Metering is ON

petrak

Search recent columns

More Columns

Springs brings plenty to worry about with kids

When I ask my kids what I do better than anyone else, their invariable and all-too-true reply is: “Worry!” Yes, worrying comes with the parenting territory, from the terrifying moment you attempt to give your newborn his or her first bath to the terrifying moment …

There’s plenty to drink to at wine, beer tastings

I don’t really know a nose from a bouquet and when I hear about tannins, I automatically think about those orange-tinged folks from “Dancing with the Stars” and “Jersey Shore.” That said, I have had fun at wine tastings, where you get to sample a …

The ‘Gravy lady’ markets her cooking creations

I’ve always been fascinated by people who decide to take their homemade food to the next level and start selling it to the public. Over the years as a feature and business writer, I’ve interviewed a guy who started his own potato chip company, brothers …

Centennial restoration helps keep quilting alive

“How much piecin’ a quilt’s like living a life . . . The Lord sends us the pieces, but we can cut ‘em out and put ‘em together pretty much to suit ourselves.” I don’t know who said or wrote that, since it was listed …

Searching for ways to overcome fear of flying

It’s kind of weird typing on a computer with clammy hands. That’s not generally a problem for me, since I don’t get too stressed out writing about fun, interesting life in and around La Grange. But this week is a little different. It won’t be …

Citizens’ Council looking ahead to 2013 elections

It’s election season, and all of those yard signs, automated phone calls and negative commercials remind us that the political system is alive, well and kicking pretty hard in this country. Sure, politics is arguably more rancorous than ever before. Even among friends, I’m wary …

Butcher has spent years cutting meat for families

When one thinks of arts and crafts, meat cutting may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But, believe me, butchering is indeed both a craft and an art. While I may look all Suburban Mom, with a requisite minivan, yoga pants and …

Looking back at town’s history shows things haven’t changed much

I got an e-reader for Christmas this year and, while I initially loved the convenience of clicking a button and downloading a bestseller, I’ve concluded that nothing beats the real deal. There’s just something about cozying up with an actual book, whether it’s the feel …

Jewelers help residents make it special when they pop the question

It was Feb. 22, 1992. Valentine’s Day was a bit delayed that year because my mom was in the hospital for a stay in her ongoing battle with cancer. She seemed to have turned that particular corner, though, and encouraged me to go on the …

Historian and baseball scout shares stories of Marx Brothers at LTHS

Even as a kid, I was a nerd about the news, regularly paging through the city’s daily newspapers and tuning into local news broadcasts. I loved Fahey Flynn’s bowties, Johnny and Jeannie Morris’ married-sportscaster banter, a boutonniere-wearing Harry Volkmann’s forecasts and Bill Kurtis’ deep, soothing …

Network offers lessons this weekend at annual Parent University class

Some mothers cook better than anyone else. Some moms run marathons faster than others. Some moms are impeccably organized and never late with a permission slip. I am not one of those moms. When I ask my kids what I do better than anyone else, …

Area man makes it his business to help keep grave sites looking nice

It might sound odd to some people, but I like the fact that my mom’s grave is in a small cemetery near the center of my hometown. It might sound even odder, but I often stop and visit the site when I’m nearby running errands …

Anti-bullying expert to speak at Gurrie

I remember it well. Wrenchingly well. Word had spread by lunchtime that there was going to be a fight after school at a local park between two girls in our sixth-grade class. It was the tough, take-no-baloney girl versus the picked-on girl. And it was …

Farm Bureau helps kids connect what they eat to agricultural work

If you look at historical pictures of La Grange, you’ll see that although the downtown district has always been a hub of commerce, the outer parts of town and surrounding communities were mostly farmland. Dairy cows once grazed here. Trees bore fruit in orchards around …

It’s a wonderful life right here in La Grange, when tragedy strikes someone

A couple of weeks ago, I went with my family and some friends to see “It’s a Wonderful Life” on the big screen. I never get tired of that movie. Nor, apparently, do the hundreds of people who packed the theater, many of them wearing …

Works by our hometown artists are available for purchase on local shelves

Have you ever walked into a chain store, looked around at what’s on the shelf or rack and thought, “Hey, I could make that!” Granted, I’ve never had those exact thoughts. Let’s just say my stick figures aren’t even that good. And when it comes …

Is there some hidden impact in the names we choose for our children?

Ask any parent-to-be and they’ll confirm that naming your child can be one of the most impactful decisions you’ll ever make. Just ask celebrity offspring Moon Unit Zappa, Prince Michael II/Blanket Jackson or Apple Paltrow-Martin. Good thing you don’t have to ask Patrick Petrak. Yes, …

< Previous
  • 1
  • 2
Next >