Spirit 2 March-April 2020

vol. 4 no. 6

MARCH/APRIL 2020

complimentary copy

PROTECTING THE WATERWAYS SOME STRINGS ATTACHED THINGS TO DO

Spring ahead Chain TO FUN ON THE

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IT’S COMIN’ UP

The

Spirit

MARCH / APRIL EVENTS

IS A PUBLICATION OF

MARCH 14 and 15 Zurko Antique and

Flea Market, Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Info: lcfair.com.

14 and 15 Illinois Orchid Society Spring Show and Sale, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe. Info: www.chicagobotanic.org.

14, 15, 21, 22 Maple Syrup

Hikes, noon to 2 p.m., Ryerson Woods, 21950 N. Riverwoods Road, Riverwoods. Info: 847-968-3320.

15 Waukegan Symphony Orchestra presents Magnificent Suites, 4 to 7 p.m., Orlin Trapp Auditorium, 2325 Brookside Ave., Waukegan. Adults: $15; seniors/military (with ID), $10; students: $7 (with ID). Students 18 and younger admitted free of charge.

17 Switchback concert, 7:30 p.m., James Lumber Center PAC, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake. Tickets and info: www.jlcenter.clcillinois.edu/switchback.

18

Roald Dahl’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” 7 p.m., Gorton Community Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest. Tickets ($5) and info: gortoncenter.org.

20 to 22 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, Grand Geneva Resort - The Mountain Top, 7036 Grand Geneva Way, Lake Geneva. Top professional snocross racers and leading freestyle athletes compete in the Nielsen’s Grand Finale. Tickets and info: www.grandgeneva.com.

21 and 22 Delavan Train Show, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., downtown Delavan. Operating layouts, family activities and more. Info: www. delavantrainshop.com.

22 Princess and Superhero Day, 10

a.m. to 5 p.m., Volo Auto Museum, 27582 Volo Village Road, Volo. Kids in costume get in for free. Costumed characters and more. Info: volocars.com.

22 Maple Fest, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.,

Covenant Harbor, 1724 W. Main St., Lake Geneva. Family friendly event with all-youcan-eat pancake breakfast ($8 for adults and $5 for kids), maple syrup tours and more.

All-day adventure pass, $22. Info: www. covenantharbor.org.

28 Barnyard Bargain Bonanza Indoor Flea Market, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Walworth County Fairgrounds, 411 E. Court St., Elkhorn. Indoor flea market; free parking and admission. Info: 262-723-3228.

28 – U.S. Army Field Band’s Jazz Ambassadors Concert, time to be announced, free, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake. Info: 847-543-2000.

APRIL

4

Bunny Rock 5K and Egg Hunt, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Hawthorn Mall, 122 Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills. Race, egg hunt, petting zoo and more. Info: bunnydash5k.com.

4 Long Grove’s Egg Hunt, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Buffalo Creek Park, Old McHenry Road, Long Grove. Egg Hunt, music, live chicks and bunnies to pet, crafts, wagon rides and more. Free for children accompanied by adults Goodie bags for all attendees while supplies last. Info: longgrove.org.

GENERAL MANAGER

Sue Z. Lange EDITOR IN CHIEF

Ed Nadolski EDITOR

Tracy Ouellette

4 and 5 Festival of Arts and

Crafts, Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road, Grayslake. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Event showcases 280 booths of handcrafted items for sale by artists and crafters from nine states. Admission: $5. Info: 847-680-7200.

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Vicki Vanderwerff CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Heidi Schulz

11, 25 Backyard Chickens free classes, 10 a.m. to noon, Lake County Farm Bureau, 70 S. U.S. Highway 45, Grayslake.

Topics will include; chicken selection, housing and coop options, space requirements, nutrition and feed, medical needs, predator protection and more.

SECTION DESIGNER

Jennifer DeGroot SALES

Pete Hansen Donna Sylvester Brooks Tamera Hamilton

11 Bunny Wabbit Run, 9 a.m., Independence Grove, 16400 W. Buckly Road, Libertyville. Event includes 5K, 10K and 200-meter Kids’ Dash runs and egg hunt for kids 8 and younger.

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

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11 and 12

Zurko Antique and Flea Market, Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Info: lcfair.com.

