Photos: Another Great YEA! Festival in Evanston

Oak Tree Older Than Frodo Baggins on Evanston Garden Walk

According to the AOL hyperlocal media behemoth Patch, there is an oak tree in Evanston that is more than 600 years old and you can see it as part of this year's Evanston Garden Walk on June 30, 2013.

Originally the City of Evanston was only going to feature 150 year old trees on the Walk as part of Evanston's 150 year celebration, but this old oak snuck in.

Located at the home of Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin and his wife Gloria Callaci, this burr oak tree is more than 600 years old, which technically is older than Frodo Baggins.

Click here to read the full article and learn more about the Garden Walk.

This Saturday is YEA! Day Arts Festival in Evanston

26th Annual Young Evanston Artists Festival
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Dempster St. & Chicago Ave., Evanston

Tentative Schedule:

4 a.m In the dark of the morning on YEA! Day, a small group of volunteers can be seen loading display panels off a U-Haul truck and placing them at designated school locations.

6 a.m. A volunteer crew arrives and four teams put up all the panels in preparation for the teachers.

7 a.m. Another volunteer group arrives to blow up balloons and tie them on parking meters, lampposts and trees.

7:30 a.m. House of Rental arrives

8 a.m. Teachers arrive with art work to set up their schools’ presentation

8 a.m. Volunteers arrive to set up the Silent Auction

8 a.m. A crew arrives to set up the sound system for the performing arts

9 a.m. Volunteers arrive to set up the YEA! booths where baseball hats, t-shirts, tattoos, snacks and refreshments are sold

10 a.m. Crowds arrive. We have ignition and lift off: YEA! Day explodes with excitement and enthusiasm

4 p.m. The YEA! festival comes to a close and is dismantled piece by piece by all of the teachers and volunteers. But the YEA! program, itself, continues…influencing school arts programs throughout the year.

Dining News: Kids Eat Free in Evanston, When and Where

I like to post this list every once in a while so that you remember there ARE benefits to dining out with children*, especially when it is FREE.

From the Celtic Knot to Flat Top Grill, Evanston has several restaurants where kids eat free once a week, click here to see the full list on http://outtoeatwithkids.com.

*Please note that although I am posting this information on my blog, it's really only for your benefit as I personally detest eating out with children from an economic stand point. No one should be paid to serve my children, ever, especially if they are NOT going to devour what's on the plate. But if the meal is FREE, I can give in, a little. So you are welcome. Bon appetit.

May 19: Ten Thousand Ripples Project Community Event

This photo is from Dewey Elementary in Evanston, where there are going to be nine other Buddhas installed. Click here for a slide show of other Buddha heads.

This is from a press release sent out by Dewey Elementary:

You might have noticed the emerging Buddha in Dewey's Peace Garden. It was placed there as part of Ten Thousand Ripples, a project that uses art as a catalyst to foster dialogue about peace and non-violence. Dewey is one of ten sites in Evanston included in this project, and Evanston is one of only ten communities (and the only one outside of Chicago) that is participating in Ten Thousand Ripples. In addition to the sculptures, all Evanstonians are invited to participate in related community events.

On Sunday, May 19 from 1-4 pm, please join neighbors and friends for "Coming Together, Bridging Differences" - an afternoon of art, music, peace and fun at Twiggs Park (Simpson and Bridge Street; park along Simpson, Dodge or at the Ecology Center lot. Alternate rain location is Fleetwood-Jourdain Center, 1655 Foster Street). Weave an interconnected web with Sarah Lanig; join the Drumming Circle with Rhythm Revolution; and create peace sidewalk drawings with Daisy Hu.

Ten Thousand Ripples www.tenthousandripples.com
Changing Worlds www.changingworlds.org/

Ten Thousand Ripples is supported by contributions from the Friends of the Arts Fund of the Evanston Community Foundation, the Weisblat Family Foundation, Albert Pick, Jr. Fund; the Chicago Community Trust; the Field Foundation of Illinois; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; the Lumpkin Family Foundation; the Raven Foundation; the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; Target; and a host of generous individuals.

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Thank you for reading my blog Evanston Newbie, a blog dedicated to helping you too fall in love with Evanston, just like I did. If you have any questions or need to get in touch with me about this blog, Evanston, or anything else you can email me at thelisadshow@gmail.com. Also feel free to send me announcements about upcoming Evanston events and I will promote them here!

Leapfrog Online wins 2013 Illinois Technology Association CityLIGHTS’ Trailblazer Award

How exciting for the talented team at Leapfrog Online! Leapfrog (not to be confused with the children's reading toy) is an Evanston based company known for its innovative approach to developing digital marketing programs.

They recently won the Illinois Technology Association CityLIGHTS’ Trailblazer Award and below is a thank you note to everyone who supported them on the way there!

You believed in our commitment to innovation and because of that we're happy to announce Leapfrog Online won the 2013 Illinois Technology Association CityLIGHTS’ Trailblazer Award! The award serves as a reinforcement of Leapfrog Online as a true innovator in the area of digital marketing and we’re honored by this recognition.

The annual CityLIGHTS awards is the Midwest technology community's premier award event, honoring some of the outstanding technology companies, executives, and advocates in Illinois each year. The Trailblazing Award is presented to the company that has developed or introduced an ingenious, non-traditional and innovative way of doing business or creating a culture that has produced significant value and growth for the company.

Leapfrog Online was recognized for redefining how agencies work with brands to develop holistic digital marketing solutions that directly drive revenue growth. We take great pride in our role as trailblazers, and we sincerely thank you for your support.

Congratulations to the Leapfrog team!

Photo of the Day: Trash can

I don't always look closely at the trash cans in Evanston but this one caught my eye. Feel free to make this your screen saver!