Junior Garden Club of Lake Forest Joins Esteemed Garden Club of America
By Kim Piekos Lake Forest’s remarkable gardens have added color to the town over the years, as has the work of its many dedicated garden...
top of page
Lake Forest Love
Telling the Stories About the Community We Love
Lake Forest, Illinois
Welcome to lakeforestlove.com, a blog destination where we curate the amazing stories of our community, shine a light on them and share them back with you.
We believe there are so many ways to fall in love with Lake Forest—the open spaces, schools, extraordinary organizations, community spirit, lakefront, retail and dining offerings, and its kind and generous heart.
We also feel there are stories about people who live and work here that you might like to know. There is so much to love and we’re just getting started. So welcome. You’re going to love it here!
Oct 28
New Website, Newsletter Share History and Beauty of City’s First Park
By Kim Piekos As you walk along the gravel path in Lake Forest’s 168-year-old Forest Park, absorbing the beauty of Lake Michigan and the...
Oct 21
When Lake Forest Home Design Was Transformed
By the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff The 1950s were a boom era for the United States. Growth in personal income created the...
Oct 17
Café Encourages Those with Memory Loss to Talk About the Past, Connect
By David A. F. Sweet Memory loss among older Americans is a significant issue. According to a recent report released by the U.S. Centers...
Oct 14
Elawa Farm Capital Campaign Poised to Fund Many Improvements
By David A. F. Sweet The Elawa Farm Foundation recently kicked off the public part of its Keep Elawa Growing capital campaign. The farm...
Oct 9
‘Tap Dancing Holds a Very Special Place in My Heart’
By Ana Jaramillo Lake Forest High School senior Chloe Fournier performed Rhythms of Passion: A Tap Dance Experience at Gorton Center on...
Oct 3
Disc Golf Course, Handball Courts Among Improvements Coming to Northcroft Park
By David A. F. Sweet Significant upgrades are planned for Northcroft Park. One of six neighborhood parks in the City of Lake Forest,...
Sep 30
Pathway Project at Beach Nears Completion
By Thais O'Malley Soon, Lake Forest residents can head to Forest Park Beach courtesy of a new boardwalk which is ADA-compliant and...
Sep 23
Dance Academy Student’s Production to Be Presented at Gorton
By Ana Jaramillo Chloe Fournier, a senior at Lake Forest High School, has been dancing with Lake Forest Dance Academy for more than a...
Sep 20
What’s in a Name? Early Area Monikers Might Surprise You
By the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff In the earliest days, the current West Lake Forest area was known as Meehan’s Settlement,...
Sep 16
Citadel Theatre Celebrates Jeff Award Nominations, Kicks Off New Season with ‘Levity’
By Kim Piekos Entering its 23rd season, Lake Forest’s Citadel Theatre has plenty to celebrate. Two of its shows from last season, Silent...
Sep 9
‘Parks & Recreation Truly Does It All’: A Look at the Department’s Robust Offerings
By Cameron Wacker For Fred Jackson, working at Lake Forest Parks & Recreation was more than a job; it was his lifelong passion. Jackson...
Sep 6
‘Gorton Will Always Be a Place for Connection’: Venerable Nonprofit Set to Celebrate 50 Years
By Cameron Wacker “Gorton is a place where everyone belongs – no matter what school or neighborhood you might live in, what other...
Sep 4
Partnership Between City of Lake Forest, Elawa Farm Foundation Earns Top Award
By David A. F. Sweet The City of Lake Forest received the Program Excellence Award for Community Partnerships for its partnership with...
Aug 27
Challenges with Current Police Station, Opportunities for a New Facility
By David A. F. Sweet On July 15, the Lake Forest City Council unanimously approved purchasing the building at 1925 Field Court for...
Aug 22
Author and Filmmaker Susan Kelsey Follows Billy Caldwell’s Steps
By Cameron Wacker “The Negotiator: Billy Caldwell” is a documentary film about Billy Caldwell, son of Mohawk woman Rising Sun and...
Aug 19
Engineering Intern Explores Lake Forest Ravines to Evaluate Conditions
By Cameron Wacker Clara Goshgarian was the Lake Forest Public Works’ Ravine Engineering Intern this past summer. Goshgarian spent her...
Aug 12
Lake Forest Day's Contagious Beginnings
By the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Lake Forest’s long-running annual summer celebration, Lake Forest Day, dates back 116...
Aug 8
Lake Forest Day Draws a Happy Crowd
Photography By Thais O'Malley Another successful Lake Forest Day took place on the first Wednesday in August. The event -- started in...
Aug 5
Engineer Embraces Variety of Projects
By David A. F. Sweet Nellyka (Nelly) Dennis is an Engineering Assistant for the City of Lake Forest. She works with engineers and project...
Aug 2
On the GO: Lake Forest Walks Boost Health
By Thais O'Malley More than 180 people attended the GO Lake Forest Fire Truck Fun Walk on July 23, when Lake Forest Parks and Recreation...
Jul 29
CROYA Is the Best Place to Make New Friends
By Michaela Barry If you know anyone who is involved in CROYA, I am sure that you have heard them rave about the funky Wednesday night...
Jul 25
Brebners Made Their Mark in Lake Forest in Various Ways
By the The History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff The History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff honored the Brebner family with the...
Jul 22
New Parks and Recreation Director Excited to Contribute to Growth of Offerings
By David A. F. Sweet A veteran of parks and recreation in northern Illinois, Michael Wick was tapped to be the new Director of Lake...