The Spirit of The Lakes is a complimentary publication, distributed throughout the Chain ’o Lakes and Kenosha County area. Keeping up with the same great tradition as the Spirit of Geneva Lakes.

18 Tempel Lipizzans Behind the Scene Tours, 10 a.m., The Tempel Lipizzans, 17000 Wadsworth Road, Old Mill Creek. Ticktes: $15 to $25, at tempelfarms. ticketfly.com.

Send all correspondence to:

The

25 Long Grove Beer Festival, 1 to 5 p.m., downtown Long Grove. Local breweries and live music. Cost: $40 in advance. Tickets and info: longgrove.org.

SOUTHERN LAKES NEWSPAPERS 1102 Ann Street Delavan, WI 53115

The calendar of events is compiled from a variety of sources including area chamber’s of commerce and the Lake County Visitors Bureau, and contains events available as of press time.

Events, dates and times may change or events may be canceled. We suggest you visit verify event times, dates and locations prior to making travel plans.

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4 Strings Attached

Beautiful music from beautiful children

By Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT

When the 4 Strings Attached violin group starts playing, listeners are often stunned children are producing the music they’re hearing.

Playing a variety of music from classical works, patriotic songs, and just fun “fiddle” music, the performing group of violinists, who range in age from 4 to 18 years, is a delight to listen to. They do not appear as a group of children FROM TOP: Martin Lopez works one on one with this student to assure proper placement of the bow on the violin and proper finger placement; Martin Lopez shares the contents of his scrapbook, which includes articles from his childhood including his experiences performing in Europe as a child, along with articles about the 4 Strings Attached Musical Group.

MARTIN LOPEZ ACADEMY Spirit of the Lakes

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performing but as a composed professional group with stage presence.

Members of the group are serious music students who have gained their skills at the Martin Lopez Academy where they learned the importance of taking their music seriously yet still having fun with it and enjoying the experience.

For Lopez, music has always been part of his life. As the fourth generation of his family to play the violin, it is not surprising that he began to learn the instrument while very young. Starting around the age of 3, he began taking lessons at a prestigious private academy under the guidance of renowned violinist Betty Haag.

Like many children, although he loved the violin there were times when he didn’t want to practice.

“It was my mother who was the enforcer and saw to it that I continued to practice,” Lopez said. “I would practice for up to five hours per day.”

The work put into his violin training reaped its rewards when Lopez, at the age of 5, was included in a concert tour of Europe with Mrs. Haag’s performing group. By the age of 6, he performed a solo with the Chicago Symphony at their Petite Promenade Concert Series and was referred to as a “child prodigy.”

Over his young years, he toured Europe with the performing group playing in a variety of countries including France, Germany, and Italy where the group performed in the Vatican for Pope John Paul II. So it is not surprising that Lopez would spend his time teaching others to play the violin and teach them to love it as he does.

“I started at the Urban Gateway Program through the Chicago Public School System,” he said. “I spent a year teaching for Roosevelt University of Chicago in the College of Performing Arts. I have also taught at local park districts.”

Lopez also started programs at Star of the Sea and Our Lady of the Snows schools on the south side of Chicago. He continues to run programs there although his main location now is in the McHenry/Crystal Lake area where he teaches the next generation of professional musicians how to get the most beautiful music out of their violins.

A place of his own

In 2004 he opened his studio in McHenry where he teaches violin to children starting as young as 2-1/2 years of age.

“As our students became more proficient, we decided to start 4 Strings Attached, a 501(c)(3) program where we could work with students and give them the opportunity to perform,” Lopez said. “We wanted to see them mature and have confidence in their ability to play for an audience. We also wanted to have them travel and learn about other cultures while they entertain.”

After speaking to the parents of the students and explaining what he hoped to accomplish with the kids, the program began

Members of 4 Strings Attached pose in front of the remains of the Coliseum in Rome. The students enjoyed touring the city along with performing.

MARTIN LOPEZ ACADEMY Spirit of the Lakes

and has been very successful.

The group plays for local events and has traveled out of the country to perform. The students pay a fee to be part of the group but most of the money needed for their travel comes from donations. Being a non-profit, donations may be tax deductible. They are currently working on raising funds for a trip to perform in Poland.

