Elmhurst Issue Jan-Feb 2025
Spring Road Winter Fest
Hundreds of families enjoy visits with Santa, sleigh rides, caroling, tree lighting, and more at the Spring Road Business Association’s 2024 Winter Fest around the Gazebo on Dec. 14. Anna and Elsa from the Disney movie Frozen provided warm smiles while members of the Elmhurst Choral Union performed holiday classics. More than 100 new winter…
Read MoreThe Elmhurst Express: The legend of Fred Lorenzen
By Katie Bolinger Fred Lorenzen, known to race fans of the 1960s as The Elmhurst Express, Fearless Freddy, the Golden Boy, and Fast Freddie, was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, on December 30, 1934. He became one of NASCAR’s first non-Southern stars. Lorenzen’s love for racing began as a kid when he built a go-kart powered…
Read MoreStaying Cool while Warming Up
Warm Coats for Cool Kids outfits winter wear for local students By Maureen Callahan Everyone has a different vision of the ideal retirement. For Elmhurst resident Garry Vaccaro, that vision included starting his own non-profit. As a volunteer at Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry (EYFP), Vaccaro serves as a “food recoverer” – a team that collects unsold…
Read MoreIsyanov takes second in the state after missing junior year with a back injury
By Jeff Vorva Those watching Lizzie Isyanov playing tennis in the Illinois High School State Tournament in late October saw a player on top of her game. But those outside her inner circle probably had no idea what the senior York High School singles star had to go through to finish second in the state…
Read MoreLocal soccer players return for Big Ten Tournament showdown
When he was eight, Elmhurst’s Charlie Heuer tried out for a travel soccer team. It didn’t go well. “I actually got cut my first year,” he said. “Being cut from the first travel team…that’s been a chip.” As in chip on his shoulder. It’s something he remembers many years later as he is developing into…
Read MoreThree-Peat: Nazareth wins third straight Class 5A football championship
By Jeff Vorva When COVID-19 hit in 2020 and the Illinois High School Asso-ciation football season was postponed in the fall, some of the best players in the state left Illinois to play in states that allowed football during that time. Some players from Nazareth Academy – including star quarterback J.J. McCarthy – left, and…
Read MoreDuPage Foundation
In early November, the DuPage Foundation celebrated its Annual Benefit: Through the Looking Glass at The Westin Chicago Lombard, welcoming over 425 guests. The event raised nearly $700,000, with additional contributions expected. These funds are vital to supporting the Foundation’s efforts in addressing community challenges and opportunities while aiding donors and businesses in achieving impactful…
Read MoreClearing the Air: The American Lung Association and the local Fight for Air Climb
By Anna Hughes | Photos courtesy of the American Lung Association It’s not easy having to fight for air. It’s unfair when the most basic human need—breathing—becomes a daily battle. Unfortunately, that’s the reality for tens of millions of Americans living with a variety of lung health conditions: lung and respiratory diseases, asthma, and lung…
Read MoreSnapshot: Montini Catholic High School
Being a teenager today is more challenging than ever and the Lasallian approach to education that Montini Catholic has provided since their founding – knowing, seeing, supporting, and loving each student – is more relevant than ever. Located in Lombard, Montini Catholic High School is a family-centered, coeducational, college preparatory high school rooted in the…
Read MoreThe DuPage County Underground Railroad
Local Underground Railroad stations invite visitors to hear freedom seekers’ stories By Maureen Callahan From the start of slavery, freedom seekers (formerly known as enslaved people) sought a better situation than the one into which they were born or sold. The 1860s found the nation embroiled in the Great Civil War, with slavery as a…
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