Larry Sala, called "Mr. October" by friends and family, can't wait to scare the crowds outside of his favorite haunted house this week when he pulls up in a giant funeral hearse to help kickoff the second coming of one of the area's most ghoulish Halloween activities.
"I'll be in the parking lot and in the waiting room scaring people," he said. "I live for Halloween."
After seven long years without a haunted house program teaching children and teens valuable leadership and teamwork skills, helping them build relationships with adults and lifelong friendships with their peers from other schools and towns, CEP Youth Leadership's once-popular Haunted Manor is back.
The unique haunted house, which benefits the La Grange-based nonprofit whose mission is to engage and empower junior high, middle school and high school students throughout Lyons Township is, according to its organizers and volunteers, resurrected from the dead.
"Surprisingly, little has changed," said longtime CEP board member and volunteer Scott Meyer, as he stood in the 4,000-square-foot shell of a former retail store helping put finishing touches on the final masterpiece earlier this week. "It's still very family oriented, yet you feel strange to be doing it again. Some of the scenes are similar and we have 11 rooms this year. Plus, roles of key players, and almost all our department heads, are identical."
Brian Thomson, 34, formerly of La Grange and now of Western Springs, has been Haunted Manor behind-the-scenes fixture since its inception in 1992, when he was a student at LT.
"I help with everything. I even put on makeup and I dress up, too," he said. "It's a lot of fun and it's so great top see the kids do such amazing things. It's a lot of kids from different areas getting to know each other; they're meeting good role models here."
The Halloween event, last held in 2002, was shelved seven years ago because of changes in leadership at CEP and due to the inordinate amount of staff time it took to monitor volunteer youth in building and operating the venue.
But after board member Amanda Perez of La Grange heard over the past few years about the success and excitement the activity generated from just about everyone she met, she convinced other members to get behind it again and to craft a business plan to map out its return.
And at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, the doors of Haunted Manor Resurrected open to the public at 40 S. La Grange Road in Countryside. The haunted house, open to all ages, is inside Countryside Plaza, roughly halfway between Home Depot and Best Buy.
"We used to have a huge following," said Cathy Pierson, CEP's senior program director and longtime haunted house worker and coordinator, who is confident its popularity will also return -- especially since the house this time is more contemporary (you'll love the "Saw" room taken from the popular horror flick).
She said more than 40 haunted house alumni, recruited in large part through networking on www.facebook.com, really helped pull it off this fall.
"They made a huge difference," she said, adding their return "shows it was successful ... and had a profound impact on them."
Perez said she has heard nothing but good about Haunted Manor, which is sure to scare the daylights out of teens and adults and thoroughly entertain the little ones.
"I would hear about it from the board, from staff members, from residents," she said, "about how outstanding it was, how fun it was."
She said what's neat about young participants' involvement with youth from other school districts and communities is that "it takes away the cliques" that so often form in other social settings.
One prime example can be found in former Nazareth and LT students Jason and Haley Safranek, who met as youth building and working Haunted Manor, who are now married and back lending a hand, said Pierson.
Brianne Lucke and Heather Rae are now career graphic designers who came back to design all of the posters, flyers and other marketing materials. Brianne, a former LT student, now lives in California.
Then there's volunteers like the Leininger Family of La Grange P:ark, whose haunted house activism is almost a family business.
Heidi Leininger was a house guide years ago and used to love hanging out there with her girlfriends.
"I was a guide when I was younger," she said. "Now, I'm in charge of the guides."
Her mother, Megan, is a board member and volunteer at the house, as is her sister, Heather, an American Academy of Arts grad who is from the LT Class of 2000.
"My whole family works here ... and I've been working here since I was four," she said. "Same as my mom, I am an artist and I absolutely love it all, the I(room) designs I work on ... just everything that goes into this entire project."
Her best friend, Libby Kollar of Brookfield, got her industrial design degree from the University of Illinois. She also worked on the house while attending LT.
"It actually helped me choose a major," she said. "I now work at the Art Institute, with the curators."
Since the house is so new to the latest generation of youth, dozens of adult volunteers and alumni have joined together this time around to construct the house, leaving the staffing and scaring up to the kids who in the past were involved every step of the way.
Those very kids already attended "monster training" workshops late last week and are ready, with other alumni, staff and others to make this year a whole new experience.
"The kids this year," said Perez, "they don't even know what to expect, and that's exciting."
Kicking off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, the Haunted Manor Resurrected will be staged almost every night through Halloween Day.
That night and every Friday and Saturday through Saturday, Oct. 31, Haunted Manor will be open from 7 to 11 p.m. On Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the hours will be from 7 to 10 p.m., and matinees will be featured from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday,Oct. 24 and 31.
General admission will be $10 per person. The "lights on" matinee shows will cost $5 per child.
