LakeCountyMagazine

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Festive Activities For December December 2012

Find The Right Gift For The Colleague, Athlete Or Mother-In-Law Explore Diamond Trends With 3 Lake County Jewelers

10Intriguing People Meet 10 people in Lake County who lead very interesting lives.

INSIDE

Home & Lifestyle

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Home Design — Lighting: Different lights can set the tone of a room. Find out how to properly light your home, and learn tips for hanging a chandelier from Warren Electric in Wildwood. Plus, don’t miss these suggestions for holiday lighting from Superior Systems in Barrington!

From The Vine To Townline: Gints Brencis of DiCarlo Fine Wine and Spirits in Mundelein shares the perfect wine pairings for turkey, ham, goose and prime rib — just in time for your holiday dinner.

Family 14

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10 Intriguing People 25

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The furry friend you have at home needs holiday presents, too, right? Grayslake Feed Sales in Grayslake and Cody and Carl’s Blvd. in Barrington offer ideas for stocking stuffers and treats for your pets.

Success Lives Next Door: As director of the state chapter of Healing the Children, Jeff Degner of Barrington helps kids overseas receive medical help in the U.S., including organizing flights to and from their home countries.

Write This Down: We introduce Michelle Stien, a stayat-home mother of two, who will provide commentary in a new monthly column about the trials — and treats — of parenting.

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Meet some of the interesting people who work and reside in Lake County as part of our annual 10 Intriguing People feature. Say hello to Ariana Koehler, a senior at Wauconda High School, who can perform a trick only three other women in the world can do. You’ll also meet Paul Wood of Lake Forest, who has such a fascination with old aircraft that he created the Warbird Heritage Foundation — and he still flies vintage planes.

On The Cover is Cassandra McKinney, who — on top of being a director of an upcoming program at the College of Lake County — also works with au pairs and teaches ski lessons to children. Meanwhile, Chief Raymond Rose of Mundelein is co-chair of a task force that recently received a $125,000 grant to combat teen drinking, teen drug use and other problems in the county.

A former chef of Moto in Chicago, Chris Jones came back to his childhood town of Grayslake to help with a huge fundraiser. He also is working to replace eggs with plantbased proteins. Maria King of Wadsworth got tired of listening to music that included explicit content, so she created her own Internet radio stations to provide hot music that is free of suggestive lyrics, violence or despair.

Gregg Rosenquist is a Lindenhurst author who recently published his seventh book. Then there’s Katie McGrath, a 2012 graduate of Grayslake North High School, who recently was named a “sportsperson of the year” by the IHSA. Kailey Koehler, sister to Ariana and a junior at Wauconda High School, is the second best barefoot waterskier in the world in her age group — plus a straight-A student. And finally, Mike Pruitt, co-owner of The Vine Martini and Wine Bar in Grayslake, orchestrated a seven-course dinner fundraiser — cooked by Chris Jones. The event raised $10,000, which was donated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Health 30

Today’s styles are uniquely eclectic ...

Kyta Buchta, showroom manager at Warren Electric in Wildwood

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How many jumping jacks would it take to burn off a glass of wine? Find out!

Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder or form of depression that usually begins in early winter. Learn more about SAD and how to combat symptoms.

Holidays / Fashion & Beauty 34

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Also On The Cover: Diamonds are forever, and they’re always a popular holiday gift. Explore the latest trends in these sparkling stones with experts at Bliss Diamond in Libertyville, Lustig Jewelers in Vernon Hills and Rolland’s Jewelers in Libertyville.

Find the right gifts for the athlete in your family, the environmentalist — even the mother-in-law — with these suggestions from Lake County shops.

We’ve got a calendar event for every single day of December to help keep you full of festive spirit!

from the editor

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Happy Holidays!

ne of the reasons I love my job so much is that I get to meet — either directly or indirectly — so many interesting people in our county.

As a reporter, I often found myself wanting to find an adult league to play in after writing a high school game review, or shop at a new store after covering a ribbon-cutting ceremony or even volunteer at a different organization after meeting its founders.

As an editor, even if I’m not reporting on the scene first-hand, I’m still finding and reading about people who are doing amazing things.

Our December issue is dedicated in part to some of the interesting people in our community — 10, to be exact. Two are high school students who represent the entire U.S. in their particular sport; two others raised a significant amount of money in their fight against hunger. Another is planning ahead for the future so that our children and grandchildren will have enough clean water to live healthy lives.

I’ve talked with many of our 10 intriguing people, and their passion for their hobby, job or philanthropic event is nothing short of inspiring. Each has such an interesting view on life, and I can’t wait for you to read all about them (page 25).

Along with meeting your interesting neighbors, we’d also like to help you out this holiday season, whether it’s learning how to

properly light your home — inside and out (page 8) — or finding the right gift. We talk to experts about diamonds for that special someone (page 34), pet boutiques for the furry friends in your home (page 14) and local businesses for the people in your life who may be hard to shop for (page 37).

In the midst of this holiday season, when many of us are frantically trying to tick off items on our list of things to do, we also take a moment to remember that this is the time to give back to others. You’ll find examples of people with good hearts within our 10 intriguing people feature, and you’ll also read how Jeff Degner of Barrington helps young children receive the medical treatment they need right here in the Chicago area (page 18).

Take the time to look at the list of charities to which you can donate time or money. Perhaps one might pull at your heartstrings.

And don’t miss our new columnist, Michelle Stien, a stay-at-home mom of two young children who chronicles her adventures in motherhood (page 23). This month, find out why she can’t wait to pull out her Elf on the Shelf.

The stories we run in Lake County Magazine every month inspire me to want to be a better athlete; better wife; better homeowner; better philanthropist; and better person overall. The people at the center of each story are by no means perfect, but they do have a story to tell, and we enjoy sharing those with you.

I pray you have a blessed holiday!

— Stephanie N. Grimoldby Editor

Published by Shaw Media 7717 S. Route 31, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 Phone: 815-459-4040 Fax: 815-477-4960 www.LakeCountyMagazine.com General Manager Alese Campbell 847-223-8161 acampbell@shawmedia.com Niche Product Manager Kelly Buchanan 815-526-4445 kbuchanan@shawmedia.com Account Manager Stephanie Barrons 847-231-7504 sbarrons@shawmedia.com Editor Stephanie N. Grimoldby 815-526-4467 sgrimoldby@shawmedia.com Designer Allison McCaleb 815-526-4485 amccaleb@shawmedia.com Vice President/Niche Products J. Tom Shaw 630-232-9222 jtshaw@shawmedia.com Correspondents Elizabeth Harmon, Lee Nelson, Amanda Marrazzo, Romi Herron, Lara Jackson, Jacky Runice, Colleen Leonard Photographers Heather Nelson, Melissa Emory Lake County Magazine is available by subscription for $24 a year. If you would like each month’s edition mailed to your home, send payment information and address to Lake County Magazine, 7717 S. Route 31, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 or by email at subscriptions@shawmedia.com.

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