Pierogi lovers' 'heaven' is in a basement

Pierogi heaven is quite possibly located in the basement of Barbara and Alex "Gooch" Kwiatkowski's Midlothian home. Ask any of a large number of their family, friends and "friends of friends" who have been showing up every fall for the last 20 years to spend the day in pierogi production.

Stockings for troops
Operation Care Package is determined to send Christmas stockings to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan this year. More than 10,000 handmade stockings have come to Joliet from throughout the United States to help make sure this happens.

Wining & dining at annual Epicurean Fest
On Friday, area residents will sample 12 different wines, 10,000 appetizers and 4,000 pastries to help more students becomes chefs someday. It's the annual Epicurean Festival of Food and Wine at Joliet Junior College.

Pet pictures for holiday can be a snap
Pet owners love to take photographs of their pets, and often the photograph ends up as the family's Christmas card. Here are some tips on how to get the best holiday shot of Max or Buddy:

Retriever rescue event scheduled
Pet rescue event: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 21 at Petco, 369 S. Weber Road, Romeoville. As Good as Gold, Golden Retriever Rescue of Northern Illinois to host meet and greet. Learn about rescued goldens, volunteer opportunities and adoption procedures. For more information, visit www.asgoodasgold.org.

Learn how to build a gingerbread house
Gingerbread building: 7 p.m. Dec. 1. Learn how to build a ginger bread house with chef Michael Niksic. An attendee will receive an edible house built and decorated during the class. Recipes, templates, storage instructions and a list of parts and sources are all included in the demonstration. Suitable for ages 6 and older and all levels of skill. Registration required.

Preserving, and selling, Slovenian traditions
The Joliet branch of the Slovenian Women's Union of America (Branch 22) is selling books with the aim of perpetuating Slovenian traditions while introducing readers to a new culture.

Plainfield students host tea party
Sixth-grade accelerated Language Arts students at Ira Jones Middle school culminated their study of the novel "A View From Saturday" by hosting a tea party.

United we stood; segregated he served
Every World War II veteran has a story worth hearing. But Aurora resident William "Paul" Vaughn has a perspective on the war shared by very few. From 1943 to 1945, Vaughn was a member of the U.S. Army's 379th Port Battalion, 5th Army Division, which was made up entirely of black soldiers, years before the Army dropped segregation in its ranks.

Volunteers bring dignity to patients' end of life
Joliet Area Community Hospice's Vigil Care Program helps insure that every terminally ill patient under its care dies with dignity in the company of a compassionate person, even when that patient has no family or friends to sit with them at the end.

JJC Planetarium hosting show on Milky Way
The Joliet Junior College Trackman Planetarium will host "Our Giant Home: The Milky Way Galaxy" from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy.

Plainfield students named to honor societies
Plainfield South High School inducted new members into its foreign language honor societies on Nov. 3. The following students were inducted into a foreign language honor society at Plainfield South.

Artist, teacher finds his inspiration in nature
Five years ago, graphic artist Robert Pennor switched artistic gears to pursue fine art as a full-time career. In addition to painting, exhibiting and selling his landscape oil paintings, Pennor, 64, of Bolingbrook, presents art demonstrations for local art groups. He also teaches oil and acrylic landscape painting at the DuPage Art League.

Tips for preventing spread of seasonal, H1N1 flu
With all the talk of the H1N1 swine flu since it first appeared last April, it is here now, and it is here in a big way. Prevention is the key to keep the virus away and to keep from spreading it around.

Weight loss nets food for area pantries
Mary Dalton in August participated in the national kick off of Weight Watchers "Lose for Good Campaign." Last year during the seven-week event, Dalton's Crest Hill group lost more than 2,600 pounds and donated almost 5,000 pounds of nonperishable food to the Life Line Food Pantry.

CPR, back injuries programs scheduled
CPR for the health care provider: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 12, Morris Hospital, 150 W. High St. in Morris.