Presented by PersonalizationMall.com, sponsors of the event this year include the Park District of La Grange, Health & Safety Associates Inc. industrial hygiene and safety consulting and Linda Sokol's Brookfield Financial Plans, Inc.
Extensive parking is available for visitors, some who may recognize the location as the original space of the haunted house 17 years ago.
Further information is available by calling (708) 579-5898 or visiting CEP's website at www.HauntedManorCEPYL.com.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
INTRODUCING GRADUATE KATIE JUSTAK
This year's chairwoman of the Citizens Council of La Grange -- public relations professional and lifelong "political junkie" Katie Justak -- has joined the ranks of an esteemed group of Illinois Republican women who serve as proof that a lack of female political leaders is a vestige of the past.
Justak, this year's class coordinator of 10 GOP community activists who were selected to attend the 2009 Illinois Lincoln Excellence in Public Services Series which recruits and provides tools for women to become more involved in the political arena and seek positions in government, was just one of two Cook County women to graduate from the program this week.
The other, Wynita Wozniak, is a Biblical entrepreneurship studies graduate student and former Forbes Media/Conde Nast advertising sales representative who hails from Homewood.
“It has been a remarkable year for our class from the first program in January on the structure of our party to our informative trips to Springfield and Washington, D.C., and finally our session on media relations just a couple weeks ago in Champaign," said Justak at the Lincoln Series 14th annual graduation ceremony at the Bloomingdale Golf Club in DuPage County -- historically one of the largest bastions of Republicanism in the nation.
During the fellowship, Justak said she and her classmates -- and newfound friends and professional acquaintances -- learned more about themselves, each other and set goals for their future political involvement.
Justak reminded everyone that since, its inception in 1854, the Republican Party has been an advocate of women’s rights, that a Republican-controlled Congress passed the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote. And time and time again, she added, the GOP has led the way on women’s issues.
"Yet," she stressed, "the popular portrayal of our party appears more often than not the complete opposite. With our party’s consistent message of limited government, fiscal and personal responsibility and the advancement of liberty, the voice of Republicans will resonate with voters (in 2010)."
The Illinois Lincoln Series provides a vehicle for the advancement of qualified women in government, public policy and politics. and, she said, the fellowship "is a microcosm of what the future of our party will bring to the people of Illinois and to Americans nationwide.”
The 9-month program, which teaches all facets of politics from ethics in government to handling the media and political fundraising, has graduated 165 women -- a fellowship that has catapulted many to achieve and/or maintain elected office, state and federal public service careers and campaign management roles over the past 15 years.
Past graduates include current and former state senators, county board and municipal representatives and lieutenant governor.
This year's other graduates included the secretary of Jackson County's Republican Central Committee, a real estate professional and philanthropist, the elected treasurer of McLean County, the executive assistant for the Wirtz Corp. and Chicago Blackhawks, a Mundelein state representative's legislative aide and a student in international studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Katie, whose father once ran the New Lenox GOP and whose earliest campaign work was with State Rep. Renee Kosel, R-81st District, had a diverse P.R. career -- first in the consumer marketing field for GolinHarris, in healthcare at Edelman then as program manager of education at the American Academy of Periodontology
Justak, who oddly enough is nearing completion of another 9-month experience -- the now-fulltime stay-at-home Mom is pregnant and expecting her third child in November -- was joined at the dinner party by her husband, Mel, and her brother and his wife from neighboring Western Springs.
Before accepting her diploma, she recognized Topinka and other Lioncoln Series dignitaries, and on behalf of the graduates promised to help the former state treasurer get elected in her race for Illinois comptroller in 2010.
"Your story inspires us," she said, "and we're behind you 100 percent. Every fellow has committed to collecting (petition) signatures, which we've already stared doing."
In her remarks, the typically colorful Topinka exuded as much "Girl Power" as she could, but not before taking the opportunity to bash her onetime nemesis, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich before an obviously captive audience.
"What was I thinking?" she asked, recalling the campaign slogan Blagojevich used during the gubernatorial campaign against her after she became the first woman to win a GOP primary for governor. "Everything I was thinking ... has come to pass. Everything."
The former state party chairwoman said she ran for governor in 2006 because she knew the state "was in a mess" and opined it has gotten worse "than in (her) wildest dreams could ever have thought."
Although known for her bright, eye-catching outfits and uncanny wit, she drew laughter from the 100-plus crowd when she issued a guilt-by-association indictment against all Democratic officeholders who once sung the ex-governor's praises and, referring to Blagojevich's myriad
transgressions, added, "(prison) orange is not my color."
Even though the room was filled with such party leaders as gubernatorial candidate DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, DuPage County Clerk Gary King and others, she took no pains to promote the party's female agenda, suggesting more women are needed in public office instead of just "white men" all the time.
