What does a Project Manager do?

Tales from a Project Manager – Project Manager Role

Are you thinking about becoming a project manager?  

Are you asking, "What does a project manager do"?

In this article, "What does a Project Manager do?" is explored and answered.

So, what does a Project Manager do?

A project manager is responsible for planning, organizing, and orchestrating the completion of projects for a company or organization and making sure projects are completed within budget, on time, and deliver the defined scope.

While the exact duties of a project manager may differ depending on the industry, company, and the types of projects assigned, all project mangers share responsibilities across the “project life cycle”.  

The project life cycle consists of the following five (5) processes (or phases):

• Initiating
• Planning
• Executing
• Monitoring and Controlling
• Closing

While many think of these as steps a project sequences through, in reality they are processes that the project continually iterates through till the end of the project.  The project manager returns to these processes throughout the life of the project.  For example, if hardware is needed before software can be installed, the hardware installation may be executing, while the software installation of the project is still being initiated.  Or if new scope items are added to the project, the project manager needs to take the new scope items through the initiating process while the original scope items of the project are in the executing and monitoring and control process.  Another example is while executing a project, the project team may discover issues or external dependencies requiring the project to go through the planning process again.

Lets take a closer look at each process and the roles and responsibilities of the project manager.

Initiating

It is vitally important during the initiating process (or phase) that the scope, purpose, and main objectives of the project are clearly defined and socialized.  Also, it is extremely important to identify key internal and external stakeholders, perform stake holder analysis, discuss shared expectations, and gain the required authorization to kick off the project with the project team.

Much of the project initiation activities aren’t done by the project manager alone.  And quite often a project manager is not assigned to a project until much of this work is already done or is well under way.

Stake holder analysis is where the project manager assesses stakeholder needs, determines stakeholders that are supportive and those that are likely not supportive, and determines strategies to manage stakeholder needs.

Key questions for the project manager and leaders to answer during the initiating phase are:

1. What information from past projects should be considered to help the project team and ensure project success
2. Is the project budget approved?  If not, how will the project be funded?
3. What does done look like for the project?
4. What is the specific problem trying to be solved?
5. What is the importance of the project?  Is it to save the company money?  Is the project revenue generating?  To deliver a new service or capability, etc?
6. What are the explicit success criteria for the project?  How do you know if the project is a success or not?
7. What are the requirements and constraints of the project?
8. What assumptions are being made?
9. What are the unknowns of the project?
10. What is in scope for the project and what is out of scope for the project?
11. Who are the stakeholders of the project?  Who is impacted?  Or Who impacts the project?
12. Who are the supportive stakeholders for the project?  Who are resistant stakeholders for the project?
13. What are the desired outcomes of the project?  Again save money?  Generate revenue?  Reduce # of man hours?  Increase customer call volume traffic?  Reduce mean time to failure?  Etc.
14. Are there time constraints?  Are there unrealistic expectations? 
15. What are the risks? 
16. Are statements of work with 3rd party vendors needed for the project?
17. What is the experience level of teams impacted by the project?

Once a project manager is assigned the project manager needs to fully engage to make sure they have a clear understanding of the project, the stake holders, and determine strategies to work the project within the organization.  The project initiation phase culminates in the project manager working to get the project chartered and formally approved.

Planning

Once a project is formally chartered and approved, the project manger works with key stakeholders to create an integrated project plan to achieve the project goals.

The project plan should include all aspects of the project including documents that need to be authored, testing, equipment purchases, installs, external project dependencies, and any project constraints.  The project plan allows the project manager to oversee cost, timeline, scope, risk, quality, and communications for the project.

During the planning phase, the project manager needs to outline key deliverables and milestones, and work with the team to identify the tasks that need to be completed to achieve each deliverable and milestone.

Project “planning” doesn’t actually end until the project does.  The project plan needs to be treated as a living document that evolves as the project evolves.

Prior to moving to the “Executing” process it is important to baseline the project plan.

The desired outcome of the planning phase is to have an end to end project plan with assigned resources for each project task and to make sure the plan is socialized and that the project team and key stake holders are aware and have bought into the key milestones and that the milestones and deliverables are achievable.

Executing

The executing process or phase is all about executing to the project tasks and plan that was laid out during the planning process (or phase).  The assigned team members complete the work that is identified in the project plan to accomplish the goals of the project.  During executing the project manager main responsibility is to assign the work and to ensure tasks are completed as scheduled. 

It is important for the project manager during the executing process to be observant and protect the team from distractions, communicate effectively, work and facilitate issue resolution, lead the team through changes in the project, and keep stakeholders informed.

