Meet Jordan Shackelford and learn more about SweatShack, Northfield’s new boutique fitness destination pg8
HOME DESIGN
Create a stylish outdoor oasis in your own back yard with these trendy patio picks pg11
—Winston Churchill
Summer VIBES
BRING THE OUTSIDE IN
Fill your home with light, flora and elements reflecting the outside to create a summer vibe The JPI team can help create a look you will love
NEWS
5 north shore doings
Your go-to guide for all the latest local events in the weeks ahead
10 north shore sports
Son succeeds father as New Trier Township High School's baseball coach and also rises
LIFESTYLE & ARTS
8 #hashtag
Jordan Shackelford, founder of a new boutique fitness destination, shares her favorite things
11 WeeKend stYLe
Create a stylish outdoor oasis in your own back yard with these trendy patio picks
12 man about fiLm
Our critic reviews 28 Years Later, a sequel to a popular horror film about the Rage virus
12 dYnamic duo
Chris Botti and David Foster take the stage at Ravinia with special guest Katharine McPhee
12 the dream continues
Chicago returns to Ravinia on July 5 with a cross section of the band’s greatest hits
The L iving Room
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
22 sundaY breaKfast
Lake Forest's Gail Sturm deserves a standing ovation for chairing three nonprofit boards
Talk to someone who’s been there Talk to a peer
The Living Room welcomes anyone age 18+ who is experiencing a mental health crisis to receive support in a safe, nonjudgmental space
Open ever y day 7 am – 12 am 1779 Maple Avenue, Northfield, IL 60093
NORTH SHORE DOINGS
EDITED BY CHEYANNE LENCIONI THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
JUNE 20 TO 21
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
The Joffrey Ballet closes its 69th season with twotime Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s enchanting and family-friendly production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This show displays beautiful choreography, masterful puppetry, and vibrant stagecraft. joffrey.org
JUNE 20 TO AUGUST 2
“WHERE WE DWELL”
The Art Center of Highland Park, in partnership with Echt Gallery, presents “Where we dwell,” a new group show that explores the interplay between art, interior design, and the natural world. There will be an opening reception from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 20; the show runs through August 2. Featured artists include Michelle Peterson Albandoz, Arlene Byster, and Michael McGuire.
JUNE 20 TO 21
TASTE OF HIGHLAND PARK
Taste of Highland Park returns to downtown Highland Park June 20 to 21. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., you can sample dishes from more than a dozen Highland Park food and beverage vendors and enjoy live music from hip-hop tribute band Too Hype Crew on Friday and Queen tribute band Queenflash on Saturday. cityhpil.com
JUNE 21
TAYLOR BROTHERS
MEMORIAL WALK
Join NAMI CCNS to fundraise and remember Trent and Ross Taylor at Techny Prairie Park. A
memorial walk will precede a golf outing at Anetsberger Golf Course. The walk is free to attend and the golf outing has limited availability and is $40 per person. Registration is required for golf. namiccns.org
JUNE 21
AUTO SHOW
WHERE: Lake Bluff History Museum
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., see classic cars and beautifully vintage vehicles at Lake Bluff History Museum’s annual family-friendly auto show. Free parking is available for guests at the Lake Bluff train station. lakebluffhistory.org
JUNE 21
COOKBOOK AND PUZZLE SWAP
Bring a puzzle or book to swap from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Evanston Public Library’s Falcon Room. epl.org
JUNE 21
MARKET SQUARE WALKING TOUR
Join the Lake ForestLake Bluff History Center at 10:30 a.m. for a historical tour of Howard Van Doren Shaw’s Market Square. The tour runs for 90 minutes and registration is required. $25 for members and $35 for non-members. lflbhistory.org
JUNE 21 TO 22
ART IN THE VILLAGE SHOW
Celebrate 100 years of art in the community at Hubbard Woods from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Art will be featured from 70 artists’ booths across the country. Enjoy a raffle and silent auction. northshoreartleague.org
JUNE 21 TO SEPTEMBER 21
PATTERNED BY NATURE
Celebrate our universal attraction to patterns through playfully planted
gardens and nature-inspired artistic installations that stretch the imagination at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Visitors are invited to explore garden beds and installations throughout the garden that feature dynamic patterns, transformational art, and upcycled fashion. chicagobotanic.org
JUNE 23 TO AUGUST 24
OUT OF OFFICE ON THE TRAIL
Join coach Dave O’Connor at Middlefork Farm Nature Preserve’s George Beach Trail from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. for a private, small-group coaching experience designed for senior-level leaders navigating tradition, burnout, or big decisions. lfola.org
JUNE 23 TO AUGUST 25
FOOD TRUCK MONDAYS
Enjoy food trucks and live music at Kenilworth Assembly Hall from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. kenilworthparkdistrict.org