However, she praised Mark Kirk as a great fundraiser and formidable U.S. Senate opponent to her successor, Democratic treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, and lauded legislator Dan Rutherford in his GOP bid for treasurer, saying if she and he both win they can work together to combine the two somewhat duplicative offices.
With Schillerstrom sitting nearby, she also speculated next year's governor's race was "too close to call" between GOP frontrunner challengers Schillerstrom, State Sen. Kirk Dillard, former party chair Andy McKenna and conservative Bill Brady.
"Your guess is as good as mine," she said. "We're probably doing better with the Olympics."
She urged the leading Republican women and graduates to "pick a candidate, work hard for that candidate, then be prepared to come over and support whoever receives the nomination," adding, "We really have to send Gov. (Patrick) Quinn -- the governor by default -- packing!"
But she spent much of her time talking up the graduates and their roles in the future of the party.
"Your training as graduates here .. you got a real good opportunity to jump in and make things happen and change the course of history," she said, crediting her mother as her earliest role model for breaking ranks with the predominantly male business world by opening a real estate business on her own in the 1940s and never taking "no" for an answer.
"She was a role model ... just as you see role models in this room," she said, later suggesting, "The first woman elected governor: that's the next step."
She praised the many women who have already succeeded in seeking public office, but cautioned any future office-seekers to enter the arena well-prepared.
"Politics is a contact sport," she said. "You could get bruised ... but you need to volunteer and don't worry who gets credit. Don't talk about change; just make it happen. Remember the five W's: When Women Work We Win. It's more true today than it ever was."
She then revved up the graduates before they were individually recognized for their positions in the community and with the party.
"You don't have to vote for a woman because she's a woman, but for God sakes if the woman is good and a Republican vote for her," Topinka concluded. "Don't sit on the sidelines. Always remember the old saying: 'The rooster may crow, but the hen delivers.' "
Justak, who accompanied her father in Republican party circles since the age of seven, worked on political campaigns as a youth and young adult and enjoyed a career in public relations before she started raising a family.
After just one year as a member of the Citizens Council, the nonpartisan La Grange organization that evaluates and recommends candidates for village, library and park board seats every two years, she became its chairman this past spring.
A member of the Chicago Republican Women's Network who is committed to assist the Republican National Committee as an advocate for government reform and healthcare, she holds a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in business from St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Ind.
"Katie is an amazing woman ... ready to soak up knowledge like a sponge," said Pamela Fenner, president of the Lincoln Series. "She continues to grow and I know she has a bright future.
Justak's next meeting of the Citizens Council is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. The Village Hall meeting, open to the public, will feature Village Manager Robert Pilipszyn as guest speaker. A question/answer session will follow.
Justak, this year's class coordinator of 10 GOP community activists who were selected to attend the 2009 Illinois Lincoln Excellence in Public Services Series which recruits and provides tools for women to become more involved in the political arena and seek positions in government, was just one of two Cook County women to graduate from the program this week.
The other, Wynita Wozniak, is a Biblical entrepreneurship studies graduate student and former Forbes Media/Conde Nast advertising sales representative who hails from Homewood.
“It has been a remarkable year for our class from the first program in January on the structure of our party to our informative trips to Springfield and Washington, D.C., and finally our session on media relations just a couple weeks ago in Champaign," said Justak at the Lincoln Series 14th annual graduation ceremony at the Bloomingdale Golf Club in DuPage County -- historically one of the largest bastions of Republicanism in the nation.
During the fellowship, Justak said she and her classmates -- and newfound friends and professional acquaintances -- learned more about themselves, each other and set goals for their future political involvement.
Justak reminded everyone that since, its inception in 1854, the Republican Party has been an advocate of women’s rights, that a Republican-controlled Congress passed the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote. And time and time again, she added, the GOP has led the way on women’s issues.
"Yet," she stressed, "the popular portrayal of our party appears more often than not the complete opposite. With our party’s consistent message of limited government, fiscal and personal responsibility and the advancement of liberty, the voice of Republicans will resonate with voters (in 2010)."
The Illinois Lincoln Series provides a vehicle for the advancement of qualified women in government, public policy and politics. and, she said, the fellowship "is a microcosm of what the future of our party will bring to the people of Illinois and to Americans nationwide.”
The 9-month program, which teaches all facets of politics from ethics in government to handling the media and political fundraising, has graduated 165 women -- a fellowship that has catapulted many to achieve and/or maintain elected office, state and federal public service careers and campaign management roles over the past 15 years.
Past graduates include current and former state senators, county board and municipal representatives and lieutenant governor.
