November 2007

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. As a reminder the Chamber offices will be closed November 22 & 23 in observance of the holiday.
RECYCLE for Education SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR NEXT RECYCLING EVENT! * Tuesday, November 20 * 6-8pm *please note the earlier time * Devon Bank Parking Lot * 6445 N. Western The West Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Devon Bank and Recycle Plus have teamed up to bring our community a place to recycle locally and for a good cause. * BRING YOUR ITEMS: * Paper, newsprint, magazines, glass, plastics, cans, metals etc etc * Please seperate, rinse and crush bottles and cans A portion of the money generated will stay in West Ridge and fund community education programs. Do you know of a school or program that is looking for funding? If so, please have them call the WRCC for a RECYCLE for Education funding application. 773-743- 6022

The Nutcracker at Performing Arts Limited
Performing Arts Limited will be producing our inaugural performance of The Nutcracker on Sunday December 16th at 2 pm. Our production is community wide-involving West Ridge students and artists. This is a "sweet treat" you will want to attend! At the Nutcracker Tea prior to the performance, enjoy sweet treats and tea while hearing the story and meeting the Sugar Plum Fairy! Shop at our Sugar Plum Boutique and get your own special crown or Nutcracker to commemorate the event! Families with children ages three and up are invited to call Performing Arts Limited to order tickets- 773.262.3262 2740 W. Touhy Avenue, Chicago 60645 There are opportunities for other local business to advertise their services in our program. This program will hit a potential 1000 audience members. Businesses that would like to participate in producing this event or sponsorship should contact the studio. Performing Arts Ltd. -

Get ready for winter with Comfort Heating & Cooling!
Don't forget to schedule your annual Tune- up! CALL NOW FOR AN APPOINTMENT! SPECIALS good for ALL of our wonderful West Ridge neighbors: $85 Furnace Clean and Check $100 Boiler Clean and Check DON'T FORGET to change your filter on a regular basis. Sleep Easy with Comfort 24/7/365 Comfort Heating & Cooling, Inc. 888-268-4464 ComfortHeatCool@aol.com

Images of America:Rogers Park
West Ridge residents, past and present, are invited to share stories and photos for an exciting new book about the history of this great Chicago neighborhood! Greetings from Jacque Day and Jamie Santoro. In 2006 we wrote the book Images of America: Rogers Park, and it was our privilege to share that experience with many people with connections to East Rogers Park, past and present. They shared their stories and offered up images that had never before appeared in print. We are now working on the companion book, Images of America: West Ridge , and we'd like to reach out to you to help us tell the story of this great neighborhood! About the Book We are beginning at the beginning, charting the paths of the first immigrants from their respective Old Countries in the early to mid-1800s, drawing in bold strokes the unique tight-knit communities of the area from early times into the 20th century, tracing the rise of the neighborhood and chronicling the cultural and religious growth of West Ridge as the 20th century progressed. Be Part of this Historic Record of West Ridge We are especially looking for photos and memorabilia of historic interest that pertain to the neighborhood of West Ridge , from the 1800s through the modern historic period, including the last 30 to 40 years. The most treasured photographic gems are often in the photo albums of individuals, cherished keepsakes in boxes, etc. We can come to you, scan the images on the spot, take notes, listen to your stories, and get to know you. Please Don't Wait After Images of America: Rogers Park became available, we received calls, offering up more stories and images. How wonderful to have been able to include those in the original book! But unfortunately, the time had passed. Please don't let this book come and go without your input! We are on a deadline. We need to have our materials assembled by November 1, 2007! Contact Us 312-545-7792/ westridgebook@gmail.com