JUNE 24 TO AUGUST 26
SUNSET YOGA
From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., immerse yourself in the beauty of Lake Forest Open Lands Association’s Mellody Farm Nature Preserve while relaxing into a gentle, restorative yoga session that will incorporate breathwork and mindfulness. All abilities welcome! lfola.org
JUNE 24
ART JOURNALING
Enjoy a morning of journaling, coffee, and camaraderie at Northfield Library. From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., adults can create free form, mixed media entries. Registration is required. wnpld.org
JUNE 25
INFERNO FEST
Celebrate Highwood proudly presents its annual Inferno Fest at Everts Park from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Enjoy an array of the spiciest and hottest foods and beverages for fearless food enthusiasts. celebratehighwood.org
JUNE 26
HIGHLAND PARK WINE STROLL
Sip, shop, stroll, and savor! From 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in downtown Highland Park, enjoy curated wine tastings and exclusive shopping deals at local businesses. Whether you’re planning a fun night with friends, a unique date night, or a team outing with coworkers, the Wine Stroll is the perfect way to connect, unwind, and experience all that Highland Park has to offer. chamberhp. com
JUNE 26
SIT & KNIT
Spend the afternoon with fellow knitters at Northfield Public Library from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Basic supplies will be provided and library staff will be present to assist. Registration is required. wnpld.org
JUNE 28
BACK THE BOWL BASH
From 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. join the Ouilmette Founda-
tion’s Annual Beach Bash Fundraiser. Held at Gillson Park in Wilmette, the event features bands, food, dancing, and an all-inclusive ticket price (food, drink, entertainment) of $100 for adults. Proceeds support the preservation and restoration of the Wallace Bowl. ouilmettefoundation.org
JULY 1 TO 31
JULIA JENSEN EXHIBIT
See Julia Jensen’s work throughout the month of July at Vivid Art Gallery in Winnetka. Jensen is an impressionist painter who creates landscapes based on the expansive views she experienced in Vermont and Nantucket. An opening reception will be held July 11 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. which will include work from Jensen and 25 artists on exhibit. vividartgallery.net
JULY 10 AND AUGUST 14
FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS
Food Truck Thursdays return to Highland Park’s Ravinia District from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. More than a dozen food trucks will service food accompanied by live music and a family-friendly atmosphere. cityhpil.com
JULY 11
FIRST FRIDAY IN
HUBBARD WOODS
Come out to Hubbard Woods for an evening of style and creativity. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., participating locations will be open late for after-hours shopping, live music, and complimentary seasonal sips and bites. Mingle with neighbors and local creatives, browse summer collections, and enjoy cocktails and mocktails as you explore. shophwdd.com
JULY 25 TO 27
SUPERBLOOM
The Seldoms present a weekend of dance, live music, animation, and costume and lighting design at Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Superbloom” event. Watch five dancers in a multimedia performance about radical beauty, wildness, and wildflowers. chicagobotanic.org
JULY 26 TO 27
CHINATOWN SUMMER FAIR
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., enjoy a unique outdoor event in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood for a celebration of beauty and culture including art, food, and music. chicagoevents.com
To submit your event for consideration, please email events@nsweekend.com.
BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER NORTH SHORE SPORTS
The New Trier Township High School (New Trier) baseball dugout at Duke Childs Field was a library-quiet sanctuary at the start of a pivotal game against Deerfield High School (DHS) last month.
Top-notch senior outfielder Ben Toft had just sustained an injury in a May 15 game that the Trevians needed to win to secure the Central Suburban League South (CSL South) title.
New Trier needed something, anything, to stir its players.
Voices could be heard in the dugout again when New Trier senior outfielder/first baseman Trey Meyers led off the bottom of the first inning with a single.
Trevians senior outfielder/infielder and 2-hole hitter Zach Perchik then gave his teammates something to roar about, sliding into third base and popping straight up after tripling off the outfield wall.
“That got everybody going,” recalls first-year New Trier coach Dusty Napoleon, who succeeded his father, Mike Napoleon, who won a state-record 1,000 games, including 967 at New Trier from
NAPS’ STARS REACH NOVA STATUS ELEVENTH HEAVEN
First-year New Trier Township High School baseball coach Dusty Napoleon guides standout-laden squad to sectional title game.
1997-2024.
“I had a feeling, at the moment Zach reached third base, that we would put together a good run in the playoffs.”
