Occupying the corner of Lincoln & Montrose across from Welles Park, previously Bowman's Bar & Grill, is the new Monty Gaels Tavern & Grill, a neighborhood gastro pub that has 20 beers on tap, craft cocktails and 20 wines on the wine list. Chef Eric Romano has worked hard to find the right blend between more traditional bar food and fine dining options including such menu items as Scotch Eggs, Fried Oysters, Polenta, Amish Chicken Wings, hand pattied and griddled burger, a pork shoulder sandwich, Trout, Fish and Chips and Half Chicken.

As a sports friendly pub, Monty Gaels provides one large 110-inch screen, two 70-inch TVs and five 52-inch TVs, and seats more than 70 people in its charming interior space. In addition, Monty Gaels accommodates outdoor seating for 48 during the warmer months. Open for dinner and drinks 7 nights a week and for lunch on Friday to Sunday, a weekend brunch menu will begin in October. Monty Gaels is operated by Vaughan Hospitality Group which operates five other locations in the City including Mystic Celt on Southport, Corcorans in Old Town and Emerald Loop downtown. See https://www.facebook.com/MontyGaels and www.montygaels.com.

Acclaimed neighborhood destination Café Selmarie is celebrating its 30th year of business in Lincoln Square this month. To mark the occasion, Café Selmarie will be offering its customers special deals and discounts on food and merchandise for the entire week of September 23rd to the 29th, plus special $30 prix fixe dinner menus for the weekend leading up to the occasion. On September 23, 1983, in what was then an out-of-the-way location on Giddings plaza in Lincoln Square, owners Birgit Kobayashi and Jeanne Uzdawinis opened the doors of Café Selmarie for the first time. It was a tiny storefront with little more than a few tables, a display case full of pastries and an espresso machine. Since then, it has expanded and grown in that very location, becoming one of the most cherished neighborhood destinations in Chicago for contemporary American dining as well as for pastries and desserts. Promotions for the anniversary celebration will commence the weekend of September 20th - 22nd with $30, 3-course prix fixe dinner menus designed by Executive Chef Bryant Anderson and will include dessert from Café Selmarie's in-house bakery. During the week of September 23rd to the 29th, all dine-in guests will be treated to come-back coupons good for future dining deals including gift certificates, 30% off entrees, wine and beer discounts, free desserts and more. Visit www.cafeselmarie.com. Congratulations Café Selmarie!

Ravenswood ArtWalk announced the recipient of their 2013 RAW Service & Advocate Award: Richard Stromberg, photographer and founder of the Learning Center. Richard has devoted 40 years to teaching photography to over 25,000 students in the Lakeview and Ravenswood communities. Please join them in congratulating Richard as he receives his award Friday evening, October 4th at the Opening Reception and Artists Salon, located at the Ravenswood Event Center Showroom, 4025 N Ravenswood Avenue.

This year RAW is pleased to host a book signing event featuring Chicago Historian Patrick Bulter. The author  will be on hand to autograph copies of Hidden History of Ravenswood and Lakeview published by the History Press. Stop by to meet and chat with Patrick at 4025 N Ravenswood, Saturday, October 5th, between 2 - 5pm and Sunday between 3 - 6pm. While you're there, why not take an architectural tour that begins at the same location. Witness the rich history of invention, engineering, arts, and literature of Ravenswood.

Around the corner from the Ravenswood ArtWalk Detour, located at Berteau & Ravenswood (east side of Metra tracks), stop by 1802 W Berteau for The Student Gallery Exhibit and The Short Film Theater. Student artists from Amundsen, Lake View, Lane  Technical College Preparatory, and St. Benedict PreparatoryHigh Schools; Chappell, James B. McPherson, John C. Coonley, Ravenswood, Thomas J. Waters, and Queen of Angels Catholic Elementary Schools; German International School of Chicago; and Lycée Français de Chicagowill show their talents. Enjoy the movies and a bag of popcorn in the Short Film Theater, Room 102. For a small donation, take home a 2013 film poster. 2013 RAW T Shirts & Posters will be for sale at the Short Film Theater, the RAW Street Fair, and at the ArtWalk Detour. T Shirts will be available in all sizes & prices will be posted.