During the executing process or phase it is also critical all operational support items are prepared and are worked.  And all necessary training (formal or informal) is scheduled and delivered to the teams responsible for maintaining the solution going forward or to end user teams.

Monitoring and Controlling

A project manger needs to monitor and control the project throughout the life cycle of the project from planning to closure.

The monitoring and control process (or phase) lasts the entirety of the project from the very beginning of the project throughout planning, execution, and closing. 

For monitoring and controlling the main responsibilities of the project manager are:

• Track actual project plan performance against the planned/scheduled performance – compare variance to plan
• Track and work with the team to ensure key milestones for the project are reached
• Track and monitor the progress of key deliverables and the overall progress of the project
• Manage the project’s budget
• Communicate project status and variances to plan to key stakeholders
• Track and manage project risks and issues

It is important to realize that projects rarely go exactly according to plan, so a project manager needs to be astute, flexible, and adapt as situations and events occur.  

Closing

During the closing process (or phase) a project manager should verify that all key deliverables, objectives, and activities for achieving the final project results are complete.  Also, during project closure verify that all operational support teams for the solution have all necessary reference documents for maintaining the solution going forward.

Some of the key responsibilities of the project manager during closing are:

• Work with key stakeholders and clients to get formal sign-off of project deliverables and sign-off the project is completed and can be closed
• Verify operational owners have been trained
• Perform a lessons learned or after action review with the project team and any key work partners
• For third party vendors or partners, review work delivered, review vendor performance with team and address any significant vendor issues.  Administratively close vendor contracts and make sure invoices are paid.
• Release all resources (budget or staff) no longer needed for the project and thank them.
• Prepare project closure report documenting lessons learned and any punch list items that need to be resolved
• Archive project files for reference on future initiatives

It is important that once the project is closed all deliverables or solutions requiring ongoing operational support need to transition to the appropriate operational support organization.

Final Thoughts

The project manager is the main orchestrater ensuring that a project is well defined, well organized, well staffed, and is well planned.

It is also vital for a project manger to perform stakeholder analysis to determine the appropriate strategies and plans to keep stakeholders informed, aware, and engaged on a project and to appropriately minimize or respond to resistant or outright unsupportive stake holders.

There are many different aspects that project mangers need to address from day to day.  It is important to lead, listen, accommodate, and assist the project team and project stakeholders to deliver a successful project and ultimately a successful solution for the business.

Stay vigilant, hopeful, responsible, and address any team behavior issues so they don’t distract the rest of the team.

(C) 2022-23 jspublishing.blogspot.com

Sunderlage Farmhouse and Smokehouse

Sunderlage Historic Farmhouse

Johann Sunderlage

The “History of the Village of Schaumburg Website” indicates, “The first recorded settler of Schaumburg Township was German born Johann Sunderlage.  According to legend, Sunderlage was a member of a survey team that divided Cook County into townships around 1833.  He liked the area so much that, upon completion of the project, he brought his family from Germany and settled in the area around 1836.”

Sunderlage Farmhouse

Johann Sunderlage bought 160 acres of land from the federal government in the 1840s through the federal land sale of 1842.   The Sunderlage Farmhouse was built in 1856.   Hiram Thurston a Yankee carpenter from Palatine was the builder of the house.

The upstairs of the house has 6 rooms and a large attic.  The lower level includes a kitchen a large meeting room and is used for meetings, programs, and is available for small group rental.

The Sunderlage farmhouse and Smokehouse Address is:  1775 Vista Ln, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169 and is located to the west of the Triphahn Community Center & Ice Arena off of Volid Drive.

Sunderlage Farm Smokehouse

The property includes the smokehouse which is on the National Register of Historical Places.

According to Wikipedia, “The smokehouse was built circa 1860 as part of the Sunderlage Farm; it and the farm's farmhouse are the only remaining farm buildings in Hoffman Estates. While the area that is now Hoffman Estates was rural for much of the early nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, its farms were subdivided into suburban housing in the 1960s. The smokehouse, which was used to cure and hold the farm's meat supply, is well-preserved compared to other surviving contemporary smokehouses in northeastern Illinois. Its functional design uses the then-popular Greek Revival style and includes brick detailing below the roof line.”

The smokehouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

For Further Information

The Sunderlage property is currently owned and maintained by the Village of Hoffman Estates.  For further information about the Sunderlage Farmhouse and Smokehouse contact the Historical Sites Commission through the Village of Hoffman Estates.

(C) 2022-23 jspublishing.blogspot.com

Why Big Projects Fail and How to Increase Big Project Success Rates

Leading Teams and Projects – How to Increase Big Project Success Rates

You should be aware big projects have a high probability of “failure.”  The sheer scale, number of stakeholders, and number of teams impacted by big projects lend to disconnects, missed tasks, missed critical deliverables, and integration failure as the series of project work tracks don't seamlessly come together .      

