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HERE IS THE STORY OF ROCK BAND AMBROSIA by Kristen Kucharski It’s a story of  Happily Ever After  both professionally and personally for the band members of Ambrosia  who garnered five Grammy Nominations, five hit singles , sold out concerts, heavy FM airplay and the admiration and respect of the musical community for their Rock and Soul  style music founded on progressive, classical and world influences; yet, rooted with the soul of the blues and R&B.  After 50 years of Ambrosia’s first appearance in the musical world, when most people might think of retiring, they still find so much joy in what they are doing and continue creating music with the hopes of putting out a new album in the near future.  Following the sound check for their concert with Kansas  at the RiverEdge Park in Aurora  on July 24th, Glancer Magazine  sat in a personal one-on-one interview with two of the original band members, Joe Puerta (bass), Burleigh Drummond (drums), as well as Doug Jackson (guitar), Mary Harris (keyboard), and Tour Manager Shannon Puerta.  The band’s latest single,  Hope and Dreams   released in 2016, fully aligns with their ideology of setting one’s goals free and living them out. “You only have one time around here,” says guitarist Doug Jackson. “I personally think when you’ve come to the end of the road, I don’t think you’ll be thinking of your bank account necessarily.  It’s important, but at the end of your life you're going to think about your relationships with people and what you did with your time here.” A private and quiet man, Doug opened up about his 19 year marriage and feeling beyond blessed with his extended bonus family and how they opened their hearts and homes to him.  These are the moments dreams are made of; however, he says that just like the rock-n-roll business, “it’s not always easy, and if you really want it, you make a choice, you have to work at it.” Back in  7th Grade English class,  Joe was assigned to write an essay about what he wanted to be when he grew up.  His teacher commended his writing skills; however, felt he should communicate something more realistic than his then aspirations of being a spy, like James Bond. Instead he wrote about wanting to be a Rock Star!  And so began his vision……that also led to meeting his future wife. After attending a concert in Springfield, Illinois in 2007, Shannon fell in love with the harmonies and the bass line in the beginning of Ambrosia's song How Much I Feel  played by none other than Joe Puerta.  Fast forward - she retired from her Kindergarten teaching job of 27 years in Lincoln Illinois, moved out to California, became their Tour Manager, married Joe on the 70's Rock and Romance Cruise in 2020 , and lived out her happily ever after moment. Love abounds within this band as members Burleigh and Mary are also married.  They too discovered love at first sight while awkwardly passing each other in Mary’s cousin’s home 39 years ago.  They shared a passion for music, and during a hiatus from Ambrosia formed Tin Drum Music  in which they continue to create melodies with their own children and grandchildren. In a day and age when music is made so differently than in the past, Burleigh and Mary have both been supportive of their children’s desires to follow in their footsteps pursuing musical careers versus their originally intended studies in pre-medicine and social justice. The group as a whole agrees that parents should support their kids’ ambitions, regardless of how far-fetched they may appear.  These words come from a publicly shy nature lover (Doug), a school record holder High Jumper (Burleigh) who gained the attention of Olympic Gold Decathlon Medalist, Bob Mathias , a High School Athlete of the Year for Running (Joe), and a Music and Volleyball Collegiate Scholarship Winner (Mary).  Each turned down opportunities to pursue the obvious path to success to chase the holy grail of stardom and live out their passion. They continue to push the safe boundaries of retirement to take fresh music off the shelf and produce new albums, even without the support of a record label.  Still today, the band is more alive and compelling than ever and is exploring uncharted musical territory while continuing to wow life-long fans and new converts alike. Fun Facts What is your personal favorite concert venue of all time?  ●       Joe and Burleigh - Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater in Colorado ●       Doug - Red Rocks is on his bucket list ●       Mary - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater in Colorado When you come to Chicago, what is your favorite Chicago pizza or place to eat? ●       Shannon - Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria  ●       Mary - Portillo’s Hotdogs ●       Joe - Topolobampo What’s your Chicago connection? ●       Joe’s father, Joe Puerta Sr. was a University of Illinois 1932 National Wrestling Champion  ●       Shannon worked as a teacher’s aide at Pioneer Elementary in West Chicago , What is still left on your bucket list? ●       Joe - Montenegro ●       Shannon - Egypt ●       Burleigh - Turkey ●       Mary - Europe ●       Doug - New Zealand ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY NEWS AURORA 
  KANE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | Ambrosia Rocked Aurora at RiverEdge Park After 50 Year's In the Music World

