Ladies Nite Out

There is nothing quite like walking into a store and breathing in all of the new colors of the season. Everyone needs a little pick-me-up this time of year - we need a change, we need to get out, we need to add some color both to our wardrobes and to our look.

A perfect remedy to soothe the soul, add some springtime and spend time with your girlfriends is Ladies Nite Out, being held on Friday, April 9 from 2:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

With all the excitement of the coming spring, here is a really fun event to mark on your calendar. A delightful evening hosted by our very own local businesses; Linnea Jewelers and Studio 180! Plan on attending Friday April 9th from 2:00 to 8:30 . This is the date for you to try out that new spring outfit, grab your girlfriends and go for an exciting Ladies Night Out in Downtown LaGrange.

In the harried hassle of our busy lives, your group could begin their evening at the beautifully remodeled Studio One Eighty at 27 S. Ashland Avenue. Relax with a glass of wine, have a quick complimentary dry style or bang trim from one of their many excellent stylists for that perfect spring pick me up. Maybe you might schedule a "new you make-over" taking advantage of the many specials on services that will be offered that evening. While enjoying the gourmet cheese pairings, you will definitely want to search through their fabulous purse party collection and score that adorable accessory addition certain to be the envy of all your girlfriends! It will be first come, first served at LaGrange's New Studio 180!

Or you and your girlfriends could start your meanderings in Linnea Jewelers at 23 S. Ashland Ave. Famous for their friendly professional service and lots of Red Carpet bling, nothing makes you feel as light hearted as beautiful, sparkling jewelry! Have your own fine jewelry cleaned, polished and inspected while you and your girlfriends peruse all the dazzling temptations. Take advantage of the sale that evening, maybe something shiny and new for the upcoming vacation season? Don't forget to fill out your personal wish list for Mothers Day, birthdays and anniversaries. Even refuel your wallet (and the economy) by selling your old unused gold! Enjoy delicious nibbles from the fabulous caterer Heidi Dellman, while you and a professional goldsmith contemplate a custom creation that is uniquely YOU!
Door prize drawings every hour. Remember Linnea's is LaGrange's Green Jeweler!

Leave the winter doldrums behind and start spring off with a bang! Mark your calendars, make plans with your friends and attend Ladies Night Out on Friday, April 9th Take advantage of the complimentary offerings, getting your hair fluffed, having your jewelry polished & cleaned and try your luck at winning a door prize. Special discounts will apply that evening only, so don't miss out on the advantage of being smart & thrifty while having an evening out and loads of fun with your girlfriends! Only in..... Ahhhh LaGrange!


Denise Oros Master Goldsmith
Linnea Jewelers Inc.
23 South Ashland Avenue
LaGrange IL 60525
PH: 708-482-0007 FX: 708-482-0964
linneajewelers@yahoo.com
Goldsmiths at your service ~ Since 1981 ~
www.ljinc.net

Tuesday-Friday 10-6PM
Saturday 10-3PM

Sit Stay

We graduated...again! Mitch and I have gone through about 5 training classes with Barb Clish and Mary Keeffe through the Community Park District of La Grange Park.

It's not that he doesn't get it - he gets it perfectly and loves to go to class - it is the dog owner, the human, who needs refreshing. Plus it is fun.

I got Mitch from the Lakeshore Humane Society in Manitowoc WI about 5 years ago. When I saw his photo posted on their website, I knew he was the dog for me. He is an English Shepherd. While my kids were growing up, I had an English Shepherd puppy who lived to be 12 years old, so since I had a history with the breed, the shelter was only too happy to let me adopt him. At the time, we had another dog - Sara Alice aka Weenie - who was a loveable, squirrley little white dog. My daughter and I drove up to Wisconsin with Weenie to meet our new addition.

We soon discovered that Mitch did not know how to behave on a leash, in fact, we were doubtful that he had ever walked at all - the pads of his feet were like a baby's skin they were so soft. Since I walk through the neighborhood, and love to have a dog companion, it was paramount that my dog would be able to walk with me - sensibly and with some decorum.

Upon observing totally uncouth behavior, like lunging at kids on bikes, yanking me along (who was walking whom?), one of my fellow dog owners gently recommended dog training through the park district.

Of course, having been a dog owner almost my whole life, I figured I could do this myself. I was wrong.

We enrolled - Mitch and I. At the first class, Barb brought her partner, Millie, a beautiful Golden Retriever. Barb is a sergeant on the Brookfield Zoo police force and a training expert. Mary also has extensive training and experience with dogs. She told us that by the end of the class, each of our dogs would in fact sit and stay even though a chicken would walk in front of them.

We chortled, we gasped - there was a chicken sitting on Millie's back! Wow, I thought - if only......

The eight week session starts with the basics: having your dog sit and stay while you back away and eventually all of the owners go out of the room and the dogs all stay at their spots. We are continually amazed - how - and WHY - do they do it? The actually obey and it is a sight to see.

After going through a basic class, you and your dog can go onto Advanced Training. In the Advanced class, we do rallies, obstacle courses, and have an array of animals introduced to our dogs. In the class that recently ended, there were 8 teams - two Portuguese Water Dogs, a Shztzu, two Goldens, a Border Collie mix, a black Lab and Mitch and their humans.

Dog training is offered through our park district in fall and spring with the possibility of a summer class coming up. The cost is $100 for residents. Each class is an hour long and is jam-packed with activities for you and your dog to continue in your everyday life - as Barb is fond of saying, "It is human training, not dog training." The dogs love to work in this environment, are excited to see their friends and are ecstatic that they are being praised. The dogs love Barb and Mary - both women have to greet each dog individually as they come in.

Just last week, Mitch and I walked across the street to meet a new puppy. Mitch was pulling at his leash, wanting to play with the puppy. I told him to 'sit stay' - he did - and I went to greet the puppy and Mitch sat there till I told him he could come. It works - !

St. Patrick's Day La Grange Park style

If you are near the 600 block of Newberry today around noon, you may wonder what is going on. It is the third annual all-day event called "Just Irish Enough" - some refer to it as a St. Patrick's Day Parade, and a parade does kick off the day, but it is really a huge block party with a purpose.

According to Sarah Mycek, a committee member, last year's event raised more than $23,000 for about 60 shaved heads. Volunteers have their heads shaved bald and the monies raised goes to St. Baldrick's Foundation, an organization who raises funds for children's cancer research.

This year the 'stylists' will also be cutting ponytails to give to Locks of Love.

Head shaving begins at 2:00 p.m. following the parade. Tommy Hawk, the mascot for the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blackhawks Ice Girls and the mascot from the Chicago White Sox, South Paw, will also be on hand at 2:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be sold and there will be a bake sale.

Chris Zuncic, one of the neighbors on the 600 block of Newberry has talked about the event since its inception. "It's a great party - Jim (McCarthy), the guy who organizes the day, does a wonderful job and it gets bigger every year. It's a blast."

As of March 2, the event has raised more than $16,000 with 50 heads set to be shaved.

The festivities begin at noon on Saturday the 13th on the 600 block of Newberry. There is no cost for admission, but donations are appreciated. For more information contact http://www.st.baldricks.org