DC Magazine_092719

NEARLY SHOWTIME

Renovations to move 1920s movie house into the next 90 years KHANA KHAZANA An Indian Treasure

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INSIDE

NEARLY SHOWTIME Renovation aims to take DeKalb’s historic 1920s movie house into the next 90 years ................ 6 FARGO SKATEBOARDING Providing Unique Facility for Northern Illinois............12 AN INDIAN TREASURE Khana Khazana, a traditional Indian street-style cafe, opens in Gurukrupa store...............18 COFFEE WITH A PURPOSE Common Grounds Fosters Community in Downtown DeKalb.....................................................20 CELEBRATING LITTLE VICTORIES Small changes lead to big impacts in fitness............ 25 TURNING DEAD TREES INTO ART DeKalb Leadership Academy project brings tree carvings to DeKalb parks ......................... 28

est. 1851

Project Manager: Lisa Angel Layout & Design: Allison LaPorta Photography: DM Herra, Stephen Haberkorn, Danni Allen and Egyptian Theatre Writer: Stephen Haberkorn, DM Herra & Kelsey Rettke Articles and advertisements are property of Shaw Media.

No portion of DC Magazine may be produced without written consent of the publisher.

4 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE • DOWNTOWn DEKALB

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Nearly Showtime R Renovation i aims i to take k D DeKalb’s K lb’ hi historic i 1920s movie house into the next 90 years

By D.M. Herra

6 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

IT’S BEEN 36 YEARS SINCE STEVE IRVING WORKED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION CREW THAT RESCUED THE HISTORIC EGYPTIAN THEATRE FROM THE RAVAGES OF TIME. NOW IRVING, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF IRVING CONSTRUCTION, IS BACK AGAIN, LEADING THE THEATER’S $4.5 MILLION EXPANSION AND RENOVATION.

“It’s bizarre,” he said. “I have pictures of myself from 1983 standing in the lobby we’re probably going to tear apart this winter. It’s hard to fathom renovating a building you already renovated more than 35 years ago.”

Last time, Irving’s goal was to save a deteriorating building. This time, he is overseeing a project that will increase the number of bathrooms on both floors and make the building more handicap accessible. It will expand the concessions area and

provide a place to buy refreshments on the second floor. The expanded theater will also have new storage spaces, new carpeting, improved lighting fixtures, and baby changing stations.

“This is a monumental, important event in this city,” Dan Schewe, president of the theater board, said at the groundbreaking for the renovation project. “We’re really thrilled to be part of the renaissance that is occurring in downtown DeKalb.”

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 7

The theater was built in 1929 by the DeKalb Theatre Company, which had outgrown its combination vaudeville and movie theater at the corner of First Street and Lincoln Highway, according to the Egyptian’s website. Inspired by the 1922 discovery of the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, America was riding a wave of Egypt mania, and the theater was one of hundreds across the country built with an Egyptian theme. Only five remain today.

The Egyptian Theatre’s nonprofit board began talking about needed renovations more than 10 years ago, said executive director Alex Nerad. When Nerad joined the theater staff in 2006 the need for air conditioning was already a foregone conclusion.

“As our programming kept growing, more people kept coming to events and more of the problems you face with an aging building came up, we began seriously thinking if we’re going to get the Egyptian Theatre ready for the next 90 years, what are our priorities?” Nerad said.

Air conditioning topped the list – not only so the Egyptian could host programs year round, but to protect the building’s unique features.

8 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

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3232 Pleasant Street DeKalb, IL 60115 (815) 758-3521 “It’s a shame we didn’t put in air conditioning back in ’83,” Irving commented. “Not only did that limit the use of the building, but the humidity has caused a lot of damage to the paint and plaster. We expect to have the company that did the plasterwork and the company that did the painting when we put in sprinklers about 10 years ago come out again to do the repair work when we’ve finished here.”

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Also near the top of the theater board’s wish list was expanded bathrooms. One of the most common laments of theatergoers is the lack of available toilets, particularly in the ladies’ room. After the expansion is complete, Irving said, the first-floor women’s bathroom will have 14 stalls – nearly five times the number it has now. There will be eight more on the second floor.

Though the renovations have been talked about for years, Nerad said, things fell into place quickly when the time came to turn talk into action.

About six months after the DeKalb City Council approved the renovation plan, a groundbreaking ceremony was held – coincidentally on the 90th anniversary of the day ground was

1007 N. First Street, DeKalb, IL 815-758-4508 www.studioonesalon.com DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 9

broken for the theater’s original construction.

“To go from city council approval to groundbreaking in just about six months is really incredible,” Nerad said. “And for the groundbreaking to line up to the day with the 90th anniversary of the day they began construction on the theater – we couldn’t have planned that if we wanted to.”