While the definition of project failure may vary, project failure usually means the project didn’t obtain the pre-defined organizational objective or work wasn’t completed on time.  

In the Harvard Business Review article by Nadim Matta and Ron Ashkenas titled, “Why Good Projects Fail Anyway” Nadim and Ron confirm, “Big Projects fail at an astonishing rate – more than half the time, by some estimates.”  Nadim and Ron are not surprised by the failure rate as the article goes on to state, “Complicated long-term projects are customarily developed by a series of teams working along parallel tracks.  If managers fail to anticipate everything that might fall through the cracks, those tracks will not converge successfully at the end to reach the goal.”

And project “failure” demoralizes a team and produces stress and anxiety in staff.  It impacts the teams confidence and behaviors.  Nadim and Ron state this regarding project failure, “And the toll they take is not just financial. These failures demoralize employees who have labored diligently to complete their share of the work.”

To increase big project success rates, Nadim and Ron suggest a strategic approach to reduce the risk of project unknowns and integration risks.

Nadim and Ron suggest layering in Rapid-Result initiatives and teams to combat “white-space risks” and “integration risks” on large scale multi-year projects.  Nadim and Ron go further, “The key is to inject into the overall plan a series of mini-projects—what we call rapid-results initiatives—each staffed with a team responsible for a version of the hoped-for overall result in miniature and each designed to deliver its result quickly.”

So, in essence rapid proto-typing of the project deliverables at a much smaller scale upfront with core project teams to learn and adapt the project plan to scale up more successfully for the longer-term overall project.

Rapid Result initiatives intentionally are commissioned to produce measurable results.  

So, how do rapid result initiatives work?  

Nadim and Ron explain it as follows, “Using a traditional project management approach, you might have one team research and install software packages, another analyze the different ways that the company interacts with customers (e-mail, telephone, and in person, for example), another develop training programs, and so forth. Many months later, however, when you start to roll out the program, you might discover that the salespeople aren’t sold on the benefits. So even though they may know how to enter the requisite data into the system, they refuse. This very problem has, in fact, derailed many CRM programs at major organizations.

But consider the way the process might unfold if the project included some rapid-results initiatives. A single team might take responsibility for helping a small number of users—say, one sales group in one region—increase their revenues by 25% within four months. Team members would probably draw on all the activities described above, but to succeed at their goal, the microcosm of the overall goal, they would be forced to find out what, if anything, is missing from their plans as they go forward. Along the way, they would, for example, discover the salespeople’s resistance, and they would be compelled to educate the sales staff about the system’s benefits. The team may also discover that it needs to tackle other issues, such as how to divvy up commissions on sales resulting from cross-selling or joint-selling efforts.”

So with Rapid-result initiatives the rapid result teams are implementing a rapid proof of concept at a smaller scale to 1) identify disconnects or “unknown problems” upfront, 2) Get greater buy-in with teams resistant to change, 3) Identify lessons from the smaller scale to apply to the larger initiative.

In my many years as a project manager I can confirm the challenges and Nadim and Ron speak about in the article are very typical challenges that all organizations face with large scale projects and initiatives.  

I agree with Ron and Nadim that by implementing Rapid prototyping and instituting mini projects of Rapid-result initiatives up front an organization will have a far greater probability of success for big project initiatives.

What I have seen is rapid-result teams provide leaders and managers with measurable results that are used to educate and convince other stakeholders who are initially skeptical to get on board with the goals and support the project.  

Many times external teams within the organization who are impacted by the project or view the project goals as unwanted change will either overtly or covertly work against the project and will be hostile to the project objectives.  

Rapid-result initiatives that provide real results and show efficiencies convince unsupportive stakeholders to give the project a chance.  This in turn gains greater collaboration and buy-in from resistant parts of the organization or teams.

Final Thoughts  

Big projects have an alarming rate of failure.  Being strategic and implementing rapid-result initiatives will increase the success rate of big projects.  Rapid prototyping of project deliverables at a smaller scale provides the quick wins to convince others in the organization to get on board and support the initiative.  

Rapid-result initiatives allow the project team to identify lessons from the smaller scale work that can be applied to the big project implementation.

Rapid-result initiatives work in conjunction with other best practices like identifying clear project objectives, having an executive sponsor, and setting realistic expectations.  

(C) 2022-23 jspublishing.blogspot.com

Things to Do in Arlington Heights

Things to Do in Arlington Heights, IL

Arlington Heights, Illinois is a Northwestern suburb of Chicago about 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.  The village is located in Cook and Lake Counties and includes retail shops, restaurants, and 2 train stations.