His premonition was spot-on. New Trier topped DHS 12-2, Toft got healthy, and the Trevians won three postseason games before falling 4-1 in 11 innings to Maine South High School in the Class 4A Loyola Academy Sectional final on June 7.
“We came up with three pillars for the 2025 season—trust, passion, develop,” Napoleon says.
“The players had to trust me in my first year and my staff. Our guys played with passion all spring, but they also showed passion for school and for life. Develop? This group started developing last summer and never stopped.”
New Trier junior pitcher Greg Campitelli had a sterling spring, going 10-1 with a 1.55 earned-run average and earning the CSL South Pitcher of the Year honor.
“Greg threw three pitches for strikes,” says Napoleon, a 2004 New Trier graduate who not only was named Most Valuable Player in baseball as a senior, but was also recognized as the MVP of the school’s football and basketball teams in the 2003-2004 academic year.
“He had excellent command, and his changeup is an elite pitch.”
Meyers’ second-straight MVP season featured a .427 batting average, an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.21, five homers, and 11 doubles.
Toft wound up batting .411 with an OPS of 1.11, and Perchik (10 for 10 in stolen bases) batted .345 with an on-base percentage of .422.
The feel-good story of New Trier’s 29-8-1 season had to be senior Caiden Carpenter’s. One
Seeded No. 11 in a sectional, Loyola Academy’s softball team stuns a string of favorites and reaches the Elite Eight in the state playoffs.
Most softball players on teams that receive a double-digit seed in a sectional have to turn in their uniforms in late May.
This spring’s Loyola Academy (LA) squad went against convention, wearing out several higher seeds and playing in a trio of state playoff games in June as the No. 11 seed in the Class 4A Stevenson High School Sectional.
“It was bittersweet,” says Ramblers softball coach Leah Herlocker of her team’s 10-3 loss in eight innings to Oak Park and River Forest High School (OP-RF HS) in a supersectional game held at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) on June 9. “So many people in the community had told us how exciting it was to watch us make such a deep run in the playoffs. And we were thrilled to compete for a Final Four berth.
“But that was tough, dealing with the immediate halt of our season.”
LA (18-16), with only three seniors in the fold, eliminated, in succession, seventh-seeded New Trier Township High School (New Trier) 6-0 on May 28; second-seeded Warren Township High School 6-2 on May 30; sixth-
seeded John Hersey High School 4-3 on June 5; and fifth-seeded Mundelein High School 2-0 on June 7, before falling to OP-RF HS in an Elite Eight contest.
“We had a unique combination of talent and confidence,” says Herlocker, a 2011 New Trier graduate who played several positions, including left field, and suited up for Allegheny College. “Bonds formed early, helping us get through the challenges of our tough schedule.”
LA junior pitcher and Northwestern University recruit Hunter Lewis had a superb season in the circle and at the plate, going 15-6 with an earned-run-average of 1.29 and batting .492 to go with eight homers and 31 runs batted in. She amassed 274 strikeouts in 2025 and tossed a pair of no-hitters, including one on April 10 against St. Laurence High School, which placed fourth in the Class 3A state tournament.
Opposing hitters batted only .145 against her.
Senior first baseman and UIC-bound Emilia Bartholomew, normally a catcher,
served as captain of the Ramblers’ infield and batted .367 from either the No. 2 or No. 4 spot in Herlocker’s order.
Senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Gwen Coleman batted nearly .300 and homered in LA’s 7-2 defeat of Carmel Catholic High School on the Ramblers’ Senior Day.
The team’s Most Improved Player honor went to sophomore catcher Chloe Takacs.
Herlocker lauded the steady play of the team’s other outfielders: sophomore Maggie Herbert and juniors Abby Murphy and Leanna Keller.
“At the beginning of the year, our players chose the qualities they wanted the team to embody,” Herlocker noted. “They picked positivity, resilience, determination, and unity. They displayed all four, and they never gave up on each other.”
Not even after an 0-6 stretch from April 24-May 7, during which they were outscored 41-6. LA then closed the season with a 12-1 record.
“I’ll remember a lot of things about the season, not just the big wins in the playoffs,”
season after getting only 10 at-bats on varsity, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound shortstop/co-captain batted .340, ripped 10 doubles, scored 32 runs, and stole 18 bases in as many as attempts.
Carpenter started the spring ninth in Napoleon’s batting order.
The team’s Most Improved Player ended up batting third.
“We had a special season,” Napoleon says of the team that started the spring 7-1-1 and outscored opponents by a combined 33-0 during a fourgame winning streak from May 22-May 28.
