By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy
Bottoms Up, a popular late-night watering hole just outside of Lansing’s municipal limits at 1696 Thornton Lansing Road, is set to reopen its tavern and beer garden Wednesday after being closed for plumbing issues for a few months. The full kitchen is expected to be back online a few days later. For more information, visit http://www.bottomsuponline.com/.
Arby’s closes in HomewoodWith the recent closing of the Arby’s restaurant on Halsted Street in Homewood, Southland roast beef and potato cake junkies have to go east to the Arby’s on Calumet Avenue in Munster, Ind., or west to Tinley Park, which boasts three of the fast-food eateries.
Sisters to move into former Fox LumberIt’s official, My Sisters and Me boutique in Frankfort is taking over the recently remodeled Fox Lumber in downtown Frankfort. The village board Monday night approved a five-year lease with My Sisters, which will be doubling its size when it moves into the former lumber yard. For more information, visit http://www.mysistersandmeboutique.com/.
Papa Joe’s done in FrankfortPapa Joe’s has closed at 20531 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort, but the restaurant will not be dark for long. Something called Louie’s Pizza and Pasta has already taken a lease on the storefront and will be opening soon.
Tinley Park cleaners closes
Kleen Spot Cleaners closed recently at 16709 S. 80th Avenue in Tinley Park.
Home Werks opens in Orland
A home remodeling store called Home Werks opened recently at 7840 W. 159th St. in Orland Park. For more information, visit their website at http://www.homewerksinc.net/.
Now openMcDonald’s had the grand opening last week for its new restaurant at 7620 W. 95th St. in Hickory Hills, which has been open for several weeks. The new McDonald’s replaces one that was a few blocks away. The new restaurant has a double drive-through.
Ride the train at Chicago Ridge Mall
Junga Rides, a children’s train ride, is now open in the Kohl’s Court at Chicago Ridge Mall at 95th Street and Ridgeland in Chicago Ridge.
Free pizza toppings
Old Town Pizza, 11128 W. 179th St. in Orland Park, is offering Free Topping Tuesdays. The pizzeria is open for lunch and dinner and offers delivery and take-out service. For more information, call 708-478-7488 or visit their Facebook page.
About Me
- Bob Bong
- I have more than 40 years in the news business and have successfully evolved into an electronic journalist. Comings & Goings and Southland Savvy track news about businesses in Chicago's Southland.
'Summer Sol-a-Bration' at GSU
Wear your play clothes and bring the entire family out for the Summer Sol-a-Bration 2010, this Saturday, June 19, at the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park on the campus of Governors State University, just 40 minutes from downtown Chicago in University Park.
The Summer Sol-a-Bration will have all sorts of activities for children and adults to enjoy on this year’s summer solstice, from 2 to 5 p.m. The day is designed to celebrate the outdoors and the park’s sculpture collection.
Music will be provided by the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra's Brass Quintet, the Prairie State College Faculty Jazz Band, and the South Suburban Dulcimer and Folk Music Society.
Parking and admission is FREE. Some activities will have nominal fees. Shuttle carts are available for those with limited mobility. Mark your calendar and join the fun!
Activities include:
* Sculpture Trading Card Games!
* Online Drawing Exhibition!
* Online Photo Competition!
* Sno-cone Sculpting!
* Croquet!
* Sprinkler Sculptures!
* Kite flying!
* Kids build their own sculpture to take home!
* An opportunity to view over 25 unique works of art amidst the beauty of the prairie!
For more information or directions to the park and Governors State University, go to www.govst.edu/sculpture or call 708-534-4486.
You can also e-mail at: sculpture@govst.edu.
Programs and events presented by the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park are sponsored, in part, by Bimba Manufacturing Company and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
The Summer Sol-a-Bration will have all sorts of activities for children and adults to enjoy on this year’s summer solstice, from 2 to 5 p.m. The day is designed to celebrate the outdoors and the park’s sculpture collection.
Music will be provided by the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra's Brass Quintet, the Prairie State College Faculty Jazz Band, and the South Suburban Dulcimer and Folk Music Society.
Parking and admission is FREE. Some activities will have nominal fees. Shuttle carts are available for those with limited mobility. Mark your calendar and join the fun!
Activities include:
* Sculpture Trading Card Games!
* Online Drawing Exhibition!
* Online Photo Competition!
* Sno-cone Sculpting!
* Croquet!
* Sprinkler Sculptures!
* Kite flying!
* Kids build their own sculpture to take home!
* An opportunity to view over 25 unique works of art amidst the beauty of the prairie!
For more information or directions to the park and Governors State University, go to www.govst.edu/sculpture or call 708-534-4486.
You can also e-mail at: sculpture@govst.edu.
Programs and events presented by the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park are sponsored, in part, by Bimba Manufacturing Company and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
Consumer column: New website helps control energy costs
By David Kolata
Executive Director of Citizens Utility Board
At the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), we've always said that it pays to be energy efficient – and our new online service proves it.
CUB Energy Saver is the nation’s first free online tool to connect to actual electric bills and, yes, pay people through a rewards program for documented reductions in those bills. The first 10,000 Commonwealth Edison households that sign up will qualify to earn points (two for every kilowatt-hour they cut their power bill) that can be redeemed for free or discounted items at hundreds of local and national businesses. You get 100 points just for signing up!