The 12th Annual Ravenswood ArtWalk Tour of Arts & Industry takes place along North Ravenswood Avenue between Waveland and Leland Avenue, Saturday, October 5th, 11am to 7pm, and Sunday, October 6th, 11am to 6pm. Ravenswood ArtWalk willkick off Chicago Artists Month.

Chicago's pharmaceutical disposal program offers you an easy and safe way to dispose of unwanted prescriptions.  The Chicago Police Department and Chicago Department of Public Health recently expanded the number of drop-off locations which includes the North Area Headquarters at Belmont and Western in the 47th Ward.  You can also drop unwanted prescriptions at the Household Chemical and Computer Recycling Facility located at 1150 N. North Branch St.   

By using the police facilities as a drop-off location, controlled substances can be deposited safely and destroyed under the observation of sworn law enforcement officials.  The Chicago pharmaceutical program is provided as a service for residents only.  Business and commercial sector waste will not be accepted at any of the drop-off locations.    

The Chicago Department of Aviation will provide up to $1.6 million in funding over three years for worker training and direct placement program assistance to help unemployed Chicago residents obtain positions at companies that contract with O'Hare International Airport. The funding will be utilized by Skills for Chicagoland's Future (SCF), a public-private partnership working to close the skills gap by helping to match businesses that have current, unmet hiring needs with qualified, unemployed job seekers. For more information about SCF, visit www.skillsforchicagolandsfuture.com.

Over 430 members of the public attended one of three public meetings held at Gill Park, Truman College and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in early August. During the meetings, people watched a PowerPoint presentation, filled out comment forms, shared what they enjoy most about the drive and their ideas for improvements. More than 300 public comments in various formats were received. All of the information collected at the public meetings has been posted to the project website. This includes the Activity Card tallies, Postcards from the Drive, Needs Assessment, Share Your Ideas and comment forms. We invite you to review your comments and those of the other meeting participants. You may also still review the public meeting materials at www.northlakeshoredrive.org.

Sulzer needs your old games.  Thanks to our neighbors who have donated games for the Sulzer's Game Night!  If you have games that your family no longer uses, please bring them to the 47th Ward Office or to Sulzer Library. Their ever-popular "Game Night" could use a few more board games like Sorry, Chess, Life, Uno, Jenga, Rummy Cube, etc.   

Check out the infrastructure map on our webpage!

Lawrence Avenue Streetscape

The Lawrence Avenue Streetscape is underway.  We have posted a draft of the streetscape design on our website if you would like to review the details.    

Work on the sidewalks continues on the north side of Lawrence at Damen working to Western Ave. and has begun on the south side, on schedule to complete to Damen by November.  Next year the project will be completed from Damen to Clark St.   

Irving Park Streetscape

The last phase of the Irving Park Streetscape, removing the old streetlights and quality control repairs to pavers and final curb repairs will begin over the next few weeks.  This was delayed due to an electrical issue that has since been resolved. The project should be fully complete before November 1st. 

Berteau Neighborhood Greenway

METRA Traffic Closures and Detours Around Ravenswood Avenue 

• Lawrence Lane Restrictions at Ravenswood through October 4, 2013.  
• Leland Ave Full Closure will be up until April, 2014.
• Ravenswood from Lawrence to Leland Ave Full Closure will be up until April, 2014 on the west side of Ravenswood.
• Ravenswood (east side) Ave from Ainslie to Winnemac Full Closure through September 28, 2013
• Ravenswood (west side) from Irving Park to Grace Full Closure while wall panels are installed until October 11, 2013
• Ravenswood (west side) from Montrose to Sunnyside Full Closure until September 28, 2013 

Parking restrictions and detours may be re-opened, when possible, and re-closed once work is ready to resume. Walsh Construction is continuing to work with our office to minimize closures and parking restrictions, and reduce their construction footprint as much as possible while getting their work done. 

For more information, visit the infrastructure section of our website or contact Bill Higgins at bill@chicago47.org or 773-549-2745.