BUNTS & LINE DRIVES: The inaugural Naps Award—named after former New Trier baseball coach Mike Napoleon and given to the Trevian who often made winning plays and paid attention to details— went to senior Zach Perchik. | Firstyear New Trier coach Dusty Napoleon got drafted in the 19th round by the Oakland A’s in 2007. | Trevians sophomore pitcher/first baseman Harry Resis knocked in two runs in New Trier’s 5-4 playoff defeat of Niles West High School on May 31. | Trevians senior utility player CJ Donnelly went 3-for-3 in New Trier’s 3-2 win over Glenbrook North High School in a sectional semifinal June 4.
says Herlocker. “Hearing them laugh at stilly stuff, for one. I bought a rubber chicken and gave it to our Player of the Game. I then let that recipient (and ensuing ones) pick the next Player of the Game.”
But sometimes more than one Rambler deserved the recognition.
“I bought more rubber chickens,” recalls Herlocker.
Hunter Lewis
EDITED BY DUSTIN O'REAGAN ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL
The North Shore is abuzz with the launch of SweatShack, the newest boutique fitness destination from longtime industry leader JORDAN SHACKELFORD. Located at 300 Happ Road in Northfield—just steps from her Shred415 studio—SweatShack offers a cutting-edge, highly personalized approach to personal training and Pilates in a sleek, modern space that’s already turning heads. Shackelford brings nearly two decades of fitness expertise to the table. She began her career at Multiplex, where she rose through the ranks to become Fitness Director overseeing both group fitness and personal training at their East Lakeview and Gold Coast locations. Later, while working as a real estate agent at @properties, a fortuitous meeting with Shred415 co-founders, Bonnie Micheli and Tracy Roemer, led her to join the team at Shred415, which continues to thrive under her leadership. “My clients on the North Shore are always striving for the best—in fitness, health, and beauty,” says Shackelford. “They want to live longer, feel stronger, and look their best. SweatShack was created with that exact mindset— it’s here to meet them where they are and help them reach the next level.” For Shackelford, fitness isn’t just about the physical transformation. “It’s always been my sanctuary,” she adds. “Fitness brings me clarity and calm, and I love helping others use it not just to strengthen their bodies but also to focus their minds and find balance.” With SweatShack, Shackelford continues to redefine wellness on the North Shore—one personalized session at a time.
#ON MY NIGHTSTAND
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghey. The latest novel by the bestselling author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves, Wild Dark Shore is a lyrical, atmospheric tale set against the rugged coast of Scotland. Known for weaving environmental themes with deeply human stories, McConaghey’s work explores love, grief, and the primal pull of nature. Expect haunting prose and emotional depth.
#IN MY EARBUDS
For music I have Gracie Abrams on repeat and for Podcasts, it’s Mel Robbins.Gracie Abrams, known for her introspective lyrics and dreamy indie-pop sound, delivers emotionally raw tracks perfect for late-night drives or quiet mornings. Meanwhile, Mel Robbins—bestselling author and motivational speaker—offers no-nonsense life strategies and mindset tools in her highenergy podcast, blending personal stories with actionable advice.
#ON MY MOBILE
I follow fitness, women in fitness, and inspirational quotes for women in fitness. I love how motivating some of these fitness influencers can be!
28 YEARS LATER
This horror film is more than a sequel. It’s an elegy for the idea that we might learn something the second time around.
BY FELIX MCMILLAN, MAN ABOUT FILM ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL
VERDICT: Stylish, intelligent, and disquietingly restrained, 28 Years Later is less about running from monsters and more about realizing they were inside the perimeter all along. The Rage is back—and so, apparently, is relevance
There are sequels, and then there are resurrections. 28 Years Later belongs—perhaps reluctantly—in the latter category. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland return, older, sharper, and seemingly allergic to nostalgia, with a film that is less a continuation and more a confrontation. With memory. With decay. With the uncomfortable notion that the virus may have faded, but the disease—well, the disease is us. Britain is calm now. Rebuilt. Rebranded. The streets are clean again, if suspiciously quiet. In the opening scenes, there’s almost a sense of peace—a peace, we quickly learn, that is hanging by a single fraying thread and a government press release. The Rage virus, long believed to be eradicated, does what it does best: returns uninvited, ungoverned, and utterly unconcerned with modern progress.
Boyle shoots with his usual kinetic grace, blending grime and grandeur in equal measure. His Britain is not quite dystopian—it’s worse. It’s familiar. Garland, for his part, trades in cheap thrills for slow-burning dread, anchoring the screenplay not in action but in consequence. This is a film far more interested
in what we’ve become than what we’re running from.
