Evanston and its Sexy Frozen Beaches

How can a frozen beach be described as sexy? Go see for yourself! Take a walk to any of the Evanston lakefront public spaces and you'll see some sexy, frozen, tundra instead of warm, sandy beach.

This time of year, the waves crest and break on the beach and then freeze onto one another, creating a massive ice structure at the waterfront.

And soon, in fact too soon for some of you winter lovers, spring and summer will be here and so will the muggy weather and bugs. Enjoy the sexy frozen beach while you can!

Press Release: Evanston Mayor's Award for the Arts Winners Announced

Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl has announced the recipients of the 2012 Mayor’s Award for the Arts. The Mayor’s Award for the Arts is presented annually to an Evanston arts organization and an individual for contributions to the community through excellence in the arts. Recipients are selected from nominations submitted by the public.

The arts organization award will be presented to RHINO Poetry and the individual award will be presented to Penny Rotheiser. The awards will be presented at the Evanston Chamber of Commerce/State of the City luncheon on Friday, March 8, 2013.

RHINO Poetry is an Evanston-based internationally known, award-winning poetry journal and literary website which keeps poetry alive and well in Evanston. Founded more than 37 years ago, RHINO acts as a poetry hub, serving and nurturing emerging and established writers and their readers. NewPages recently called RHINO, “one of the best annual collections of poetry you can find.” An all-volunteer organization, RHINO hosts free monthly workshops at the Evanston Public Library, a poetry reading series at the Brothers K Coffee House in south Evanston and a host of other events.

Penny Rotheiser will be recognized for her tireless commitment to and work for the Evanston arts community. Rotheiser has been an Evanston resident and arts advocate since 1998. She spent her professional life in broadcasting and journalism, working for ABC-TV in Chicago and handling publicity for Mr. Kelly's and London House nightclubs. Later, she would serve as Director of Publicity for Phil Donahue's internationally syndicated show. Rotheiser was president of the Associates Board of Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park and served two terms on the Evanston Arts Council. Her most significant contribution at the Arts Council was restructuring the Arts and Business Committee, where she helped create Backstage Evanston, Art Under Glass, the evanstonartsbuzz.com website, the Arts Leadership Award and the Cultural Arts in Evanston brochure.

The Mayor’s State of the City Address and Awards for the Arts Luncheon is sponsored by the Evanston Chamber of Commerce and NorthShore University HealthSystem. This year’s event takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8 at the Hilton Orrington, 1710 Orrington Avenue, Evanston. For ticket information, please call 847/328-1500, x22.

Food Fundraiser: Turn Pizza Dough into Dewey Dough!

Today feed your family, yourself or your friends, lunch or dinner from Homemade Pizza and help raise money for Dewey Elementary School!

Turn Pizza Dough into Dewey Dough!

HomeMade Pizza Co. wants to give us a big check. How big is up to you. For one day only - Tuesday, February 26, from 1-8 pm - we will receive a donation for every purchase made at the HomeMade Pizza Co. store at Dempster and Chicago (1301 Chicago Ave.). They will donate $4 for every large pizza sold; $3 for every gluten-free pizza sold (10" only); $2 for every large salad sold; $1 for every breadsticks or dessert order sold; 10% of every gift card purchase; 20% of every full service catering event (booked within 30 days of our fundraiser).

It’s that easy. Just visit homemadepizza.com and place your order online; online orders can be placed in advance. The day of the event pick-up your order between 1:00-8:00 pm to support our cause. Be sure to tell your friends, too. And be sure to say hi to the guy behind the counter - he went to Dewey! (If you have never had a HomeMade Pizza, it is made of all-natural ingredients and you bake it at home. They also offer a variety of fresh salads, bake-at-home cookies, and ice cream.)

Food News: Zagat's names Edzo's Best Burger in Chicago

From Zagat's

Chicago (Evanston)

Edzo's Burger Shop, $12.

Top-of-the-line burgers with tons of options for customization, plus a fantastic selection of imaginative to-die-for fries and transcendent thick malts in terrific flavors, at this counter-service joint.

Go get your burger today and be sure to say congrats to Eddie!
10:30am-4pm Tu-Sun
*closed Mondays*
1571 Sherman Ave., Evanston
(847) 864-3396

www.edzos.com

Info on the burger photo above from the Edzo's website:

The Burgers

We use only American beef– USDA choice chuck. Never frozen. We cut and grind the beef for our burgers every morning, right here in the restaurant. We handle it gently and don’t over-work it. Nothing’s added to it until we shake some salt and pepper onto the meat as it cooks. That’s it.

