Mom's Eye View

It's Time to Think Summer

For parents, it's the time to map out summer fun from sports to activities.

If you have kids, you’re thinking of summer. And not just because you’d like to kick them out of the house on a regular basis to burn off some energy or because you’re looking forward to the day when you won’t have to scrape mud off their soccer cleats. It’s the time of year when we parents have to map out what our little cherubs will be doing when the days are long and hot. Swimming, golf, summer school, drama, enrichment programs, summer camp. Sign up is right now or coming up quick. We’re trading e-mails about whether to join Centennial Beach, a private local pool or one in a neighboring town. We’re looking to see if golf lessons will work better through the Naperville or Bolingbrook park districts or Cantigny in Wheaton and whether …

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Get Out: Sign, Shred and Sing Your Way Through the Weekend

Get rid of old documents and learn something new with this weekend's classes and events.

Baby sign language With sign language, parents and caregivers can communicate with their babies before the little ones learn to speak. A three-week course at Naper Boulevard Library teaches the basics through activities, books, songs and play. Bring your babies, ages 8 months to 24 months. Film Central It’s your last chance to sit in on North Central College’s independent film series, Film Central. The final film in the series is showing tonight at Meiley-Swallow Hall for $3. “Wretches and Jabberers,” by Gerardine Wurzburg, is about two men with autism. Weekend College Benedictine University offers adults the chance to earn degrees while attending classes exclusively on the weekends. Start now with one of the upcoming information sessions …

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Fabulous Fakes Fool the Eye

A new exhibit opened Wednesday at the Naperville Art League, where local artists were asked to recreate classic works.

Most of the time, being an artist is not about recreating what others have done before. But that's not the case this month at the Naperville Art League, where members were challenged by the Fabulous Fakes exhibit, which tasked them with reinventing well-known works of art and adding their own personal touch. Some of the completed pieces have obvious tweaks, like modern technology in place of old-world objects, while others are more subtle—perhaps no obvious changes but if you look closely, you'll see that the work is recreated using a new medium. The 43 finished products are now on display at the Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery, 508 N. Center St., Naperville, and will be until early March. "I'm always amazed by the creativity and …

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Get Out: Art, Music and Chocolate

Our weekend planner for things to do around Naperville.

What’s happening?! The weekend is one day away and it’s time to start planning what to do, where to go and who to see. After being stuck inside during the snow days, it’s time to get out and play. We offer you a guide to a variety of events in Naperville and around the area this weekend.

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Your Next Three Days: Chocolate, Shakespeare and Music

The time is now to plan your weekend and we offer up a few suggestions for fun things to do around town.

The best thing about Thursday is that Friday is only one day away and the weekend will soon arrive. If you are living for the weekend, it's time to prepare. We have a few suggestions for how you can choose to spend your time and if you love music, chocolate or Shakespeare, you should be set. If not, we have a few other options too. Friday Looking to be amazed and entertained? Take the kids and yourself over to North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall on Friday night for a concert with 10-year-old Ethan Bortnick. The child prodigy will be performing a variety of music from Bach to Mozart and disco to jazz. Ethan has performed with a laundry list of top performers and is sure to be exciting to watch and hear.  On the literary front, young …

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Ted Slowik

8:12 am on Thursday, January 13, 2011

Big weekend on tap for fine and performing arts at North Central College! Tickets still available for Ethan Bortnick, "Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" and Chicago Sinfonietta. Call 630-637-7469.   more ›

Your Next Three Days: New Year's Eve, Football and Art

The big day is Friday, with lots of local activities. But, watching football and relaxing are good ways to ring in the New Year, too.

Over the course of the next three days, we'll bid a fond farewell to 2010 and welcome in 2011. Time sure flies when you are having fun, and we sure hope this weekend brings you plenty of fun! This weekend is different from many others in that the majority of events will take place Friday night, since it's New Year's Eve. We already have compiled a list of some of the top events in and around Naperville. Along with events in town, there's also an event in Geneva you may want to consider. Geneva Underground Playhouse, in conjunction with Papa Severios Pizzeria, is presenting its second annual New Year's Eve party and fundraiser. From comedy to spoken-word poetry, the evening will offer a variety of entertainment that will amuse and inspire…

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District 204 Art Teachers to Exhibit Their Work

Indian Prairie District 204 Art Teacher’s Exhibit will be held at North Central College from Nov. 14 through Jan. 17, and it's free to attend.

Art teachers from Indian Prairie District 204 are getting the chance to showcase their work at the Indian Prairie District 204 Art Teacher's Exhibit being held at North Central College.  The free exhibit opens Nov. 14 and will run through Jan. 17, 2011 in North Central College's Meiley-Swallow Hall Gallery, 31 S. Ellsworth St. The selected artists will greet visitors during an opening reception from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 21. "It is important for art educators to be art creators," said Mike Vandeleur, Neuqua Valley High School art teacher. "And I think the quality of the exhibit (reflects) the quality of the art program at District 204." Barry Skurkis, associate professor of Art at North Central College said the college is excited to …

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Student Artists Find Significance in the Commonplace

The works of Katie Hannan and Megan Brooks will be on display through October at North Central College's Meiley-Swallow Hall Gallery.

A soda bottle, an old cash drawer and some photos might not seem important at first glance. But the common items that surround a person throughout life can take on much greater meaning when viewed from different perspectives. That's the concept behind a gallery exhibit on display at North Central College's Meiley-Swallow Hall Gallery. Two students with different visions and styles came together for the show Commonplace, which runs through the month of October. Katie Hannan, an art and accounting major, and Megan Brooks, an art education certification student, each present their individual ideas of what is commonplace, yet important, in their lives. For Hannan, 21, time spent as a child within her family's small grocery store resonated. …

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Art Fair Brings Talented Artists Together

Art lovers converge on the Riverwalk for Naperville Art League's 25th Annual Fine Art Fair.

When Andy Hall began his artistic journey in photography, little did he know he'd encounter raccoons; disease infested rodents, and feel the need to wear a hazmat suit. For over a decade he's captured images that have garnered a great following of fans, and for the past two years, showcased some of those images at Naperville Art League's Riverwalk Fine Art Fair. The 25th Annual Fine Art Fair brings together some of the worlds best artists and craftsman from the coasts of Oregon to the sunny beaches of Florida. Joe Ruck of Rolling Meadows said of all the art shows, the Riverwalk Fine Art Fair is one of his favorites. "A lot of the people who come here are truly interested in art as opposed to the normal on lookers," he said. Ruck …

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