Updated:  September 21, 2024

Table of Contents:

• Arlington Heights, Illinois Introduction
• Places to Eat in Arlington Heights, Illinois
• Things to Do and Places to Visit in Arlington Heights
• For Dog & Pet Owners
• Churches
• Hospitals and Medical Centers
• Library
• Arlington Heights, Illinois Schools
• Summary

Arlington Heights, Illinois Introduction

According to Wikipedia, “Arlington Heights has experienced a recent boom in development of condos, restaurants, and other businesses,” in the downtown area, “with restaurants experiencing the greatest overall success.”

The median income of individuals living in Arlington Heights is $ 49,215 as of 2019.

According to Wikipedia Arlington Heights has a population of 77,676 as of 2020.

Thomas Hayes is the mayor of Arlington Heights and is serving his 3rd term in office.  The Village of Arlington Heights Municipal campus is located at 33 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL, 60005 .  

The Police Department in Arlington Heights is located at 200 E. Sigwalt Street, Arlington Heights, IL  60004 and the non-emergency phone # is 847.368.5300.

Arlington Heights is a family-oriented village, full of city parks, a performing arts center, and a small downtown.  Lake Arlington is located on the northern end of Arlington Heights and is a popular destination for summer-time picnics and sailboats.

Wikipedia indicates the following movies were partially filmed in Arlington Heights:

• Lucas (1986) – several scenes filmed at the former Arlington High School including the former Grace Gym and Foyer 
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 film) (high school scenes filmed at John Hersey High School)
• The Lucky Ones (2008)
• Normal Life (1996)
• Uncle Nino (2003)
• Bernadette (2018)
• The Founder

Now lets take a look at restaurants in Arlington Heights.

Places to Eat in Arlington Heights

Some popular places to eat in Arlington Heights are:  

Francesca's Tavola

• Cuisine:  Italian
• Address:  208 S Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 394-3950 

Jameson's Original Charhouse 

• Cuisine:  American Chophouse
• Address:  1331 W Dundee Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone:  (847) 392-7100

Mago Grill & Cantina

• Cuisine:  Mexican
• Address:  115 W Campbell St, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 253-2222

Nikko Sushi 

• Cuisine:  Japanese & Sushi house
• Address:  282 E Algonquin Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 364-9546

Armand's Pizzeria

• Cuisine:  Pizza & Italian
• Address:  101 W Campbell St, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 342-0664

Joe & Giuseppe Restaurant

• Cuisine:  Italian
• Address:  952 Arthur Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 259-6448

altThai

• Cuisine:  Thai and Pan-Asian
• Address:  40 S Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 797-8442

Peggy Kinnane's Irish Restaurant & Pub

• Cuisine:  Irish
• Address:  8 N Vail Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone:  (847) 577-7733

Big Shot Piano Lounge & Restaurant

• Cuisine:  American 
• Address:  2 S Vail Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 670-6890
• Website:  http://www.bigshotpianolounge.com/

Salsa 17

• Cuisine:  Mexican
• Address:  17 W Campbell St, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 590-1122

Carlos & Carlos Restaurant

• Cuisine:  Italian dishes with French influences
• Address:  27 W Campbell St, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 259-2600

Walker Bros. Original Pancake House

• Cuisine:  Breakfast
• Address:  825 Dundee Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone:  (847) 392-6600

Things to Do and Places to Visit in Arlington Heights:

Arlington Heights, Illinois offers a wide variety of places to visit, activities, and things to do.  Here is a list of some attractions, places to visit, and things to do in Arlington Heights, Illinois:

1. Metropolis Performing Arts – The theater houses 329-seats which hosts hundreds of produced and presented performances each year including a variety of concerts, comedy, and cabarets.
• Address:  111 W. Campbell, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone: (847) 577-2121
• Website:  https://www.metropolisarts.com/
• ==========================================
2. Arlington Ale House - 10,000 square feet of beer, wine, whiskey, liquor and fun!  Located on the third floor of the Metropolis building downtown Arlington Heights
• Address:  111 W Campbell St UNIT 3, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (224) 735-2450
• Website:  http://www.arlingtonalehouse.com/
3. Arlington Heights Historical Museum – History museum includes a collection of vintage & replica homes & businesses, plus dolls & dollhouses.
• Address:  110 W Fremont St, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone # (847) 255-1225
• Website:  https://www.ahmuseum.org/ 
• ==========================================
4. Bike Trails - Arlington Heights has a great network of bike trails.  
• TrailMap:  https://p1cdn4static.civiclive.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_8644344/File/BikeMap.pdf
• ==========================================
5. Lake Arlington Park and Lake - The 2 mile walking path is used year-round.  The 50-acre detention lake allows boating but no swimming.
• Address:  2201 N Windsor Dr, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone # (847) 577-3054
• ==========================================
6. Arlington Lakes Golf Club (ALGC) – The NEW Arlington Lakes Golf Club's, 90-acres course offers something for every golfer.  Owned and operated by the Arlington Heights Park District, the course is home to the annual Arlington Amateur
• Address:  1211 S New Wilke Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone # (847) 577-3030
• ==========================================
7. Thrown Elements Pottery- Paint Your Own Pottery and Wet Clay ceramic studio in Arlington Heights, IL
• Address:  260 N Evergreen Ave, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004
• Phone # (847) 818-1313
• e-mail:  info@thrownelementspottery.com 
• ==========================================
8. Runner's High 'n Tri – For over 25 years, Runners High 'n Tri has been a valuable resource for the northwest suburban athletic community
• Address:  121 W Campbell St, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 670-9255 
• Website:  https://www.runnershigh-n-tri.com/ 
• ==========================================
9. Arlington Ridge Center – One Stop Fitness Center.  Includes four separate pools: dive well, lap pool, family activity pool and a wellness pool. A double gymnasium that includes 6 basketball, 4 volleyball and 6 pickleball courts with suspended walking track above. Multiple locker rooms with showers, two aerobic exercise rooms, a party room and 5,000 sq. ft. fitness center overlooking Legacy Park. Childcare is also available.
• Address:  660 N. Ridge Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone # 847-577-3025
• ==========================================
10. Frontier Park - Large northern park.  This park contains the Park District's north side maintenance service center, community center and outdoor pools.  Has some wooded areas and 39 rental community gardens, playground area, shelter, tennis courts.  A variety of preschool classes, youth activities, and adult programs are offered. Outdoor lighting for the tennis courts is available April through November.
• Address:  1933 N. Kennicott, Arlington Heights, IL 60004 
• Phone # 847-577-3015 
• ==========================================
11. Pioneer Park – Indoor facilities and outdoor park.  Playground,  Football Fields, Outdoor tennis courts.  Picnic area and shelter, Pool, Basketball courts, bike and walk path. 
• Address:  500 S. Fernandez, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone # 847-577-3035
• ==========================================
12. Camelot Park – Indoor facilities and outdoor park.  Includes playground, tennis courts, pool, indoor track, outdoor bike and walk path, picnic area and shelter.
• Address:  1005 E. Suffield Dr., Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone # 847-577-3010
• ==========================================
13. Heritage Park - One of five community centers, Heritage Park provides classroom space, offices and meeting rooms for the neighborhood.  Includes pool, basketball court, outdoor volleyball courts, and many other amenities.
• Address:  506 West Victoria, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone # 847-577-3020
• ==========================================
14. Recreation Park - Located in the downtown area in one of the older neighborhoods, Recreation park is the oldest community park with large mature trees and other significant landscaping, newer playground, 3 outdoor lighted tennis courts, pools, bath house, and the community center hosts a thriving preschool program.
• Address:  500 East Miner, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone # 847-577-3040
• ==========================================
15. Mitsuwa Marketplace - Supermarket offering a range of Japanese groceries, plus cosmetics, appliances & other goods
• Address:  100 E Algonquin Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone # (847) 956-6699

Movie Theater near Arlington Heights:

AMC Randhurst 12

• Address:  200 Randhurst Village Dr, Mt Prospect, IL 60056
• Phone # (847) 590-1766
• Website =  https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/chicago/amc-randhurst-12 

For Dog and Pet Owners: 

Arlington Heights and the surrounding area offer several dog care, animal hospitals / vets, and boarding establishments:

1. Dogtopia of Arlington Heights- Dog Daycare, Boarding, Training, and Spa facility
• Address:  676 E Rand Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone # (847) 350-1115
2. Tailchasers Pet Care - Dog Daycare, cat and dog sitting, boarding, training, and walking
• Address:  213 S Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone # (847) 381-0829
3. Arlington Heights Animal Hospital – Exotic Animals, Puppy/kitten Care, Surgery, Boarding, among other services
• Address:  412 W Algonquin Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 593-1898
4. Arlington Golf Animal Hospital – Animal Clinic, Boarding for Dogs, Cat Groomers, Dental care, Exotics Boarding, among others
• Address:  1900 S Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone: (847) 364-0400

Dog Parks in the Area:

• Melas Park Canine Commons – access requires membership
• Address:  1500 W Central Rd, Mt Prospect, IL 60056
• Phone # (847) 506-2730
• Website:  https://www.ahpd.org/parks/facility-details/?fid=22

• Happy Tails Dog Park - Buffalo Grove – annual or daily use permit required - Permits are available for purchase at the Alcott Center
• Address:  835 Commerce Ct, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
• Phone # (847) 459-2311
• Website:  https://www.bgparks.org/facilities/happy-tails-dog-park/

