Sandwiched Between the Books

Meet Mary Ann Griffith, certified counselor, and learn all about the incredible benefits of therapy in this month's episode! Mary has recently moved to Sandwich and opened her own Counseling business in town called Greentree Counseling. Give her a ring if you're interested, curious, or just want to meet Mary Ann.

On the menu for this episode of Sandwiched Between the Books is a delicious conversation with Daniel Kling and Lisa Boecker, the Culinary Arts instructors at Indian Valley Vocational Center here in Sandwich, IL. You'll learn about each of these chefs' love for and history with food, as well as their approach to teaching students about the ever-expanding word of careers in the culinary industry. Prepare to be inspired... and a little hungry!

From a reading library books on a small farm, to breaking new grounds at Waubonsee and IVVC, to charing the Sandwich Public Library District board of trustees. That's the story of Jane Wolf, long-time library board president, who has devoted her life to education and to making her community better. Now she tells us her story in this special episode of Sandwiched Between the Books! 

In this conversation, you'll meet Amy Cahn and Terri Landsteiner, both employees at Open Door Rehabilitation Center here in Sandwich. Over the past year, they have created a new program that seeks to prepare, equip, and place Open Door clients in employment in our community. You'll be moved by their vision, advocacy, and passion. Want to know more about Open Door? Visit their website, www.odrc.com! Looking to hire at your business? Give Amy and Terri a call at (815)786-8468.

Long-time library patron and 2023 Sandwich High School valedictorian, Cerelia Lesko sat down with us to talk about teachers, friends, and family that have inspired her to love learning and practice kindness. Cerelia's warmth and joy will make you want to be a better learner, community member, and person. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear Cerelia's commencement speech to her classmates!

Meet Dr. Blair Wright, a Sandwich native, local pediatric doctor, and truly incredible human. You'll be inspired by her passion for our community and what she contributes to it, as she shares about growing up in Sandwich, going through medical school, and how important our town is to her. Don't miss this lovely conversation with this exceptional citizen!

If you weren't sure that Barb loves books and Matthew loves movies, this episode of the podcast will confirm it! In this conversation, you'll hear our hosts talk about their favorite books and movies they read or watched in 2022. They could have talked about these beautiful stories for days, but instead they limited themselves to an hour and twenty-seven minutes, breaking the record for our longest episode yet!

We kick off season two by sitting down with Bob Dell, a member of our community who is passionately involved and serving, even well into his nineties! You'll be inspired to give back to our community, to advocate for others, and to grow up to be a positive influence for good.

Join us for a three-part Sandwich Fair Spectacular to celebrate the finale of our first season on the podcast! In this fair-loving trio of episodes, you'll hear from fair historian Joan Hardekopf, fairgrounds supervisor Jimmy Webber, and some of the fair's biggest fans! Don't miss a single episode as we take a deeper look into our town's grandest event of the year: The Sandwich Fair!

Join us for a three-part Sandwich Fair Spectacular to celebrate the finale of our first season on the podcast! In this fair-loving trio of episodes, you'll hear from fair historian Joan Hardekopf, fairgrounds supervisor Jimmy Webber, and some of the fair's biggest fans! Don't miss a single episode as we take a deeper look into our town's grandest event of the year: The Sandwich Fair!

Join us for a three-part Sandwich Fair Spectacular to celebrate the finale of our first season on the podcast! In this fair-loving trio of episodes, you'll hear from fair historian Joan Hardekopf, fairgrounds supervisor Jim Webber, and some of the fair's biggest fans! Don't miss a single episode as we take a deeper look into our town's grandest event of the year: The Sandwich Fair! 

In this bite-sized story of Sandwich, you'll Meet Bert Troeger; she's a Park District Commissioner who has been serving for fifty-five years, a local school secretary, and an incredible example of how to give back to our community!

We sat down with the 2022 SHS Valedictorian, Yuki Chen to learn about her life, education, and future plans. You won't want to miss this inspiring episode that also features a recording of Yuki's speech to the class of 2022 at SHS Commencement.

You may know his voice from WSPY, but in this episode of Sandwiched Between the Books you'll hear Chris Schwemlein share his story of growing up in Sandwich, falling in love with radio, and diving into research about our town's surprising and fascinating history!

From skipping school to hang out at Coney Island, to building a communications center in war-torn Nicaragua, to cooking Sunday dinner,  our very own library trustee and technology expert, Robert Mitilieri, shares stories from childhood, his career, and his love for Sandwich, with humor, humility, and passion.

From Budapest, Hungary, Agnes Schwartz was 10 years old when German forces occupied her town and her family was forced to move into a “Jewish Designated” or “Yellow Star” building. Their Catholic housekeeper, Julia, took Agnes to her home before the ghetto was established and claimed her as her niece. Agnes became a “hidden child,” living in the open but living in fear, not knowing when her family would be reunited. During the Allied bombings, she was sent underground to hide for months. Her father was saved by Raoul Wallenberg and hidden in one of his safe houses. Her grandmother, aunt, and uncle were rounded up and shot into the Danube River. Agnes' mother was deported and perished at Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Her book, “A Roll of the Dice,” is in its second publication.Library Highlight: Kanopy

Our library director, Barbara Posinger highlights the best books of 2021!Library Highlight: License Plate RenewalsBarb's 2021 Personal Recommendations:The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec - Fantasy  Through the Woods by Emily Carrol – Graphic Novel, Horror Piranesi by Susanna Clark – Fantasy Billy Summers by Stephen King - Thriller Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy – Contemporary Mystery Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – Science Fiction Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Historical Fiction The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune – Fantasy Outlawed by Anna North – Historical Fiction Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth – Horror  Click here for links to the New York Times Best Sellers mentioned in this episode.

We sat down with the owner of The Petit Palette (our local art school here in Sandwich) to learn more about her work and passion for art education.Library Highlight: Museum Adventure PassMichelle's Art School: The Petite PaletteMichelle's Book Recommendations:A Christmas Carol by Charles DickensHarry Potter SeriesSarah J. Maas [Author; 18+]

We sat down with local consultant and founding member of Faro Partners to talk about how we go about having tough conversations, how we can transform meetings by thinking in relational terms, and what it means to know your options before it's too late.Library Highlight: Notary & Voter Registration 

Episode Info: Matthew and Barb sat down with Audie Penn, a local consultant and founding member of Faro Partners, to talk about effective leadership, the necessity of strategy, and the importance of choice. Library Highlight: Career Online Highschool Audie's Book Recommendations:The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization by Peter SengeThe Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company by Ram Charan