Local Legends Annual Event
Local Legends
Celebrating the Voices That Shape Us
For 17 years, Local Legends has been one of the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff’s most anticipated traditions. Each year, the event honors a remarkable individual whose work has left a lasting mark on our region and beyond. Part of what makes it special is that you never quite know who it will be. Across nearly two decades, Local Legends has celebrated an ever-surprising range of voices, and the annual reveal has become a moment our community looks forward to together.
Why It Matters
Local Legends is more than an evening of celebration. It is one of the ways the History Center connects our community to the people and stories that have shaped Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. Each honoree offers a living link between our region’s past and its present, and each event invites neighbors, families, and lifelong residents to gather around that shared history.
The evening also does quiet, essential work. Proceeds from Local Legends sustain the History Center throughout the year, supporting the preservation of our collections, the programs that bring local history to schools and families, and the stewardship that keeps our community’s story accessible for generations to come.
This year we are proud to honor Rebecca Makkai, the acclaimed novelist and Lake Bluff native.
Her bestselling books, among them The Great Believers, have earned her national recognition, including finalist honors for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Through her residencies at Ragdale and as a mentor and champion of other writers, she has long been part of the North Shore’s creative life. She joins a distinguished line of honorees as our 2026 Local Legend.
Become a Sponsor
Local Legends depends on the generosity of its sponsors. Sponsorship is not simply a contribution to a single evening; it is an investment in the History Center’s year-round mission and a visible statement of your commitment to the community’s cultural life.
Sponsors receive recognition throughout the event and its promotion, along with exclusive access to patron-only gatherings that bring you closer to each year’s honoree. Above all, sponsorship ensures that the work of preserving and sharing our local history continues, uninterrupted, for the families who will call this community home long after us.
To become a sponsor or learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to Lisa Frey at lfrey@lflbhistory.org or click here.
This Year’s Patron Sponsors
Publisher Level Sponsors
Anne Searle Bent
Tsch and Tom Hunter
Manuscript Level Sponsors
Prue and Francis Beidler
Amee and Stephen Christ
Anne Hunting and Ari Mintz
James Stirling
Bookbinder Level Sponsors
Ellie Borders
Mary and Charles Brennan, III
Joan and Karl Gedge
Kip Helverson and Trey Gonzales
Deborah and Frank Jimenez
James Phelps
The Ragdale Foundation
David Seleb and John Cialone
Robin and Alexander Stuart
Pamela and David Waud
Meredith Wright
Fountain Pen Level Sponsors
Sondra Desrosier and Pierre Adam
Anonymous
Francesca and Liam Connell
Maddie Dugan
The Hale Family
Anne Helms
Pamela and David Henkel
Fred Jackson
Nancy and Kent Novit
Kitty and Robert Lansing
Jeanna Park
Colette Rau
Chris and Mike Reidy
Debbie and Mark Saran
Mary and Bob Shaw
Nancy and Adrian Smith
Sally Stoll