Churches

Arlington Heights, Illinois offers the following churches:

• St. James Catholic Church - Catholic
• Address:  820 N Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone: (224) 345-7200
• Website:  https://www.stjamesah.org/

• The Orchard Arlington Heights - Evangelical Free Church of America
• Address:  1330 N Douglas Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone:  (847) 392-4840
• Website:  https://www.theorchardefc.org/arlington-heights/

• St. John Church - United Church of Christ
• Address:  308 N. Evergreen Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone:  (847) 255-6687
• Website:  https://www.stjah.org/

• Our Saviour's Lutheran Church - Lutheran (ELCA)
• Address:  1234 N. Arlington Heights Road, Southwest corner of Arlington Heights Road and Olive Street,  Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone:  (847) 255-8700
• Website:  https://oursaviours.org/

• Church of the Incarnation - United Methodist Church - Methodist (UMC)
• Address:  330 W Golf Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  847 956-1510

• St. Simon's Episcopal Church - Episcopal
• Address:  717 W. Kirchhoff Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
• Phone:  (847) 259-2930
• Website:  https://saintsimons.org/

• St. Peter Lutheran Church & School - Lutheran (LCMS)
• Address:  111 W Olive St, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone:  (847)259-4114
• Website:  https://www.fulllifeinchrist.org/

• St. Edna Catholic Church - Catholic
• Address:  2525 N Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• Phone:  (847) 398-3362
• Website:  http://www.stedna.org/

Hospitals and Medical Centers in Arlington Heights:

Northwest Community Healthcare/Hospital 

489-bed community hospital 

800 W Central Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 

Non-Emergency Phone # (847) 618-1000

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Outpatient Center 

880 W Central Rd # 6400, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 

Non-Emergency Phone # (312) 227-5410

IBJI OrthoAccess Immediate Care - Arlington Heights

1300 Central Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Non-Emergency Phone # (847) 870-6100

Library in Arlington Heights:

Arlington Heights Memorial Library

500 N Dunton Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Phone # (847) 392-0100

Website:  https://www.ahml.info/

Arlington Heights, Illinois Schools:

The schools (public and private) serving the community are:

High schools

• John Hersey High School 
• Rolling Meadows High School, RMHS
• Palatine High School, PHS

Middle schools

• South Middle School
• Thomas Middle School

Elementary schools

• Dryden Elementary School
• Greenbrier Elementary School
• Ivy Hill Elementary School
• Olive-Mary Stitt School
• Patton Elementary School
• Westgate Elementary School
• Windsor Elementary School

Private schools:

• NewHope Academy
• Our Lady of the Wayside School
• St. James School – Arlington Heights
• St. Peter Lutheran School
• Arlington Montessori School
• St Viator High School

Preschools:

• Arlington Heights Park District - preschool is available at Camelot Park, Frontier Park, Pioneer Park, and Recreation Park
• Kiddie Academy of Arlington Heights - 880 W Dundee Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004 – Phone # (847) 603-4500
• Arlington Montessori School - 2025 S Goebbert Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 – Phone # (847) 222-4267
• Our Lady of the Wayside School - 432 South Mitchell Avenue Arlington Heights, IL 60005- Phone # (847) 255-0050

Summary

Arlington Heights, Illinois is a northwest suburb of Chicago that offers many places to visit, attractions, and things to do.  Downtown Arlington Heights has many shops, restaurants, and places to see.  Arlington Heights is a family-oriented village, full of city parks, and home of many working professionals.   The Village of Arlington Heights has good schools and is a great community to raise a family.  Come visit Arlington Heights, Illinois or consider living in Arlington Heights, Illinois - you will be happy you did. 

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Check the other "Things to Do" pages:

• Hoffman Estates
• Glen Ellyn
• Schaumburg

(C) 2022-24 jspublishing.blogspot.com

Easy and Tasty Recipes

Easy and Tasty Recipes in Under 30 minutes

Cooking is a creative process requiring time, some risk taking, preparation, and skill for the dish to comes together seamlessly, with flavor, and with great appeal.  

While cooking can be enjoyable it can also be stressful if you are short on time.  So, the following 2 recipes are easy to make, delicious and can be completed in under 30 minutes. 

Please feel free to share your own favorite quick and easy recipes below in the comment section.  

Depending on the number of folks in your party you may need to increase or decrease the ingredient list to accommodate the size or your party.