A Story of Happily Ever After both Professionally and Personally for the Band Members of Ambrosia

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT ESTABLISHMENTS  2021 Winners Announced for DuPage, Kane & Kendall These Establishments Were Nominated as the Best of the Best In the  Arts + Entertainment  Category ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT 
 Art Festivals DUPAGE Riverwalk Fine Art Fair, Naperville KANE Geneva Arts Fair, Geneva KENDALL LUNAFEST, Oswego Day at the Museum DUPAGE Naper Settlement, Naperville KANE Blackberry Farm, Aurora KENDAL Little White School House, Oswego Artistic Studio DUPAGE Board + Brush, Downers Grove KANE Board + Brush, St. Charles KENDALL Board + Brush, Oswego Art Gallery DUPAGE Naperville Fine Arts Center, Naperville KANE Water Street Studios, Batavia KENDALL Arts on Fire Studio, Plano Performing Arts Theater DUPAGE KidzCabaret, Naperville KANE Paramount Theatre, Aurora KENDALL YPAC, Yorkville VIEW WINNER CATEGORIES    ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT    BEAUTIFUL YOU    COMMUNITY LIVING    DINING + CABARET    HEALTH + WELLNESS     LOCAL EVENTS   HOME + GARDEN  KIDS + TEENS    SHOPS + BOUTIQUES     WEDDING + TRAVEL    ATTENTION WINNERS!  ​Congratulations! Please Click the Link and Include Your County, Winning Category, Company Name, Contact Name, Phone Number and Preferred Email Address.  We will Reply Within Two Business Days with Your Printable Certificate and Digital Banners & Logo to Use If You Wish  Additional Details will Follow Re: How to Obtain a Souvenir Award Plaque  ​CLAIM YOUR AWARD HERE bestofthebest@glancermagazine.com  OPTIONAL AWARD PLAQUE Order Here

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | 2021 Best of the Best Winners

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT ESTABLISHMENTS 2021 Winners Announced for DuPage, Kane & Kendall These Establishments Were...

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ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE CAMPS PRESENT "ALL SHOOK UP" WHEATON–Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, “All Shook Up” is known as a hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical fantasy featuring such classics as “Teddy Bear,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” and “Jailhouse Rock.”  Directed by St. Francis High School alumna, Jackie Martin ’11, the summer musical production was part of a long list of summer camp offerings at St. Francis High School. For the past fourteen summers, St. Francis High School's Summer Musical Camp has helped students advance their theatrical skills through acting, singing, and dancing. This year, the cast and crew comprised of nearly 80 students entering grades 7-12 from a variety of local schools. "We chose All Shook Up for this summer musical because it is a light-hearted comedy." said Jackie Martin, Summer Musical Camp Director. "We also were excited to introduce another time period to students (1950's) and knew that they would enjoy the costumes and mannerisms of the time. Packed with songs by Elvis Presley, this musical encourages audiences to take risks, challenge the status quo, and fall in love. This story also highlights the importance of having supportive relationships that help us reach our dreams."  The musical was a familiar one for the St. Francis community as it was performed ten years earlier as the 2011 Spring Musical. In celebration of the ten year anniversary of the school's production, many of the original cast members from the 2011 show-which included Director, Jackie Martin and Assistant Director/Producer, Sami Ramos-came back to their alma mater to attend the performance and offer their support. "My favorite part about directing this summer was spending time with the students and enjoying the return of live summer theatre at St. Francis." adds Jackie. "I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with all of these talented students!"  The wealth of student talent stretched beyond performance as many played an integral role in show's production. Under the direction of Summer Musical Stage Crew Director, Brandon Lewis, students learned and assisted in theatrical stage crew basics; set design, building, painting, and decoration, lighting, sound design, prop design, and costuming. Additionally, students gained hands-on experience as part of the summer musical running crew which coordinates backstage work during tech rehearsals and each performance. The St. Francis High School summer musical production of “All Shook Up” was held July 16-18, 2021. EDUCATION KIDS + TEENS WHEATON DUPAGE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | Theatre Camps Shine at St. Francis High School

