Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website the Williams-Kampp/Woodward Funeral Home has taken these words seriously while providing funeral services in their Wheaton location and throughout the Chicago metropolitan area Our family owned business has been passed down through four generations with each dedicated to providing the integrity and compassion that has become our tradition our family expanded to include the West Chicago area with our Williams-Woodward Funeral Home which has been servicing the area for over forty years We offer a complete range of quality services from funerals to cremation and are experienced at servicing families of different faiths and customs We invite you to contact us with your questions and we are glad to arrange a tour of our well-designed facilities It is our goal to support you through this difficult time; we will guide you through every step of the funeral process and help pay tribute to the special memory of your loved one The Family and Employees of Williams-Kampp and Williams-Woodward Funeral Homes Williams-Kampp Funeral Home(630) 668-0016430 E Williams-Woodward Funeral Home(630) 231-1300Williams-Woodward Funeral HomeServices are now being handled at our flagship funeral home in Wheaton only © Williams-Kampp Funeral Home Crafted with care by Frazer Consultants & TA Your browser may not work with certain site. Upgrade now. ExpandVeteran teacher and administrator Christine Kalal assumes the principal's role at St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic School in Downers Grove this year. Courtesy Diocese of Joliet The new school year will bring with it a new principal for students at St. Mary of Gostyn. But it won’t be an unfamiliar face greeting them as they come into the doors of the Downers Grove Catholic school. Christine Kalal has been employed by St. Mary for more than two decades, holding positions as a teacher and most recently assistant principal. Now she will fill the shoes of Christopher Tiritilli, who left to take the helm as assistant principal of student services at Montini Catholic High School. Her history with the school, located at 440 Prairie Ave., goes beyond her employment. Kalal also once walked the hallways as a student. “I started at St. Mary’s in the middle of my sixth grade year and immediately felt welcomed by my classmates and teachers,” she said. “When I get together with my [former] classmates, we are constantly remembering funny things that happened and things the teachers said and did.” “St. Mary’s has always had a strong sense of community,” she said. “I remember my parents being involved in the school and parish because they wanted to help the community maintain its strength.” She is excited to kick off her first year as principal. “I look forward to moving the school forward with its rigorous curriculum, planning for the next phase of our STEAM lab that was launched this past school year, and the continued emphasis of the importance of Christ in our lives,” she said. “Our students are accustomed to serving others through both individual and class service projects. I’m proud that they recognize that it is their responsibility to take care of each other.” Kalal knew at a young age that education was her calling. “We had a huge chalkboard in our basement and I played school all the time,” she said. The new school year begins Aug. 24, and Kalal is busier than ever preparing for the roughly 475 students set to come through the doors. “Our school’s theme this year is ‘Be the Light’ and I look forward to seeing how our students and faculty show how they can illuminate each other as well as our neighbors in the community, especially those who need our support and prayers,” Kalal said. Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network Mary of Gostyn (SMG) in Downers Grove recently established a new council of the Knights of Columbus This is the first time that SMG has had its own council; in the past men from the parish participated in Knights of Columbus councils sponsored by other Catholic churches "We decided to form our own council because we wanted to develop programs and events that will respond specifically to some of the needs of our parish in addition to doing charitable works for the community at large," said Art Kraft KoC Grand Knight and one of the founders of the new council SMG Council 16062 installed its inaugural group of officers on March 1 with a Mass and induction ceremony presided by Joliet Diocese's Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M Some of the Council's upcoming activities include a food and clothing drive from March 7-22 for the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton Joseph's Table (dinner) event on March 19 at the parish and assisting in the organization of the parish picnic in the fall With more than 16,000 councils and 1.8 million members from around the world the Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization The first council was established in 1882 by the Venerable Father Michael J Speaker of the House John Boehner and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush are just a few of the famous past and present members of the Knights of Columbus the worldwide organization donated more than $170 million along with more than 70 million hours of charitable service to a variety of causes For more information about Knights of Columbus Council 16062 visit their website at http://www.stmarygostyn.org/?page=MinistriesKoC Mary of Gostyn is the oldest Catholic parish in Downers