Jul 15
Memories of Saturdays With Larry
By David A. F. Sweet Many remember the best-seller Tuesdays with Morrie, when sportswriter Mitch Albom visited his dying college...
Jul 11
The World’s Top Female Golf Amateurs Are Coming to Lake Forest
By Cameron Wacker Featuring the world’s top female amateurs, the Women’s Western Amateur tournament will be held at Onwentsia Club from...
Jul 8
'CROYA Will Always Be a Part of Me'
By Tyler Klein This essay by Tyler Klein -- a 2024 graduate of Lake Forest High School -- won the Margot Martino Spirit of CROYA award. ...
Jul 1
A Look at Lake Forest Days of Yore
By David A. F. Sweet As the Fourth of July beckons, Lake Forest Day (Aug. 7) is only a month away. Enjoy the vintage photos below from...
Jun 27
A Six-Year-Old Discovers a One-in-a-Million Cicada
By Lake Forest Open Lands During the Cicada Sensation program at a Lake Forest Open Lands (LFOLA) preserve recently, six-year-old Fritz...
Jun 25
Stars, Stripes, and Disco: 17th Annual Lake Forest Festival and Fireworks Set for July 4
By Cameron Wacker Celebrate your Fourth of July holiday with friends and family at the 17th Annual Lake Forest Festival and Fireworks on...
Jun 17
'Continue to Get on the Bus'
By Kelsey Bumbaco Kelsey Bumbaco, senior class president of Lake Forest High School, offered her thoughts during the 89th annual...
Jun 13
Truck Loads of Fun at Meet the Fleet!
By Thais O'Malley The City of Lake Forest hosted its annual Meet the Fleet event on June 7! Over 915 people came by to climb aboard the...
Jun 13
Giving Back: Summer Jam for Camp Hope
By Cameron Wacker Camp Hope, a week-long summer camp for teenagers and young adults with disabilities in the Chicagoland area, is an...
Jun 10
Residents Young and Old Embrace Lake Forest Day – A Constant in a Changing World
By David A. F. Sweet It’s likely that no resident alive has seen more Lake Forest Days than Larry Crone. At 93, he remembers what they...
Jun 7
Lake Forest’s Atelier Preserves Renaissance Art Technique Inside Architectural Gem
By Kim Piekos Nancy Smith sits before her five-foot-wide painting, paintbrush in hand steadied by a mahl stick, focused on every stroke...
May 30
New Police Officer Enjoys Making a Positive Impact
By Ashley Love Sarahi Rivera-Martinez served as a Lake Forest Community Service Officer starting in 2022 and graduated from the Police...
May 20
‘This Place Is in My Blood’: CVS Manager Mark Bialk Prepares to Retire
By Kim Piekos After 22 years at the helm of the store on Western Avenue, CVS manager Mark Bialk will be retiring June 7. On his last day,...
May 16
Myers Discusses Rules on When to Use Gas Leaf Blowers
By David A. F. Sweet Chuck Myers is the Superintendent of Parks, Forestry and Natural Resources for the City of Lake Forest. He oversees...
May 13
‘Posting Flags Helps Us Remember’: Legion’s Commitment to Tradition Never Flags
By Kim Piekos Everyone’s heart lifts a little to see the U.S. flags waving in the breeze around Lake Forest six days a year. In two...
May 6
New Fields and Pickleball Courts Enhance Deerpath Community Park
By David A. F. Sweet The Deerpath Community Park Showcase Event featured a chance for residents to test an obstacle course, check out...
May 2
Learning Gardens to Flourish at History Center
By the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff A significant site in the heart of old Lake Forest will bloom once again. The History...
Apr 29
Brush With Greatness: Library’s Murals of the Giants of Antiquity Are Restored
By David A. F. Sweet As beautiful as murals can be, even indoors they begin to deteriorate (albeit at a glacial pace) once the final...
Apr 22
Cartwright Describes Benefits of Native Planting
By David A. F. Sweet For the second year, April is Illinois Native Plant Month. It came to be thanks to the efforts of the Lake Forest...
Apr 18
Work on Strategic Planning Helps Guide Lake Forest into the Future
By David A. F. Sweet In Lake Forest, the strategic-planning process is an opportunity to think about the future and chart the City’s...
Apr 15
Residents Appreciate Local Composting Initiative
By David A. F. Sweet With Earth Month reminding all to care for the environment, scores of Lake Foresters are taking advantage of a...
Apr 12
‘Being of Service is Important’: Marks Honored with Temple Award
By Kim Piekos Perhaps you’ve seen him. He’s the guy hawking American Legion raffle tickets outside Sunset Foods each year for Lake...
Apr 4
Police Chief Walldorf Reflects on Changes, Constants Near End of 30-Year Tenure
By David A. F. Sweet Lake Forest Police Chief Karl Walldorf took over the department in 2016, succeeding James Held. He launched his...
Apr 1
Austin Drives Success of Annual Vehicle-Sticker Program
By David A. F. Sweet Claudia Austin has a number of roles with the City of Lake Forest. She sits at the front counter in the Finance...
Mar 26
Rendezvous Arts Music Group Strikes a Chord at Gorton
By Kim Piekos March of 2020 scarred musicians who had played in the Lake Forest Symphony: not only did the group fold the month before...
Mar 18
Don't Miss Your Ward Meeting This Spring
Join your Aldermen to learn what's new in your neighborhood and what's happening in Lake Forest at your Spring Ward Meeting! Ward 1:...
bottom of page