The Egyptian Theatre’s original heyday lasted until the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, the neglected building was in a state of sad disrepair, according to the theater website. It was closed in 1977 and ownership was turned over to the city. The once-glamorous theater was on the brink of being condemned when a group of DeKalb-area residents banded together to save it in 1978.

10 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

That year, the theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1982, Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre Inc. – the nonprofit group that continues to operate the theater today – received a state grant for the 1983 renovation project.

“The theater was saved by this community in 1978, and the love the community still has for the Egyptian Theatre has been extremely evident during this project,” Nerad said. “We have been overwhelmed by how readily volunteers have stepped forward offering to do whatever they could do. We have been really humbled by the level of community support.”

Any renovation on a 90-year-old building is complicated, and this is no exception, Irving said.

Crews spent three months just relocating utilities so the foundation for the

addition could be dug.

“This job is very complicated, and I love a challenge,” he said. “Everything we’ve done involves complicated structural steel, shoring, framing – and, of course, you’re working in an ornate building and you have to preserve the historical character.”

Though the lack of air conditioning prevents the Egyptian from hosting events during the summer, the staff works in the building year round. As the fall season starts, Nerad said, both the theater staff and the contractors face their biggest challenge: continuing construction without interfering with theater programs.

no place else to hold their performances and exhibitions.

deep pride in working on a DeKalb landmark.

“We never wanted to displace any of our community groups or give up any of the programming the community – especially the downtown restaurants – expect from us,” Nerad said. “The theater had to stay open during construction.”

“It’s great to see how passionately the construction team cares about this job,” Nerad said. “It means a lot to have a passionate, local team making this project a reality.”

Irving is a DeKalb local who understands the Egyptian’s place in DeKalb’s heart.

He said he and his wife once offered to fund a bathroom expansion for the theater themselves. Most of Irving’s crew and many of the subcontractors working on the project are also locals who take

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EGYPTIAN THEATRE’S 2019 EXPANSION PROJECT, VISIT Egyptiantheatre.org/2019expansion-project/

“We knew this was going to be a complex project,” Nerad said. “We had a best-case scenario timeline which went out the window pretty much on Day 1. But we have a great construction team we communicate with almost daily, and we still anticipate finishing in spring 2020.”

Nerad acknowledged it probably would have been easier to simply shut down for a year for construction, but that scenario was never seriously considered.

Aside from the touring acts the theater hosts, it is also the home to more than 30 community organizations who have DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 11

Fargo

Skatebo a Although Chicago is a huge, world-class city with many recreational opportunities, there is at least one thing that you can’t find there that is available in DeKalb, IL.

If you are looking for a public indoor skateboard park, you will not find one inside the Chicago city limits. In fact, there are only two year-round public indoor skateboard parks in the greater Chicagoland area.

One of those is at Fargo Skateboarding Indoor Skate Park & Skate Shop at 629 E. Lincoln Hwy. in Downtown DeKalb.

For serious skateboarders in the Chicago

12 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

area, finding a place to skate during the long, brutal winters is difficult, but necessary.

That is why Ariel Ries, the owner of Fargo Skateboarding, decided to pool her resources with some friends in 2015 and rent the old Fargo Theatre building.

Initially, Ries and her friends just planned to build ramps inside the spacious building for their own private use. Ries had tried a commercial indoor skate park in Schaumburg around 2011 that failed. “[DeKalb] was very supportive with the permitting and helping me change the zoning,” said Ries. “They thought it was a great idea, because it’s a place for kids and community. It was really encouraging, because when we tried to do it in

arding Schaumburg, they were all, ‘No.’”

“I didn’t think it would succeed here,” said Ries. “We just couldn’t go another winter without a place to skate. It was out of necessity.”

Out of that necessity came an amazing space that now supports a large community of skaters from all around the Northern Illinois area. Ries said most of their patrons come from the suburbs and the surrounding towns.

“There are thousands of people who utilize this indoor skate park from the region,” said Ries. “I would say 90% of our business doesn’t live in this town.”

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started coming to Fargo Skateboarding when he was around twelve years old.

He initially heard about the art show that they host every year and entered a couple of his works. Through that, he became good friends with Ries and started coming up to DeKalb to skateboard regularly. “I’ve been skateboarding since I was like six years old,” said Woolever, “so going to an indoor skate park was a pretty big deal to me.”

Woolever became a part of the Fargo community and loved it. He even began working at Fargo about three years ago, as soon as got his driver’s license and could come out to DeKalb on his own.

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 13

Greg Roberts, co-owner of Pardon My Thrashing, a skateboard company based in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, first visited Fargo Skateboarding about two years ago. He had originally heard about Ries when she ran the Small Town Skate Shop in DeKalb.

“When you’re younger, especially for me in the city, DeKalb seems so far away,” said Roberts. “But I heard that there was a girl with a skate shop or skate park out there.”