St. Francis High School Theatre Camps Present "All Shook Up"

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT ESTABLISHMENTS  Winners Announced for DuPage, Kane & Kendall These Establishments Were Nominated as the Best of the Best In the Arts + Entertainment Category ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT 
 Art Festivals DUPAGE Riverwalk Fine Art Fair, Naperville KANE Geneva Arts Fair, Geneva KENDALL OSC's Annual Holiday Art & Craft Fair Day at the Museum DUPAGE DuPage Children’s Museum, Naperville KANE Geneva History Museum, Geneva KENDAL Little White School House, Oswego Artistic Studio DUPAGE Bottle + Bottega, Glen Ellyn KANE The Chilled Palette, Geneva KENDALL Board + Brush, Oswego Art Gallery DUPAGE Galleries Choice, Downers Grove KANE Water Street Studios, Batavia KENDALL Arts on Fire Studio, Plano Performing Arts Theater DUPAGE McAninch Arts Center, Glen Ellyn KANE Batavia Fine Arts Center, Batavia KENDALL Your Performing Arts Center-YPAC VIEW WINNER CATEGORIES    ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT  BEAUTIFUL YOU  COMMUNITY LIVING  DINING + CABARET  HEALTH + WELLNESS  HOME + GARDEN  KIDS + TEENS  LOCAL EVENTS  SHOPS + BOUTIQUES  WEDDING + TRAVEL  ATTENTION WINNERS!  ​Congratulations! Please Click the Link and Include Your County, Winning Category, Company Name, Contact Name, Phone Number and Preferred Email Address.  We will Reply Within Two Business Days with Your Printable Certificate and Digital Banners & Logo to Use If You Wish  Additional Details will Follow Re: How to Obtain a Souvenir Award Plaque  ​CLAIM YOUR AWARD HERE bestofthebest@glancermagazine.com

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | 2020 Best of the Best Winners

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT ESTABLISHMENTS Winners Announced for DuPage, Kane & Kendall These Establishments Were...

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EXPERIENCE THIS DISNEY CLASSIC WITH YOUR FAMILY Be our Guest this holiday season at Disney’s Beauty and the Beast! Bring yourself, the family, all your friends – or give this enchanting experience as a holiday gift. Just don’t miss the show everybody is talking about, now playing at Paramount Theatre in Downtown Aurora.  WGN’s Dean Richards even said it’s “the best show that I’ve ever seen at Paramount. I’m highly, highly, highly recommending it.” Chris Jones at Chicago Tribune agrees that this is “far and away the biggest local staging of this show and, to date, far and away the best.” Chicago Sun-Times raves it’s “So. So. Good.” Daily Herald is calling it “a dazzling holiday confection.” This tale as old as time is playing through the holidays, until January 19th. Tickets are still available, and you can get yours at ParamountAurora.com  or (630) 896-6666. Join us! Memories guaranteed.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | Beauty and the Beast Now Playing at Paramount Theatre

EXPERIENCE THIS DISNEY CLASSIC WITH YOUR FAMILY Be our Guest this holiday season at Disney’s Beauty and the Beast! Bring yourself, the...