Grove Located in eastern Downers Grove at 445 Prairie Avenue the parish was established by a small group of immigrants from Gostyn Today the parish has more than 2,800 families for a total of 10,000 parishioners More than 600 children attend its religious education classes and more than 500 students are enrolled in its grade school which serves students from preschool to eighth grade more than 100 ministries provide services to parishioners the Downers Grove community and neighboring towns For more information about the parish and school visit their website at http://www.stmarygostyn.org Welcome Mickeymickey@disney.comManage MyDisney AccountLog OutList of 9/11 events in the Chicago areaFriday 2015The Chicago Fire Department had a moment of silence as part of their Sept 11 remembrance on Friday.WLSSeveral Chicago area events are planned Friday to mark the 14th anniversary of the September 11 Friday also marks the three-year anniversary of the 2012 attack on the U.S Chicago Fire Department members had a moment of silence at 7:46 a.m - the moment the first airplane struck the north tower of the World Trade Center - to remember the hundreds of officers with the police and fire departments for New York City and the Port Authority who died on Sept Bruce Rauner issued a proclamation that declared as Patriot Day in Illinois All entities governed by the Flag Display Act are ordered to fly the United States and state flags at half-staff in honor of the victims of 9/11 Crystal Lake (5:30am-7am) - Staff and students will honor Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills police and rescue crews for their service by giving them breakfast Chicago (7:30am/9am/noon) -- The Plaza Project along with Vibeup will host a series of community yoga classes at the plaza The free event will allow people to donate money that will go to the Illinois Patriot Education Fund Each class will begin with a silent meditation paying homage to those that died Astellas Day of Service (various locations) -- The company has pledged a total of 10,000 volunteer hours as they mark the anniversary with a day of service in the community Chicago Public Safety Headquarters (7:30am) -- Members of the Chicago Fire Department will take part in a moment of silence to remember the hundreds of public safety officers in the police and fire departments of NYC and the Port Authority of NY who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers (8am) -- Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson joins her police chief and fire chief and others for their annual ceremony and ems workers are invited to take part in the church's blue mass of remembrance honoring those that died Uno Charter Schools (various in Chicago) (8am-9:11am) -- The school network has several public memorials and remembrances this morning at several of their schools Lisle (8:30am) -- Firefighters will gather for a joint honor guard and bell ceremony along with 21 gun salute and taps Wauconda (9am) -- Ceremony to remember survivors and people affected by the attacks Chicago (9am) - For the second year in a row the Catholic school will remember first responders and civilians killed on 9/11 and honor law enforcement and members of the military during a special mass Elgin (9am) -- The city along with American Legion hosts a ceremony McHenry (9am) -- Police and firefighters will mark the anniversary with a ceremony and moment of silence Palatine (9am) -- The village hosts their ceremony that will include current and retired fire department members marching to the site from Fire Station 85 and will place a wreath at the memorial along with a bell ringing Chicago (10:50am) -- Students will walk around the school 11 times to honor the memory of the victims who died on 9/11 They are also asking their kids to do one good deed in the community Highwood (11am) -- The city will unveil a sculpture containing a remnant of the World Trade Center Tower The bronze and steel piece depicts a fireman taking a moment to acknowledge those who perished that day Oak Brook (11am) -- The village will their annual ceremony Waukegan (11am-8pm) -- The city will open an art exhibit that remembers those who have served The artist was an embedded photojournalist in Afghanistan The exhibit will be open through Veterans Day Education Secretary Arne Duncan will participate in a service project He join Public Allies of Chicago to remember 9/11 victims as well as the nine people who died in the Charleston church shooting Chicago (2 pm) -- People are welcome to walk the lakeshore with wounded warriors from the No Barriers Program They will start their 3-mile walk at Cricket Hill in a walk that's meant to empower veterans who have disabilities River Forest (3pm-7pm) - The Bonnie Brae Lemonaid Stand is run by kids and gets huge crowds This is their 14th year and this year will benefit NAMI Metro Suburban and PACTT Learning Center both organizations that helps people with disabilities Hoffman Estates (5pm) -- A ceremony with Schaumburg Fire Department Lt a 9/11 first responder and featured speaker Schneidwind will share his first-hand experience of assisting at Ground Zero at the World Trade Center Naperville (5:45pm) -- The Naperville Exchange Club takes the lead on the town's annual ceremony The memorial is behind the municipal center along the riverwalk The municipal band plays patriotic music at 5:45pm and the program will start at 6 p.m who will share the story of how the day before his company held a celebration to rededicate its firehouse 11 