What convinced Roberts to make the long drive to DeKalb to check things out was Fargo’s social media presence—especially their Instagram and Youtube accounts.

So Roberts, his business partner, Rich, and some of the guys who ride for their skateboarding team piled into Roberts’ Ford Flex and headed west.

The first thing that stuck out to Roberts was that the skate park was actually in the downtown area of DeKalb in the old Fargo Theatre building. Being a huge history and architecture person, he thought that was really cool. He said that skate parks are usually on the outskirts of cities in some kind of industrial building, far removed from any culture. But Fargo is surrounded by a variety of restaurants, specialty stores and historic sights.

“Fargo is a pretty amazing place,” said Roberts. “Even just the aesthetic of the way that room looks. It just looks cool. It feels comfortable and welcoming. It’s very clean.

Most importantly for skaters, the ramps at Fargo are well built and laid out. According to Roberts, there’s something for all skill sets, from the beginner to the pro. And since some of the areas are modular, they can be moved around and even stacked on top of

14 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

each other to change things up.

Roberts has now been out to Fargo Skateboarding about a dozen times. He usually brings a group of up to seven people with him. They come once a month on Sundays for the 30-and-over skate. They load up on coffee and arrive in DeKalb around 10 a.m.

The Sunday morning session ends at noon, but they usually stay until 1:00 p.m. to conduct some business, as they sell their skateboards and apparel through Fargo. By then, they’re starving and they don’t want to wait until they get back to the city to eat. “It gives us a chance to try something new that we normally wouldn’t,” said Roberts.

Roberts has a blog called “Let’s go for a skate!” (letsgoskate. com), where he reviews restaurants and sights that he visits during his skate trips. In the description of the blog it says that “SKATE” is an acronym for “Sightseeing, Knowledge, Architecture, Travel and Entertainment.”

In addition to pulling in visitors from all over the Northern Illinois area, Fargo Skateboarding is also working at growing their local scene through classes for young kids. They have a schedule of tiered classes on their website.

They also sell and rent skateboards and offer private lessons.

On Saturday mornings, people can come and give skateboarding a try for a $5.00 fee and a $5.00 board rental, and there are instructors ready to help. They also have a beginner’s class every Monday night and a ladies’ night the second Sunday of every month.

The demand for indoor skateboarding is very seasonal, so the winters are their busiest time of the year. Weekends and rainy days are also busier. “We pray for rain,” said Fargo employee, Jared Lucas.

“It’s very unique. It’s not a thing we do for profit” said Ries. “It’s a thing we do for our soul, and for love. As long as the lights are on and we have food in our fridge, then we’re pretty happy.”

They are trying to grow the business to the point that it can be a profitable and can be replicated, however. They hope to grow it through programs, like their tiered-level classes, oneday clinics on how to make and edit videos, jewelry workshops, ramp building classes, photography classes, and their annual skateboardinspired art show.

They have bands come in and perform at the skate park while people are skating. “It’s really fun,” said Ries. “All the energy with live music and skateboarding, it’s a great time.”

They are working on expanding their storefront space with a common area for art displays and live music performances. Another way they are hoping to expand is by providing food and drinks, beginning with prepackaged items.

Ries said that there are many benefits to learning skateboarding. “Things now are geared towards instant gratification. We’re teaching kids perseverance, and body awareness and mindfulness.”

Fitness is also a huge part of skateboarding. “These guys are athletes,” said Ries. “You have to have full core strength. And you build muscle like crazy, because you’re using every muscle in your body for balance. You have no choice but to get fit.”

Ries said that she’s had parents who’ve started skating with their kids tell her they’ve lost 30 pounds since coming there. Fargo is also building a climbing wall to give people another physical option to work on their fitness.

Eve Besser, a DeKalb resident, started going to Fargo Skateboarding

with her daughter in 2017. Nobody in her family had skateboarded before then, but she heard about the skate park from her dad.

“Ariel was very friendly to us and welcoming,” said Besser.

Ries was able to make things work for Besser and her daughter with their schedules and their finances. A family member bought a board for Besser’s daughter and she rented one at Fargo for herself. They attended a couple free beginner sessions and really liked it. Then they started attending the Saturday morning beginner skate sessions regularly.

Even though they were just learning, Besser said they never felt like they were in the way. “They really try to get every single type of level interested in growing in their skills,” said Besser. She was also 37 years old when she first started skateboarding.

“You think you can’t do it when you’re older, but you really can start anytime,” Besser said.

Besser also thinks that more women are encouraged to skateboard at Fargo because of Ries’ presence.

“I think maybe because she’s there, more women go there, instead of it being male-dominated, as skateboarding can tend to be,” said Besser. “She made it for everyone.”

BEGINNINGS

Ariel Ries was raised as a child in Cary, Illinois. She began skateboarding when she was 12 when she found some skateboards in her best friend’s basement. She started out just skating on the hilly streets in Cary, where she often reached speeds of over 30 miles per hour.

