Kim England remembers her mother crying when she left for college.

ROUND LAKE BEACH – A free employment expo and workshops will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center, 2007 Civic Center Way, in Round Lake Beach.

Though other Six Flags Great America roller-coasters tower over the Whizzer, it is still a formidable ride. Consisting of sharp turns, sudden twists, and jerking movements, the Whizzer is not easy to handle. Especially when ridden 160 consecutive times.

The first day at any job is bound to be at least a little overwhelming. Add a classroom full of middle school students and the experience can be down right daunting.

WAUCONDA – A new road construction project is slated to begin Tuesday, Sept. 7, in Wauconda.

As the new school year approaches, it is always a concern in every school district whether each child will have the necessary supplies to start the year.

WAUCONDA – A business landmark in Wauconda soon will be undergoing a large change in its structure – and its appearance – but it still will cater to the same customers the company has had for decades.

FOX LAKE – Cami Brydon does not consider her position with the Special Education District of Lake County a job.

LAKE VILLA – It has been nearly 100 years since Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman walked the earth, but a special event will seemingly make it possible to have a conversation with them in the present day.

WAUCONDA – The 11th annual “Jammin’ On Main” celebration will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, on Main Street in downtown Wauconda.

On Labor Day, we celebrate the achievements of the American worker. As someone who works hard yourself, you can appreciate this holiday. And, of course, you hope your efforts will eventually result in achieving your important goals, such as college for your children or a comfortable retirement. But if you’re going to turn these objectives into reality, your money needs to work as hard as you do.

Some people swear by frozen custard. Others prefer the creamy taste of gelato. Then there are those who just like soft-serve ice cream.

LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL

• Alcoholic's Anonymous meetings. Several meetings throughout Lake County on a daily basis. Call 847-362-1811 or visit www.district10nia.org for meeting information.

FOX LAKE – A $24 million housing complex for low-income seniors is expected to open to residents Wednesday, Sept. 1 in Fox Lake.

GRAYSLAKE – Tie on your bibs and get ready to eat your fill of homemade spaghetti at the annual spaghetti dinner hosted by United Protestant Church of Grayslake.

GRAYSLAKE – The Grayslake Lions Club will host its 47th annual Steer Roast from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, at Grayslake Middle School, 440 N. Barron Blvd., in Grayslake.

GRAYSLAKE – The College of Lake County, 19351 W. Washington St., in Grayslake is seeking donations of still drivable used cars from 1996 or later for automotive students to work on.

SPRING GROVE – Brooke Barrettsmith’s coming home, and she’s ready to rock.

The 17th annual Potawatomi Trail Traditional Social Pow-Wow will take place this weekend, Saturday, Aug, 28, and Sunday, Aug. 29, at Shiloh Park in Zion.  Gates open at 10 a.m. both days and close at 10 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday.

After working for nearly 40 years in law enforcement, Jack McKeever has decided it is time to hang up the badge.

LAKE VILLA – Linden Villa Baptist Church, 38869 N. Deep Lake Road, in Lake Villa invites the community to come and enjoy free live music, food, and fun Saturday, Aug. 28.

Lake County is running out of places to put its garbage.

LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL

GRAYSLAKE – The food at Pat’s Pizza in Grayslake is so good, even fish like it.

ISLAND LAKE – The Island Lake Senior Club has arranged for the Salvation Army Golden Diners senior nutrition program to have a site at the Island Lake Village Hall, 3720 Greenleaf, in Island Lake.

HAINESVILLE – This year’s Hainesville Fest will be bigger than ever and feature several new attractions – including an arts and crafts fair – that Trustee Jim Tiffany hopes will bring new people to the summer event.

ROUND LAKE – The Round Lake Area Park District’s Encore Summer Theatre Camp presented several showings of “Sleeping Beauty” in August.

ROUND LAKE – Year No. 2 for Round Lake’s Home Town Fest promises more variety of events, but the same hometown feel, said Trustee Don Newby, a coordinator for the event.

WAUKEGAN – On Aug. 7, the Waukegan Park District Ganster Pool staff took second place in the Illinois Park and Recreation Association’s annual Lifeguard Games Competition in Woodridge.