We’re also pleased to offer locally-raised and/or grassfed beef as an upgrade option. All of the local farms we purchase from adhere to humane, sustainable, and natural practices, so do not contain any growth hormones or antibiotics. Availability varies, but some of the farms we’ve gotten great local beef from are Slagel Family Farm (Fairbury IL), Q7 Ranch (Marengo, IL), CDK Angus (Lena, IL), LaPryor Farms (Ottawa, IL), and Dietzler Farms (Elkhorn, WI). Support local farmers!

Art News: Vintage photographs by Edward Steichen gifted to Block Museum

Photo: Carl Sandburg, 1923. By Edward Steichen. Gift of the Hollander family in honor of Morton and Mimi Schapiro.

“This donation is transformative for the Block, which has steadily been building its photography collection,“ said Lisa Corrin, the Block Museum’s Ellen Philips Katz Director. “Of his many achievements, Steichen was a pioneering figure who created a vocabulary of visual conventions that came to define ‘celebrity,’ ‘style,’ ‘leader’ and ‘genius.’ This gift will provide an excellent tool for critical discussions with students from a variety of fields about how such conventions continue to operate today.” An exhibition of the photographs is planned at the Block this fall (Sept. 20 to Dec. 1, 2013).

Click here for the full article.

Rick Bayless wants you to eat lunch at Frontera Fresco in Evanston, today!

Are you sitting around wondering what to have for lunch today? Think no more and walk on over to Rick Bayless' Frontera Fresco in the Norris Center on the Northwestern Campus. Eat delicious and healthy Mexican food while looking out at Lake Michigan! No reservation necessary and no food snobs, just coeds!

For those of you who missed this memo, Frontera Fresco opened this winter and Northwestern students and staff are loving it, but they are not loving the long lines - at least that's what the blogs say, but who reads blogs anyway...Get in line early, lunch hours are noon to 10 p.m. but not all items are available after 7 p.m. Click here for a full schedule to include breakfast and dinner.

Expect to spend about $10 on lunch and to eat very well. We bought tamales, chips-n-salsa, guacamole and aqua fresca and were all very satisfied (3 of us)! Most of the items on the menu are gluten free, see a partial list here;

Fresco Tacos (made with 100 percent corn tortillas, Chihuahua cheese and a variety of gluten-free filling ingredients such as shrimp, chicken, roasted vegetables and steak)

Fresco Handmade Tamales (made from fresh corn)

Fresco Tortilla soup (served with corn tortilla strips) Roasted Corn & Poblano Chowder

Fresco Huaraches (Mexican flatbreads made from corn and topped with ingredients and a green salad)

Guacamole, Salsa and Tortilla Chips

Agua Fresca (fresh lime-juice based soft drinks)

Click here to read the full menu.

Click here to see a super cute video of Mr. Bayless at the grand opening!

P.S. I was not paid in tamales by Mr. Rick Bayless to write this blog post!

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Thank you for reading my blog Evanston Newbie, a blog devoted to covering my family's move from El Paso, TX, to Evanston, IL, in 2011. We arrived in June 2011 and several people have pointed out that I am no longer a "newbie" and should start some other blog. But I disagree and want to keep the "newbie" status for a while longer, maybe five years and for several reasons. #1 - there are many Evanston families who have lived here for generations since the town incorporated in the late 1800s, so in comparison to them, I am very much a "newbie". #2 - I firmly believe this blog is a good branding tool for the city of Evanston and it's the least I can do to thank our new town for being so AWESOME! If you have any questions or need to get in touch with my about this blog, Evanston, or anything else you can email me at thelisadshow@gmail.com.

Feb. 15: Dine and Donate Day at Edzo’s Burger Shop

Just when you needed a good excuse to have lunch at Edzo's;

Edzo’s Burger Shop (Evanston location) is giving back to the community by supporting CIF programming for individuals with disabilities to live full, independent lives according to their hopes and dreams.

Evanston’s hottest burger spot, located at 1571 Sherman Avenue, invites CIF families, friends, and supporters for lunch or dinner on Friday, February 15th from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. At the end of the evening, 5% of the total revenues for the day will be donated to CIF in support of its vision and mission to create new solutions for individuals with disabilities and their families.

No special coupons are required – just you and your appetite for the best burger on the North Shore! So spread the word...invite your family and friends and begin dreaming of a delicious, juicy burger or some truffle salt and parmesan French fries at Edzo’s Burger Shop in Evanston! (Download a flyer and share it at work or school!) CIF’s Advisory Council is a group of program participants who work together with staff to host fund raising events and promote community awareness about CIF and programs for people with disabilities. This is their first fund raising event for 2013 and they are very excited about it. “We want to help CIF so they can continue to help us,” states Patricia. Join us at Edzo's, 1571 Sherman Avenue, on Friday, Feburary 15th between 10:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and support CIF by enjoying a great meal!

Click here for more info and to download a flyer to promote the event.