Despite spending most of her childhood in Cary, Ries has deep ties to DeKalb County. She was born in Sycamore and moved back to the area in high school when her mother bought a house in Kingston.

After graduating from GenoaKingston High School, she attended

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 15

Kishwaukee College and then Northern Illinois University, where she graduated with a degree in Marketing in 2007.

for storage before Ries and her friends converted it to an indoor skate park/skateboard training facility.

When Ries was a junior at NIU, she opened Smalltown Skate Shop with her boyfriend at 229 Lincoln Hwy. in DeKalb.

She got a loan from her mom and worked nights for the first six or seven years they were in business, serving tables at “It’s Greek to Me” restaurant in DeKalb and later Rosita’s. “It wasn’t easy,” said Ries.

Fargo is one of only two yearround indoor heated skateboard parks in Illinois, according to Ries. The other is in Lake Bluff, up near the Wisconsin Border along Lake Michigan. Fargo has had about 100 people skate at one time in their facility, but it comfortably accommodates 2030 skaters.

About three years into working with her boyfriend they broke up, and she eventually bought him out. She has been the sole owner of the business since around 2012.

In 2015, Ries moved her business to the site of the old Fargo Theatre at 629 E. Lincoln Hwy. At that time, they changed the name of their business to “Fargo Skateboarding” because of their historic venue. The Fargo Theatre opened in 1929 and was a roller rink in the 1970s. The building was just being used

16 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

“We’ve been building skaters from the ground up, teaching kids the very first steps and helping them progress” said Ries. “We just try to support skateboarders and skateboarding. Having a space for them is a huge part of it.”

Fargo Skateboarding has a team that makes videos, which they post on their Youtube channel.

They also do competitions and events throughout the year. They recently did a fundraiser to send money and supplies to Cuba, as there are no skate shops there.

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Ries personally builds skateboards and ramps, makes jewelry from broken skateboards, and instructs in skateboarding. She also runs all of their social media and does all of the accounting for the business. She estimates that she spends 70-80 hours a week at her business.

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Jared Lucas, an employee at Fargo Skateboarding for over seven years, said he has a blast working there.

“I get to help people who were in bad situations, who are using skateboarding to refocus on better things in life,” said Lucas. “I really like working with kids.”

Lucas said that Ries is “an awesome person” who at times is “annoyingly ambitious.”

“It’s been a lot of fun to be by her side for all of the sometimes seemingly crazy ideas that she gets that we somehow manage to pull off,” said Lucas. “She pours every bit of energy and heart and love that she has into this. It’s not like lackadaisical thing. This is her life.”

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AN INDIAN TREASURE

Khana Khazana, a traditional Indian street-style cafe, opens in Gurukrupa store By: Kelsey Rettke

H

usband-and-wife duo Dwijen and Mona Bhatt could hardly wait to see their latest customer dive into a bowl of chole masala, steaming chickpea curry served over a samosa, a lentil and peastuffed fried pocket, and topped with fresh cilantro chutney.

The Bhatts recently added to the services they offer in their Gurukrupa Indian Grocery and Copy Service by opening Khana Khazana, a traditional Indian café, 1005 W. Lincoln Highway, which serves fresh street-style Indian food seven days a week. Khana means food and Khazana means treasure, and that’s exactly what the Bhatts want to serve the people of DeKalb.

During their grand opening earlier in June, the Bhatts invited their parents and an old mentor, Rajesh Vyas, who flew all the way from India. They call Vyas their “guru,” and named “Gurukrupa” after him. Dwijen Bhatt grew as a cook under Vyas’ watchful guidance, and said their menu also comes with the seal of approval from their guru.

“We were so proud of ourselves,” Mona Bhatt, 31, said, sitting in the cafe. “When we saw our happiness in their eyes. We feel like we achieved something in our lives.”

“That’s all we need,” Dwijen Bhatt, 32, said. “As far as the business goes, we don’t see it. It’s not about the money. I feel like I want to give you something you can eat.”

Mona Bhatt is the main chef at the café, and insisted that her husband not hire anyone for the first six months,

18 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

so she could perfect recipes such as the popular grilled paneer, which is an Indian-style spiced cottage cheese, or triangular samosas filled with spiced potatoes, onions, and peas. The entire menu at Khana Khazana is vegetarian, with no meat or eggs in any of the dishes.

“Whenever people come in, the first thing we both do is see on their faces when they take the first bite,” Mona Bhatt said. “We want to see how happy they are.”

Another key component of Indian-style street food is chutney – special sauces bursting with flavors such as cilantro, sweet tomato or spicy garlic. Mona said she makes them fresh every day to pour over dishes.