Healthy Living
We take water for granted. It is a basic commodity, supplied to every home. But, many of us find our tap water less than ideal, and that is not only because of how it tastes. Public concern is rising on the subject of what municipal water supplies may contain. Chemicals, agricultural runoff and industry waste are a few of the contaminants that are concerns. There is an alternative to expensive bottled water, tap water, reverse osmosis, and common carbon filters (both are acidic, no minerals). Great tasting, clean, mineralized living water could be the answer. What might be in your water???? Only half of the chlorine that you take in every day comes from the water you drink. The other half is received in the shower. So, not only should you be concerned about the water that you drink, but also what comes out of your shower. · Many popular brands of bottled water are simply tap water that has been treated. · Many bottled water manufactures use ozone (a toxic gas) to disinfect their product. · Last year consumers worldwide spent more than $100 billion on commercially bottled water. · To maintain normal body functions a person needs to drink half his body weight in ounces of water every day. This would mean if a person weights 200 pounds he needs to drink 100 ounces of water every day. · A 2% dehydration level can cause a temporary reduction in memory. · Approximately 500,000 case of illness in the U.S. per year are caused by drinking water contaminated with sewage. Based on research and surveys conducted by the National Resources Defense Council Information was provided by Chamber members Judy Sachs and Linda Andros of World Wide Wellness jmlsachs@yahoo.com 773-615-8410.

Northtown Garden Society Meeting
The Northtown Garden Society will hold its annual business meeting on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 7:00 P.M. at the Warren Park Field House,6621 N. Western Avenue. For futher information please call Ginny Davis at (773) 973-4170
Join Curves® - Rest of Year Free Beginning November 12 through December 22, new members can join paying 1/3 off the service fee. Their first month's dues are waived until January 1, 2008. Stop in at Curves at 7300 N. Western today! Phone: (773) 338-0255/ E-mail: curvesofrogerspark@yahoo.com

1st Tuesdays with the Chamber - November 6 Join us at the North Town Library 6435 N. California from 530-730pm. Meet Chamber members and others who are interested in making West Ridge a better place to shop, work and live!

SPEED NETWORKING FOR BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 7:00 p.m. Temple Judea Mizpah 8610 Niles Center Road, Skokie Parking: B lot or Skokie Swift lot RESERVATION REQUIRED $10 PAID IN ADVANCE SPACE IS LIMITED RSVP to (312) 673-3431 Sponsored by: JVS DUMAN MICROENTERPRISE CENTER AND LOAN FUND.

Tooth Tips from Joyful Dental Care
SOFT DRINK TOOTH DECAY Due to increased availability at school and work cafeterias, there has been a steady rise in the amount of sugary drinks consumed every day by children and adults. It is not unusual for children to drink six to seven cans of soda a day. The average American gets more than 23 POUNDS of sugar from soft drinks yearly. Even diet or sugar free pop can be harmful to teeth due to its high acid level -- causing enamel erosion -- weakening the teeth and making them more susceptable to cavities. When drinking soft drinks and other sugary liquids such as juice, you're exposing your teeth to something over time that even with good brushing and flossing can break down the enamel that protects your teeth. Cavities are caused from the natural bacteria in your mouth living off of the sugar consumed. The hard outer tooth coating gets eaten away. Its all about supply and demand: the more sugar consumed, the more bacteria needed to break it down; and that bacteria need to live somewhere! Risk Factors include: exposure time, reduced saliva (from medicines, radiation, or dry mouth), home care, no dental care and not enough fluoride. So, limit the soda amount consumed to meals only so both food and soft drinks can be broken down together; read labels for sugar (high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, glucose, or dextrose); ask your dentist about prescription fluoride to strengthen tooth enamel. You can call Dr. Joy Poskozim at Joyful Dental Care (773)736-7767 for more details. Mention this article for a free consult!! A proud member of the West Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

FALL BOOK SALE
Low prices on great books,records and other items! * Tuesday, November 27, 6-8pm * Wednesday, November 28, 12- 8pm * Thursday, November 29 12-8pm Member preview night! For $10, you can become a member of the friends of the Northtown Branch Library and get one hard cover or 5 mass market paperback books for FREE! Chicago Public Library- Northtown Branch 6435 N. California 312-744-2292 This book sale is sponsored by the friends of the Northtown Branch Library. All proceeds go to the purchase of new books for the library.