men at that event didn't survive the attacks Chicago (6pm-10pm)-- A new exhibition is being opening with a reception called "Warriors of the Apocalypse - Bring Down the System." A performance and pop-up art exhibition contemplates 9/11 and the future of the U.S centered around 9/11 and personal freedom of citizens Chicago (6:45pm) -- The Lyric Opera of Chicago launches its new season with the 15th annual stars of Lyric Opera concert Air Force Band of Mid-America will perform patriotic music Glen Ellyn (7:30pm) -- The volunteer fire station is hosting a short ceremony to commemorate the lives lost Mary of Gostyn School in Downers Grove were visited Nov 14 by Chicago Bears mascot "Staley Da Bear" to celebrate the launch of the school's new reading initiative Staley's "Tackling Reading" program reinforces targets students in first-through eighth-grade and reinforces the importance and excitement of reading students learned the five essential components of reading as outlined by the National Institute for Literacy: phonetic awareness Mary’s commitment to the personal growth and individual success of every student and to exploring creative ways to help students achieve academic excellence from the start of their education at St Mary’s and throughout high school," said Jill Tierney director of development and marketing for St Mary's students to participate in the Tackling Reading challenge Every student who finishes the program will win a prize and one or two students will win a mini camp day with Chicago Bears players There are plenty of ways to keep up on Downers Grove news: Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Charlie Romenesko Front row- Patrick Enochs Preparing for any competition requires hard work Mary of Gostyn School in Downers Grove has some dedicated middle grade students who enjoy mathematics so much that they belong to an after-school math club that competes against other schools throughout the year advise the club and help the students prepare for the rigorous competitions The club meets weekly throughout the school year students work together to solve problems based on that week’s math topic The competitions allow students to test their math knowledge with a variety of timed written problems where a group of five students work together to solve math problems; and individual events   Each sponsoring high school sets rules about the number and type of math problems The team's first event was the 28th Annual Robert Huntoon Memorial Math Competition 691 students participated in individual and team events SMG's eighth grade team won first place in their grade division and three team members won individual awards   Individual awards were also earned in the seventh and sixth grade divisions SMG also competed in Nazareth Academy’s Math Contest on November 17 the school’s eighth grade team earned first place in the large school division SMG’s Math Club will finish the school year with one final competition   For more information about the math curriculum and Math Club at St St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic School |  3-yr. Preschool through Grade 8 |  440 Prairie Avenue | (630) 968-6155 |  www.StMaryGostyn.org Monday, 14th March 2022 — By Harry Taylor Adam Gostyn and Scott Soteriou are getting the bar ready FOUR publicans from Hampstead will take over a much-loved West Hampstead pub following the departure of its landlord after more than 22 years Adam Gostyn and Scott Soteriou will run The Alliance in Mill Lane and once managed the Horseshoe in Hampstead Long-term landlord Michael Keating departed a few weeks ago which is listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) was put for sale by owner Mark Reynolds in December and the old The Alliance sign outside has been taken down as the venue gets a facelift Mr Gostyn said: “The time was right for us it’s a neighbourhood pub which is the type of thing we do very well and there’s quite a lot of demand for it neighbourhood community groups and regulars who can all come in.” He added: “People who have been in our other pubs will know what we do “I don’t think you can run a wet-led beer-only pub in the same way any more.” The Alliance and Mr Reynolds had an application turned down last year to build two flats in the pub which would have seen the basement turned into a function room for the community and because of the ACV we weren’t able to do it,” said Mr Reynolds The new team at the Alliance already have plans for the basement with ideas being kicked around including using hydroponics to grow herbs which can be used in the pub’s meals “Michael Keating was a good landlord,” said Mr Gostyn it was clear that this was really well run “We’ve already had people coming in to the Clifton to scope us out and see what our pubs are like.” Mr Keating said: “I can’t comment on why I left the pub and it will be a difficult show to follow.” The Alliance is due to reopen in just over a fortnight Here's a quick quiz for those with sweet tooths Ÿ What is the all-time best-selling candy bar in the United States Ÿ Which Chicago candy was a tourist attraction You can find the answers to those questions and more at “Sweet Home Chicago: The History of America's Candy Capital,” an exhibit up through Sept. 30 at the Elmhurst Historical Museum Chicago reigned supreme as the nation's top candy maker from the late 1800s until at least the mid-20th century no other place has laid claim to the title “Over one-third of all candy was made in Chicago,” Tawzer said Tawzer created the exhibit