Plainfield Shorewood Area Chamber Newsletter - Fall 2023

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Harvest 5K celebrates its 25th anniversary

By Melissa Rubalcaba Riske

Once a local race that drew a hundred people or so, the annual Plainfield Harvest 5K is turning 25 this year and celebrating its anniversary with a few extra miles. More than 1,000 people are expected to take to the streets for the annual race. The course winds past homes where residents cheer on friends and family, past the high school and back to Village Green where runners celebrate their feat and connect with friends.

“It’s such a great community event,” said Tasha Marsaglia, Executive Director of the Plainfield-Shorewood

Area Chamber of Commerce.

Long before she was at the helm of the Chamber, Marsaglia enjoyed taking part in the annual race, adding that it’s a race that can be enjoyed for its family atmosphere as well as those looking for a little competition. Even young races will enjoy the fun, with the option for the Kids Miler.

“We have lots of first-time races, lots of walkers too,” Marsaglia added.

The Plainfield Harvest 5K is the first of the three Healthy Driven Race Series, promoted by Edward-Elmhurst Health.

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See pages 8 and 10

The Plainfield Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce welcomes the many businesses and industries to our area.

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To celebrate the race’s 25th anniversary race organizers decided to add the option for a few more miles. New this year in addition to the 5K Run/Walk there will be a 10K option, allowing those runners looking for a further distance to perform a second loop of the race.

“We’ve always wanted to grow the race. This is going to be super fun,” Marsaglia said, adding that those who take on the extra miles will receive extra race swag. “We’re excited to see how many people come out for it.”

The race invites individual participants as well as teams, which can be corporate or comprised of family and friends. The Team Challenge brings out siblings, parents and children and even members of the DNA local running club, which is based in the DNA Running Store in downtown Plainfield, owned by North Central alumni and avid runners David Johnson and Andy Remley. Every Tuesday evening and on weekends, runners of all ages and abilities show up for a weekly run through the community, said Cathy Crawford, community outreach coordinator for DNA.

“We have a pretty big group,” Crawford said, explaining the fun runs

range from two to six miles. “We try to do themes for the runs, and support the local businesses, stopping in for drinks and food after some of the runs.”

Crawford is a member of the race planning committee and DNA is hosting the race packet pickup prior to the race.

“We try to give back to the community and to the businesses,” Crawford said.

It takes more than 100 volunteers from the chamber and community, as well as village staff and members of the public works department as well as help from the local police and fire to produce the annual race. In years past the sponsors have stepped up to send volunteers for the water stations or to help with the post-race snacks.

In addition to the post-race snacks, following the Plainfield Harvest 5K runners, walkers and their friends and family can head to Tap House for a post-race party.

“It definitely draws the community together,” Marsaglia said.

In its early years, the Plainfield Harvest 5K collected food donations for the community. These days the proceeds from the race registration is distributed back into the community, supporting several organizations each year. Over the years the race organizers have been able to give back into the community more than $400,000, Marsaglia said.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication. The Chamber and Shaw Media assume no responsibility for misinformation. Contact the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce with any additions or corrections. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the Chamber and Shaw Media is prohibited.

SCHOOLS COMPLETE UPDATES DURING SUMMER BREAK

By Melissa Rubalcaba Riske • Photos by Shaw Media

Summer break is always a busy time for facility updates and this summer that rings true for local Plainfield and Shorewood school districts.

Security and building improvements were a priority this summer at Plainfield Community School District 202, explains Superintendent Glenn Wood. During the summer break the process began to equip entrances at the district’s elementary and middle school buildings with locked down entry and double-buzz entrances. The installations will be completed by the end of the first quarter, Wood said.

“Learning suffers when students do not feel safe, healthy and secure in schools,” Wood said. “Many of our initiatives this summer were focused on the basic needs of students in order to provide a positive, comfortable school environment for students.”

Wood said each year the district makes adjustments to safety protocols, which includes updating procedures and firstresponder training to ensure a safe environment that fosters academic

excellence, personal growth and success in the world beyond the schools and classrooms.

Additionally, staff oversaw significant HVAC work at Plainfield Central High School, Wood said.

The district’s food service department was able to secure participation in the National School Breakfast & Lunch Program for 14 of the district’s elementary and middle schools. This will provide all students in these schools with a free breakfast and lunch each school day.

Students’ hard work was recognized with 50 students earning the State of Illinois Seal of Biliteracy for demonstrating a high level of proficiency in English as well as the ability to read, write, listen and speak in a secondary language.

District 202 sees it a priority to minimize disruptions to the learning environment and it has recently implemented new policies to students’ cell phone access during the school day, Wood said.

“The expectation is that students put their phones away when a staff member in our schools ask them to put it away,” Wood said.

