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Community Corner

Beautification About Awarding Those Who Take Pride in Palos Hills

The city presents annual awards to recognize residents and businesses that set high standards for the city's curb appeal.

Handing out awards at Thursday's committee meeting, the Palos Hills City Council recognized the best of the best in this year's Beautification Contest.

The contest awards residents and businesses that spend extra time caring for their lawns and gardens.

Alderman Marty Kleefisch (1st Ward) first came up with the idea for the program and it has gained in popularity each year. Five judges visit each ward and select houses based on the presentation and care of the lawn, shrubs and trees, and color accents. Five houses are selected from each ward and local business are also recognized.

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There is no entry into the contest, just keeping one's yard looking good puts a family in contention.

Only the front and side yards are judged so that judges can drive by and don't have to walk to the back of people's houses.

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In addition to a certificate, winning residents and business owners had their photo taken with Mayor Gerald Bennett and Alderman Kleefisch at Thursday's committee meeting. Residents also received a sign to place in their yard recognizing their house as a winner.

"We want to thank our homeowners for taking pride in their property," Bennett said. "It seems like each time one home puts [the award sign] in it's front yard, the next year even more people from that block participate."

Alderman Kleefisch also thanked the judges, who he said spend a lot of time visiting each home and business in their assigned ward. The judges were all volunteers and could not judge houses in the ward in which they reside.

This year's judges were: Linda Gruener, John Griffin, Frank Bennett, Alderman Bill Hanson (3rd Ward) and Sharon Kleefisch.

Nancy and Dennis Shannon accepted an award this year and were also among third ward winners from the contest in 2005, although their house on West 102nd Street has been a looker for sometime.

"We've lived in Palos Hills for 37 years and we've always lived in this house," said Nancy Shannon.

She said she and her husband think the contest is a great program in the city and they look forward to it each year, however, they've always tried to keep a nice yard.

"We enjoy working the yard," she said. "It takes both of us, we take turns doing all the planting and also all the watering."

Much of the Shannon's yard is adorned with begonias and impatiens, both of which are annuals, so the work load is heavy each spring.

"The begonias do well in the sun, the shade and the deer don't seem to like them," Shannon said, explaining her fondness of the plant.

Nancy Shannon said occasionally she changes the colors up some, but for the most part she and Dennis keep it about the same each year.

"[The Beautification Program] is just a really great program," she said.

Some winners requested not to be published, however, other winners were: The Ozgul, Oblazna, Tilly, Jurzec, and Hassan families from the second ward, the Ahmed and Russo families in the third, the Bobak, Mohn and Fitzgibbon families in the fourth, the Duran, Maniakouras and Pappas families in the fifth and the Kokoska family in the first.

Business winners were Bertucci's, Belvedere Chateau, McDonald's, Moraine Valley Community College and the Village Pub.

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