Twenty-four years later, gas has topped $4, Tom Cruise and NASA have both lost their mojo, but the Hamlin Park playground hasn’t changed a bit. That’s why the Hamlin Park Advisory Council formally launched “Habitat for Hamlin,” a drive to raise at least $200,000 to upgrade the park’s kids play area. HPAC’s plan was a major topic of discussion at the Hamlin Park Neighbors’ Spring Social, held Monday night at Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont Ave.

One look at the playground and the need for renovation is clear: The equipment was not designed with specific age groups in mind, and much of it has been faded by decades of exposure to the elements. It all rests on a surface of wood chips that has endured years of moisture and animal waste.

The Council estimates a new playground with soft-surface flooring, a water feature and a public art installation will cost between $600,000 and $800,000 to build. The Chicago Park District will foot one-third of the bill, and Council leaders say they’re working to obtain another third from governmental sources. The Council hopes to collect the remainder from members of the community; board members have taken the lead, each committing $500 to the project.

Members of the Hamlin Park Neighbors board also have pledged $500 each, which corresponds to the “Arctic” level on the Council’s sponsorship guide levels, ranging from “City Slicker” ($100) to “Jungle” ($10,000). Donors at the $500 level and above will be recognized through a large work of public art being commissioned for the playground. Donations are tax deductible through the Council’s affiliation with Friends of the Parks. Habitat for Hamlin has already received a boost from events that include the Council’s first-ever Easter egg hunt, tie-ins with local businesses such as HomeMade Pizza, and the upcoming staging of Circus In The Parks in September.

Council members are surveying neighbors and people in the community about what they’d like to see in a new playground. The survey can be found on the Advisory Council’s website.

Burley Elementary in Roscoe Village.

Burley Elementary, 1630 W. Barry Ave., has moved one step closer to naming its new principal. Earlier this week, the school’s Principal Selection Committee voted to recommend current Assistant Principal Catherine Plocher for the top job. Now Plocher just needs the Local School Council’s stamp of approval.

LSC President Faith Spencer confirmed that the Council will meet Tuesday, May 29, at 8:30 a.m. in Room 101 to conduct a vote on the principal contract. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Burley’s outgoing principal, Barbara Kent, informed LSC members on March 27 of her impending retirement.

Hands-on fun includes the Clay Olympics: blind-folded wheel throwing, foot- and elbow-only pottery, mud arm wrestling and more. On the arts side, give tie-dye, button making or mosaics a shot. Enter a raffle to win a pottery wheel, ceramics equipment or a free class at Lillstreet Art Center, one of the event’s sponsors.

Additional entertainment features a student art exhibit, student music performances, kiln-baked cookies and mud pies, and an opportunity to sink a teacher or administrator in a mud pit.

Lake View High School. Credit: Mike Fourcher

The pieces of Lake View’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program are beginning to fall into place, with DePaul University announced today as the high school’s early college partner.

“The kids at Lake View in 11th and 12th grade will get the opportunity to take college courses for free at DePaul,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel, speaking at a press conference held at Senn High School. (Loyola University was announced as Senn’s partner in the implementation of a wall-to-wall IB program.)

As part of the arrangement, Lake View students will also be “first in line” if they choose to apply to a BA program at DePaul. DePaul President, Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, noted that students will be able to transfer early college credits to other universities. Faculty at DePaul will also provide support to Lake View staff in the form of curriculum development and teacher training.

DePaul, which has a heavy emphasis on STEM itself, turning out a number of computer science graduates, was eager to team up with Lake View.

“This presents a new opportunity for us to make a powerful difference in one school’s clear ambitions to move towards STEM training,” said Holtschneider. “There are powerful careers that are available for students who are well trained in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics…. We look forward to creating strong pathways for students.”

At today’s announcement, the mayor signaled not only the creation of ties between the schools referenced during the press conference, but unveiled a new education initiative that apparently has been in the works for some time.

The city’s four-year institutions represent a wealth of untapped resources, according to Emanuel, which he is making a concerted effort to harness for the benefit of neighborhood and community schools. “This process started on Saturdays in my office,” said the mayor, as he met with various university heads regarding their upcoming capital projects and investments.

In exchange for helping to expedite those plans, the mayor proposed a quid pro quo deal: “The request I have as mayor is once we save you money on legal and other types of fees, you then take those dollars and invest it in partnering with a school in the city of Chicago.”

Emanuel hinted that more partnerships are forthcoming, including at the elementary level. “This is part of a new effort here in the city of Chicago to make sure that our four-year institutions are not islands but fully integrated into the city.”

The entire press conference can be viewed online or below.

A memorial to shooting victim Max Vallejo has appeared at the Citgo station, 3600 N. Ashland Ave. Credit: Geoff Dankert

As Chicago police continue to search for suspects in a shooting earlier this month at an Ashland Avenue gas station, a fence bordering the property has turned into a memorial for one of the victims, who died a day after the shooting.

Around 3:40 a.m. on May 9, a man walked up to a parked tow truck at the Citgo, 3600 N. Ashland Ave., shot the two men inside, and ran away. The next day, victim Max Vallejo, 26, of Bolingbrook, died of his injuries. The condition of the other victim, believed to be a relative, is not known.

Today, handwritten tributes to Vallejo, known as “Rowdy,” fill a piece of poster board on the fence at the entrance to the gas station. Memorial candles are arranged below on the sidewalk.