LAKE VILLA – The Lindenhurst Park District and Lake Villa Township will host a 5K walk/10K run to benefit the Roland Wetzel Soccer Scholarship Fund and Wetzel Fields Fund.

GRAYSLAKE – The Grayslake Community Park District offers a “Never Ending Season” adult hockey league at Rink Side Ice Arena in Gurnee.

WAUCONDA – The Wauconda Area Park District will offer an 11-week Weight Loss Challenge program to area residents.

GURNEE – The Warren Blue Devil Booster Club will host its second annual Blue Devil Booster Doubles tennis tournament over Labor Day weekend. 

ROUND LAKE HEIGHTS – Lake Shore Lynx took on the Lake County Cowboys in the Gridiron Football League playoff semi-finals on a rainy night Aug. 20 at Indian Hill School in Round Lake Heights.

WAUKEGAN – The Waukegan Park District’s Field House Sports and Fitness Center will host a free week of fitness from Monday, Aug. 30, through Sunday, Sept. 5.

WAUCONDA – More than 130 students, six full-time teachers and three part-time teachers entered the doors of Frassati Catholic Academy in Wauconda on Aug. 23 for the first day of school.

LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL

LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL

"Molly," I say to my 5-year-old granddaughter, who I'm babysitting, "where's your regular home phone?"

Like most people, you probably save and invest throughout your working years so that you’ll be able to afford a comfortable retirement. Once you retire, you’ll want to focus on strategies to help you make the most of your retirement income — and you might want to become familiar with these ideas well before you retire.

BARRINGTON – The Barrington Youth Dance Ensemble will host open auditions from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, for the 2010 BYDE Nutcracker at Barrington Dance Academy, 758 W. Northwest Highway, in Barrington.

ANTIOCH – With wide-eyes and hands motioning, 4-year-old Aubrie Davison told her very first fish story Aug. 22 after docking during the third annual Chain O’ Lakes Youth Fishing and Family Picnic event.

GURNEE – Once a year, area lifeguards get an opportunity to showcase just how skilled and responsive they are at the Lifeguard Games, which are facilitated by the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association.

ISLAND LAKE – Two residents have filed a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages against four Island Lake police officers and a Wauconda officer.

Gazing into the night sky at the moon and the stars with the naked eye can be a beautiful sight.

• Alcoholic's Anonymous meetings. Several meetings throughout Lake County on a daily basis. Call 847-362-1811 or visit www.district10nia.org for meeting information.

NORTH CHICAGO – Bring your best walking shoes at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, and enjoy a three-and-a-half mile walk from Sheridan Road and 13th Street to Victory Park in Waukegan.

LAKE FOREST – Don't know how to properly assemble your child's safety seat? Have no fear! certified child passenger safety technicians will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at the Lake Forest Oasis, 94 Milepost 18, in Lake Forest to check seats and help with proper installation.

GURNEE – Channel your inner idol every Wednesday night starting at 9 p.m. for karaoke. The event takes place at Timothy O'Toole's Pub, 5572 Grand Ave., in Gurnee through Sept. 1. Those attending can pick up the mic, listen to performances, or take advantage of food and drink specials.

GRAYSLAKE – “The Artist’s Hand: Photographs, Films and Videos,” a solo exhibit by Gurnee resident Carrie Schneider, will be on display at the College of Lake County Robert T. Wright Gallery Friday, Aug. 20, through Sept. 26.

GURNEE – For the last two years, whenever Daniel Albright asked his mother, Carol, what she wanted for Christmas, she would reply, “I want you to earn your Eagle.”

At 9:36 a.m. on July 7, I – along with 147 other people representing 48 different countries – became a United States citizen.

GRAYSLAKE – The public got its first look at the new Grayslake Heritage Center and Village Municipal History Museum – a permanent site to share village history from 1895 to the present – Aug. 15.

LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL

FOX LAKE – Former Fox Lake Trustee James Thillen was remembered by community members during a memorial service Aug. 15 at the Fox Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

For the past 25 years, Barbara Kutinac has transported students in Wauconda Community Unit School District 118  from home to school and back again.

GRAYSLAKE – Don’t let your sign language skills be forgotten. The Grayslake Park District will offer a Sign Language Club session this fall.

ANTIOCH – For the past two years, the Antioch All-Stars Little League softball team has been referred to as “Team Illinois.”