Ruth Negga leads with a quiet, magnetic presence, anchoring scenes with a weariness that feels earned rather than performed. There is no speechifying here—just the steady erosion of hope.
Cillian Murphy’s return, though used sparingly, is pitched perfectly. He isn’t the hero. He’s the ghost of one. The film wisely lets that linger.
Structurally, it’s not flawless. The third act veers slightly into well-trodden territory—military bunkers, moral compromises, and torch-lit terror—but it’s executed with such control and emotional ballast that it never feels perfunctory. The violence, when it comes, is brutal, brief, and never quite triumphant.
What Boyle and Garland have delivered is not simply a horror film, or even a sequel. It’s an elegy—for Britain, for humanity, for the idea that we might learn something the second time around. We haven’t. And that, really, is the horror.
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BY MEGAN WEISBERG THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
I n August of 1995, Chicago native Melissa Skoog set her sights on the Big Apple, giving herself a tight, one-month time frame to move to Manhattan and find a job. It so happened that a family friend had made introductions to Vogue’s advertising department, thus setting her career on an unstoppable path.
Skoog’s interview roster read like Women’s Wear Daily ’s Best Dressed List, including famed stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman, who almost 20 years later is still at the top of her career. Spoiler alert: Skoog didn’t get that job, so she returned home to Chicago and began working in office management. Little did she know that this “failure” would lay the foundation of a legendary PR career.
Six months later, her phone rang with a call from Condé Nast—if Skoog could manage to uproot her life and move to New York within three weeks, she had a job as a rover between the magazines’ departments. On her first day of work, Skoog learned Anna Wintour—legendary gatekeeper of all things in the fashion world—needed an assistant. Within a week of temporarily filling that role, Skoog officially became Wintour’s second assistant. If these events recall the plot of The Devil Wears Prada movie, Skoog agrees. “Yes, it was just like Anne Hathaway’s character,” laughs Skoog. The cinematic similarities continued—she was responsible for bringing Wintour her coffee and delivering the “book” (a mock-up of the magazine) to her home. Within a month the first assistant (Emily Blunt’s character) left, and Skoog stepped into that role where she stayed for the next two and a half years in a position that afforded her extraordinary exposure to fashion industry greats. When Skoog was ready to move to her next role, she stayed in-house, becoming an accessories editor at Vogue
While at a business dinner in New York City with Banana Republic’s PR team, she boldly shared what she would have done differently with their newly released handbag design. At the time, another legendary fashion guru Mickey Drexler was at the helm of Gap, Inc. (owner of Banana Republic), and shortly after the dinner, the team reached out to Skoog saying they had re-made the bag to her specifications. Skoog soon relocated to the Bay Area to work in-house for Banana Republic as a merchant buying ready-to-wear categories such as sweaters and knitwear for the brand. But New York was calling her back to its storied streets and the world of luxury fashion. Wintour recommended
Skoog to the house of Prada, where Skoog stepped into a role of overseeing U.S. communications for the brand and its subsidiary Miu Miu. “Mrs. Prada is extraordinary,” says Skoog of the head of the 100-year-old Italian fashion house.
Soon, however, love intervened. Within six months of meeting, Skoog married her husband and together they moved to Chicago for a start-up opportunity for his career. Back in her hometown, Skoog found a lack of niche luxury public relations, so taking a leap she started her own—the eponymously named Skoog Co. With her three-week old son at her side, Skoog and her team opened 41 stores for LOFT in 41 new markets. “Learning of my move to Chicago, my friends in luxury started calling with regional PR needs for Gucci, Tiffany & Co., and more,” says Skoog. “We supported the launch of Shinola and launched the San Francisco-based brand Rothy’s. I was a national person sitting in a regional market.”
“At Skoog, we are strategists discovering what is going to move the needle for your messaging; bringing your brand into the biggest light and driving sales,” Skoog explains. “That’s our goal.”
Now, creating her own storied brand, Skoog Co. works with the best of the best in luxury, home, and food—Hermès, Mark Cross, Curio Home Goods, Vosges Haut-Chocolat—and is the first U.S. agency on record for the British brand Boden.
“From rebrands and store openings to press placements and influencer campaigns,” Skoog shares, “your brand has a story to tell; and we make sure the world is paying attention.”
“We focus on lifestyle, food, and fashion. And we have a total blast,” says Skoog.
With such incredible heights scaled already, it seems that Skoog’s story is just beginning.
For more information, visit skoogco.com.
