Shorewood Memorial Day Events

Happy Memorial Day

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The village is hosting a Memorial Day parade tonight beginning at 5:30 PM that is followed by a free concert and an ice cream social. Children can also participate in a bike decorating contest for kids ages 5-8 and 9-14. The bicycle entries should line up at 5:30 pm at the Towne Center subdivision at Moran and Peyton for judging. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs.

Plainfield Memorial Day Parade

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The Plainfield American Legion will host their annual Memorial Day parade on Monday beginning at 10:30 am at Ira Jones Middle School located at 15320 S Wallin Drive. The parade will move east to Ottawa Street before travelling onto the path of Settlers' Park near Van Dyke Road and Ottawa Street. The parade will continue until reaching the Memorial located in the park and conclude with a flag raising ceremony. Wallin Drive at Ottawa Street, Ottawa Street from Wallin Drive to Van Dyke Road and Van Dyke Road at Ottawa Street will be closed during the parade, from about 10:15 am until 10:45 am and parking will be restricted at these areas from 10 am till 11 am. Some parking is available at Village Hall and up and down Village Center Drive. More parking will be available on Van Dyke Road south of Ottawa Street and at Ira Jones Middle School.

Memorial Day BBQ Ideas

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• Decorate your outdoor space with American flags, red, white, and blue balloons, table cloths, flowers, plastic dinner ware, etc. Don't forget that if you are flying the American flag on this special day, it flies at half-staff until noon.
• Enjoy a parade before your party
• Grill the standard hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats. If marinating the meat, put together the marinades now and let the meat sit in them until the big day. Try going the unconventional route and grill up some mini pizzas; roll out pizza dough and form it into mini pizza circles. Place the dough on the grill and when the bottom is a nice golden brown, flip it over. Add your favorite pizza sauce, toppings, and cheese and then close the grill cover for a few minutes to give the toppings and cheese a chance to melt.
• For dessert, bake a rectangular sheet cake, frost with whipped cream, then decorate the top with strawberries and blueberries to look like the American flag. If short on time, buy store bought cupcakes decorated with red, white, and blue frosting.
• Enjoy this special day!

Plainfield Named Top City For Home Ownership In Illinois

www.nerdwallet.com

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Plainfield was recently ranked #2 out of 121 towns in Illinois as a top spot for home ownership. As Will County's oldest community, Plainfield offers a great mix of historic buildings, new construction and awesome shops and restaurants in the central business district. Plainfield has a rural feel but offers all of the conveniences of a suburban community. Plainfield also participates in a Green Village program which works to ensure that new developments as well as day to day activities are run with an awareness for the environment. Come and check out Plainfield for yourself and discover what makes this such a great community to live in and be a part of!

New Bar And Eatery Set To Open In Downtown Plainfield

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Sovereign, a craft beer focused farm to fork eatery, is set to open in downtown Plainfield sometime around mid-July. The location, 24205 W. Lockport St., will have an outdoor patio for guests to enjoy as well. Check back for more information as the grand opening gets closer!

Nabby's Of Plainfield

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Nabby's has been open since 1990 and has been offering Plainfield and surrounding communities great food and catering service. The menu is expansive, offering entrees ranging from calzones to Vienna hot dogs. Nabby's also offers catering for events both small and large.

Nabby's
14802 N Michigan Street
Plainfield, IL 60544
(815) 436-7502

Grilled Chicken

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Now that the weather is finally getting nicer, it's time to fire up the grill again! Here's a delicious recipe for grilled chicken:

Marinated Chicken Breasts
Food Network

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar (apple cider, red wine, or balsamic)
• 2-3 teaspoons of dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, or oregano
• 1-2 tablespoons mustard (whole grain or dijon)
• 1-2 teaspoons garlic or onion powder, optional
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each

Directions

• Put the vinegar, herbs, mustard, powders if using, and oil in a large resealable plastic bag. Close the bag and shake to combine all of the ingredients. Open the bag and put the chicken breasts in; close the bag and shake it to evenly coat the chicken. At this point, the bag of marinated chicken can be frozen for up to two weeks if you are not going to grill right away.
• Grill the chicken for about 4 minutes per side or until it's completely cooked through.  You can also bake the chicken in a 375 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked.

