With J.C. Penney’s marketing homage to “The Breakfast Club” as it hawks its trendy back-to-school clothes to the Jonas Brothers singing the catchy “Hello, Goodbye” in Target commercials, stores are replacing lawn chairs and beach towels for notebooks and protractors. The changes are a less-than subtle signal that school is right around the corner.

The summer months are a great time for picnics, so pack up some sandwiches, grab a blanket and cut open the watermelon. We at NeighborhoodCircle.com scoped out some of our favorite picnic spots in the North Shore and compiled a handy picnic guide.

GardenABCs.com, a new, locally produced website, is helping educators, parents and local advocates start and maintain school and community gardens.

The Broadway Dreams Foundation is coming to Chicago July 30th - August 3rd to give a 4-day musical theatre intensive camp at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest. A concert will be given on Sunday evening August 3rd. This camp is designed for both children and adults who love musical theatre. Active Broadway actors teach and perform with the students. This year's teachers are the wonderful Hollis Resnik, Jarrod Emick, Jeremy Schonfeld and David Petro.

A set of triplets, six sets of twins and 39 singletons: 54 babies in all. And at least three more on the way.

No Fourth of July is complete without a parade, fireworks and activities for the whole family. So, get ready to break out the lawn chairs and patriotic garb for this year's Independence Day celebrations.