This year's other graduates included the secretary of Jackson County's Republican Central Committee, a real estate professional and philanthropist, the elected treasurer of McLean County, the executive assistant for the Wirtz Corp. and Chicago Blackhawks, a Mundelein state representative's legislative aide and a student in international studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Katie, whose father once ran the New Lenox GOP and whose earliest campaign work was with State Rep. Renee Kosel, R-81st District, had a diverse P.R. career -- first in the consumer marketing field for GolinHarris, in healthcare at Edelman then as program manager of education at the American Academy of Periodontology
Justak, who oddly enough is nearing completion of another 9-month experience -- the now-fulltime stay-at-home Mom is pregnant and expecting her third child in November -- was joined at the dinner party by her husband, Mel, and her brother and his wife from neighboring Western Springs.
Before accepting her diploma, she recognized Topinka and other Lioncoln Series dignitaries, and on behalf of the graduates promised to help the former state treasurer get elected in her race for Illinois comptroller in 2010.
"Your story inspires us," she said, "and we're behind you 100 percent. Every fellow has committed to collecting (petition) signatures, which we've already stared doing."
In her remarks, the typically colorful Topinka exuded as much "Girl Power" as she could, but not before taking the opportunity to bash her onetime nemesis, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich before an obviously captive audience.
"What was I thinking?" she asked, recalling the campaign slogan Blagojevich used during the gubernatorial campaign against her after she became the first woman to win a GOP primary for governor. "Everything I was thinking ... has come to pass. Everything."
The former state party chairwoman said she ran for governor in 2006 because she knew the state "was in a mess" and opined it has gotten worse "than in (her) wildest dreams could ever have thought."
Although known for her bright, eye-catching outfits and uncanny wit, she drew laughter from the 100-plus crowd when she issued a guilt-by-association indictment against all Democratic officeholders who once sung the ex-governor's praises and, referring to Blagojevich's myriad
transgressions, added, "(prison) orange is not my color."
Even though the room was filled with such party leaders as gubernatorial candidate DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, DuPage County Clerk Gary King and others, she took no pains to promote the party's female agenda, suggesting more women are needed in public office instead of just "white men" all the time.
However, she praised Mark Kirk as a great fundraiser and formidable U.S. Senate opponent to her successor, Democratic treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, and lauded legislator Dan Rutherford in his GOP bid for treasurer, saying if she and he both win they can work together to combine the two somewhat duplicative offices.
With Schillerstrom sitting nearby, she also speculated next year's governor's race was "too close to call" between GOP frontrunner challengers Schillerstrom, State Sen. Kirk Dillard, former party chair Andy McKenna and conservative Bill Brady.
"Your guess is as good as mine," she said. "We're probably doing better with the Olympics."
She urged the leading Republican women and graduates to "pick a candidate, work hard for that candidate, then be prepared to come over and support whoever receives the nomination," adding, "We really have to send Gov. (Patrick) Quinn -- the governor by default -- packing!"
But she spent much of her time talking up the graduates and their roles in the future of the party.
"Your training as graduates here .. you got a real good opportunity to jump in and make things happen and change the course of history," she said, crediting her mother as her earliest role model for breaking ranks with the predominantly male business world by opening a real estate business on her own in the 1940s and never taking "no" for an answer.
"She was a role model ... just as you see role models in this room," she said, later suggesting, "The first woman elected governor: that's the next step."
She praised the many women who have already succeeded in seeking public office, but cautioned any future office-seekers to enter the arena well-prepared.
"Politics is a contact sport," she said. "You could get bruised ... but you need to volunteer and don't worry who gets credit. Don't talk about change; just make it happen. Remember the five W's: When Women Work We Win. It's more true today than it ever was."
She then revved up the graduates before they were individually recognized for their positions in the community and with the party.
"You don't have to vote for a woman because she's a woman, but for God sakes if the woman is good and a Republican vote for her," Topinka concluded. "Don't sit on the sidelines. Always remember the old saying: 'The rooster may crow, but the hen delivers.' "
Justak, who accompanied her father in Republican party circles since the age of seven, worked on political campaigns as a youth and young adult and enjoyed a career in public relations before she started raising a family.
After just one year as a member of the Citizens Council, the nonpartisan La Grange organization that evaluates and recommends candidates for village, library and park board seats every two years, she became its chairman this past spring.
A member of the Chicago Republican Women's Network who is committed to assist the Republican National Committee as an advocate for government reform and healthcare, she holds a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in business from St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Ind.
"Katie is an amazing woman ... ready to soak up knowledge like a sponge," said Pamela Fenner, president of the Lincoln Series. "She continues to grow and I know she has a bright future.
Justak's next meeting of the Citizens Council is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. The Village Hall meeting, open to the public, will feature Village Manager Robert Pilipszyn as guest speaker. A question/answer session will follow.
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