Spotlight On The Streams Rec Center

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The Streams Recreation Center, which opened in the fall of 2005, is the Plainfield Park District's newest facility. The rec center is located in the Streams subdivision just south of Route 59 and Fraser Road. The facility is 3,000 square feet and holds a dance room, two mulit-purpose rooms, a fitness class room and an outdoor playground area.

Streams Recreation Center
24319 Cedar Creek Lane
(815) 439-4557

Grande Park Garage Sale

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The Grande Park Annual Community Garage Sale is taking place tomorrow, Thursday May 15th starting at 7:30 am. Many homes are participating and everything from clothes, toys, decor, and furniture is for sale.

Grande Park
26401 Grande Park Blvd
Plainfield, IL 60585

Plainfield YMCA Expands Kidz Zone Program

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Starting this fall, the C.W. Avery Family YMCA's Kidz Zone program is expanding to before and after school care for Kindergarten students from 5 District 202 schools. On school days, the Y's new K-Kidz program will meet at the Plainfield United Methodist Church in downtown Plainfield. The YMCA is working with the participating schools to arrange transportation to and from school for the students participating in the K-Kidz program. The participating schools are: Central, Eagle Pointe, Freedom, Lincoln, and Walker's Grove Elementary Schools. To learn more about this program or to register your child, call (815) 267-8600 ext 211 or email ewilliams@jolietymca.org.

Spotlight On: Ottawa Street Pool

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The Ottawa Street Pool, located near downtown Plainfield, is a 200,000 gallon L-shaped outdoor pool featuring high and low diving boards and lap lanes. The pool also has deck chairs for relaxing and sun bathing as well as a 3,000 gallon enclosed tot pool, a ship-shaped play area, an eating area so guests can bring their own coolers (no glass or alcohol), and men's and women's locker rooms. The park district offers both group and private swimming lessons and other classes as well as special events are held at the pool. The pool can also be rented out for parties and other private events.

Ottawa Street Pool
2014 Season: May 24th-August 17th
Afternoon swim: Monday-Friday 1-4:30 pm
Evening swim: Monday-Friday 7-8:30 pm
Weekend swim: Saturday and Sunday 1-8 pm
For more information as well as details on admission fees and season passes, call (815) 436-3314

Shorewood Day Camps 2014

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Science Camp
July 28th-30th
Towne Center Park
1-4 pm
Kindergarten-5th grade
Pricing: $40 for residents and $60 for non-residents *Multi-child discounts are available for Shorewood residents*
Registration deadline is July 3rd and space is limited

Camp Curtain Call
July 14th-17th
Towne Center Park
1-4 pm
Kindergarten-5th grade
Pricing: $40 for residents and $60 for non-residents
Registration deadline is July 3rd and there is a public performance on July 17th at 6:30 pm as part of the annual Summer in Shorewood Series.

Fine Art Camp
July 14th-16th
Four Seasons Park
1-4 pm
Sculpting, painting, and mixed media projects
Kindergarten-5th grade
Pricing: $40 for residents and $60 for non-residents
Optional field trip to the Art Institute on Friday, July 18th

Tech Camp
July 21st-24th
Shorewood Village Hall
1-3:30 pm
Robotics, game making, and a Lego digital movie making experience
Kids ages 8-12 only
Pricing: $100 for residents and $150 for non-residents

Special Kids Kamp
July 21st-25th
Towne Center Park
1-4 pm
General day camp experience with consideration of special needs. The camp director is a certified Elementary Special Education teacher and all counselors and assistant counselors will have special needs training.
Kindergarten-5th grade
Pricing: $75 for residents and $110 for non-residents

Spotlight On The Normantown Equestrian Center In Plainfield

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The Normantown Equestrian Center is a 6 acre horse facility that opened its doors in 2005. The facility offers a large indoor riding area with a heated observation section, small indoor riding area, 2 large outdoor arenas, five paddocks, a stable, and a clubroom/classroom. Normantown offers horseback riding programs, private lessons, boarding, pony rides, and parties.