The couple also own an Indian grocery store in Naperville, and commute from Yorkville with their daughter, Abha, 7, and son, Varad, 2. They have a little

apartment in the back of their shop when days get too long.

Another popular staple in the café is sugarcane juice, which is made by running a long shoot of sugarcane through a machine that strips the bark off the cane and pulverizes the insides to make juice. The sweet liquid is then toned down by adding fresh ginger and a squeeze of lemon.

“Indian food, it’s not just about the spices for the taste,” Dwijen Bhatt said. “When you are eating, you have to put, for instance, the fenugreek seeds into the rice because rice is heavy for digestion.

And if you’re drinking only sugarcane, it’s not that healthy, but you add ginger together.”

Khana Khazana is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

7 days a week.

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DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 19

Coffee With a

Purpose

Common Grounds Fosters Community in Downtown DeKalb By: Stephen Haberkorn 20 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

C

ommon Grounds is anything but your common college town coffee shop. Owner Jeff Foster is anything but your typical coffee shop owner. Besides serving the best craft coffee and tea around, the establishment is the product of a grant by the Free Methodist Church and the desire of the proprietor to foster community in Northern Illinois.

In addition to building community, Common Grounds is also working to promote freedom and end human trafficking through their partnership with the Set Free Movement. All of the money raised through the book sales at Common Grounds is donated to the 501(c)(3) charitable organization that combats modern day slavery.

BACKGROUND Jeff Foster grew up in the Southwest side of Chicago in the Beverly/ Evergreen Park neighborhood with a strong sense of community.

“In my own upbringing, small businesses were what made the neighborhood safer, more connected, and brought community into our neighborhood,” said Foster.

After graduating with a degree in Computer Graphic Design from Robert Morris College, he worked for a number of different firms. He eventually got hired by an Indiana agency that sent him to India for a month. That experience led him to an awakening. When he came back, he wanted to get deeper into social justice/religious work and he ended

up taking a number of freelance jobs with churches as well as working an after-school program in Chicago for five years.

“That was steady pay, but it was heart-wrenching,” said Foster. “[I was] working with kids who have no adult supervision. Half of them couldn’t read. That experience prompted me to become more focused on, ‘You know what? I don’t have much, but I have more than a lot of people.’”

He was encouraged by many people to go to seminary and become a pastor, so he started studying at Moody Bible Institute and then through an online religious university.

By that point he had a wife and children, and balancing his studies with his family responsibilities proved

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 21

too daunting, so he did not finish.

Hillside Free Methodist Church in Evanston, which has one of the largest food pantries in Illinois, brought Foster in to help with their outreach. While he was speaking there, one of their pastors, who is also a district superintendent covering six states for the church organization, heard him speak about the need for better community.

“The church has a vital position in communities that they don’t always take good advantage of; instead of bringing people together, sometimes [we end up] dividing people,” said Foster.

That talk became the impetus for a grant proposal to do something new for the church. And that grant proposal ended up being a business proposal.

“They were hoping it wouldn’t be business,” said Foster, “but I don’t think I can do what I wanted to in this area without a framework like this.”

The grant through the Free Methodist church was for upstate Illinois. Foster also considered going to Dixon,

22 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

but ultimately decided on DeKalb.

Employing techniques learned in his church planting training, Foster used business tools to map out the demographics of the area. What they concluded was that DeKalb was a great place for ministry and dialogue about social justice.

thinking that they were going to be part of a community, but ended up feeling alienated and separated.

“That’s what churches used to thrive in, being able to create an extended family,” said Foster. “If I can help that a little bit by just staying open, I’m going to do my best.”

Foster believes that DeKalb has an identity crisis, centered around whether it is viewed as a far western suburb of Chicago, a city, or the country. He also worries that loss of small businesses puts DeKalb in danger of losing its familiarity and sense of community.

His goal in creating the ambiance of the shop was to make it the kind of place where people can connect.

He’s designed the space to be a warm environment, which customers describe as “cozy,” “laid back,” and “family friendly.” He said they never push anyone out the door for not ordering and frequently see patrons hanging out for several hours, either reading books or taking advantage of their free Wi-Fi. He has been especially encouraged to have witnessed friendships being made over the years through people meeting at Common Grounds.

So the idea for Common Grounds coffee shop grew out of Foster’s desire to minister to and engage with the DeKalb community.

“Part of my motivation is to keep the community loving one another. And I think it starts with downtown,” said Foster. “I have a bigger stake in the community than I ever would have had as a minister. People trust me.

People look to me for advice. I think a lot of people are just glad that someone took a risk to come here and do this.”

Foster said that he has spoken to people who came to DeKalb

Foster wants to do his part to make the DeKalb Downtown business district inviting to everyone.

‘You have a whole lot of folks who never come downtown, for instance,” said Foster. “That’s sad.

They shouldn’t feel that this isn’t for them.”