And while summer is a time to relax and regroup, for many District 202 staff it is also a time to explore interests and abilities. More than 500 staff from the district were involved in professional development activities during the summer break, Wood said. These programs included digital learning, the Advanced Placement Summer Institute and opportunities to student the latest technology.

TROY CCSD 30-C

For Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C this summer was a busy time for renovations with the new library at William B. Orenic Intermediate School for students in 5th and 6th grades. The library was updated and renovated with new features to make it more student friendly. The new space will be able to accommodate more classes using the library as well as individuals, explained Sarah Wells, director of communications for Troy CCSD 30-C.

Troy School District 30 serves more than 3,900 students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade with roughly a staff of 700 individuals.

In effort to better communicate with district families, the district has moved to Parent Square, a new communication platform, which will provide easier ability to translate documents into different languages for non-native speakers.

And there’s a buzz among upper grades for the launch of the district’s new E-Sports Program, in which students will compete against other schools in online games. During the summer the school made renovations to a classroom computer lab for the launch of the new program.

“With E-Sports the students will compete with a variety of online games with other students across the state,” Wells said, adding that E-Sports recently became a recognized sport with the Illinois High School Association.

SHOREWOOD Crossroads FESTIVAL

VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY MAKE 2023 EVENT A SUCCESS

Aug. 4 through Aug. 6 was the annual Shorewood Crossroads Festival for the chamber. This was the third year that the chamber has taken on this event by providing live music, a beer tent, food court, carnival rides, a craft and vendor show, the bags tournament, a car show and a parade. Even with a little rain on Saturday, it was a HUGE success!

A BIG THANK YOU to TR Miller Heating, Cooling & Plumbing for being our naming sponsor this past year, as well as to D’Arcy Buick GMC and Comfort First Heating and Cooling for being our entertainment sponsors who help provide the entertainment for the weekend.

Friday kicked off with our special Needs Free event, which Windy City Amusements donates to our participants, and ended with Badass Phoenix and ARRA on stage. Saturday may have rained a bit, but our crafters and vendors were out there and the show kept going with School of Rock, DBL-Shot, Don’t Matter to Me, All American Throwbacks, an amazing fireworks show sponsored by the Village of Shorewood and ending with 7th Heaven onstage. After a canceled parade in 2022 due to weather conditions, we were able to have the parade kick off this year at noon, followed by our car show sponsored by Webb Chevy of Plainfield and our Midwest Bags Tournament sponsored by Comfort First Heating and Cooling with AD3 Acoustic Trio onstage.

These events cannot take place without the support from the business community and the Village of Shorewood. Many hours of preparation take place and hundreds of volunteers man the gates, sling beers, pick up trash, sell tickets and shuttle people around. Thank you to ALL who were a part of this amazing event. We will see you in 2024.

PLAINFIELD Cruise Nights

THE CHAMBER BRINGS THIS SUMMERLONG EVENT TO THE DOWNTOWN FOR A DECADE

For the past 10 years, the Plainfield Shorewood Area Chamber has hosted the annual Cruise Nights in downtown Plainfield. These nights start on Tuesdays in June and go all the way through the second-to-last week in August. This is a FREE event and gives car owners, motorcyclists, antique tractor owners and others a chance to show off their babies.

This event is such a huge event that downtown restaurants say it is an extra Friday night for them. Having thousands of people downtown on Tuesday nights is amazing to see. Our community and surrounding communities love this annual event, and each Tuesday the downtown is packed.

Cruise Nights would not be possible with out all of our volunteers, Plainfield Police Department, Plainfield Fire Department, the Village of Plainfield and of course our sponsors. Thank you to D’Arcy Buick GMC, Ron Tirapelli Ford, Webb Chevy of Plainfield, Greater Midwest Exteriors, and new this year Aces Classic Cars for sponsoring. The Chamber allows 10 members to sign up weekly to have a paid vendor booth space – this allows non-downtown businesses to be part of the event. Many other downtown brick-and-mortar businesses take part as well, whether it is by handing out free water, giving discounts for the shops or just promoting. It is a familyfriendly event and definitely brings the community together.

Welcome new Chamber members:

 JANUARY THROUGH JULY

JANUARY

Brad Taylor Inc. Tree Service

Fox Pool Chicago

Guaranteed Rate - Mayra Mendoza

Insperity

FEBRUARY

Fifth Third Bank

Illinois Bone and Joint Institute Rehab

Mark Batinick - Re/Max Professionals

Select

Nature’s Garden Herbals & Beeswax

Candles LLC

Nextsulting LLC

Paint Space

Plainfield Young Life

Rising Lotus Salon, LLC

StretchLab

Will County Habitat For Humanity

MARCH

A+ Cash for Junk Cars Inc.