in collaboration with Leslie Goddard lecturer and author of the upcoming book “Chicago's Sweet Candy History.” who has given talks on Chicago's candy-making history for several years said Chicago dominated the candy world from the late 1890s until the 1950s thanks to transportation ready access to commodities such as milk and cornstarch Prominent candy makers included Brach (German) Ferrara (Italian) and Andrew Kanelos (the Greek founder of Andes Candies) immigrants who brought their European craftsmanship to the city “I think you cannot downplay the immigration influence That is one of the things that really amazed me,” Goddard said Even Chicago's less-than-desirable winters proved to be a bonus to early candy makers “Chicago's cold winters were optimal for storing chocolate,” he said Created to be a traveling exhibit that may make its next stop at a major Chicago institution the display includes panels on major candy manufacturers Juicy Fruit and Doublemint gum) to Tootsie Roll (still occupying 2.3 million square feet near Midway Airport) Anyone wanting to know more can use their smartphone to scan the QR Code to link them to a manufacturer's website Visitors can try lifting a 50-pound bucket of sugar paste test their candy knowledge by identifying a candy bar by its cross-section or apply for a job in a candy factory in the “Twisted Candy Wrapping Challenge.” Tawzer said he got the idea for the challenge from the famous “I Love Lucy” episode in which Lucy desperately tries to keep up with the candy-wrapping assembly line along with an original “Candyland USA” piece narrated by Bill Kurtis the exhibit offers up local nostalgia with a display on Keeler's Candies which closed its store on York Street in 1992 “Keeler's Candies was a candy store in Elmhurst for a long time,” Tawzer said the museum's marketing and communication specialist camps and culinary historians are booking tours Tawzer said the museum also is inviting candy manufacturers to bring their employees to the exhibit Candy making isn't as big in Chicago as it used to be But there's still a lot of candy making around has a factory on West Kinzie Street in Chicago but the Butterfingers and Baby Ruths are still made here World's Finest Chocolate makes candy for fundraising organizations Newer and innovative candy companies such as Vosges Haut-Chocolat are creating truffles and candies with exotic flavors such as curry and bacon the National Confectioners Association still chooses to hold its annual Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago “The candy industry here isn't as dominant on the national candy scene as it once was,” she said “But I think it's easy to overstate the impact (of the companies that have left Chicago) when you look at the field today.” So whether a visitor once worked in a candy factory has fond memories of a favorite childhood treat or is a kid with a sweet tooth the exhibit is designed to appeal to all age groups we try to go to the lighter side of history,” he said “We knew the demographics that would be interested in this exhibit would be a wide range.” Cracker Jack gained exposure at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition but went without a name until 1896 when a salesman exclaimed “That's a Cracker Jack!” And the Chicago candy that became a tourist attraction “Sweet Home Chicago: The History of America's Candy Capital” is open through Sept as are several special programs offered in conjunction with the exhibit Ÿ Chef Gale Gand — pastry chef of the four-star TRU restaurant cookbook author and television personality — shares her experiences in “Tales from the Pastry Kitchen” at 6:30 p.m Ÿ The museum has a “Sweet Home Spectacular” from 1 to 4 p.m with an outdoor concert by Jim Gill and his Family Room Tour chocolate dipping with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Ÿ Hear “The History of the Blommer Chocolate Company,” the largest cocoa processor in North America with a factory on Chicago's near North Side Ÿ Third-generation candy maker Amy Wertheim of R.G.W Candy Company shares “Adventures in Candyland: Small Batch Candy Making” at 1 p.m Boutique Hotelier a pubco dedicated to rescuing historic boozers around London The reboot of the former William IV pub on Harrow Road features an outdoor area and private event spaces 15 existing bedrooms upstairs will be refurbished and individually styled before being relaunched early next year offering bed and breakfast The food menu at The William features executive chef Scott’s signature dishes that are served across the group’s burgeoning portfolio chicken schnitzel with fried egg and mussels with bacon Seasonal specials created especially for The William will change weekly The bar offering at The William focuses on London-based craft breweries on draft and a tailored and a ‘well considered’ wine list Signature LOCI cocktails are also be served The garden will fully launch in the spring following extensive redesign while The Clarence room – a self-contained events space with its own bar and access to the garden – will host around 40 people for dinner and 80 people standing North London brothers and Kensal Rise residents Ben and Ed Robson along with their business partners and friends Adam Gostyn and Scott Soteriou Ben Robson commented: “We are excited to introduce The William It is more than just a pub; it is a celebration of the vibrant Kensal Rise neighborhood we believe in creating welcoming spaces where the local spirit thrives Here’s to community and connection at The William.”