Wilmette Life

Summer signals a junior high science project

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:31:53 -0500

It can be a challenge to explore the worlds of science if you’re navigating a laboratory with too many fellow explorers and not quite enough space. Wilmette Junior High School eighth-grade science teacher Debbie Clark is familiar with that challenge. On Monday, students in her second-floor classroom maneuvered around each other, working in a space that was not only close, but apt to retain lab fumes despite the efforts of fans and the ability (and occasional necessity) to open classroom windows. “The movement of people in this classroom is pretty tough,” WJHS Principal Dave Palzet said, looking at the bustling …

Lambrecht Jewelers still aim to delight — 120 years later

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:57:41 -0500

Although it’s customary to give presents to the one celebrating a birthday, a Wilmette business is celebrating its 120th year in business by giving customers a present. Lambrecht Jewelers is offering 25 percent off most items during May. In addition, the jewelers will donate a percentage of its sales for the month to Misericordia, the Chicago center for children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities. William Lambrecht, great-grandfather of Beth and Matt Lambrecht who own the business along with their mother, started the business in 1892 at Milwaukee and Western avenues in Chicago. William Lambrecht emigrated from the Black …

Schindler cottage in Wilmette heading north

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:57:08 -0500

An Oak Brook contractor with a passion for Prairie School architecture has come to the rescue of the tiny Schindler-Wright cottage once targeted for demolition on Wilmette’s Isabella Avenue. Joe Catrambone said Friday he plans to dismantle the building, now at 1320 Isabella St., and take all of its original components to his Wauconda lakefront property. He hopes it will serve not only as a family cottage, but also as a destination for other architecture enthusiasts who want to spend time there. Preliminary staging for the operation should go up next week, Catrambone said; work will include turning off utilities …

Wilmette ice show goes around the world

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:58:37 -0500

More than 240 figure skating and hockey students are part of the Wilmette Park District’s 36th annual ice show, “Around the World in 80 Minutes,” set to premier 7 p.m. Friday at the Centennial Ice Rink, 2300 Old Glenview Road.

Museum’s Wilmette spring house walk to feature lakefront homes

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:56:55 -0500

Area residents have long known that it’s usually cooler by the lake during summer. In keeping with that theme, the Wilmette Historical Society is featuring three lakefront homes in its 25th annual spring house walk from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. May 20. The walk will showcase homes from the 1920s and ’30s “built by the exceptional architects Philip Maher, Abraham Epstein and Richard Powers,” according to a news release from the museum. Tickets start at $40. This year’s house walk complements the Wilmette Historical Museum’s current exhibit of the same name, “Cooler by the Lake,” by showcasing three lakefront …

Multiple bids? Housing market showing signs of life

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:58:00 -0500

Karen Boguslawski was stunned when she started getting competing bids for her home, resulting in a 12-day race toward signing a contract with a buyer.