Lopez said.

He employs a rigorous teaching method and expects much from his students, he is also kind and patient when working with the students. While Lopez expects high standards in his classes, he also combines the work with fun. He introduces children to classical works and intersperses them with some fun pieces sure to appeal to young children like “Orange Blossom Special,” a song about trains. They may sing the Hokey Pokey for a little break.

Lopez believes that learning about the various cultures, languages and music helps For Yessina Medina, of Crystal Lake, the introduction to violin for her daughters aged the student develop their own unique style.

3 and 6 began about a year ago.

It helps them to grow both mentally and “I wanted them to have some exposure physically as performers and as people.

“Our first trip was to Guadalajara, Mexico to music and thought the violin would be where we performed on National television,” a great instrument. It began as sort of an experiment to see how motivated they would Lopez said. be,” Medina said. “I was fortunate to have They have also taken some shorter trips including one to Springfield. A trip to Disney chosen a phenomenal teacher when we began lessons with Mr. Lopez.”

World and Universal to perform almost had Lessons are usually given on a weekly to be cancelled due to lack of funds.

For Lopez working with children is both a basis for a half hour although some may take an hour lesson. Classes either private joy and a privilege. or group lessons are offered at the Martin “I strive to provide inspiration and motivation for students to learn about music Lopez Academy in McHenry, or at his in a friendly and positive classroom setting,” Chicago studio in Summit. Repertoire classes are held on Saturdays in both Crystal he said.

Lake and in the Chicago studio.

With his unique teaching style, Lopez is For information about lessons, to see able to introduce the violin to students at a where they are performing, or to book a very young age. While some of his students performance visit 4stringsattached.org begin at the age of 2-1/2 years, others begin The Academy is at 406 Whitaker Trails, their quest of the violin at a later age.

McHenry. Telephone for information at 847 “I would like my students to see me as 529-7902 or visit them on Facebook. both their teacher and also as their friend,”

Growing in their craft

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ROB BOWMAN, FOX WATERWAY AGENCY Spirit of the Lakes

Protecting the waterways Agency works to preserve the Fox River and Chain O’ Lakes

by Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT

SANDDRA LANDEN MACHAJ Spirit of the Lakes

As the Fox River winds its way from the Wisconsin border into Northern Illinois, it meanders through 15 lakes and channels that make up the Chain O’ Lakes.

Because of the length of flow through the Chain, the area attracts more boats than any other inland water area in the United States during the summer months.

“Before the financial crash of 2008, we attracted about 28,000 boats to the area each season,” Fox Waterway Agency Executive Director Joe Keller said. “Since the crash, our numbers have diminished to approximately 22,000. With added financial pressures on Illinois residents, and boats being a luxury item, some residents and visitors have given up their boats as they could no longer afford the cost of the watercraft, insurance, or the fuel required to run them.”

With so much boat travel through the lakes and the Fox River it became apparent that keeping the waterways open and navigable was vital to the area. To do so the Fox Waterway Agency was created by the State of Illinois in 1984.

The agency has a very straight forward purpose, which FROM TOP: Dredged materials are loaded onto a barge for removal in the Fox Waterway Agency’s mechanical dredging project in Fox Lake Road Park, McHenry; Joe Keller, executive director of the Fox Waterway Agency displays the map of the watershed plan. The watershed coalition will be working to provide clean water to not only the waterway but to the homes along the shore.

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is “to improve and maintain the Fox River and Chain O’ Lakes public waterway for recreational use, to restore environmental quality, manage flooding, promote tourism, and enhance the quality of life along the waterway for residents and tourists alike.”

With that purpose in mind, it has become the job of the Fox Waterway Agency to keep the body of water healthy not only for today’s residents but for future generations. One of the primary means of doing so is by dredging and recycling soil that finds its way into the waters of the area.

“The rich farm topsoil from farms in Wisconsin enter the waterway through the Fox River into Grass Lake then pours into our other lakes. Because this soil is so rich in nutrients, it encourages the growth of plant life and clogs the lakes and river impeding navigation, as it moves throughout the chain if not removed,” Keller said.

