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Arts & Culture in Northbrook
by Catherine L. Tully

Northbrook is home to a thriving arts scene that is well-represented through a mixture of local visual and performing arts venues. Whether it is theatre, music or art shows, there is always a lot going on. Cheryl Fayne-Depersio, the village staff liaison to the Northbrook Arts Commission, notes that the commission works with area arts organizations to help promote their events.

The village is home to such organizations as The International Center on Deafness and the Arts—with none other than Academy-Award Winning Actress Marlee Matlin as its honorary chair. It is also the location for Special Gifts Theatre, Inc., which provides wonderful theatre opportunities to children and teens with special needs.

Some ongoing area events include the “Gig on the Green,” held at Village Green Park, which features music the first three Tuesdays during the month of August—as well as a local food vendor for those much-needed snacks and treats. October is the Northbrook Artist’s Open Studio Tour, where people can get a closer look at visual arts in the area. The Northbrook Arts Commission and the Northbrook Park District also have plans underway for an “Art In The Park” event scheduled for July of 2008.

“We work with the library a lot on programming,” says Judy Hughes, Chairman of the arts commission, adding, “They are really supportive of the arts.” The Northbrook Library hosts art shows every month and also has a “Parisian Salon Concerts” program which spotlights a variety of performances by outstanding musicians.

Music fans in the area will be happy to know that the village is also the home to Northbrook Symphony Orchestra—a mixture of professional and non-professional musicians who perform symphonic music. Founded in 1980, the orchestra has their own outreach program which includes performances for local schools, senior groups and appearances at community events.

Another popular local venue is the Northbrook Theatre, which has also been around since 1980 and is operated through the Northbrook Park District. The theatre holds summer workshops and outreach classes in addition to its regular performing season. Home to two resident companies, the Northbrook Theatre for Young Audiences and the Children’s Company, adult community theatre was added as well in 1984.

The Northbrook Park District’s involvement in the arts doesn’t stop at its work with the Northbrook Theatre. Offering visual and performing arts programming to area residents, it is yet another component of the arts “scene” in the village.

Those interested in the history of the area should make time for a stop at the Northbrook Historical Society and Museum located in the Northfield Inn, 1776 Walters Avenue, which is itself a piece of local history. The inn was a popular spot to stop for travelers that were going between Chicago and Milwaukee in the late 1800s and was also home to a fine-dining restaurant in the early 1900s. The building was moved to its current location in the 1970s and subsequently became the home of the Northbrook Historical Society after its restoration. Annual activities include the Shermerfest in September which features entertainment and lunch, an open house each December and a “Cemetery Walk” in June where history comes alive as actors highlight the lives of past residents from the area.

Those interested in art and culture will find the Northbrook area has a good deal to offer. Whether taking a tour of the arts scene at a local event, listening to music or learning about the past, the arts and history in the village is rich and varied.

Living in a Digital World
By Becky Cline

Did you know that the first digital camera, manufactured to be able to sync with a home computer, was made available to consumers nearly 15 years ago in February of 1994? It seems as though the growing trend of purchasing digital cameras was more of a recent fad, doesn’t it? With the expanding, cutting-edge computers of today, digital cameras have become a much more appealing choice than the traditional camera. “Digital has really taken off the handcuffs, letting us be able to just create,” explained Jonathan Roob of Jonathan’s Inc., a prime photography business in the Chicagoland area.

Now residents, visitors and businesses of Northbrook can all utilize this technology in daily life with residents capturing family fun at one of the several community parks, visitors seizing the opportunity to take a picture of the area’s many vibrant events and businesses shooting photographs of new projects to present to current and future clients.

The benefits to utilizing the latest digital cameras currently on the market seem endless, especially for those who have already made this popular purchase.

1. Cost Saving Quality digital cameras can be purchased for less than $120, with most averaging around $200. Throw in a memory card for $20 and a case for $10, and that is virtually all one will spend on this purchase. Those with a digital camera will save money on steep film purchases and developing fees that certainly add up over time.

2. Large Memory Memory cards for digital cameras can easily hold up to more than one thousand pictures at one time, compared to the small amount of film afforded in regular cameras. “There is so much that we have been limited to with only taking 10-30 images, and now — bring it on!” exclaimed Roob.

3. Clarity Digital cameras produce much higher-quality and clearer pictures, as opposed to the traditional camera. Near or far, night or day, consumers can expect a clear picture while using a digital camera.

4. Immediate Review The LCD (liquid crystal display) screen of the digital camera allows the photographer to instantly view the picture just taken, thus providing the immediate choice of discarding the picture, or saving it to the camera’s memory card.

5. Variety of Settings Many of the newer digital cameras on the market offer a large selection of settings for every situation. Whether the photographer is at a sporting event looking to capture athletes in motion, inside a home with family or outside under the starry sky, these cameras can handle it!

6. Image Editing Up-to-date image editing software usually comes with the digital camera package, allowing consumers to add special effects to pictures, or even save a poor-quality picture.

7. Sharing Sharing pictures has never been so easy. Simple software provided with the purchase of a digital camera provides for simple computer downloading. Once the picture download has completed, it takes minutes or even seconds to send images to friends and family or post on a personal website.

Of course, there are many more benefits to owning a digital camera. More and more, both professional photographers and consumers have been jumping on the digital bandwagon, and as Jonathan Roob explained, “There is only a new world of possibilities!”

Arts & Culture in Northbrook by Catherine L. Tully

Arts & Culture in Northbrook
by Catherine L. Tully