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Thank you for reading my blog Evanston Newbie, a blog devoted to covering my family's move from El Paso, TX, to Evanston, IL, in 2011. We arrived in June 2011 and several people have pointed out that I am no longer a "newbie" and should start some other blog. But I disagree and want to keep the "newbie" status for a while longer, maybe five years and for several reasons. #1 - there are many Evanston families who have lived here for generations since the town incorporated in the late 1800s, so in comparison to them, I am very much a "newbie". #2 - I firmly believe this blog is a good branding tool for the city of Evanston and it's the least I can do to thank our new town for being so AWESOME! If you have any questions or need to get in touch with my about this blog, Evanston, or anything else you can email me at thelisadshow@gmail.com.

Evanston Summer Camp Lottery is Feb. 5 - 22

'Tis the season to sign your children up for summer camp for summer 2013 in Evanston. This year the Recreation Department of Evanston is mixing things up just to freak out all you parents who need to book your children's time for at least one week during the 9 weeks (or so) of summer.

Here's what you need to know: you must apply online for camp to be entered into a lottery. Below is a much longer explanation, but all you panicked parents, calm down, you've got until Feb. 22 to register online!

How to Enter the Summer Camp Lottery

If you do not already have an account with the Evanston Parks & Recreation online registration system, click here to sign up for an account.

Anytime between February 5 and February 22, log in to the recreation registration system.

Click the "Search" button, or the 'Browse Activities" link

Search for a camp, either by using the number from the Camp Guide, or by selecting an age and under "type", select Summer Camp Programs

When you find the camp you want, there should be a "Lottery" button next to it. This denotes programs that are eligible for lottery registration. Click the cart icon next to the lottery button to proceed.

Select the family member you want to enter in the lottery for this camp and then click "add to cart". Click "agree" to agree to the disclaimer.

Click "continue shopping" to enter for additional camps, or click "proceed to checkout" if you do not want to add additional camps.

Repeate steps 3-7 to add additional camps

To checkout, click checkout and you will recieve a confirmation .pdf. Click "submit" to have the confirmation emailed to you.

Lottery results will be e-mailed on Monday, February 25. Please check your spam folder for e-mails and add recreation@cityofevanston.org to your contact list to ensure you receive messages from Recreation in your inbox.

http://www.cityofevanston.org/parks-recreation/recreation/summer-camps/

Calling all Artists, Educators and Arts Providers

Check out this resource dedicated to connecting artists, educators and arts providers in Illinois. I’m sharing this with you as part of my efforts to help boost arts in Evanston. Join the fun and register today at www.artseducationexchange.org - more information below in the words of the Arts Alliance.

In the fall of 2011, Arts Alliance Illinois launched the Arts & Education Exchange in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council and the Illinois State Board of Education. The Exchange is a free, easy-to-use website that connects you with educators to give students an opportunity for expression and self-discovery through creative and artistic outlets.

Here are a few key facts about the Exchange:

•It takes less than 5 minutes to register for an account on the Exchange. Then, you can make contact with educators on the Exchange, helping you build relationships at schools.
•You can share details, pictures, video, and audio about your programs on the Exchange. Educators can then tap into the Exchange and search for arts programming that helps them encourage their students’ success.
•Educators can also post specific arts requests for their classrooms on the Exchange, which you can search and respond to in order to craft tailored programs.

Join the Arts & Education Exchange today! Or visit www.artseducationexchange.org.

You may already have strong relationships with educators, but your participation on the Exchange will help to elevate the presence and importance of arts education across the state.

More than 600 people have already registered on the Exchange.

About Arts Alliance Illinois from www.facebook.com/ArtsAllianceIllinois

We're the state's leading voice for the arts and arts education.

When times are tough, the arts and arts education are one of the first things to be cut. We help people across the state who love everything from painting, sculpture, and film to music, dance, and theatre speak out to elected officials and other leaders. That way, your favorite cultural organization -- whether it's an internationally known museum or a community choir -- has the support it needs to keep its lights on and doors open. We're like AARP or Green Peace, but for the arts and arts education.

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Thank you for reading my blog Evanston Newbie, a blog devoted to covering my family's move from El Paso, TX, to Evanston, IL, in 2011. We arrived in June 2011 and several people have pointed out that I am no longer a "newbie" and should start some other blog. But I disagree and want to keep the "newbie" status for a while longer, maybe five years and for several reasons. #1 - there are many Evanston families who have lived here for generations since the town incorporated in the late 1800s, so in comparison to them, I am very much a "newbie". #2 - I firmly believe this blog is a good branding tool for the city of Evanston and it's the least I can do to thank our new town for being so AWESOME! If you have any questions or need to get in touch with my about this blog, Evanston, or anything else you can email me at thelisadshow@gmail.com. Have an awesome 2013.