Rich and Janell Tempel of DeKalb first met Foster at Corn Fest in 2016.

Common Grounds had a tent and they were giving away books. They talked about Foster’s outreach and how he had been sent by the Free Methodist Church. The Tempels come to Common Grounds for the books and they like the fact the book sales go to combat trafficking.

“There’s a lot of people who try and spread the gospel, but they kind of come at it in your face almost,” said Rich Tempel. “God has given Jeff the wisdom to kind of step back and just make this a safe place for people to check out. There are some people you just always feel comfortable with and Jeff’s one of those guys.”

Janell Tempel echoed her husband’s sentiments. “This is a place where you can have discussion in a nonthreatening environment, where you can search and ask questions,” said Janell Tempel. “Jeff is a good person to talk to because he’ll give you a simple, honest answer.”

SET FREE MOVEMENT Foster said that one way to heal communities is by rallying behind a cause that everyone can support.

That is where their partnership with the Set Free Movement comes in. That is the shop’s direct link to the Free Methodist Church and their local congregation at Hillcrest Covenant Church.

According to the mission statement on their website, the Set Free Movement “seeks holistic freedom to create new futures and end modern slavery through communitybased action and partnership with others.”

Foster is technically a mission director with the Set Free Movement, and Common Grounds gives 100% of their book sales to support the organization. Since their opening in 2016, they have raised over $4000 to fight human trafficking.

“The correct term, instead of trafficking, could be modern day slavery. A lot of people are in bondage,” explained Foster. He said that it takes place even in communities around DeKalb.

Foster said a lot of people just come into the shop to get coffee and then find out about the Set Free Movement and want to get involved.

COMMON GROUNDS COFFEE SHOP Common Grounds opened in July 2016 in the building that also housed Lord Stanley’s bar at 151 E. Lincoln Highway. The business soon after relocated across the street to their current address at 131 E. Lincoln Hwy. The initial idea was a bookstore offering fair trade coffee, because the Free Methodist church talks a lot about fair trade. “The books draw people to conversation and inspiration,” said Foster. “Coffee, tea, a space where people can sit together, soothing music and games. All that kind of generates change.” He also wanted to provide people who come in with a little pick-me-up and encouragement.

Foster went to the Globe Bookstore and Cafe in Prague the year before he opened his shop and the atmosphere there inspired him to open Common Grounds. His first year, he was donor supported. By the second year the business was self-sustaining.

They get a lot of people from outside of DeKalb—Sycamore, Genoa, Cortland, Kingston, even

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 23

Plano, according to Foster.

also great tasting product.

“I get so many visitors to DeKalb who just looked up ‘coffee’ and they got Common Grounds,” said Foster. “You go to any college town, and you’re going to see at least 2 or 3 good coffee shops. It’s part of the culture.” They don’t do much advertising, but students who enjoy the place spread the word around the university. When classes are in session, they’ll be full around 9 a.m. on most days.

“Our craft latte is primo,” said Foster. “Everywhere I’ve gone, I haven’t found the same quality and level of taste. I tell people it’s like we have 31-flavor coffee.”

Things got taken up a notch when Ford hired Aaron Clark, a barista who used to own Flying Bean Roasters in Downtown DeKalb. He and Clark became friends and Clark trained him how to prepare and serve coffee. Foster didn’t have any experience as a barista before that.

After six months, Foster had become a master barista and Clark moved on. People who come in now are impressed with the quality and the personal touch that goes into their cup of coffee.

Common Grounds decided to sell fair trade coffee initially because of the social/economic component, but Foster found out that it’s

24 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

At the same time, you can get a simple cappuccino or macchiato, as if you were in Italy.

“You don’t get over sweetened here.

You don’t get a bunch of whipped cream. You get coffee,” Foster said.

In addition to their great coffee, their tea selection is huge. Foster learned how to make tea while working with families in India and their tea is among the best you’ll ever taste.

Foster said everyone also loves their smoothies. “People know when they come in, they’re going to get a good drink,” said Foster.

Their food selection includes breakfast sandwiches, paninis, wraps as well as handmade pastries such as muffins, scones, brownies, pound cake, and cinnamon buns.

Tim Aichele of DeKalb comes to Common Grounds at least once a month and usually stays for an hour or two. He moved back to DeKalb in March from the Sandwich/Plano area

to be closer to his job and googled local coffee shops. “Once I found it, I instantly fell in love,” said Aichele.

Aichele especially loves their Carmello and Barbed Wire Breves and their lattes. He also loves that everything is handmade and the ingredients are mostly organic and non-GMO. “I like the ambiance of this place,” said Aichele. “It’s very calm. Very chill. I love the art. They have local artists drawing right on their wall. There’s a lot I like about it.”

Common Grounds has done music events in the past. “Unplugged music works really well here; the acoustics are good for that,” said Foster. They can seat about 50 people in the space. This fall Foster wants to do more community-based events such as movie nights and game nights.

