Have Kayak? Will Paddle!

On a warm summer day in Lake County, why not escape to the shade and water in a canoe or kayak on the Des Plaines River! Don’t have a canoe or kayak? No problem! Offshore offers rentals of tadem conoes and solo or tadem kayaks. Offshore is located on Route 60, just east of Milwaukee Ave., in Vernon Hills and only steps from the Route 60 canoe launch on the Des Plaines River.

If you feel you need a little instruction before heading out on the Des Plaines River by yourself, Offshore offers classes on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons during the summer months. Private lessons are available as well as Eskimo Rolling classes for more advanced paddlers. You don’t need to bring anything, other than perhaps a change of clothes, water, hat, etc. All lessons are done on Big Bear Lake nearby in Vernon Hills.

In addition to canoe and kayak rentals and classes, Offshore is one of Chicagoland’s largest sellers of inflatable boats, canoes and kayaks. Plus they have a complete line of accessories. Be sure to call Offshore at (847) 362-4880 for hours, as they change by season and depending on private group events. So stop by and tell them you found them on Lake County Happens.

Read more about the Des Plaines River Trail and 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!

Bike Rodeo and Safety Day in Vernon Hills

This Saturday, from noon-3pm the Vernon Hills Old Navy is hosting a Safety Day and will be holding a bike safety and rodeo for children. M & M Cyclery will be conducting bike safety inspections, proper helmet fitting and an obstacle course for kids to test their skills. This rodeo focuses on teaching parents and children about bicycle safety, the importance of wearing a helmet, proper helmet fitting, and more.

Each participating child must bring their bike, be accompanied by an adult and wear a helmet.

The event is free and open to the public, and will be held rain or shine.

Members from GLMV Relay for Life are volunteering to help with the bike rodeo and will have chips and salsa from Qdoba Mexican Grill and Sugarbeez goodies available as they raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Old Navy will match all funds raised for GLMV Relay for Life.

Bike Safety Rodeo is presented in cooperation with M&M CycleryAmerican Cancer Society GLMV Relay for Life teams: Channel 4 News Team and Lake County Social Networking, Countryside Fire Protection District, Vernon Hills Police Department, Qdoba Mexican Grill Vernon Hills and Sugar Beez.

Memorial Day Weekend-The Unofficial Start of Summer (and Art Fests!)

This Memorial Day weekend, there will be plenty of activities around Lake County, but a true sign of the beginning of summer is art festivals. This Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30, will be the Cuneo Gardens Art Fest in Vernon Hills. The art fest will run from 10am to 5pm on both days and although there is no admission to the grounds, there will be a $5/car parking donation.

In addition to viewing works from the 70 registered artists, there will be live entertainment both days, fresh food and drinks, and kids activities.  You will be able to view the Cuneo Museum grounds while at the Art Fest, and for $10/adult, $9/senior and student, you can take a tour of the historic mansion.

Get directions to Cuneo Museum and Gardens in Vernon Hills.

Tomorrow we’ll let you know of upcoming Memorial Day parades in Libertyville and Mundelein. Read what Vernon Hills did yesterday in a pre-Memorial Day celebration.

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

Pre Memorial Day Celebration in Vernon Hills

As we begin to prepare for the Memorial Day Weekend, it’s important to remember what the holiday is about. Today there is a pre Memorial Day ceremony at 10:00am in Vernon Hills at the Arbortheater. The organizing groups have been raising funds to send Vernon Hills World War II Veteran to Washington D.C. for “Honor Flight Chicago”.  While at first they thought there was only 1 veteran, they soon found out there was over 75 veterans residing in Vernon Hills.

“So, in the spirit of leaving no one behind and taking care of our own, we decided to make our donation to Honor Flight, and hold our own recognition ceremony for all the Vernon Hills seniors who have served our country at our Veteran’s Memorial/Arbortheater,” said Williams.

The rest of the week and weekend will be dedicated to Memorial Day celebrations, but none may be more important than recognizing and supporting those who fought for our country like the heroes of World War II.

More reading from an article in the Vernon Hills Review today.

Hawthorn School District 73 8th Annual PTO House Walk

Today, May 23, 2010, is the 8th Annual PTO House Walk in Vernon Hills. Tickets can be purchased for $20 at any of the 6 houses on the House Walk, which runs from noon until 4:00pm. Area florists, designers and merchants have donated their time and merchandise to highlight the featured houses in Gregg’s Landing, Centennial Crossing and Deerpath.

So if you are looking for some design or staging ideas for your home, or just enjoy seeing beautiful houses, come out on this sunny Sunday and support the PTO and students of Hawthorn School District 73 in Vernon Hills!