Chicken and Pasta Recipe 

Chicken and Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts cut in strips
• 1/2 bell pepper cut in strips
• 2 cloves of garlic diced
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
• Parmesan cheese optional
• 3 cups cooked pasta 1.5 cups dry pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. In a medium sauce pan bring water to boil, pour in uncooked pasta and 1 tsp salt into the water. Cover and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
   
   
2. While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken breasts and bell peppers into strips. Heat pan and pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into pan, add chicken, garlic, and sliced bell pepper, saute for 5 minutes.
   
   
3. After 5 minutes add the marinara sauce and allow to simmer for 5 minutes while the pan is covered. After 5 minutes, drain the water from the pasta and pour pasta on the chicken mixture. Mix well, add the cheese and turn off. The cheese will melt from the heat of the pan.
   
   
4. Top with Parmesan and enjoy!

Simply-Quick Stuffing recipe

Simply Quick Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups apple juice
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 small apple, chopped
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top stuffing mix for Chicken
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

Instructions: 

1. Bring juice and butter to boil in medium saucepan on high heat. 
2. Stir in apple, cranberries and stuffing mix and cover.
3. Remove from heat and let stand 5 min. 
4. Stir in pecans.
5. Enjoy

Final Thoughts:

Cooking is fun and doesn't need to take a lot of time.  If you are pressed for time, the above 2 recipes are easy and quick to make.  Try these the next time you need to make something quick.  They are tasty and easy to make.

Chicago Amusement Parks

Amusement Parks in the Chicago Area

With warmer weather approaching and hopefully the Covid-19 pandemic behind us, families looking for some adventure and fun can find many amusement park options in the Chicagoland area.  This article explores a wide variety of amusement park options in the Chicago area and provides an overview of each.

Chicago Amusement Parks - Biggest Parks in the Chicago Area

Six Flags Great America - Gurnee, Illinois – 15+ roller coasters

Address:  1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee, IL 60031

Phone # (847) 249-1776

Photo Credit: Six Flags Great America

This 304 Acre amusement park first opened on May 29, 1976.  Since then the park has seen many changes over the years.  The park is great for families as there are many options to choose from including Hurricane Harbor the water park affiliated with Six Flags Great America.

Originally opened by the Marriott Corporation as Marriott's Great America, Six Flags has owned and operated the park since 1984.

Six Flags opens for the season this Friday April 15th and is open on the weekends through May 15th then starts a limited weekday schedule till Memorial Day weekend when it will be open 7 days a week.

The park features at least 45 rides and attractions including live shows.   There are water rides like Roaring Rapids that provide some relief on hot summer days, while rides like miniature airplanes, bumper cars, and a carousel are fun for the smaller adventurer (under 42-inch crowd).

It's open daily for the first half of August, before going back to weekends only once school starts (which is around August 22 for local suburban schools).  Check out Six Flags Great America website for partner offers for savings at https://www.sixflags.com/greatamerica/partner-offers 

Six Flags Great America - Photo Credit: Greg Grudt/Mathew Imaging

Santa's Village Azoosment & Water Park – East Dundee, IL - 2 roller coasters 

Address: 601 Dundee Ave, East Dundee, IL 60118

Phone: (847) 426-6751

Santa's Village East Dundee, IL

Smaller than Six Flags Great America but still lots of fun.  Santa's Village Azoosment Park has a wide variety of options for families.  Opening Day is May 8, 2022.

The theme park is located in East Dundee, Illinois and originally built by Glenn Holland.  Glen Holland also built two other Santa's Villages - one located in San Bernardino County and the other in Santa Cruz County.

The them park includes several animal attractions, a new water park, roller coasters, and other theme park rides.  Younger kids will enjoy the balloon ride, carousel, or riding in Kringle's Convoy in individual miniature semi-trucks.

Santa's Springs is the water park featuring water slides, a zero-depth pool, and an interactive water playground. 

The park also includes a petting zoo and fish pond.  You can see a wide variety of animals from Reindeer, barn yard animals, to wallabies and tortoises.  Go to Santa's Village website for more info https://santasvillagedundee.com/ 

Santa's Village Azoosment & Water Park – East Dundee, IL 

Indiana Beach Boardwalk Resort – Monticello, IN

Address: 5224 E Indiana Beach Rd, Monticello, IN 47960

Phone: (574) 583-4141

Indiana Beach's opening day is April 30, 2022.  This lakeside amusement park is about 2 hours south east of Chicago in Monticello, Indiana.  The park has more than 40 rides, including six roller coasters.  Developed by the Spackman family which owned it from 1926 to 2008, the park is now owned and operated by IB Parks & Entertainment.

The park includes its own water park with water slides, a lazy river, and a splash pad. The park has lodging options available—cabins, tent campgrounds, and RV camping sites are available.  