For months, a pilot version of CUB Energy Saver has been showing Illinois families how to cut their energy usage by an average of 6 percent, for savings of roughly $200 a year. Now, with the rewards program, that 6 percent could mean another $130 in buying power.
CUB teamed up with two companies, Efficiency 2.0 and RecycleBank, to offer rewards as extra incentive to cut power bills. Points can be redeemed for thousands of items, including free movie tickets, magazine subscriptions, a buy-one-get-one-free deal at a national restaurant chain, or a free child’s admission to a museum.
Just follow the directions to sign up for CUB Energy Saver, connect to your ComEd account (to document actual cuts to your electric bill) and join the rewards program. Even if you don’t sign up for those rewards, you can still get rewarded by saving money, thanks to the tool’s hundreds of energy-saving actions.
CUB Energy Saver uses millions of pieces of publicly available data — including your zip code’s energy-usage data, weather predictions, and property records — to develop a personalized plan to cut your home’s energy costs. The plan becomes stronger the more information you give about your home and energy use — but all you need is your e-mail and home address to get started. Regardless of how much you tell CUB Energy Saver, all your data is completely private — and you control it.
Because not everyone’s last name is Trump, CUB Energy Saver recommends many no-cost actions, such as washing your clothes in cold water or turning off the coffeemaker. A low-cost plan may include buying Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. If you’re looking to make significant home improvements, CUB Energy Saver can tell you how much you’ll save by, for example, replacing your air conditioner with an efficient model.
Of course, not all actions will be right for you. That’s why you can edit your plan — adding new actions, removing old ones that don’t fit your lifestyle, or adjusting them so they do. Is CUB Energy Saver recommending that you wash larger loads of laundry? Tell it how big and how old your washer is. The tool will automatically adjust its estimates for how much money you could save and how many points you could earn.
Bottom line: Other online efficiency tools — with their vague estimates and generic tips — may be called "smart," but CUB Energy Saver is at the top of the class.
Join CUB Energy Saver now and get a free CFL. Plus, CUB will give up to 10,000 CFLs to the community with the largest percentage of energy saved in 2010.
Facing a tough economy, more and more Illinois families are turning to energy efficiency, which is about doing the same or more — but using less. What it’s NOT about is sacrifice. CUB Energy Saver is out to smash that myth, and save households lots of money — just in time for another expensive air conditioning season. Now that’s rewarding.
For money-saving advice and consumer tips, visit http://www.citizensutilityboard.org/!
Executive Director of Citizens Utility BoardCUB Energy Saver is the nation’s first free online tool to connect to actual electric bills and, yes, pay people through a rewards program for documented reductions in those bills. The first 10,000 Commonwealth Edison households that sign up will qualify to earn points (two for every kilowatt-hour they cut their power bill) that can be redeemed for free or discounted items at hundreds of local and national businesses. You get 100 points just for signing up!
For months, a pilot version of CUB Energy Saver has been showing Illinois families how to cut their energy usage by an average of 6 percent, for savings of roughly $200 a year. Now, with the rewards program, that 6 percent could mean another $130 in buying power.
CUB teamed up with two companies, Efficiency 2.0 and RecycleBank, to offer rewards as extra incentive to cut power bills. Points can be redeemed for thousands of items, including free movie tickets, magazine subscriptions, a buy-one-get-one-free deal at a national restaurant chain, or a free child’s admission to a museum.
Just follow the directions to sign up for CUB Energy Saver, connect to your ComEd account (to document actual cuts to your electric bill) and join the rewards program. Even if you don’t sign up for those rewards, you can still get rewarded by saving money, thanks to the tool’s hundreds of energy-saving actions.
CUB Energy Saver uses millions of pieces of publicly available data — including your zip code’s energy-usage data, weather predictions, and property records — to develop a personalized plan to cut your home’s energy costs. The plan becomes stronger the more information you give about your home and energy use — but all you need is your e-mail and home address to get started. Regardless of how much you tell CUB Energy Saver, all your data is completely private — and you control it.
Because not everyone’s last name is Trump, CUB Energy Saver recommends many no-cost actions, such as washing your clothes in cold water or turning off the coffeemaker. A low-cost plan may include buying Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. If you’re looking to make significant home improvements, CUB Energy Saver can tell you how much you’ll save by, for example, replacing your air conditioner with an efficient model.
Of course, not all actions will be right for you. That’s why you can edit your plan — adding new actions, removing old ones that don’t fit your lifestyle, or adjusting them so they do. Is CUB Energy Saver recommending that you wash larger loads of laundry? Tell it how big and how old your washer is. The tool will automatically adjust its estimates for how much money you could save and how many points you could earn.
Bottom line: Other online efficiency tools — with their vague estimates and generic tips — may be called "smart," but CUB Energy Saver is at the top of the class.
Join CUB Energy Saver now and get a free CFL. Plus, CUB will give up to 10,000 CFLs to the community with the largest percentage of energy saved in 2010.
Facing a tough economy, more and more Illinois families are turning to energy efficiency, which is about doing the same or more — but using less. What it’s NOT about is sacrifice. CUB Energy Saver is out to smash that myth, and save households lots of money — just in time for another expensive air conditioning season. Now that’s rewarding.
For money-saving advice and consumer tips, visit http://www.citizensutilityboard.org/!
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