Ice Cream Social for the Pen Pals

Yesterday, Villa St. Benedict hosted an ice cream social for the participants of the Pen Pal program. This is the second year that 28 of our residents have corresponded with second graders from Spring Brook Elementary School (District 204) in Naperville. Both the students and their families came to the Villa Center for the event.
Earlier this month, the VSB residents met their pen pals for the first time when they were invited to a party at the school. What a wonderful and fun way to keep the art of letter writing alive and well through this inter-generational way of communication.

Relaxing at the Salt Caves

Today, the residents are off to visit the Galos Salt Caves in Chicago. This man-made cave is constructed from Crimean salt from the Black Sea. Sixteen thousand tons of salt were formed into bricks to create the walls and several inches of loose rock salt cover the floor of the spa. For centuries, Eastern Europeans have sat in natural salt caves to help relieve respiratory, circulatory, skin ailments and stress.
VSB residents will have 45 minutes of relaxation, while sitting in beach chairs listening to gentle seaside music. When the session is over, everyone will be headed to a separate cave which is actually a restaurant that serves a wonderful Polish buffet. Sounds like a great day at the shore!

A Fragrant Day at the Park

Yesterday, Villa St. Benedict residents took a trip to Lilacia Park, better known as the jewel of Lombard. Located on 8.5 acres, Lilacia features a horticultural park, greenhouse and a historical building. This beautiful park was the former estate of Col. William Plum and his wife, Helen Plum. It became known as Lilacia, the Latin term for lilac. The Plums developed their love of lilacs after visiting the famous gardens of Victor Lemoire in Nancy, France. They purchased cuttings of two varieties--double white and double light purple--from which the present collection got its start. When Col. Plum passed away in 1927, he gave his land to the people of Lombard as a public park. Because of the Plum's generosity, Lombard has the most unique park in DuPage county.
Following the tour, VSB residents lunched at a Greek restaurant.

In Honor of Mom

The Villa Center dining room at Villa St. Benedict was the site of a special Mother's Day Tea for all residents of the community, both in independent and assisted living. This was the 4th year that the Resident Services Dept. sponsored this beautiful event, which also included family members. A blue and white motif was chosen for the place settings. The prayer before lunch was said by Sr. Regina Ann. The menu featured fresh fruit, the "Villa" salad of apples, strawberries, candied walnuts over mixed greens with raspberry vinaigrette and a delicious croissant filled with chicken salad. The dessert tray offered cream puffs, eclairs and chocolates. Of course, a myriad of teas were available. The residents were waited on by managers and staff members from various areas. Entertainment was provided by harpist, Laura Utley. Everyone left with a unique gift and a wonderful memory.

A Battle of Skills in VSB's Kitchen Stadium

Ask any resident what they enjoy most about living at Villa St. Benedict and chances are they will say the fine dining experience. Morrison Senior Living provides the culinary services at the community, headed up by Director Lisa Reid and Regional Executive Chef Chris Moore. Last week, Chef Chris decided to challenge the VSB cooks to an Iron Chef competition. He was looking to provide a training tool for recommending areas of improvement, a way to see individual capabilities and, of course, to have a fun time in the process.
Judges for the challenge were Chef Chris, Culinary Services Director Lisa Reid and VSB Assistant Administrator Kathy DiCristina. Each cook was judged on technique, presentation, taste and skill. Everyone was given a specific list of ingredients to create a salad, an appetizer and an entrée within a two hour timeframe. There were 100 possible points for each course. The top three contenders were awarded knives, with the winner receiving a 5 piece set. Congratulations to our big winner, Frankie Abundes, for his culinary supremacy! Second place was taken by Marcus Galli and third place was claimed by Dan Vogel. A big thank you to all of our participants for getting those creative juices flowing. You make us all proud

Drury Lane Musical

Residents were off to lunch and the theatre to see Ragtime, The Musical. This production featured the largest cast ever to perform on Drury Lane's stage in the original costume design by Santo Loquastro from the 1998 Broadway production. "Ragtime" is a sprawling saga involving three families whose fortunes collide in dramatic fashion in early 20th century New York. Featuring over 30 songs, it is considered a modern operetta. The sweeping score and beautifully woven plot portray the struggles and triumphs of the human condition, just as relevant today as more than a century ago.
Bravos all around and definitely a must see!

Spring Band Concert

On Sunday, April 11, the VSB residents will enjoy an outing to the spring concert of the Naperville Municipal Band that is being held at Naperville North High School. This band has a long and rich history dating back to 1859. Plan on having a great musical afternoon!