Bike Bald Group

Career Connection of Illinois

Coldwell Banker Real Estate GroupAriel Setchell

CrossCountry Mortage, LLC

Cruise Planners-Stacey Valencia

Elucidate Solutions

F3 Plainfield

Huntington National Bank

ITsavvy

Let The Mountains Move Ministries

Little Kitchen Academy Plainfield

Muscle Methods LLC

OC Property Solutions

PNC Bank

State Representative Harry Benton

APRIL

Studio Lane

Advanced Property Specialists Inc.

All My Sons Chicago

CPR Plus

District 202 Foundation for Excellence

Lance K. Skinkys, DDS

Next Step Forward, LLC

Pace Suburban Bus

Plainfield Masonic Lodge #536

Precision Diagnostics Inc

Ryan Homes-Deer Crossing

Seniors Helping Seniors

MAY

2 Teas Boba Drink

Durham School Services

Everest Title

Fox Pest Control-Chicago

Hammond Capital Management, Ltd.

Hourglass Wealth Management

Insainly Fit Meals

JWO Studio

Luigi’s Pizzas and Pastas

Mattress By Appointment Plainfield

Our Best Life Creating Passion, and Community Through the Lives we Live

SkyByrd Photography

JUNE

Bubbles and Sudz Power Wash LLC

Pizza Ranch

Wyler Barbecue LLC

JULY Cintas

Filterbuy

Headturn L.L.C.

LA Michoacana Shorewood

Posh Hospitality Group

Wheatland Township

Good Steward Ecoscapes

GymQuest of Plainfield

Mike Shereck Group

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2023 PLAINFIELD SHOREWOOD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TASHA MARSAGLIA

Executive Director

Plainfield Shorewood Area

Chamber of Commerce

24109 W. Lockport St. Plainfield, IL 60544

(815) 436-4431

TRACEY LANE

Chairman of the Board

Plainfield Public Library

15025 S. Illinois St. Plainfield, IL 60544

(815) 327-2511

BRIAN SLOAN

Vice Chairman of the Board

T.R. Miller Heating & Cooling

11917 S. Aero Dr. Plainfield, IL 60585

(815) 436-4331

ANNA HULLINGER

Corporate Treasurer

BMO Harris Bank

2251 Rt. 59

Plainfield, IL 60586

(815) 254-5600

CRISTINA ZAMARRON

Corporate Secretary

Tortilla Flatz Mexican Grill

13717 S. Rt. 59 Plainfield, IL 60544

(815) 436-8226

MATT SCHIMANSKI

Past Chair

Edward Jones-Financial Advisor

5700 W. Caton Farm Rd., Ste. 102 Plainfield, IL 60586

(815) 254-5448

ERIC MARSAGLIA

Northern Insurance Services, Ltd. & National Softwash, Inc

12151 S. Rhea Dr. Plainfield, IL 60585

(815) 254-6363

(630) 730-6707

MIKE MONTGOMERY

Kind Lending

3027 English Rows Ave.

Naperville, IL 60564

(630) 973-6911

T.J. KARDAS

Plainfield Soap Opera Laundromat, Inc.

15420 S. Rt. 59 Plainfield, IL 60544

(630) 257-2987

BRIAN MINNIS

Old Second National Bank

505 N. Weber Rd.

Romeoville, IL 60446

(630) 652-1399

CHAD HOLSTEAD

Business Knowledge Systems

15115 S. Illinois St. Plainfield, IL 60544 630 357-8385

BRUCE KURSCHNER

CertaPro Painters of Plainfield

12151 S. Rhea Dr. Plainfield, IL 60585

(815) 254-8880

LISA BEHOUNEK

C.W Avery Family YMCA

15120 W. Wallin Dr. Plainfield, IL 60544

(815) 782-0501

ADAM UNDERHILL

Edward Jones Financial Advisor

611 Rollingwood Dr., Ste. 1

Shorewood, IL 60404

(815) (630) 4377

JIM SERR

Joliet Junior College

1215 Houbolt Rd.

Joliet, IL 60531

RIBBON CUTTINGS

CELEBRATING LOCAL BUSINESS

The Plainfield Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce embraces local business owners and works to promote growth and development in our community, keeping Plainfield a desirable area in which to live, work and shop. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is an important way to announce to the community that a business is open and ready to accept customers, and PACC is proud to partner with our most recent new businesses.

2TEAS BOBA 857 Brook Forest Ave., Shorewood

BIGGBY COFFEE 1015 Brook Forest Ave., Shorewood

BIKE BALD GROUP 27 Stonehill Road, Unit C, Oswego

BLOOMING SUCCULENTS STUDIO 52 N. Adams St., Oswego

CALLY LARSON REAL ESTATE 24123 Lockport St., Plainfield

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