Detectives at Chicago Police Area North headquarters are in possession of surveillance camera images that reportedly captured the incident. Witnesses and neighbors say Vallejo’s truck was often seen parked at the Citgo or in the Northcenter neighborhood; sources tell Roscoe View Journal that the shooting may have stemmed from an argument over a re-possessed vehicle. A spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department would only say that the case is an ongoing homicide investigation, and no arrests have been made.

West Lakeview Neighbors wants your input on Rock Around the Block. Credit: Flickr/FooBarDude.

Chicagoans love their summer street fests – as long as it’s on someone else’s street.

West Lakeview Neighbors, the beneficiary of proceeds from Rock Around the Block, wants to be, well, neighborly, in soliciting input from area residents prior to the July fest.

A pair of community forums have been scheduled with Star Events, the producer of RATB. The first meeting is scheduled for May 22, 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln-Belmont Library, 1659 W. Melrose. The second will be held June 28, 6:30 p.m., at the same location.

RATB is booked for July 7 -8, noon – 10:30 p.m., and is centered near the intersection of Lincoln and Belmont. The festival features art and crafts, a variety of food vendors and music. A Family Area will keep the little rockers occupied with games and entertainment.

Roscoe Village Neighbors garage sale this weekend. Credit: Flickr/eastlaketimes

Put on some comfy shoes, load your wallet with one-dollar bills and practice your hard core negotiating skills. Yep, it’s time for Roscoe Village Neighbors‘ Eighth Annual Community Garage Sale.

More than 30 neighborhood households are participating in the one-day bargain hunting extravaganza, May 19, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. We’ll point you in the right direction with the handy map below, but it’s up to you to unearth your own treasure.

For garage sale newbies, we found these helpful haggling phrases courtesy of Vintage Bazaar, including “I’ve only got $3 cash on me [lie]. Would you take $3?” Of course, pros know to say, “I’ve only got a quarter on me.”
Garage Sale Map 2012

Miss Latina Illinois competition, held at the Athenaeum Theatre. Credit: Sarah Tilotta

Elsa Chumacero and Paola Cossyleon were recently crowned Miss Latina Illinois and Miss Teen Latina Illinois, respectively. The competition, held at the Athenaeum Theatre (2936 N. Southport Ave.), had all the glitz and glamour expected of a beauty pageant, with evening gown, swimsuit, and interview segments.

The evening also included a traje tipico presentation, in which contestants donned traditional costumes representing various Latin American cultures and delivered short speeches in Spanish. The winners now go on to compete in Miss Latina U.S., “a celebration of Latina beauty and culture in the USA,” in Riviera Maya, Mexico, May 27 – June 2.

It's Chicago Craft Beer Week.

Somebody at Chicago Craft Beer Week headquarters must have trouble counting, because last we checked, the event runs for a whopping 11 days, May 17-27. At that, beer lovers will scarcely have enough time to hit up the more than 200 participating venues and special events.

Lakeview and Roscoe Village have been lumped in with Lincoln Square and Wrigleyville as one of CCBW’s nine neighborhood clusters. If you plan on sticking close to home, you’ve got plenty of options: Four Moon Tavern, Fizz Bar & Grill, Northdown Taproom, Riverview Tavern, Village Tap and Witts. Each location will have a specific craft beer tasting on tap for $4, among other specials.

Marquee events include Craft Day Afternoon at Fizz, 3220 N. Lincoln Ave., May 19, 1-5 p.m. Cough up $60 and receive unlimited draft samples of 45+ craft beers, plus passed appetizers and a souvenir glass. Proceeds benefit Hamilton Elementary, 1650 W. Cornelia Ave., which is raising funds to replace a blacktop parking lot with an artificial grass athletic field. So drink up and feel darned good about it.

If you want to get all official about your CCBW experience — and collect stickers and other stuff — here’s what you need to do:

• Pick up a lanyard (free of charge) — this ID tells bartenders to treat you nice. Northdown, 3244 N. Lincoln Ave., is the closest lanyard HQ.
• Get your hands on a CCBW map to keep track of your personal pub crawl.
• Find stickers, available at participating venues. The folks at CCBW think you’ll want to paste these onto your map and frame the thing as a keepsake.

Check out the complete list of events, neighborhood clusters and local happenings.

Hamlin Park. Credit: Courtesy of Chicago Park District

For the first time, Chicago’s Hamlin Park, 3035 N. Hoyne Ave., will host the popular Circus In The Parks. Members of the Hamlin Park Advisory Council were notified that the Hamlin Park performances of Chicago’s well-known “Midnight Circus” will open the program’s 2012 season the weekend of September 8.

The park cleared the final hurdle when program leaders confirmed that the Circus’ 70-foot big top will fit in the green space to the east of the park’s fieldhouse. The circus performances are expected to raise approximately $15,000 for the park’s ongoing playground renovation project. The addition of Hamlin to the Circus In The Parks calendar marks a victory for the still-new Hamlin Park Advisory Council, which has been campaigning for the circus for months.

“I’m just excited to have the civic community there in addition to the fundraising element,” said HPAC chair Jody Boutell. She added that HPAC members will begin meeting soon with other park advisory councils to collaborate on a marketing plan. “We’re going to get our hands dirty very soon,” she said.

The Circus, which features acrobats, aerialists and “progressive clowns,” will perform Saturday, September 8 and Sunday, September 9. Tickets are expected to cost $15 per person and will be sold through the Circus website. A small number of tickets are expected to be available for sale at the Hamlin Park fieldhouse, to accommodate people with limited access to the Internet. The complete Circus In The Parks calendar is expected to be announced soon.