For years the material dredged from the lakes and river was collected on barges, taken to the lakeshore where it was then transferred to trucks and driven to an area where it could be unloaded and worked into the existing soil.

“A more environmentally friendly way to remove the dredged material is to own land on the shore where the material can be unloaded directly and skip the step of having to transfer it by truck. Hauling by truck increases costs and releases more chemicals and CO2 into the environment,” Keller said.

“At one time we owned 40 acres of land off the river, near Island Lake, but the land was transferred to another agency because the residents of this area objected to having the trucks with dredged materials traveling through the residential area as it was hauled to our acreage.

“Transferring parcels of land between state agencies is a common practice but we would have preferred to keep the land in our agency and sell it to purchase another better located tract,” Keller continued. “With the help of then state Legislators Pam Althoff and Barb Wheeler a bill was introduced to the legislature to return the land to the Waterway.

The bill was successfully passed and the land was returned which was then sold to purchase a more suitable site in an industrial area. This year we will continue to make the process more environmentally friendly.”

The agency not only oversees the dredging, but works at a variety of other projects to preserve the waterways.

Preserving the shoreline to prevent erosion is an important program. Attempts are made to restore shoreline land that provides nesting areas for birds and other waterfowl.

Kristine Pearson, executive assistant, field support, and customer relations at the Fox Waterway Agency, has been passionate about the waterways projects especially about shoreline preservation.

“One such program that was really successful was the Grass Island Wetland Restoration Project,” shared Pearson, a 16 year employee of the agency.

Using geo-textile tubes filled with lake

The Fox Waterways Agency is at 45 S. Pistakee Lake Road, Fox Lake. Several years ago the agency lost its original building to flooding and was forced to work out of portable buildings. The agency’s new facility is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SANDDRA LANDEN MACHAJ Spirit of the Lakes

boaters who are looking to enjoy waterskiing and other activities from their boats find disappointing. But when the water level is too high, it is a needed restriction.

To avoid flooding of the banks of the river and lakes, the Fox Waterway Agency provides information to boaters about the areas of the waterway that are open and any areas of concern to those using the waterway.

A new app that can be added to your smart phone has made notification of pertinent information to users instantaneously as it becomes available.

A challenge for all those involved with water management the past several years has been the excessive rainfall in the area, A variety of other programs are overseen causing higher lake levels and flooding to the by the agency including management of the properties in the area. homeowner buoy program and the waterfowl “Mitigating flooding is now the new blind program. Other responsibilities include norm,” Keller said. “Projections from the waterway restrictions permit program and the National Weather Service predict that the waterway cleanup program. Monitoring these rapid fluctuations in the weather have and protecting the Fox River and the Chain O’ increased and are expected to continue.

Lakes is a full-time job that requires not only Unfortunately we don’t have the financial the work of the Fox Waterway Agency, but resources to mitigate all these needs.” other government agencies.

One of the projects being worked on to To insure the health and safety of the aid in the abatement of flooding was the waterway for residents along the waterway formation of a commission. It is in the early and for visitors, the Lake and McHenry stages of forming a coalition to bring greater County Sheriff Departments, Illinois joint efforts and funding to address the needs.

Department of Natural Resources, Illinois The coalition is pursuing the creation Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. of a Watershed plan through 319 and 6048 Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. grant funding. The goal is to improve water Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, quality not only in the Chain, but in the areas Stratton Lock and Dam Commission which surrounding the waterway. With flooding controls the management of the lock and dam of the properties along the shore, toxic located in McHenry, and the Chain O’ Lakes substances including fuels from vehicles State Park, all work together with the Fox using the area make their way into the Waterway Agency. water system. Stable shorelines improve the Each of these agencies has specific duties quality of the waterways with less runoff of in managing the waterways but all work contaminants making its way into the water. together to be certain the waterways are safe This leads to an improvement in the quality of and clean for all using the waterways. the fish and wildfowl in the area, Keller said.

The Fox Waterway Agency is at 45 S. Pistakee Lake Road, Fox Lake. Hours of Controlling the water traffic on the chain operation are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and the Fox River means sometimes closing through Friday. For more information, call certain areas to navigation and the creation 847-587-8540, go to www.foxwaterway.com of no wake zones for boaters, something the or visit them on Facebook. bottom sediment to create a perimeter berm, they form an enclosed area where it is possible to add dredged soil, which is then planted with native vegetation and becomes a permanent part of the island and a refuge for birds. The agency has a variety of other jobs in addition to dredging the water.