Foster said he hopes to see another Common Grounds coffee shop in the next five years by expanding to another location as he continues his goal to “change the world one cup at a time.”

CELEBRATING

LITTLE TT VICTORIES Small changes lead to big impacts in fitness

By D.M. Herra

F

or Danni Allen, Planet Fitness is so much more than a gym.

Allen is the director of public relations and engagement for PLNTF Holdings, the largest Planet Fitness development franchise in the nation. But the affordable fitness center that bills itself as a “judgment-free zone” is more than an employer to her as well.

“I used to be over 300 pounds and going into a gym was the most intimidating experience for me,” Allen said. “I’m an athlete, but even so it can be really uncomfortable. Planet Fitness offers a place to feel comfortable in your own skin. You walk in and you see all types of people at all levels and you really feel like, ‘If they can do it, I can do it too.’ …

When I talk about this brand, it is true and pure. There are no gimmicks with me; I truly believe it.”

Planet Fitness opened a 20,000-square-foot location in DeKalb’s Northland Plaza in June.

With summer typically being a quiet time of year, the fitness center waited until Sept. 18th to hold its grand opening celebration.

The facility offers a variety of gym equipment as well as tanning beds and massage chairs.

Memberships start at $10 a month.

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2019 | 25

25 and didn’t want to think I was already halfway done with my life.”

What followed was three months of additional auditions, psychological evaluations and fitness tests before Allen received the final callback to the show.

“So far everyone who is joining is staying, and that’s a big goal,” Allen said. “We want to not only bring you in, but have you stay. And people couldn’t be nicer!

Everyone in DeKalb is so nice. It’s like that ‘judgmentfree zone’ is really something the people of DeKalb believe in, too.”

Allen has worked for Planet Fitness for the last three years, but she has been involved with the brand twice as long – since winning Season 14 of “The Biggest Loser,” of which Planet Fitness was a sponsor.

Allen won the nationally televised fitness challenge reality show by losing 121 pounds – nearly 47 percent of her body weight. She said she is even more proud that she holds the record for the most muscle gained by any contestant on the NBC show.

Prior to joining the show, Allen says she worked as an architect for a national family-style Italian restaurant chain. In 2012, she said, she “got the call no daughter wants to get.” Her father was

being rushed to the hospital – fluid was collecting around his heart. He was admitted to the intensive care unit and placed in a medically induced coma to stabilize him.

“I was 25, and it was the most traumatic thing I had ever been through,” she said. “Across the street from the hospital was a Weight Watchers. He pulled through and started getting better, and I joined Weight Watchers with a friend.”

At the time, Allen weighed more than 300 pounds.

Three months into her weight loss journey, Allen said, she was down about 50 pounds and feeling pretty good about herself. That’s when her friend heard “The Biggest Loser” was holding auditions nearby.

“I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that,’ but she convinced me to go,” Allen said. “I think one of the things that resonated with them in the audition was I showed them a picture of my dad when we celebrated his 50th birthday in the ICU. I told them I was

26 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

She describes the six-month regimen as “brutal.” The contestants were on strict calorie allotments and worked out as much as eight to 10 hours a day. In addition, she said, they were virtually cut off from the outside world: no television, no cell phones, no Internet.

“Your job is to eat, sleep, work out, repeat,” Allen recalled. “The good thing is it teaches you what your limits truly are, because you’re not the one setting your limits. They make you go beyond what you thought your body was capable of.”

Allen says it was “a blessing and a curse” that she was assigned to notoriously tough celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels. The rest of her team was eliminated early in the season, so for the better part of six months, she said, Michaels was focused on her.

As tough as the six months on the show were, Allen said,

the six years since have been even tougher.

“Once you’re back in the outside world, you’re faced with temptation,” she said.

“I owe a lot to Jillian. She was very close to me for the first year, and part of that was because she wanted to prepare me for going back to normal life. She warned me I would gain weight. It’s inevitable at the end of a rigorous program like that, you’re going to gain some of the weight back.”

After winning the show, Allen became a national brand ambassador for its sponsor, Planet Fitness. She met hundreds of franchisees, she said, and as she made the adjustment back to her regular life, she saw how the brand’s philosophy of celebrating small victories can make a real difference in people’s lives.

“I made small changes,” she said. “Park in the back of the lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator – these are things that have been said a million times, but they do make a difference. …Make small changes you can feel good about versus trying on big changes that feel so daunting.”

After the show, Allen said, she went to a holistic doctor “to learn who I was on a chemical level.” She learned she had an undiagnosed medical condition that could have contributed to her weight gain.

She left her job with the restaurant group – though she loved it, she said, she realized the environment was not going to help her achieve her personal goals.