Chicago Amusement Parks - Smaller Parks in Chicago Area

Pirates' Cove Children's Theme Park - Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Address:  901 Leicester Rd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

Phone: (847) 439-2683

Pirates' Cove is a great theme park for younger kids and preschoolers.  

The park has Soaring Schooners pirate ship ride, miniature boats for kids to pedal, a safari train, Captain's Carousel, a Pirate's Plunge giant slide, and a climbing wall.  Kids also enjoy playing on the Camelot's Castle Playground.  There are also shows at the Swashbuckler Wharf Fun Stage.   

Pirate’s Cove pre-season opening is Memorial Day weekend May 28 – May 30, 2022.  Regular Season Hours, Open Daily June 4, 2022 - August 7, 2022

Haunted Trails Family Entertainment Center - Burbank, Illinois

Address: 7759 S Harlem Ave, Burbank, IL 60459

Phone: (708) 598-8580

Located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.  The park has an 18-hole mini-golf course, go-karts, rides, and games.  

The main roller coaster at the park is Miner Mike Coaster which is a runaway coal train ride.  The junior roller coaster allows young children and their parents to enjoy the ride together

Haunted Trails Family Entertainment Center – Joliet, Illinois

Address: 1423 N Broadway St, Joliet, IL 60435

Phone: (815) 722-7800

Haunted Trails in Joliet offers many rides and attractions including:  Tornado Ride, Monster Hop free-fall ride, and the Bone Shaker spinning tea cup attraction. 

The park also includes 3 Go-carting tracks, mini golf, laser tag, and a game room so there many options are available to choose from.  The outdoor attractions are open, weather permitting, from May to September. 

Enchanted Castle Family Entertainment Center – Lombard, Illinois

Address: 1103 S Main St, Lombard, IL 60148 - 

Phone: (630) 953-7860

Chicago: Enchanted Castle  – Lombard, Illinois 

Enchanted Castle is loaded with indoor fun - 60,000 square feet of indoor space.  The venue has indoor go karts, laser tag, bumper cars, rides, mini-bowling, miniature golf, a two-story playland plus 200 of the industry’s best games.

Final Thoughts

Chicago is a great city with several amusement parks in the area.  The largest amusement parks in the Chicagoland area are Six Flags Great America, Santa's Village Azoosment park, and Indiana Beach.  Smaller theme parks include Pirates' Cove in Elk Grove Village, Illinois and Enchanted Castle in Lombard, Illinois.

With warm weather comes the zest for adventure.  With many options to choose from you will not be disappointed in any of the amusement parks covered in this article.  

To check out other travel options and things to do check out the travel page.

(C) 2022-23 jspublishing.blogspot.com

SweetSpot - Barrington, Illinois

Today I am sharing a local business in Barrington, Illinois I often take my kids to over the summer to spend some carefree time and to purchase old fashioned ice cream treats.  The shop is nostalgic, inviting, and feels cozy as the staff are kind and welcoming.

The SweetSpot is an old fashioned candy store and ice cream parlor and a favorite ice cream shop of mine.  Stepping foot into the shop the first time a few years ago flooded my mind with fond childhood memories and provided an opportunity for me to share some of my childhood stories with my kids.     

SweetSpot in Barrington, Illinois

This is a fantastic place to visit during the spring, summer, and early fall (aka warmer months).  The store is across the street from Barrington High school and stays open later when there is a football game or special event at the high school.  

So, if you are visiting Barrington High school or are around that area the SweetSpot is a must stop during the summer. 

The shop is designed as a classic sweet shop offering old time favorite candies and an old fashion ice cream parlor.  

The shop offers a variety of candies, snacks, and munchies.  Inside the store is an old fashioned ice cream parlor offering malts, sundaes, banana splits, milk shakes, ice cream cones, and scoops of ice cream.

SweetSpot - Barrington, Illinois

Besides the individual candy, you can also arrange Candy buffets for local events and organizations at the store.  The SweetSpot, also, offers Candy Bouquets, Munchie Bouquets, or Holiday themed candy or munchie bouquets.  

Barrington, Illinois - SweetSpot Store Front

The Sweet Spot is located at:

102 S. Hager Ave.

Barrington, IL 60010

Phone #:  847-381-2320

e-mail:  sweetspot102@comcast.net

Final Thoughts

The SweetSpot in Barrington, Illinois is a great place to visit as the staff is welcoming, kind, and helpful.  The mix of candy, snacks, and ice cream treats was well thought out and the atmosphere of the shop is pleasant and inviting. 

I recommend the SweetSpot for its cozy setting, nostalgic feel, and for the delicious old fashion ice cream parlor treats.

Hope you have a chance to visit and it brings back some good memories, feelings, and of simpler times and pleasures.

(C) 2022-23 jspublishing.blogspot.com