MELISSA’S DAILY JUGGL
6:00 A.M. Wake up. Drink hot lemon water + green tea
6:30 A.M. 30-minute workout of yoga or strength training
7:00 A.M. Coffee (very important)
7:30 A.M. Wake up the kids, breakfast, get dressed, and ready for camp
8:30 A.M. Camp drop-off
9:00 A.M. Mahjong once a week
10:30 A.M. Client work
NOON Networking lunch
1:30 P.M. Client work
5:30 P.M. Dinner prep to serve by 6:30 p.m.
7:30 P.M. Family game night (1-2x per week)
10:00 P.M. Reading
10:30 P.M. Lights out for everyone!
As a woman over 50 who feels like she has a lot more to learn, live, and explore, Skoog has created theJuggl—a community to provide women a place to turn to for fashion and lifestyle ideas, tips, tricks, and products to help solve the little and big things in their lives one day at a time.
Sign up at thejuggl.substack.com
OUTDOOR LIVING
Create a stylish outdoor oasis with these trendy patio picks.
01 Artemest Iroko Outdoor Sun Lounger, artemest.com 02 Petite Pommes Inflatable in Gelato, petite-pommes. com 03 Maresca Outdoor Textiles, clothandkind. com 04 Antique Stork Birds, patinacollection. com 05 Hemingway Cooler in Boathouse Navy, businessandpleasureco.com 06 Palmiro Antique Metal Vases, patinacollection.com 07 Pink Pickleball Paddle Cocktail Napkins, chairish.com 08 Kingston Teak Bench, patinacollection.com 09 Arhaus Puglia Chair, Arhaus Old Orchard, 847-272-5424 10 Hemingway Cooler in Boathouse Navy, businessandpleasureco.com
DYNAMIC DUO
Musicians Chris Botti and David Foster take the stage at Ravinia tonight, Friday, June 20, with special guest Katharine McPhee.
BY TRICIA DESPRES THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
Music powerhouses Chris Botti and David Foster couldn’t be more thrilled to play at Ravinia tonight, promising an unforgettable show at a place they will never forget.
“It’s literally Central Park,”Botti said from the Los Angeles living room of his friend and tourmate David Foster in a recent Zoom interview.“Ravinia is not a casual gig. It's the one that you hold up in such high regard. It’s the one circled on the calendar. It's up there with the Hollywood Bowl or the amphitheaters in Italy or something like that. Ravinia is not only a top shelf venue, but a magical venue.”
And it’s this magic that will certainly get turned up a notch tonight, when Botti and Foster find themselves on the Ravinia stage as part of their highly anticipated 12-city tour.Tickets are still available.
“Ravinia is just one of those places you not only want to be there, but the people want to be there, and that makes a lot of difference,”adds Foster, a 16-time Grammy Award winner known for his work on iconic songs such as “After the Love Has Gone,” “Hard Habit to Break,”and Whitney Houston’s ver-
sion of “I Will Always Love You.”
Making their Ravinia concert even more special is the fact that both Botti and Foster have many personal and professional connections to the Windy City. For Botti, two of his band members—John Splithoff and Dan Linsky—hail from Chicago.
For Foster, Chicago has been home to many of the artists he’s collaborated with over the years—including Richard Marx, Earth, Wind & Fire, and of course, the legendary band Chicago. Foster also composed the music for Boop! The Musical – a vibrant production that founds its foundations in 2023 at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago before ultimately moving to Broadway.
Joining Botti and Foster on tour is vocal powerhouse Katharine McPhee, an American Idol runner-up who went on to not only star in the Emmy-winning TV show Smash but also become Foster’s wife in 2019.
“Kat has the great ability to perform jazz where she's comfortable with it and then she has a whole other pop side, and then she also has a folk and country side,”explains Foster.“She's going to bring a lot of clarity to us bumbling idiots up there.”
Botti and Foster laugh in unison, but there is no
doubt that these two bumbling idiots have created some amazing music together––but both agree that they won’t be working on new music while in Chicago.
“Touring is a muscle and it's very much its own individual muscle,”explains Botti, who collaborated with Foster on the jazz extraordinaries’latest album Vol. 1.“It's very, very difficult to be creative. If you really want to give touring your all, it means that you need to be completely focused on being in the best shape, practicing the horn, delivering from night to night––and there is not much room for anything else.”
“I see these people that talk about having a recording studio on their bus and recording every day,”adds Foster, who has created hit songs for a diverse array of artists including Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, and Michael Bublé.“I think if you do that, then you are not giving the audience your primary attention.”
Still, the two do take mental notes from time to time throughout their shows.
