The snow has FINALLY hit in Bolingbrook. Check out some of these local, well known—or not so well known—spots around town to take advantage of winter sports. For sledding: Delaware Circle, located on the north side of Delaware Drive, has a great sledding hill at the end of the subdivision. This was one of my favorite spots growing up because of the steep angle of the hill. The large hill behind village hall is also a great spot. I would recommend using the east side of the hill though because sliding down the west may leave you headed straight for a pond. But if you have ice skates on, it may…

Super Bowl Sunday is now one week away. Millions will be watching the game on TV. But what really makes a Super Bowl party special is the food. Super Bowl Sunday is often characterized by pizza, nachos, bratwurst, chili and chips and dip. It's time to start prepping the menu. But for those trying to keep with their new years resolutions of eating healthier, the traditional snacks may not be the best for the waistline.  The recipes below offer a healthier twist on game day finger foods we are used to snacking on from pre-game to post-game. These healthy alternatives offer great flavor without …

Vacant land on the East side of town is set for new development as the next phases of The Promenade Bolingbrook expansion takes shape. Land sale signs can be seen on every corner of the intersection of Janes Avenue and Falconridge Way, as the old farm land is scheduled to get a face lift.  But as for sale signs replaced the farming equipment, Mother Nature began to reclaim them for herself. Native-Illinois prairie plants have begun to sprout among old cornstalks and the songs of black-capped chickadees can be heard in the scatterings of trees. The wetlands that have been formed to catch …

Each December, the holiday season helps usher in a new year. And a new year means a new calendar.  Instead of picking up a wall calendar of cute kittens or sunlit beaches (although those are nice, considering the freezing temperatures these days), why not make a calendar of your own this year? In this technological age, it's easier than ever to capture all of those memorable moments onto our digital cameras as each special event or relaxing vacation comes along throughout the year. But what happens next? Those pictures are either shown to family and friends on the tiny LCD screen on the back …

Music and pep rally cheers filled the shelves of the usually silent Barnes & Noble Booksellers at the Bolingbrook Promenade Friday night during the Brooks Middle School book fair. The Brooks Middle School  guitar club, choir and cheerleaders all performed throughout the evening as parents and students checked out new releases and old classics. Robin Bergbreiter, of Barnes & Noble, said the program allows for a percent of the profit from sales from the evening to go back to the school. Proceeds in the Barnes & Noble Cafe throughout the evening are also included in the profit. Bergbreiter said …

Growing up in Bolingbrook, I remember December nights when my parents would bundle me and my siblings up tight and pack us into the car. We would drive up and down the subdivision streets rating the best holiday decorations. We even had categories from the amount of lights to the level of creativity.  This may have been a ploy by my parents to get us to fall asleep without hearing yet another conversation on how Santa circumnavigated the globe, or it may have been a way to save money by avoiding a trip to the movies. Either way, this time in the car with my family is one of my strongest …

The wood smoke you may be smelling lately might not just be your neighbors fire place. Fall is the season of controlled burns in area forest preserves and natural areas. Crews of certified fire fighters can be seen decked out in yellow suits, carrying flame torches and sporting water filled backpacks. They use the power of the wind and the right humidity conditions to light fire to an area of woodland or prairie. Within the past 10 to 15 years, this land management technique has become increasing popular in the Midwest as foresters and people who study the environment learn more about the …

As the holidays approach and the weather turns colder, many find themselves thinking to those less fortunate and wondering how they can help. Global and national charitable organizations are always a worthwhile place to give, but there are also local causes right here in Bolingbrook that could use your help. Here are some local events and causes, as well as local branches of national organizations, where you could give your time or donations this holiday season: Power Connection is a Bolingbrook non-profit that offers job and educational training as well as a food pantry. The weekly food …

Right here in Bolingbrook, one can find a "haunted" woods, but only for this weekend.  For the Halloween weekend, volunteers at Camp Fire USA will guide visitors through a family-friendly Halloween themed walk through the woods. The walk includes a few different stops where participants are more likely to giggle then cower in fear.  "This is a family event, not creepy or scary or gory," said Stephanie Schiszik, the Illinois Prairie Council CEO of Camp Fire USA. "We don't want people to see the woods as a scary place." The event begins with an opportunity to walk through a cleverly designed …

The changing leaves are one of the first signs of the fall season.  This is because in the fall, leafy trees no longer need their leaves to create energy for the winter so they release them from the branches—the trees basically hibernate through the winter, living off energy that the leaves created during the summer.  This is something normally taught throughout grade school and a thought that is second nature each autumn. But why the color change? A quick flip through a college textbook reveals the answer.  Leaves are always a beautiful array of yellows and reds and browns and purples, we …

The economic state has many penny wise people shying away from yearly vacations. Instead, they're hoarding their savings beneath mattresses and locking up their checkbooks. Luckily, in Bolingbrook, there is a great opportunity for a "staycation" just 30 miles to the east along I-55—Chicago is the perfect place to easily get away for a day, without necessarily spending a bundle.  The term staycation has been adopted to illustrate a day or weekend trip at home, or close to home, to save money and still offer the opportunity to "get away" from the "to-do" list at home. For Bolingbrook, Chicago …

Tensions were high in the Bernard J. Ward Elementary School lunchroom during the last few rounds of Thursday's Bingo night—five prizes, $10 in movie bucks and 25 school store rewards bucks were at stake. Nearly 100 elementary school students and their families came out to try their luck at the first Bingo Night of the school year. The smell of popcorn greeted participants as Bolingbrook High School National Honors Society volunteers sold warm bags of the salty treat along with ice cream, drinks and candy. Bingo numbers were selected and called out by the school's principal, Mr. Warpinski and …

In the four years I spent at Bolingbrook High School I think I saw every football game of all four seasons. But not always by choice. I was in the marching band and remember sitting in half empty stands, sitting on my half frozen fingers, waiting for the game to be over even though the years I attended we had a very decent team. Part of the fun of attending a live football game is the energy you gain from other fans and in my years as a student, I don't remember much of that energy. Returning to Bolingbrook High five years after graduating, I was surprised and impressed to see the "standing …

In 1832, a small plot of land was set aside to be used as a community cemetery surrounded by quiet farm fields. Now, more than 175 years later, that small rural cemetery is surrounded by a bustling subdivision. The Boardman Cemetery in Bolingbrook, located on Paxson Drive north of Royce Road, is the resting place for nearly 90 of some of the first Bolingbrook-area settlers, including those bearing the last names of Paxson and Royce. The cemetery was actually on the property of Harry Boardman, who farmed fields just north of the east branch of the DuPage River. As the Bolingbrook area grew, …

A female white-tailed deer stands under a woodland canopy, startled by the sound of approaching human footsteps—a scene that brings to mind locations such as northern Wisconsin, Michigan or even Minnesota. Not quite. This is actually right here in Bolingbrook. The doe and her two fawns make their home along the DuPage River near the DuPage River Greenway that runs west of Route 53 and north of Boughton Road. The DuPage River Greenway is an expanse of land managed by the Forest Preserve District of Will County, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, and the Bolingbrook and Naperville …