart of downtown Libertyville, is Morgan’s Bar & Grill. For years, they have been known for the $2.50 Burger Day every Tuesday. Located at 532 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville In addition to burgers, Morgan’s has a wide ranging menu and over 13 beers on tap. There is a different special every day of the week. Morgan’s is easy to walk to from anywhere in the downtown Libertyville area and only blocks away from the Metra station. If you drive, there is free street parking as well as a lot behind Morgan’s.

Bike, Hike or Ride Along the Des Plaines River Trail

The Lake County Forest Preserve Des Plaines River Trail and Greenway covers more than 3,000 acres and protects land along more than 85 percent of the river in Lake County, providing wildlife habitat, natural flood protection and outdoor recreation opportunities. There is currently 31 miles of trails in Lake County including parts of Libertyville and Vernon Hills. The trails are open for hiking, biking and horseback riding.

A perfect way to start a busy work week is to escape for an early morning workout on the Des Plaines River Trail and feel like you are miles away from the rush hour traffic! Most of the Lake County Forest Preserves open at 6:30am and close at sundown every day. Be sure to check the Lake County Forest Preserve District’s website for the latest information on construction or flooding that may make some areas of the trail impassable.

To see the Des Plaines River Trail and connected preserves check out the Map of Lake County Forest Preserve and search by type of activity or by preserve.