“It changed my entire outlook,” she said of the show. “I learned it’s OK to move on from your past life and try out new things. You don’t have to stay on the path you have been traveling. Even if you fail, that’s OK; you learn more from failing than from succeeding.”

Before investing full-time in Planet Fitness, Allen said, she worked with a variety of other brands and companies. She opened – and closed – her own yoga studio.

She began running marathons, completing the Chicago Marathon in four hours and nine minutes.

And now she uses her story to

motivate others.

“I’ve met tens of thousands of people looking for a glimpse of how they can change, and to be a voice for a positive way to do that is such an honor,” she said.

Allen says she tries to work out three times a week. Her travel schedule can make that difficult, she said, so she has mastered “hotel room workouts” and finds creative ways to get movement in throughout the day. It’s not uncommon for people to tell Allen they are so inspired by her story they are going to go to the gym every day, she said.

“I say, ‘How often do you go now?’

And they say, ‘Never,’” she said.

“OK then, how about one day a week? And then, when you feel good about that, maybe start going two. Because the reality is, you might go every day for a couple of weeks, and then feel so defeated and exhausted and frustrated you give up. Set small goals and build on them.”

FITNESS TIPS FROM ‘ BIGGEST LOSER ’ WINNER DANNI ALLEN Set small, achievable goals. Instead of vowing to visit the gym five times a week, start with once a week and build from there.

Find ways to incorporate more movement into your day. For example, take the stairs or park at the far end of the parking lot.

Eat healthy foods that suit your unique nutritional needs.

The best workout is one that fits your lifestyle. Some people may love yoga but hate cardio. Others may prefer running to lifting weights. Find the type of exercise that best suits you and stick with it.

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ART

Turning Dead Trees Into DeKalb Leadership Academy project bring tree carvings to DeKalb parks By: Kelsey Rettke

A

self-proclaimed outdoor aficionado, Andy Raih got to stand up close and personal to a bald eagle in Annie’s Woods, and said the creature will help draw people to area parks and enjoy the scenery.

The bird’s not real, though. It was carved out of a dying tree in Annie’s Woods near Northern Illinois University campus, and is just one of three carvings done by Napervillebased chainsaw carver Bill Baker, of Top Notch Chainsaw Carvings. Raih, who works as a streets superintendent for the City of DeKalb, was the group leader for his Leadership Academy class, which brought the work to life in an attempt to enliven DeKalb parks and “up-cycle” dead trees.

“My concept started with getting people outside,” Raih said, who grew up in DeKalb among the parks, and is now trying to repeat the tradition with his own daughter.

28 | September 2019 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

Raih said he wanted to play off the troll tree carvings in Morton Arboretum in Lisle. In addition to the eagle one in Annie’s Woods, 335 Miller Avenue, Baker carved dual faces to look like “tree spirits” on an ash tree killed by the Emerald Ash Borer near the Prairie Park bike path, 615 Ellwood Avenue. Baker used a chainsaw with multiple sizes of blade to carve the intricate details in the wood stumps.

“We’re got a lot of parks and numerous miles of paved walkways, but we still have a lot of people that just don’t know they’re there,” Raih said. “I knew of a few potential trees that could be carved and if I could get the park district to hold off on cutting them down, we could get more people out utilizing the parks.”

Raih said his group raised $1,200 to bring Baker in through sponsorships from Pappas Development LLC, the Daily Chronicle, Lakeshore Recycling

Systems, and Applications Development Corporation. He said he hopes more carvings can be done throughout the city.

County, for residents who may need extra help making repairs around the house but can’t afford it.

The carvings were a product of community collaboration, Raih said, through the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Academy – a 10-month class where employees from DeKalb businesses develop professional and personal skills, network and grow their own leadership skills.

“The idea is to try to create a program,” Duffy said of academy projects. “Anytime we do these projects for leadership groups, we want them to have sustainability.”

Matt Duffy, executive director of the DeKalb chamber, said the 2018-2019 class graduated in June, and the next 23-member class is set to begin in September.

“Within the academy, everybody in the class pitches their ideas and the groups picks one,” Duffy said. “They take it from there based on the concept and then make it happen.”

Other projects that came from recent academy graduates include a planned community BBQ in the Annie Glidden North Neighborhood, that was held on Sept. 12, and a Caring Contractors program through Family Service Agency of DeKalb

For Raih’s group, the hope is to take the tree carvings to a new level around the city, and perhaps even offer residents the option to memorialize passed loved ones through carvings along with the more widely-used memorialized park benches.

Phil Young, president of the DeKalb Park District’s Board of Commissioners, said the district was thrilled to be able to refurbish trees that would have had to come down otherwise.

“It’s funny because when you see trees like this that are dead or falling part, the first thing you want to do is cut it down,” Young said. “But there’s a lot of value in maintaining the trees not only for birds and habitats but also for things such as tree carvings.”

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