“With a small budget of $2.5 million there is a lot to be accomplished,” Keller said.

“Most of our income comes from boat sticker fees. It is only recently that we were able to make some inroads into receiving some State funding. It is our hope that the State will increase the funding in the future.”

Working together

Flooding concerns

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RED OAK RESTAURANT DOES THINGS DELICIOUSLY DIFFERENT

by Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT

The picturesque Red Oak Restaurant in Bristol has only been open since 2016 yet it has become well known for its beautiful setting and its unique menu, which was developed using organic standards and locally produced foods.

“The original part of the building was built in 1934 as a tavern,” said Adeline Carney, who with her daughter Mary Acuna are the current owners. “The building’s original owner lived upstairs above the tavern in an apartment that did not have a kitchen. The business was bought and sold over time until an Illinois couple purchased the property around 1990 and added a dining room, expanded the kitchen, and built large garages to be used as storage areas, basically a walk in pantry.”

According to Carney, this couple reopened the business as Whispering Oaks, a popular place to dine, and ran it for about 15 years.

Then it again went through a series of owners. Opening and closing with regularity.

It was then that Carney and Acuna began to consider opening a restaurant on the site.

Living nearby they often passed it on their way out to dinner and felt it would be nice to have somewhere close for local people to enjoy a good meal.

The idea of opening a restaurant there slowly evolved. Acuna, an IT specialist, and Carney, a retired counselor for adolescents with drug abuse problems, began the job of

turning the building into a locally sourced farm to table restaurant that offers interesting and tasty foods.

source our ingredients with a preference and priority to locally produced items using sustainable and organic methods, and humanely raised animals.”

Assembling the team Many of the suppliers are well known “Both Mary and I had been waitresses at names in the area. Eggs from Yuppie Hill, some time in our lives, but that was the extent fruit from Brightonwoods Orchard, bison of our knowledge of running a restaurant,” from Pierson Bison, meats from Wilson’s Carney said. “Fortunately we had the help Farms, and cheese from Hook’s are but a few of Heidi Naef as our manager, who had of the local suppliers used by The Red Oak experience in this field.”

Restaurant.

Together they worked, learned, and put The property was purchased in March of together a good team, which included the 2016 but did not open as a restaurant until hiring of a creative chef. Their menus are September. changed every two months or so and reflect “Even then we were not sure that we were the seasonal foods available at the time. ready but it was time,” said Carney. “We “We try to purchase everything we cook tried for a soft opening with little advertising locally from farms, which follow organic and were shocked when 65 people showed standards,” Carney said. “At times because up the first night we were open to the public. of weather we have to go further out for our Not everything went completely smooth. All ingredients but we always look for those orders had to be written by hand and taken to raised under organic standards.” the kitchen. The staff did their best but they With hundreds of small farms, breweries, had not worked together long enough for distilleries and bakeries in Wisconsin everything to run smoothly.” finding locally sourced foods that meet their “Things will happen,” Naef, the manager, standards is dependent on the season. added. “It isn’t what happens but how you As stated on their menu, “By celebrating handle it that is important.” the craft, creativity, and hard work that is In the end the customers were happy and happening in our backyard, we can reduce many have continued to return. the miles our food travels and improve the “We have built our restaurant around a quality of the dishes we’re serving. We no-tipping model,” Carney said. “Instead

ABOVE: The Red Oak Restaurant, 4410 299th Ave., Bristol, features meals created with locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.

Their dinners are offered from a menu that changes every two months.

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of paying servers the minimum wage for servers of $2.33 per hour as required by the state – where they are expected to increase their income through tips – we pay them a living wage.

“We add 20 percent hospitality charge to the bill to pay for the higher wages to our servers and all kitchen staff,” Carney added. “This

way everyone works as a team.

There are no your tables or my tables. Everyone pitches in with whatever needs to be done whether it is refilling water glasses or bringing out plated meals.”

According to Adeline, the employees like this method because they are assured that even if it is a very slow night,

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braised lamb shank served with creamy polenta are among a few of the current menu selections.

