Nothing like a pandemic to rearrange your priorities. Or your closets, drawers, garage.
On March 21st, Pritzker shut the state down. Once we realized our world was not going to retest “normal” for a while, Winnetkans masked-up, social-distanced, and attempted to grab victory from the jaws of defeat.
Newly pound-freed puppies pounded pavements. Spandex and cycles flew out the door. Fitbit and iWatch sales went through the roof. iPads, too. Parents became teachers...and jugglers. Zoom became a verb. Backyards became Disneylands. Grubhub and Instacart were put on speed-dial, and every honey-do that could got done.
Everywhere Winnetkans exhibited a level of generosity of spirit unimagined only months ago. Masks were folded, stitched, donated and delivered by the – yes – thousands. Dinners were dropped off, rides and shopping offered to total strangers, food pantries restocked.
COVID's been with us for (gasp!) 6 months. It's time for a reality check. With a nod to John Krasinski's Some Good News, here’s A Whole Lotta Good News. Take that, pandemic!
Not a Single Winnetka Retailer or Restaurant Closed.
In fact, three businesses opened their doors (with several more cued up). Thanks to a combo of super hungry bored-with-cooking shut-ins and super-creative management.
And more than a little help from the Village’s Economic Development Department. Think marketing and promotion, website and Yelp help, Facebook/Insta campaigns, PPP and BIG help, a pandemic-resources-for-businesses webpage on the Village website, relaxed zoning and liquor laws, deferred utility bill options, late fee waivers. And more. So much more.
Village Council Green-Lighted Bucks for Businesses.
Winnetka businesses said 'thanks for the help, but we still need cold, hard, cash. The kind you don’t have to pay back. ASAP.' We hear you, said Village Hall. Let’s find some.
Unlike nearby communities, Winnetka doesn't collect local sales tax. And now didn’t seem like a good time to start. Same for increasing property taxes. But, hey – what about that 1% rebate Winnetka gets from our State sales tax? Bingo.
So, on Tuesday, virtually all thumbs shot enthusiastically up for a 3-tiered Local Business Sales Tax Rebate Program – $2,500 to $10,000 to Winnetka businesses. Sorry, not you, franchises, chains, or home businesses, though.
Mom-and-pops get to keep their doors open. And President Rintz gets to say “fast-tracked,” one more time.
Rebranding Breathed New Life Into an Old Tradition.
Inside Outside Sidewalk Sale. Shop the store – shop the rack. A welcome serotonin hit for COVID-weary Winnetkans, whatever their risk tolerance. Numbers aren’t out yet, but the event was so popular – way more than in past years – the Chamber’s going in with the Village on monthly Shop & Strolls. Spend the day downtowning Winnetka.
Credit card, giddyup.
Hundreds Bought Local, Got Healthy, Embraced Kale.
Winnetka Northfield Farmer’s Market. More farmers. More produce. And flowers, specialty products, and crafts. And local businesses. No-touch (credit cards only) added a new level of safety. Headcount: 1000-weekly socially-distanced shoppers (up from about 700 at the beginning of summer) got healthy, bought local, and found delicious new ways to help shed their COVID 19.
You’ve got eight more weeks to go for the glow.
Drive-bys and Dixieland Music Made Memories.
Hands down the feel-good event of the summer. Winnetka’s first 4th-of-July-on-Wheels. AKA the July 4th Reverse Parade. Dozen of drive-bys, Dixieland music, and a Valslist soundtrack helped the Park District and Village help hundreds of Winnetkans and their families and friends make memories one creative, safe, fun carload of smiles at a time.
Huge thumbs up for putting it together in record time, Park District and Village!
The Library Was in the Right Place at the Right Time.
More people than ever before test-drove the Winnetka Northfield Public Library. Lookin’ at you, bored teens who got your “Super Smash Brothers” fix and more, little ones who saw local heroes read your favorite books, seniors who learned to Zoom, order groceries online, and enjoy art programs, and the rest of us, who live-streamed One Book Two Villages author interviews, traded our Great Courses subscription for Lynda.com, and tested out the new Found4You program. (Way better than pop-ups.)
FYI, the library’s studio’s not seeing prime time until it can restaff or figure out social distancing and attendance metering, but the main floor is open. (Northfield’s still closed.) Limited hours. Metered admits. Browsing and computers allowed. Hanging out, not so much. Curbside pickup. Masks. And new rules for returning stuff.
Adventures in Learning Went Virtual - and Rodent-free.
You know who you are. Reluctant parent of an Adventures in Learning end-of-the-season guinea pig, bunny, hamster. This was not that Adventures in Learning. Three weeks. Eleven classes. One-hundred kids. A re-imagined, totally virtual, synchronous, reptile– and rodent-less– success. Good times, good times.
District 36 Went Hybrid - With Options.
Teachable moment. D36 best-cased with a combination of in-person and on-line learning. But recognized risk tolerance is personal. Parents can go virtual if that's what works for them. No judgement. No fallout. The district wants to make it work for everyone. On everyone’s terms.
Read about it here. Watch it here.
While we’re at it, the District says if your decision isn't working for you, you can switch at the end of the semester. Here’s the latest from the CDC and a nifty checklist to help you decide.
Best For Last…
Trading one wild life for another, coyote sightings are once again taking top billing on the local newsfeed. COVID v coyotes? Our money's on the coyotes.
Stay safe. Together we can mask, social-distance, and elbow-bump our way to a Winnetka that’s better than ever!