The Metropolitan Opera: Hamlet

This week-end the residents will be able to see Ambroise Thomas's opera Hamlet. This is The Met: Live in HD presented by the Cinemark Theatre at Seven Bridges. It is a 5 act French opera featuring British baritone, Simon Keenlyside, in the title role. The part of Ophelia will be sung by the German soprano, Marlis Petersen. The music will be conducted by Louis Langree. This is the last opera for the season and should be some great Saturday afternoon entertainment for those opera buffs!

Wii Bowling Update

Villa St. Benedict does it again! The trophy is back home after the re-match with Independence Village. Everyone really bowled their hearts out and the highest score was 239! There was a great turnout and the "sliders and fries" were the best! VSB will host the next re-match to be held in May, so keep your throwing arm in shape and have the pompoms ready.

Wii Bowling Re-Match

Wii bowling is a popular activity in senior living communities and Villa St. Benedict is no exception. This sport has wide appeal because it enables anyone, especially those with limited mobility, to still be able to bowl. Now, one can mimic the moves of a bowler, but just have to wave their hand and a strike could be theirs.
Tonight, a bus load of residents will be attending a re-match between VSB and Independence Village in Naperville. The top 4 bowlers from each community will be playing and the VSB cheering section will be there dressed in red and white. Villa St. Benedict won the last time and is hoping to take the trophy home again. Good luck and great bowling!

St. Joseph's Day

Today is the feast of St. Joseph and honors all fathers. VSB is celebrating with a traditional St. Joseph's Day table. It features an altar with a statue and picture of St. Joseph, along with a place setting for him. A lace tablecloth and votive candles in a red and white theme are used as decorations.
Since it is Lent, a meatless meal will be featured with staff members contributing some of their special favorites. Residents brought their appetites and looked great dressed in something red for the occasion.
St. Joseph is the patron of all workers and those in need of work. A prayer for the unemployed will be included in this traditional commemoration.

A Day in the Garden

The residents will be downtown today at Navy Pier for the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. There will be 26 gardens on display this year with names such as-- "On the Street Where You Live","Bye Bye Birdie", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Alice's Wonderland". Also, Tablescapes will feature a combination of flowers, crystal, silver and china. One of the many highlights is the show's Marketplace with an eclectic variety of bulbs, herbs, gardening books, etc.
Hope you wore your comfortable shoes! Definitely, one will leave inspired with phenomenal garden and landscaping ideas.

Spring is in the Air

Residents will be off to spend an enjoyable evening at the dress rehearsal of Benet Academy Drama Troupe's spring musical "Into the Woods". This production combines the well-known fairy tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack & the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood with the story of the baker and his wife who desperately want a child. A witch has cursed the couple and the only way to remove it is for the couple to perform various missions that involve the characters in the other fairy tales. There are many lessons to be learned throughout the musical. What a great way to experience the many talents of the BA students!

Let's Do Lunch and a Play!

The residents are headed out today to St. Charles to the theater at Pheasant Run for lunch and a show. They will be seeing the production of "Over the Tavern". This is a comedy set in 1959 in Buffalo, NY about the Pazinski family. They are Polish Catholics (of course) who live above their tavern with their 4 teenagers. Talk about hilarious! Just wait until 12 year old Rudy, who is about to make his confirmation, questions the Roman Catholic church to ruler-cracking Sister Clarissa.
Get ready to hold onto your sides from all the belly laughs.

Men's Club Outing

Today, our Men's Club will take a trip to Joliet to tour the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus. It was named after a Spanish nobleman who lived from 1204-40. The cathedral is the spiritual center for the Diocese of Joliet, IL. This magnificent structure was built in the 1950's and paid for by original diocesan members at a cost of $2.4 million. Replication today would have a price tag of a mere $20 million.

What tales will they tell of seeing this building of Pennsylvania granite, Indiana limestone and interiors with 25 varieties of imported marbles? The "wow" factor is sure to be the windows of translucent mosaics that illustrate 12 articles of the Apostles Creed. For the architectural aficionados, they will behold an edifice without steps from sidewalks to entrances; ample exits; accurate and acoustical sound amplification; devotional space where all may see and follow the liturgy; and a religious, devotional interior. Pictures will certainly be taken of the 190 foot high bell tower which contains 5 cast bronze bells, the largest weighing in at 2 tons. They are automatically set to sound the Angelus daily.

This will surely be an educational and enjoyable trip for all!