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WATER STREET STUDIOS KICKS OFF 2020  BATAVIA—Water Street Studios is celebrating the new year with our community of Resident Artists and instructors. January 2020 marks the beginning of new art classes, new Resident Artists, a new website, and more! Don't miss out on this unique experience to view and celebrate all of Water Street Studios representative talent - a vast quantity of work in a single exhibit that spans both the first floor Dempsey Family Gallery and second floor Chicago Capital Gallery. View a curated selection of recent artwork by Water Street Studios' Resident Artists and Instructors. The exhibition will feature work from over 30 local artists and artisans working in a wide variety of media, scale, and disciplines. Join us during the Gallery Opening Reception and meet the artists, enjoy a cash bar, view open artist studios, and enjoy art activities. Opening reception will be held Friday, January 10, 2020 from 6-9pm The artists will be present at the reception. In addition, a cash bar will be available featuring beer from Solemn Oath Brewery and wine selections from The Wine Exchange in St. Charles. This event is free and open to all ages. We encourage all visitors to make a $5 donation at the door to support arts programming at Water Street Studios. A special thank you to our event sponsors: Chicago Capital LLC, Batavia Enterprises Inc., First National Bank, and K.Hollis Jewelers. 
  Both gallery exhibits will continue to be on display until Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 5pm. The exhibits in both galleries can be visited during regular public gallery hours: Thursday-Sunday from 12:00-5:00 pm at 160 S. Water Street in Batavia, Illinois. 
  About Water Street Studios 
  Water Street Studios is a 501(c)3 for-purpose art center located in downtown Batavia, Illinois. Our mission is to help make the arts more accessible to the Fox Valley region and beyond. Our vision is to be a cultural hub in the Midwest. We provide our community with classes, artist studios, gallery exhibitions, free programs for under-resourced families and schools, events in our historic venue, and more. 
 Learn more at www.waterstreetstudios.org

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | Resident Artist + Instructor Show Set for January In Batavia

WATER STREET STUDIOS KICKS OFF 2020 BATAVIA—Water Street Studios is celebrating the new year with our community of Resident Artists and...

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SCOTT & DANIELLE AT HARVEY'S TALE IN GENEVA Join Scott & Danielle this Friday for their live broadcast from Harvey's Tales bookstore at 216 James Street in downtown Geneva to kick off the holiday festivities on December 6th from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. 
 To kick off the festivities - the Geneva Christmas Walk will be going on that night!  https://www.facebook.com/events/2522043037831668/?active_tab=about

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | 95.9 The River at Harvey Tales in Geneva

SCOTT & DANIELLE AT HARVEY'S TALE IN GENEVA Join Scott & Danielle this Friday for their live broadcast from Harvey's Tales bookstore at...

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CRYSTAL PILLAR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Former College of DuPage student Sarah Taschetta won the Crystal Pillar Student Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the producers of the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards, for her short documentary film, “Ross K. MacNeill and the Orange Jeep.” The film shares the story of MacNeill, a Wheaton boy who lost his fight against brain cancer. Since then, the Ross K. MacNeill Foundation  has raised more than $1 million to support pediatric brain cancer research. This is the second consecutive year that Taschetta, a senior at Columbia College Chicago, was nominated for a Crystal Pillar, and she was thrilled by the recognition. “The nominations alone exceeded any goals I could have set for myself going into college,” she said. “Walking away with the actual award is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around!”  Taschetta, who grew up in Winfield, attended Wheaton North High School with Ross’ sister, Rachel, and would think about Ross’ story whenever she saw the orange Jeep driven by MacNeill’s mom. Taschetta finally reached out to his mom and asked about producing a video, which she then turned into a student project for one of her classes. “This award just further confirmed something so many people knew, that Ross MacNeill’s story deserves to be told,” she said. “I was simply lucky enough to be trusted by his family to tell a small part of it. I hope this brings more awareness to the foundation because they do such amazing work regarding research for pediatric brain cancer.” Taschetta, who pursued television production at COD through the Motion Picture/Television program, earned a Crystal Pillar nomination last year for “Sam Anderson: In My Own Words,”  a video which shared the story of her friend and former Wheaton North classmate with Down syndrome. Now finishing her bachelor’s degree, Taschetta recently joined US99, the popular country music radio station in Chicago, as a digital content producer for its morning show with Jason Pullman and Katie Bright. She is happy that the Crystal Pillar award validated her career path. “I look forward to telling many more stories like Ross’ in the future,” she said. Find out more about the Motion Picture/Television program at College of DuPage

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | Local COD Student Wins National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Award

CRYSTAL PILLAR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Former College of DuPage student Sarah Taschetta won the Crystal Pillar Student Achievement...

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March 2024

Glancer Magazine March 2024

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► March 2024 Issue, Western Suburbs

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