* The holiday season means two things on this ol’ blog: 1) Fundraising for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois; and 2) our Golden Horseshoe Awards.

From Mariah Heinz Wiggins at LSSI…

At LSSI we are turning our focus to Christmas! We are so grateful for your support over the years, and your online fundraisers in recent years have made a HUGE difference in our efforts to provide gifts and meet holiday needs for every child and family we serve. I was just looking at your page from last year which raised over $20k in maybe 2 weeks. So incredible. We cannot thank you enough.

The thanks should really go to y’all, not me. The kids we buy presents and winter coats and other needs for are served by LSSI’s Foster Care Services. They’re good people doing a great service for children who need it and we get to play a role in that.

I quietly opened up the donation page last week and without much fanfare we’ve already raised $1,200. As soon as we hit $2K, I’ll donate a matching amount. So, please, click here and help out the kids.

* On to the question. Because of the pandemic, it’s been a while since we’ve voted on these topics…

* Best session restaurant

* Best session tavern/hangout

As always, do your very best to vote in both categories and make sure to explain your votes or they will not count. Thanks and have fun!

Also, after you’ve cast your ballot, maybe click here and donate to LSSI. Let’s help those kids!

*** UPDATE *** Wow, that was quick! I just kicked in my pledged $2,000. Thanks!