“Sometimes we just look at each other when a certain chord hits and there's eye contact and it’s like,‘can we just reduplicate that chord?’”explains Botti, who too has recorded with some of the best in music, including Sting and Lady Gaga.“It’s an unspoken language on
stage that we just maybe try to look back at.”
And while Foster says he and Katharine will be bringing along their 4-year-old son, Rennie, to Chicago, Botti admits he will be riding solo.
“I'm void of any family currently,”Botti laughs.“I’ll just be bringing a bunch of neurosis and my alternate ego that drops in every once in a while.”
For more information, visit ravinia.org.
THE DREAM CONTINUES
American rock band, Chicago, returns to Ravinia on July 5 with a cross section of their greatest hits.
BY TRICIA DESPRES THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
Walking the grounds of Ravinia Festival always takes Lee Loughnane back to his youth, when he was just a kid from Elmwood Park trying to find a way in.
“Before I had any money, I couldn’t even buy a ticket to sit inside the pavilion,” the co-founding member of the legendary rock band Chicago said in a recent interview. “I would go up to the railing and listen to Adolph Herseth play the trumpet with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO).”
But as an unassuming high school kid, Loughnane said he never dreamed he’d one day play on the same stage as the CSO—a world-renowned group he still, to this day, idolizes.
“It was not even a dream yet,” recalls Loughnane. “It was beyond a dream.”
Today, however, that is the dream that continues to live on––as the band Chicago finds themselves returning once again to Ravinia Festival on July 5 and once again headlining one of the most anticipated tours of the summer, armed with a long list of timeless hits such as “Make Me Smile," "25 or 6 to 4,” and “Saturday in The Park.”
surprises too.”
One of the surprises for many longtime fans of the iconic band Chicago is the fact there is a new kid in town by the name of Carlos Murguía.
“He came in and just started playing,” laughs Loughnane of the accomplished keyboardist and vocalist. “I did what I do for everybody that comes in new, and I sent him the set as we have it. I always steer them towards the most difficult
personality in and in doing so, they get comfortable really quickly. They always come in prepared, and Carlos is no exception.”
Certainly, at this point in the story of Chicago, preparation is a given, as the longtime members of the group have been touring together for over five decades.
“It's harder and harder through the years to keep leaving though,” says Loughnane, who now
could tell that the guys were actually in the studio doing this rather than sitting on a bed like I am right now making the tunes up.”
Indeed, the creativity continues for Chicago and so does the need to inspire. So yes, Loughnane says he will most certainly be looking out for those kids standing on the railings of Ravinia Festival, listening to the show and wondering how
songs––‘Introduction’ and ‘Ballet for a Girl in Buchanan’.”
lives in Arizona. “But I mean, everybody is used to it, including me and my kids.”
“We're going to do a cross section of our entire career, starting off with the first song on the first album, Introduction, and then from then on as many hits as we can get in the next two hours,” explains the skilled trumpet player whose sound has helped define and sustain Chicago’s signature brass-driven rock. “And we will have a couple of
But despite all the direction, Loughnane says he likes to see what the new guys can bring to the band.
“Really, it's the same arrangements just with somebody else playing a little bit different style,” he says. “We don't try to push them into playing a specific way. We like when they bring their
In fact, Loughnane recently returned from a trip from Sedona to Mount Rushmore and back with his 22-year-old son.
“We listened to The Beatles and rap the whole time,” Loughnane explains. “He loves both and I heard some good rap. I especially liked some of the older rap with real instruments where you
they too might find their way up on that stage.
“With every performance, you have to realize some people that may never have heard of you before are in the audience,” he concludes. “You can either impress them or they'll never come back again.”
For more information, visit ravinia.org.
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GAIL FORCE
Few professionals/philanthropists manage a stacked plate of commitments and responsibilities as adroitly and gracefully as Lake Forest’s Gail Sturm.
BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT
A former aspiring actor, Lake Forest’s Gail Sturm found herself on a stage—before an adoring crowd—with none other than Robert Redford in 2018.
But they weren’t there to play out a scene.
Redford and his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, were honored that night for their commitment to environmentalism at the Smith Nature Symposium & Benefit at the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods in Riverwoods.
The symposium’s chair? Sturm.
“Remember speed dial?” Sturm says seven years later. “I used it 42 days in a row to call (Redford) at Sundance (Mountain Resort), hoping to let him know of our plans to recognize him and his wife.
“I got his right-hand person on my 43rd try.”
And the Academy Award for Perseverance in a Leading Role goes to … Gail Sturm.
The Oak Brook native and York Community (Elmhurst) High School graduate changed her mind about pursuing a career in acting while attending St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, where she majored in Marketing/Management and deepened her love for travel.
