Friday Faves: Beacon Place, Lake Bluff Estates Tour & One More Fun Summer Dress

Happy Friday! It has been one of those weeks. I’m thinking the weekend is going to feel really good.

Here are a few favorites I discovered this week.

Beacon Place Virtual 5k: On September 12-13, young people all over Chicago and beyond will join together to walk with their neighbors in a virtual 5k to raise money for the Beacon Place community. 100% of the funds raised from this event will support their educational programs for children in kindergarten through 12th grade. Beacon Place is a community center in southeast Waukegan with programs for kids and adultsIt was established in 2012 by a group of dedicated and inspired individuals who recognized a significant need and decided to do something about it. They acquired an abandoned home and turned it into a community center focused on delivering programs around food and nutrition, overall health, academic support, and life skills development.

To register for the Beacon Place 5k where you can organize your own team and walk socially distant with other virtual Beacon Place teams any time the weekend of September 12-13, click here.

Lake Bluff Walking Tours: A casino in Lake Bluff? Can you imagine? One family did, and in the mid-1920s looked into developing their prominent lakefront estate into a 150-home subdivision and hotel, possibly including a casino. Fortunately the plan never went further than the idea stage, and the property, Crab Tree Farm, today is one of the crown jewels of the Chicago area. Speaking of crown jewels, did you know that a Russian princess held court in a mansion near Sheridan Road for much of the 20th Century, after marrying into the Armour family? And that a Lake Bluff manor owner was one of the first interior designers to incorporate Lucite into furniture, sparking the mid-century modern affinity for acrylic resin, back in the middle of the last century?

These are just a few of the fascinating anecdotes shared in the three newest tours on the Lake Bluff Walking Tours app created by the Lake Bluff History Museum: Moffett Road Estates, Green Bay Road Estates, and Sheridan Road Estates. The first two – the Moffett Road and Green Bay Road tours – provide a wonderful outdoor activity, while the Sheridan Road tour is best taken as an “armchair tour” to be enjoyed from the comfort of home, since most of the tour discusses private property not visible from a public street. 

The Lake Bluff Walking Tours app is a gift to the community from the Lake Bluff History Museum and Lake Bluff 125 Committee with support from Abbott in honor of the village’s 125th anniversary. This app was initially unveiled in May. You can download the Lake Bluff Walking Tours app from the Apple App Store (available now) and Google Play.

The Perfect Dress: And last but not least is my favorite Royal Shirt Dress from Tuckernuck in this dusty blue color way. This wrinkle-free gem is perfect for getting you from summer to fall without missing a beat. Click here to snag one of these for your closet. (My fun earrings are from St. Armands Designs…I love their stuff!)

Have a super weekend!

xo,

My name is Ann Marie Scheidler and I'm thrilled you've decided to check out my blog. I'm a pearl-loving yogi with a thing for travel, a weakness for beautiful bags, and a passion for storytelling. In this space, I'll be sharing stories about my family, go-to recipes, my wellness journey, fashion and beauty favorites, and my love for Chicago’s North Shore. I find new inspiration wherever I go. Thanks so much for coming along for the ride!

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