Arts and Lifestyle

Reporting on local human interest stories centered around unique subject matter can be a challenging task but  conducting research allows for better preparation.

Through my new experience as a news reporter early in the internship in Waukegan after working in sports for five years, adding feature writing makes for a strange twist. And utilizing all the resources I could get my hands on resulted in thorough reporting.

Helps to understand all elements to a story before arriving to interview involved individuals.

Going global

Works by artists from developing countries are showcased at 10,000 Villages

GRAYSLAKE -- In an effort to expose the Grayslake community to different cultures, 10,000 Villages opened its doors to a new set of cultural displays of expression. 

"It was a huge success, it was packed," said store manager Susan Barg on the opening weekend. "We were the top store. We were told we had the top sales of any 10,000 Villages grand opening sale." 

The weekend started in grand style with various cultural experiences designed for individuals of all ages.

"We are hoping that they understand the mission of our store," said store manager Susan Barg. "We are a nonprofit retail store. Our hope is to educate the community on our mission."

The store allows artisans from various countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to have a source of income for their artwork.

"The reason for us is to allow them (the artists) to remain in their countries and lead a productive life," said Barg.

Barg said the company slogan should be "shopping with a purpose" because it benefits the artisans directly. 

The money received by the artisans will help them build and grow their communities from within.

The fair trade organization began the grand opening weekend with an origami workshop designed to target individuals of all ages and then had a performance from an all-women drumming ensemble. Diamana Diya played traditional music from Guinea and West Africa.

The Sunday entertainment featured local musician Andy Young with his hammered dulcimer, wooden flute and tin whistle to convey a musical experience from several countries.

The store will utilize local talent initially but could look for international talent as the store grows.

"We are going to have special events periodically throughout the year, especially during the holidays," Barg said.

The weather was not friendly to outdoor entertainment during the opening, so the entertainment was moved inside. The store manager said it could be considered a good thing because it brought people into the store to look at the artists' work.

"It was really emotional for our volunteers that helped the artisans," Barg said.

Barg encourages local talent to contact the store if they have any special musical talent they can offer.

"They can certainly contact us if they have something to offer," Barg said in regards to local talent.

The grand opening weekend ended with a workshop on table-setting design and how to add an artistic touch to the dinner table.

The Grayslake store is the fifth to open in the state of Illinois; there are some 70 stores open nationwide.

"We buy all of our products from the artisans in other countries and pay them for their services," Barg said.

Barg said the major feature of the store is its offerings of unique handcrafts and artwork not sold in general national retail stores.

The organization stresses fair trade with its artisans.

According to the corporate Web site, fair trade is a partnership "based on dialogue, mutual understanding, respect and direct contact between ourselves and our artisan partners in developing countries."

With the opening of the new store, Barg hopes to form relationships with artists from the developing countries it serves.

You'll be a-mazed

Farm offers a fun and educational experience among the cornstalks

October 12, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

GURNEE - The Kroll's Corn Maze is back. After a sluggish spring and summer season in 2005 when drought forced them to shut down the maze, the Kroll family has re-opened its corn maze. The Krolls purchased the land in rural Waukegan in 1986 and the farm began as a gardening place for Ruthann. 

It eventually evolved into a farm with goats, chickens and other animals in addition to the two major crops: pumpkins and corn.

The Krolls started the farm to provide educational opportunities for families and schools in the Waukegan and surrounding areas of Lake County.

After Randy Kroll retires after the 2007-08 school year as a physical education teacher at Highland Middle School, there will be more opportinities for the family farm to grow.

According to Ruthann Kroll, the biggest challenge is to diversify the curriculum for students of all age groups, ranging from pre-kindergarten to the high school level.

According to Ruthann, the major difference between the Kroll farm and other farms is that they schedule one educational group at a time in order to provide more individualized attention to the group.

Waukegan resident Kirk Burns and his family decided to come to the corn maze when they made their annual Friday night family drive around the city and saw a sign leading them to the farm.

"I thought it was pretty cool to be walking around the corn maze for the first time," Burns said. "It was a challenge to go through it. (Our family) got through it; it took us about 45 minutes."

"This is a better environment than some of the larger scale farms," Burns said. "They (Kroll's) are friendlier and willing to talk to you and explain things to you."

The educational theme for 2006 is soybeans. There are signs posted throughout various checkpoints in the maze with facts and figures about soybeans.

Liz Cozzi, of Lake Villa, visited the farm twice before. She brought her two daughters to experience the animals.

"I think they like running around with the animals here," Cozzi said. "Last year we took a hay ride and the year before I got some great apples. I was really happy with the apples, they were delicious."

Grayslake resident Laura Juarez took her seven month old son Adam to the farm to give him his first Halloween experience and his first pumpkin.

The Krolls began collecting animals when the oldest Kroll son, Tyler, brought some chicken eggs home from school. A neighbor offered the Kroll's an incubator to help hatch the chicken eggs to begin the raising chickens. The family's only daughter, Carly, took pride in raising the chickens and became the family's animal expert..

"The goats came along because my neighbors had goats; we would always see the goats," Randy said. "The neighbors said, 'Why don't you take a goat for your kids, wouldn't it be cute to have a goat?'"

According to Randy, the goats are compared to "puppy dogs" and family members walk them around the farm every day.

Ruthann said her secret wish is to have horses. She would eventually like to raise horses once Randy retires from teaching.

The Krolls' farming lifestyle was a major shift from where Randy began his childhood as a Chicago native. He moved to Libertyville when he was 13. Both Randy and Ruthann graduated from Libertyville High School.

"It was my wife that took interest at first. We got this land and she did all this research," Randy Kroll said, "And then pumpkins started doing well, so we decided to sell them."

The Kroll's three children have different areas of expertise which contribute to the farm education experience.

According to Ruthann, Tyler, who is a freshman at Carthage College, is the "master of the maze" and knows where all of the checkpoints are. Dylan, 14, is considered to be the multi-faceted person of the farm and can be counted on to be the organizer.