Cousins Rendezvous at Lake Geneva, WI

Thank God for family and great cousins! (If you're blessed with them, I'm sure you would agree.) Many of us have brothers and sisters, but cousins are special. They are close enough to understand and feel our emotion (joy or pain) but, by design, are able to remain a 'safe distance' away from our worst moments, unless we choose to reveal those things to them. For our 'Cousins Rendezvous', we all spent the better part of yesterday enjoying each other's company, roaming the streets of beautiful Lake Geneva Wisconsin. We reminisced and also talked about important issues in our day-to-day lives, including the great weather we were enjoying. (Guess I stand corrected on one of my posts that had 'Old Man Winter' dead ahead!) Probably like your family, our only regret is that 1/2 our cousins no longer live in the Chicago area therefore by default, could not be with us physically. However, we all had a sense they were still there anyway, just in spirit.

Thanksgiving

To everyone, we hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving! All of us here at Crestline Entertainment is especially thankful to God for continuing to bless us with great health and also to all U.S. military personnel for keeping us safe. We thank you and are in your debt!

KC's Cabin

On Wednesday night, I went to visit a friend of mine at his sister's bar named 'KC's Cabin' in Spring Grove, IL. Lynn (the owner) makes you feel right at home at this legendary bar and grill dates that back to the late 1800's. Located at the corner of IL Route 173 and Wilmot road, it's a popular local hangout and I could see why. The beer was cold, the conversation warm and featured an entertaining 'live' musician who kept the close to capacity crowd happy. While the soggy weather put a little damper on the 'turkey bowling' that was going on 'on the back 40', their signature sandwich (a 1/2 pound Mushroom and Swiss Burger) did not disappoint. All I can say is that this DJ will have to do a few more workout reps at the gym to work off all the food they gave me! Equally impressive were the professional sand volleyball courts and Band Stand/Stage (made out of a vintage barn) that features big named talent in the warmer weather. Now I can see why there is a 'sea' of Harley-Davidson's parked here in the summer and snowmobiles galore in the winter. A must stop for anyone looking for some great value!

Galena Friend Rides Into Town.

Today for lunch, I met a long-time friend and ex-'joe job' co-worker for a quick bite while he was here to do some family related stuff. In addition to that, Roy and I are also golf buds and exercise enthusiasts, however I think our mouths got the biggest work out, today. While I tend to be a work-a-holic, it's good to get caught up with close friends! While he's now a man of leisure (retired), he and his wife Susan make for interesting, lighthearted conversation. Never a dull moment when they're around!

Paper-thin Crust Pizza

Last night I met some college friends of mine for Pizza at Romano's in Des Plaines. I have never had a pizza before with crust that thin; it was amazing! Un-substantiated and strictly my opinion, I gotta believe it probably was less calories, too. The cheese was lightly sprinkled, with a sweet sauce and cut in 1-inch wide strips, not squares. A first there, too with definitely a different presentation. Overall, a great experience although the pizza could have used some spices like oregano, etc.

Video Dawg

Yesterday, I had lunch a one of Chicago's favorite places, 'SuperDawg", along with David Bonillo of Digital Image Video Production. Not being golf weather, this was the next best thing. David says 'Hi' to everyone! (David is one of our preferred vendors and is highly endorsed by Jay and Crestline Entertainment for outstanding video work at a reasonable rate).

DJ Dan Gets Glowing Review!

It's hard "living in the shadows" of anyone who precedes you by rank, title and longevity in any organization. I'm sure most of you could attest to that in your own work environment when there has been a hunkering figure above you grabbing most of the gusto for years. From day one, after joining forces with us, Dan has always been held to a higher standard in comparison to me (Jay) the Owner, President and longtime Disc Jockey here at Crestline Entertainment. That's only natural, however Dan has withstood the test of time for one reason, that he continues to deliver great results which get him noticed by customers along with their recognition he justly deserves. We will start to post these "DJ Rating Cards" here as they come in. Stay tuned and see for yourself what the toughest critics in the world (our customers) say about his efforts. We ENJOY being held to our motto "Exceeding Expectations...One Event at a Time."

ADJA (American DJ Association) Meeting 11/17

I was graciously invited to attend a special Chicagoland ADJA meeting (as a prospective member) and attended. The meeting started off with the usual banter by the elected board members, but was followed up with a very powerful video that Peter Merkle (Chapter President) played for the group. In the spirit of 'Thanksgiving' and being thankful, it really got everyone to think about the difference they can personally make in others lives by not letting circumstances that happen (no matter how difficult) dictate personal happiness or success. We were then treated to a guest speaker Peter Merry from Southern California, who spoke on "The Starbucks effect...servicing today's personalized Bride". We learned to think "Venti!" for our customers, instead of just "big". Good Show!

Dedication to 5 pregnant women, the Hokies and a Chicago style hot dog bar.

On November 14th 2009, probably one of the last warm (and precipitation free) days we will have left in 2009, Lauren and Brian's wedding day was off to a great start. Not much changes with Hotel Baker (their venue) which is a good thing because in this DJ's opinion, they are the best in the Fox Valley for gourmet wedding cuisine and outstanding service! What makes Hotel Baker a 'triple-threat' is the way-ahead-of-it's-time light-up dance floor (see picture opposite blog post) created 50 or so years BEFORE "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) and 25 or so years before John Travolta (1954). Highlights of the evening included a "Chicago Style Hot Dog and Pizza Bar" at 10pm (I gobbled up a dog or two myself, as encouraged by our gracious hosts). The featured milestone event was Lauren and Brian's dedication to all the 'Pregnant' women in attendance (there was at least 5 that they knew of!) All '10' of them danced to Trace Adkins "One Hot Mama" as they were warmly encouraged by family and friends. (Another personal milestone too, for me as a DJ, as this was the first time I've had to make that type of dedication in my many years in the business. I loved it - it was great!!) Equally amusing was our bride and groom's dedication of the "Hokey Pokey" to Brian's college buddies from Virgina Tech and their team known as "The Hokies" (in Atlantic Coast Conference collegiate sports). They did "The Hokey Pokey" because "that's what it's all about!"

2009 Halloween wedding was a first.

A few weeks back, we had our first-ever Halloween Wedding and Reception on record here at Crestline Entertainment, Inc of Bensenville IL. After waiting 18 years for this to happen, it was definitely worth the wait. The "smashing" time everyone had was much to delight of our Bride (Lisa) and Groom (Joe) who received compliments that night like they were trick-or-treating with Willie Wonka at his Chocolate factory. This historic night began with a grand entrance that was "to die for". Jay the DJ's suggestion was high-fived by both the bride and groom and featured Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera". As Lisa and Joe made their entrance into the "Q" room at the McDonald's Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook, IL the swells of the organ churned out a more than exciting beginning! After an equally breath-taking meal, the opening set of dance music began with Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (another one of Jay's suggestions) and proceeded to fill the dance floor to capacity. With a great time being had by all (and most of the 50 guests or so, still in tow by evenings end), the festivities concluded with a bang as Lisa and Joe's hand-picked closer, Donna Summer's "Last Dance" wrapped up as the grand finale. Totally inspiring!

Welcome one and all!

Well, Jay finally got off his donkey and made this a reality. We will try to post interesting tid-bits for all to enjoy. We highly encourage your participation and thoughtful shares, too. Enjoy!