Stan’s Donuts & Coffee has a glittering sign and even a completed drive-thru window announcing its opening in Northwest Indiana on September 6 at 1020 US-41 in Schererville.
The long time Chicago favorite donut group has its main baking facilities in nearby Alsip, Il., inside the Doughboy Restaurant Group. It’s easy to maintain the integrity of the fluffy, sweet product in nearby Schererville.
Stan’s Donuts will have a ribbon cutting on September 4 which signals its readiness. Inside Sarovich says, will be all the regular donuts beloved by Chicagoans. These include, glazed, chocolate, jelly filled and even the cronut, which is a croissant type donut with vanilla filling. There also will be rich coffees and other beverages.
Currently Stan’s Donuts has thirty locations and shows no signs of stopping.
The donuts are slightly different in that they’re beloved by Chicagoans and have attracted young and old fans to the Stan’s trendy buildings. Inside are vegan donuts, breakfasts such as the Stanwich, catering, and much more.
At the Stan’s opening in Indiana, there will be contests with prizes like free donuts for life.
“It’s all coming together,” Sarovich says.
For more information on Northwest Indiana stories, email Jane Bokun at janepospybokun@gmail.com.
Awhile back, I started noticing I didn’t have any real hobbies, so I thought maybe: gardening.
Lots of people say they love it and can attest that sticking their hands in the dirt makes them feel somehow grounded (pun intended). So, I went to a local greenhouse and bought some tomatoes called Early Girls. They seemed to be bigger and would bloom earlier.
In fact, they were a huge hit. They grew light green, then deep red and shiny on my back porch in about two months and before I knew it, I was handing out my juicy friends as gifts in attractive baskets I found in a thrift store. I would have put a bow on the basket, but Meghan Markle stole my thunder with her new Netflix show, “With Love, Meghan.” Markle put a bow on a jar of pretzels.
“They’re from my garden,” I would say at a party in a sustainable farmer-like manner.
Then, of course, everyone started saying, “I grow tomatoes, too.”
“Boo.”
They all stole my thunder. So, when I got an invite to cover the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival for 2025, I went to find new audiences to show off my tomato growing expertise and to find the secrets of their fabulous topiaries and mind-blowing flower arrangements. The festival goes until June 2 at Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival in Epcot. Like usual, Disney World doesn’t disappoint, ever. There were more than 200,000 plants, birds, butterflies and enough beauty to overfill Epcot.
I was looking for something to perk me up from the doldrums of Chicago’s winters (I’ve taken to never leaving my house and only changing clothes on a need-to-know basis) and I found it, a change in my attitude and a reason to live. At the Flower and Garden Festival, there are Master gardeners galore and even doctors who are tagging actual butterflies and finding out which colors they like: spoiler alert, red.
According to Disney professionals, gardening focuses on creating peaceful sanctuaries for mental wellness. Landscaping experts also encourage spaces where you can meditate, read, or simply unwind. Imagine your own garden as a retreat to slow down and engage with nature. This deepens your outdoors connection and promotes mindfulness.
Ground covers, like those covering in and around the topiaries, are an essential element in any well-designed garden. Not only do they add lush greenery and vibrant color, but they also serve practical purposes like suppressing weeds, conserving soil moisture, and preventing erosion. Whether you’re looking to fill in a shady spot, add texture to a sunny slope, or simply reduce the amount of lawn you need to mow, ground covers are a versatile and beautiful solution. At Disney, the ground covers can even be used to eat. They made a moss-covered chocolate cupcake which made my day. There were topiaries made to look like Woody, Bo Peep, Phineas and Ferb, Mickey and Minnie and many more. There were floating gardens and even fresh smells from Scentsy to compliment the gardens.
Representing Japan, there is a Kokedama Garden, Shi-odoshi and even a Bonsai collection which I really wanted to learn how to handle. In England, there was a Shakespeare Garden and even an English Tea Garden presented by Twinings® Tea company. Food came from everywhere including a Farmer’s Fest with grilled asparagus, scallops and blueberry crumble pie, among the tamer food offerings.
One of the most notable scientists, Dr. Jaret Daniels, met us in the Butterfly exhibit. He says everyone at Disney is most knowledgeable in their fields.
“You’ve never seen so many nerds in your life,” Daniels says.
He is also a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity, the largest global research center for the study of butterflies and moths.
By Jane Bokun and the Foodbank of Northwest Indiana
When I met Julie Anderson, who is currently the SNAP Support Specialist for the Food Bank and will soon head up its new Order Ahead Program, I could never have known that she once suffered from hunger pangs. She never told anyone, and she never asked for help. I can relate to that. I also have gone through times when I couldn’t access a sandwich to save my life and never asked for help. I love the fact that Anderson is candid about her situation. Her life is like so many others.
At age 29, Anderson married and began a family. After 16 years, the marriage broke down. She became a single mom of four. “I was at rock bottom, having to find a way to support my family completely alone,” Anderson says. “Through a federal program I qualified to enroll in a job training program. One of my first opportunities was with the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. I felt very beat down and honestly exhausted, but I needed a job, The Food Bank took a chance on me.”
At the time, Julie didn’t admit to herself that she was food insecure. “Here I was, working around food all day, while being extremely hungry myself.” One day, a fellow employee asked Julie if she’d like to share her lunch. “It was such a kind gesture,” she says. “I realized people at the Food Bank practice what they preach.”