About the ambiance “Two of the items that never When entering the dining cease to please are our airline room the first sight is the chicken or our hand-cut beef beautiful stone fireplace with tenderloin,” Carney said. “Airline a welcoming fire. Overhead chicken is so called because it is a unique chandelier made a chicken breast with the wing from a Korean lilac bush and in place giving it the appearance intertwined with soft small white of a flying chicken. Paired with lights adds a unique look and parsnip risotto, and roasted warmth to the room. carrots and parsnips and sautéed The view from the windows is spinach, it is a tasty and healthy beautiful whatever the time of the dinner choice. “ year. The white snow clinging to The tenderloin filet cannot be the trees and covering the ground beat as it is served with sautéed in winter or the beautiful green cremini mushrooms, in a red leaves and grass in the summer wine and mushroom reduction each offer a unique and peaceful sauce. The tenderloin is then view for diners. In the summer topped with herb butter and customers have the option to served with potato croquette and dine out on the patio when the roasted parsnips. weather permits. The patio will Fish fry or brunch seat 40 patrons.

The Friday fish fry offers a Original artwork by local artists is featured on the walls of choice of baked or beer-battered the dining room. These artworks cod, or pan-seared or beer batter walleye. A limited children’s are for sale with the entire cost going to the artist. “We do this to menu is available at all times.

The restaurant is open support local artists,” Naef said. for dinner on Wednesday, Each menu offers a variety Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. of foods. Shrimp with parmesan On Saturday and Sunday Red grits, Bison meatballs with Oak offers a brunch menu with fettuccine in a rich cream sauce,

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a variety of choices such as traditional eggs, homemade sausage or bacon, roasted potatoes and Wild Flour Country bread. A traditional Wisconsin choice is the apple cinnamon and cranberry stuffed French toast, topped with whipped cream and fresh mint and served with pure Wisconsin maple syrup and butter. Lox and poached eggs or a vegetarian breakfast bowl offer alternative choices.

The goal of the restaurant is to prepare a meal that meets your taste and health desires. Red Oak can provide a vegan option or prepare a gluten-free option.

It is not only the food that is locally sourced when possible. A visit to the bar reveals that half the liquors on display are local bourbons, vodkas and whiskies.

The beautiful bar is a great place to enjoy a before-dinner drink.

Each month, on the second Saturday, Naef offers a cocktail class where she will teach how to prepare one of her unique cocktails. Classes are limited to eight participants.

On Wednesday and Thursdays consider the Gotta Run takeout specials. A variety of dinner choices are available to make dinner a snap at home on these nights. For those eating in-house, a special treat on Thursdays includes entertainment

by Joe Diamond a magician and mind reader whose act sparks laughter and amazement.

Farm dinners served

Among of the highlights of The Red Oak Restaurant are the twice-yearly Farm Dinners.

These dinners are held off site – in June at Brightonwoods Orchard, Brighton, and in September at Yellow Dog Farms in nearby Paris.

“These are very popular events and sell out quickly so watch the website and Facebook page to make your reservation as soon as they are available,” Carney said.

Wine dinners are held at various times throughout the year and are also popular. The Red Oak also serves special brunches on Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. In addition to the usual dinners offered, The Red Oak also offers private parties for showers, anniversaries, business meetings and any other event on days when the restaurant and staff are available.

The Red Oak gives back to the community. The first two nights it was open, all profits were donated to Walk in My Shoes, Kenosha, which supplies food and clothing for those in need. The organization especially works with those who have aged out of the foster system and single mothers who have no means of support.

The Red Oak composts vegetable kitchen scraps and sends its fry oil out to be converted to biodiesel fuel. The owners hope to help reduce the 7 million tons of food waste that currently ends up in landfills to near zero.

The Red Oak Restaurant is at 4410 200th Avenue in Bristol. It can be reached at 262-857-8588 or online at theredoakrestaurant. com or on Facebook to learn more. The Red Oak is open for dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Plated Brunch selections are served on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Heidi Naef, manager of The Red Oak Restaurant works behind the bar on a recent evening. Naef gives a program on making specialty cocktails on the second Saturday of the month. Each month she creates a new cocktail to share with customers.

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