ANTIOCH – Donning running shoes and determination, Antioch resident Melissa Bernhardt will take to the streets of Chicago on Oct. 10 to help spread awareness of CdLS for the second time.

The following article is dedicated upon the Lake County Sidewinder’s request to Lake County Sidewinder founder Dale Friedman, who passed away during the winter of 2010.

BARRINGTON – I drive past the Catlow Theater on Main Street in Barrington fairly frequently, and I’ve long wanted to stop in and see the historical venue for myself.

WAUCONDA – Farm history is very strong in Lake County, and a local organization has dedicated its mission to preserve as much of that heritage as it can.

WAUCONDA – For the second year in a row, the Wauconda Area Chamber of Commerce will put on an event in a Wauconda subdivision to bring together area residents for an afternoon of free fun.

FOX LAKE - A 38-year-old Fox Lake man is accused of cheating more than two dozen investors of $3.7 million through a trading firm he owned.

FOX LAKE – A new school year has brought a new principal to Grant Community High School.

WAUCONDA – The Wauconda Bulldogs football program will host an inner-squad scrimmage Friday, Aug. 20, to benefit the Wauconda/Island Lake Food Pantry.

As another school year approaches, you may be thinking about the day in which you’ll be sending your children off to college. Can you afford to help them pay for school while still saving for your own retirement?

INGLESIDE – Students returning to classes at Gavin School District 37 are more likely to do so on a full stomach thanks to a newly-instituted breakfast program.

ROUND LAKE – Almost exactly a year ago, Mendoza Grocery II in Round Lake sustained major damage from a fire that put the local shop out of business for 10 months. Now, the grocery store is back open, much to the delight of customers. But the road to recovery will be a long one, owner Richard Crane said.

MUNDELEIN – The Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County will host its 16th annual golf outing benefit Thursday, Sept. 23.

WAUKEGAN – Bill Engvall and John Pinette will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., in Waukegan.

A partnership in slow economic times could be the key to vital sales tax revenues for villages in Lake and McHenry counties.

• Alcoholic's Anonymous meetings. Several meetings throughout Lake County on a daily basis. Call 847-362-1811 or visit www.district10nia.org for meeting information.

LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL

SPRING GROVE – Last summer at The Richardson Farm, 86-year-old Margaret Richardson did the zip line – a ride that is 30 feet high and 700 feet long.

LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL

WAUKEGAN – Five mosquito pools in southeast Lake County have tested positive for West Nile virus.

BARRINGTON HILLS – Investigation Discovery is profiling a case from Barrington Hills in an episode of "Unusual Suspects" that will air at 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16.

ROUND LAKE –The Round Lake Area Park District will host two races Sunday, Sept. 12, at its Sports Center, 2004 Municipal Way, in Round Lake Beach.

ANTIOCH – A woman killed in an overnight crash Aug. 12 in unincorporated Lake County near Antioch has been identified as 22-year-old Danielle Trevithick of Spring Grove.

This is the second part of a two-part series looking into youth cheerleading and its football counterpart.

Not too long ago, we did a good deed — my husband and I arranged to take his elderly mother to Boston to reunite her with her estranged sister, Verna. They hadn't spoken for five decades. It had something to do with who got the better stuff when their mother died.

GRAYSLAKE – The deadline to submit artwork into the College of Lake County’s 30th annual “Recent Works: A Juried Competition” is Sept. 10.

GRAYSLAKE – Twelve-year-old Tyler Ponce has a burger recipe so great it beat out thousands of entries in the fifth annual Red Robin Kid’s Cook-Off.

Sometimes I wonder, if we really want to tackle the big problems in our society or if we’d rather just beat the other party over the head with them.

GURNEE – USA Today has named Six Flag Great America’s Viper as one of the top 10 coasters in the United States.

GURNEE – The annual Gurnee Days celebration will feature a Gurnee Idol competition at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, at the Viking Park Band Shell, near Old Grand Avenue and Depot Road, in Gurnee.

GURNEE – The Gurnee Park District will significantly increase its aquatic program offerings this fall thanks to a cooperative lease agreement with the Special Education District of Lake County.

GRAYSLAKE – Animals and international performers will stop at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road, in Grayslake next week to perform under the big top.