What does the face of hunger look like? Just a short time ago, it looked like me. Anderson is far from the only person who is going hungry because of temporary lack of funds. Many times, food insecure seniors can have health problems including depression, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure because they’re hungry and embarrassed to speak up. The statistics are maddening. They include 5.2 million seniors aged 60-plus who faced hunger in 2020. That’s a lot, but the problem is apparent. We all must speak up when we’re down.
My husband and I both have college degrees. We were in trouble many times and could have used a hand. If you’re afraid to speak up and are in need of food, contact the NWI Food Bank at (219) 980-1777. There are so many programs and volunteer opportunities in this, and all food banks across the country, you’ll be glad you did.
Even though at 65 I have a lot of aches and pains, I also have a lot of younger friends who don’t care – or notice.
To keep them, I stick to these five rules:
Don’t judge.
Be open minded.
Try new things like long distance travel.
Maintain your sense of humor.
Seek out the fun in new situations.
The adage, age is just a number, is true in my case, but it’s strange. I was always the one who was older than the rest of my grade school class, in college classes and even the job scene. In kindergarten, I started at just four years old and got held back a grade for being emotionally immature. This act started a trend, and I eventually didn’t go to college until I was 20. I was always just older and didn’t act my age (I still don’t).
Ticking off one of the reasons for what some would call, my delayed maturity, I never wanted to miss a minute of fun – or what I perceived as an epic idea.
I once took a dusty train ride to Mazatlán in Mexico from Nogales, Az. The train was black tar colored, older than even me, and huffed and puffed its way through dusty mountains, finally to the azure blue sea of Mexico. You’d think I’d be scared, but I thought it was a great way to travel. The train cars were full of people who presumably weren’t used to high class travel. The filthy threadbare seats were full of white, clucking chickens who were along for the ride. It took about 24 hours. When we got hungry, there was a potato vendor on the train. I took my younger friend Jill, who spoke fluent Spanish. We had $100 dollars between us and two weeks to kill. We had already booked a Holiday Inn so we were covered there. When we got to Mexico, she met a man, and I didn’t see her again for the rest of the trip. That’s the kind of thing younger women do and this was pre-cell phone. I was just hoping she was alive.
Now that I’m an oldster, the ones I find myself doing the most with are young people that have a willingness to explore new things. I retired, but still took on some side gigs such as selling wine and even Dyson vacuum cleaners and $500 blow dryers. Everyone who works selling things is a lot younger than me and I recently worked with one. When our shift was over, she said, “Do want to go get a bloody Mary?” Sure, I thought, but won’t you be embarrassed with your grandma? Nope, this 28-year-old was game and so was I. It’s the attitude. I try never to judge. It makes you old.
On one vacuum foray, I met a young saleswoman working at the store I was at.
“They told me not to talk to you because you’re crazy,” she said matter of factly.
To be honest, I have heard that before.
Now, we’re close friends and I’m off to her baby shower.
“Maybe after I have my baby we can go to Mexico for the weekend,” she said.
“Sounds good,” I said and I meant it.
On the flip side, I also have a 98-year-old friend. She’s had a bevy of facelifts and looks absolutely fabulous. When I laugh with her I don’t know her age and she doesn’t know mine. She’s one of the hippest and funniest women I’ve ever known.
At this point, there really isn’t a lot of time for pain. We need to get our bucket lists finished. I’m always surprised when younger women want to come along for the ride.
Why?
For one thing, they have a lot of energy, and curiosity. They rarely say no if I say let’s go to Seville, Spain in November. They might think it’s a great idea and start packing. Some friends my age might question my sanity if I asked them to go to Spain.
“Why not,” I would say. Right now, I feel like I’m kind of lucky, kind of. I can travel now without too much trouble. My entire life I’ve felt just jumping on a plane and going anywhere takes planning. I spent the last year taking care of my dying father who really wanted to stay alive and now I think, “to hell with planning.” Find the inner Jane, who still thinks she might get into a little trouble with her friends.
I want to stay open and not set limits. Young people talk about formerly taboo subjects like the latest vibrator, like it’s perfectly normal conversation. They’re not afraid and why should I be?
My last blog talked about how I came to terms with my true love, or what I think about most during Covid quarantine. I asked you to tell me what you love and I heard from you. The most interesting note was from Dan Matthews and I’m shipping a lovely purse for his wife for his trouble.
This is the lovely purse gift for telling me what you love.
Matthews said he always wanted to be an artist and a body builder, but took a blue collar job instead to pay the bills and make more money.
“I love body building,” Matthews says. “But I really like playing guitar and drawing. I should have gone to school for athletic training, but I messed up by taking my dad’s advice to go into some form of management.”
Indeed, Matthews went to Purdue University and received his bachelors in business.
“I loved the classes, but hated being a manager when I got my first job as a health club manager,” he says.
“While there, I really wanted to help people train with their workouts,” Matthews says. He also really liked the training and development of people, but could never find a job in corporate America.
Matthews say he probably never fit the “Bizzness” suit guy look.
“I’m more of a blue collar wearing boots guy. ”
Matthews is worried he missed his calling in life, but has decided to take some art classes and go back to bodybuilding.
Albert Einstein said, “You never fail until you stop trying.”
People like us should never stop trying and one day, we’ll feel we made it, if only for our perseverance.