Normantown Equestrian Center
12151 S Normantown Road
Plainfield, IL 60585
(815) 254-1950

BronkBerry Farms In Plainfield

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The Bronk farm in Plainfield has been in their family for 5 generations but has recently opened it's doors to the public. BronkBerry Farm just held a ribbon cutting with the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce and offers annual flowers, hanging baskets, vegetable plants, local honey and metal art. During the fall season, a pumpkin patch, mums, and hay rides are offered. Apple and blueberry picking events are in the works and the farm holds private parties as well as field trips.

BronkBerry Farms
18061 S Bronk Road, Plainfield
(815) 436-6967
Hours
Tuesday-Sunday 9am-6pm

Mother's Day Out

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En Vogue Consignment Boutique is hosting their 1st annual Mother's Day Out on Saturday May 10th starting at 10 am. The event includes sales going on all day along with a free gift with every purchase while supplies last. Prizes will be raffled off and appetizers, coffee, juice, muffins, and tea will be served.

En Vogue Consignment Boutique
13717 S Route 30
Suite 113A
Plainfield, IL 60544

Cinco De Mayo

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Happy Cinco De Mayo! If you are looking for a spot to go out tonight try Delicia Mexican Grill in Plainfield. Today from 5-9 PM they are not only celebrating Cinco De Mayo, but today is their Grand Opening! Enjoy a Mariachi band, great food, and delicious margaritas.
Delicia Mexican Grill
12337 Route 59 Suite 127
Plainfield, IL 60585
(815) 254-9110

In case you are staying in tonight but still want to celebrate, below is a delicious recipe for homemade guacamole!

Guacamole (Recipe from Bobby Flay)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
Few tablespoons of canola oil, optional
3 ripe Hass avacados, peeled, pitted and diced
Juice of 2 limes
1 or 2 jalapenos, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Mash the cilantro, onions, canola oil (if using), avacados, lime juice, and jalapenos together in a bowl using a fork; guacamole should be chunky. Season with salt and pepper.

Top Websites and Apps For Homeowners

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• Pinterest: This digital idea board is great for collecting images for ideas on all things home related from home design to decorating to recipes and more.
• Dering Hall: This website is great for finding an interior designer. You are able to browse through hundreds of portfolios to choose the right design firm or if you are looking to do the design work yourself you can look at photo galleries organized by style and room type.
• Porch.com: This site lets you seek out local architects and other trade professionals and see their work. You can also see whether any of your neighbors or Facebook friends have used them.
• Homezada: This app allows you to manage everything from insurance to home maintenance and can also assist in your home renovation project by setting time lines, managing spending, etc. You can find this app for free on itunes and Google Play.
• Magicplan: Take pictures of spaces in your home and use them to create floor plans. Rooms can be put together with a multispace diagram as well. This app is also free on itunes and Google Play.
• Ikea Catalog: Find a couch you love in the Ikea catalog and wonder how it will look in your living room? This app allows you to scan the image with your tablet or smartphone, take a picture of the space in your home you want to place the furniture in and you will see an image of the furniture in your home. The app is free on itunes and Google Play.

March Sales Increase As Do Home Prices

Re/Max National Housing Report

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The housing report for March has come out and it bears some very encouraging news. March home sales increased by 24.6% over February sales. Every single one of the 52 Metro areas surveyed for the March Re/Max national housing report experienced an increase in sales from February's stats. Additionally, the median home price last month was 8.8% higher than those from March of last year. An increase in home prices can be attributed in part to falling inventory which has caused home prices to go up. March is the 12th month in a row to experience fewer inventory losses than the month before. Re/Max CEO Margaret Kelly sums up the market by stating, "Clearly, unexpected winter storms resulted in a slow start for housing this year, but the strong rebound in March sales could build momentum for spring and summer. Many potential homebuyers who weren't able to get out and tour homes in January and February may still enter the market and impact sales in the next few months."