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Check! Hockey Night in Vernon Hills

Looking for a great way to have an inexpensive night out with the family? Maybe want to have a date night, but don’t want to do the movie thing…again? The Vernon Hills Capitals may be your answer. You may not realize it, but Vernon Hills, home of the Glacier Ice Arena, has a hockey team. The Vernon Hills Capitals will play a 26 game Great Lakes Hockey League schedule. Tickets are only $5 for adults, $3 for 55 and over or 16 and under. Children 5 and under are free. If you child plays hockey and wears their team colors, they get in free. And with free parking and reasonable concession stand, it truly makes for a very affordable night out.

According to the Great Lakes Hockey League’s website, “The Great Lakes Hockey League (GLHL) has provided fast-paced, high-energy hockey to players and fans in the Midwest since 1937. The GLHL features teams from Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and – for the first time this season – Illinois. The GLHL features players who have college hockey, junior hockey, and semi-pro experience in other leagues.
The GLHL provides players attending colleges that do not have hockey programs, as well as those beginning their careers, a place to continue playing hockey in a meaningful, competitive environment. The GLHL is governed by USA Hockey and WAHA.”
*This is actually the second season for the Vernon Hills Capitals in the GLHL.

Here’s the remaining schedule for the Vernon Hills Capitals:

January 2010
8th West Bend Bombers 8:00 PM
9th Eagle River Falcons 8:00 PM
15th at Green Bay Deacons 7:30 PM
22nd at Green Bay Deacons 7:30 PM
23rd at West Bend Bombers 8:00 PM
29th GLHL All-Star Game hosted by Green Bay 7:30 PM
30th Green Bay Deacons 8:00 PM
February 2010
6th at Oregon Stampede 8:00 PM
13th at Portage Lake Pioneers 6:30 PM
14th at Calumet Wolverines 12:00 PM
19th at Fond du Lac Bears 8:00 PM
20th West Bend Bombers 8:00 PM
21st Calumet Wolverines 12:00 PM
27th Fond du Lac bears 8:00 PM
March 2010
6th Fox Cities Ice Dogs 8:00 PM
12th Fond du Lac bears 8:00 PM
19th Mosinee Papermakers 8:00 PM
20th at Oregon Stampede 8:00 PM
26-28 GLHL League Tournament

It’s a Winter Wonderland in Vernon Hills

Today we saw the first snow fall in Vernon Hills. Although there wasn’t much accumulation, it did leave a dusting of white on some areas. Every December, between Thanksgiving and the New Year, Vernon Hills presents their Holiday Light Show on the grounds of Cuneo Museum and Gardens.It’s a drive thru light festival that provides a true winter wonderland. Living in Greggs Landing and driving by the entrance every year, day after day, I can share some tips for you to consider if you want to see the Vernon Hills Holiday Light Show. First of all, the best time to see the lights (in mine and most people’s opinion) is when there is fresh snow. This is evident by the longer lines, but it’s worth it! Don’t forget, once the snow turns dark and unappealing at the nearby Hawthorn Mall and on the roads, the Cuneo Museum and Gardens grounds are mostly untouched except for the car traffic for the light show. Another suggestion is that prices are higher on Friday, Saturday and Holidays, and so are the lines. Save yourself some money and go on a Sunday-Thursday, which are usually not as crowded. Finally, the light show opens at 6pm. There is usually a line that forms before it opens. So you will sit and wait until it opens and then wait in line. Going later will, most of the time, allow you to forgo the waiting.

And for those of you that don’t know how to get to the Vernon Hills Holiday Light Show, please don’t follow directions to the Cuneo Museum and Gardens. The light show has it’s own entrance off Lakeview Parkway. You can access it off Townline Road (Route 60) about halfway between Milwaukee Ave. and Butterfield Road.

Visit the Lake County Happens Calendar for dates and times plus find other holiday events and much more happenings in Vernon Hills and the surrounding Lake County villages!

Feel free to share you comments, pictures and videos on the Vernon Hills Holiday Lights Show with us.

Vernon Hills Cougars Football Second Round Playoff Game

Vernon Hills High School Cougars boys football team takes on Glenbard South in the second round of the IHSA class 5A playoffs on Saturday at 1pm at Glenbard South. Find directions to Glenbard South. This is the 8th year in Vernon Hills 10 year history that they are in the playoffs. The best year they’ve had was in 2001 when they advanced to the state quarter finals before losing. Let’s hope a ride down south tomorrow results in bringing back a Vernon Hills victory!

You can read the scouting report on the game from the Daily Herald.

A Halloween Treat: Set Your Clock Back an Hour Tonight!

Not only is it Halloween and trick or treating, it’s also the night to set your clocks back one hour for daylight savings time and enjoy some extra sleep!

Today is a busy day in Vernon Hills as the Vernon Hills High School Cougars take on Chicago Brooks in first round of the IHSA Class 5A Football playoffs. Even though Vernon Hills is the home team, the game will be played at Libertyville High School. Game time starts at 1pm.

After the football game, trick or treating is from 4pm-8pm in Vernon Hills this evening. With all the activity, an extra hour of sleep will be nice tonight!

Happy Halloween!