Sturm then embarked on a pair of paths—corporate real estate and philanthropy—that inspired her and brought hope and joy to countless others.
Now at 40-plus highly successful years in her chosen field, the Founder and CEO of Sturm Realty LLC also chairs Brushwood Center, The Way of the Rain, Inc., and Highwood-based Fenix Family Health Center.
Brushwood Center works collaboratively with community partners, artists, healthcare providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County and the Chicago region.
The Way of the Rain Inc.—founded in 2015 by Szaggars Redford—was organized exclusively to promote public awareness and support for the protection of Earth through educational and artistic performances.
And Fenix Family Health Center provides high-quality, culturally sensitive healthcare, particularly to underserved and Spanish-speaking immigrant families in Lake County.
“I don’t do anything alone, and one of my favorite quotes is one by Win ston Churchill— ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give,’” says Sturm, a former Lake Forest Sym phony vice chair. “I’m part of three formidable teams that help guide missionbased organiza tions. I’ve never liked the word ‘nonprofit.’ My leadership style is rooted in faith and ethics. My passions are nature, arts, and people.
cable ethics,” says Sturm, the first woman president of Chicago Office Leasing Brokers Association (COLBA) and founder of Chicago Real Estate Executive Women (CREW).
“He taught everything to so many. My goal as a mentor mirrors his, in that I make sure I unearth all of (a mentee’s) gifts, and that they’re put to good use. I want each to feel self-actualized and go beyond my Sturm’s first trip abroad was to Greece, at age 14. It didn’t just open her eyes; it turned them into satellite dishes. She couldn’t wait to land in another country.
“We walked along the Tiber River,” Gail says. “All night long.”
On January 7, 1978, a little more than three years after their all-nighter in the “Eternal City,” Gail walked down an aisle and married Bill Sturm. They moved to Lake Forest in 1980—the year Ordinary People won four Academy Awards, including Best Director (Redford)—and raised daughter Ally, now 35, and son Nick, 33.
Ally Wyatt, a two-time Emmy Award winner in sports broadcasting (she covered the Denver Nuggets, among other professional teams in Colorado and California), has three children with husband Fraser and lives in California; Nick is senior project manager, Caper Smart by Instacart, and resides in Denver.
The Sturm family participated in the Lake Forest Rotary Youth Exchange Program for 14 years, hosting 16 youngsters hailing from 11 countries across four continents. Bill and Gail are godparents to some, and they continue to stay in touch with many of their other former exchange children.
“I’ll never forget discussing 9/11 with our exchange daughter from Bogota,” Sturm says. “She told us living with terrorism in Colombia was something normal. You should have heard the storytelling that went on in our household and how it allowed us as a family to discover, and embrace, different cultures.
“Conversations at the dinner table,” she adds, “were never dull then.”
Sturm’s days these days?
John Conatser
Jennifer Sturgeon
Gaven Conatser
“My gift in philanthropy,” she continues, “is aligning myself with the right people.”
Among her many other distinctions—a constant craving to learn from her clients, CEOs and CFOs in particular; espousing the innumerable benefits of spending time in nature; championing the power of the arts to enhance one’s well-being, mentally and emotionally and spiritually; and patterning her approach to mentoring after that of her mentor, the late commercial real estate magnate Elliott Otis.
“Elliott Otis was a man of grace, with impec-
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Michelle Crowe, Erin Donaldson, Dustin O'Regan, Kemmie Ryan, Megan Weisberg
FOOD EDITOR
Monica Kass Rogers
As a student at St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, she and classmates visited Rome. So did a contingent from the University of Notre Dame, including a young man named Bill, a future award-winning, pioneering architect devoted to the environment.
“He asked me to dance at a dance I almost didn’t attend,” recalls Gail Sturm. “And he thought I was Italian.”
Gail, who’s of Greek descent, and Bill went for a walk after cutting a rug. But it wasn’t a typical stroll.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Tricia Despres, Mitch Hurst, Cheyanne Lencioni, Bill McLean, Felix McMillan, Wolfgang Phillip
Full. In addition to juggling her various work and philanthropic obligations, she exercises regularly, eats healthily, and makes time to reflect. Sturm doesn’t seize a day.
She wrings it hard, all while smiling and looking forward to the next one.
But everything you’ve just read about Gail Sturm takes a back seat to her family.
“The love I have for my husband, two children, and three grandchildren is indescribable,” Sturm says.
For more information about the organizations Gail Sturm serves as a board chair, visit brushwoodcenter. org, thewayoftherain.org, and fenixclinic.org.
Gail Sturm