Ready for emergencies? Tips to protect pets
Illinois may be miles away from the Florida panhandle where remnants of Hurricane Ida made landfall this morning. But it is a reminder that pet owners should be prepared for any potential disaster, from fire to flooding or tornadoes.

Plainfield parents see daughter soar on world charts
Kosovo pop star Genta Ismajli has amassed more than 25 million views on You Tube, has more than 26,000 fans on her Facebook page and has performed 300-plus concerts around the globe. The 25-year-old recently visited her family in Plainfield before meeting with New York producers.

Lewis launches scholarship, facilities campaign
Lewis University hosted its 11th annual Signum Fidei Celebration on Sept. 12 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. It was the perfect setting for the launch of the $30 million "Campaign for Lewis University: Touching Hearts and Minds."

Holiday craft shows abound
The following is a list of seasonal craft shows and bazaars offered throughout the  area.

Plainfield artist's favorite subject: Americana
At the center of Joe Petruzzi's Web site is an oil painting titled "America the Good and..."; it is a tribute to his son's military service and Petruzzi's own love for all-things American.

Easter Seals clients to become American Girls for a day
In the same spirit of the American Girl doll stories, two special needs girls will model Bitty Baby signature clothing to raise money for Easter Seals Joliet Region.

Express yourself with your mug
It can be said that drinking a cup of coffee is an expression of American freedom. What can be more American than a coffee mug? Last month I started asking readers to send me photos of their favorite coffee mug and the reason it holds so many memories.

Cancer research, toy drive honor teen's work
Mark Staehely battled a rare pediatric cancer for six years before dying in 2006. One of his last wishes is now being realized through a new foundation supporting research into the disease.

'Rent' speaks to audiences of all ages
HALO Productions, a Plainfield off-Broadway performance company, is bringing "Rent" to Aurora at The Paramount Theatre, and Katie Arko, the theater's director of development, said she is excited about it.

Talk to help kids reduce stress
Plainfield School District social workers will present a seminar for parents of middle and high school students to learn how to deal with stress in the household.

Holiday craft shows abound
The following is a list of seasonal craft shows and bazaars offered throughout the readership area.

Lewis U, mediation team earns honors
Lewis University's mediation team earned second- and fourth-place honors in the University of Wisconsin mediation tournament on Oct. 9-10.< br>

Plainfield musicians invited to district festivals
Nearly 50 middle and high school music students in the Plainfield School District were invited to participate in this year's annual Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) District IX festivals for band, orchestra and choir.

Ghosts of dinners past haunt Plainfield eatery?
The haunted house on Lockport Street in Plainfield is really a restaurant, but people who work there have paranormal-activity-like stories to tell.

Tickets available for hospice fashion show benefit
Joliet Area Community Hospice Guild is returning to the location of its first Puttin' on the Glitz fundraiser -- the Joliet Junior College Renaissance Center, 214 N. Ottawa St. in downtown Joliet.

Easy, adaptable holiday treats

Whether you need a last-minute hors d'oeuvre or an effortless way to use a spare round of purchased pie crust, try these sweet or savory pinwheels that come together in minutes, bake up attractively, travel well and are incredibly versatile.

Heart attack survival rates improve in women
Two new studies show that heart attacks have become more common among middle-aged women in the last two decades, but in-hospital survival rates, especially for younger women, are improving compared with men. Both studies were published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Holiday craft show roundup
The following is a list of seasonal craft shows and bazaars offered throughout the area:

Plainfield students, faculty pledge values
Nearly 1,000 Timber Ridge students, administrators and staff members pledged to commit to the five core values. What started off as a small idea from one team of eighth-grade teachers at the school quickly escalated to a schoolwide initiative.

Plainfield students share career dreams
Creekside Elementary School second-graders will bring their study of communities and community helpers to life with a Career Day. On Oct. 23, students will come to school dressed up in an outfit or costume that signifies their future career goals.