Idde and Luis Pagan brought Christmas cheer to September with their display marking the Braeburn holiday theme. Pagan is a retired Chicago firefighter who moved his family to Flossmoor in July. (Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)
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The Gem 2023: Braeburn, Brassie residents offer holiday joy to Gem runners

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The nine-mile team, from left, is Cristine Alcasia, Dave Mayer, Beth Kirchler, Jerry Zachary, Ron Kirchler, Ben Herman, Mike Kamradt, Betty Herman, Al Hill, Jennifer Dreyfuss, David Dreyfuss, Rose Mayer, Jessica Kors, Monica Zachary and Bill Sweeney. (Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)
The nine-mile team, from left, is Cristine Alcasia, Dave Mayer, Beth Kirchler, Jerry Zachary, Ron Kirchler, Ben Herman, Mike Kamradt, Betty Herman, Al Hill, Jennifer Dreyfuss, David Dreyfuss, Rose Mayer, Jessica Kors, Monica Zachary and Bill Sweeney. (Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)
After running for nine miles, Julie Gebel still seems to be enjoying herself. (Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)
After running for nine miles, Julie Gebel
still seems to be enjoying herself.
(Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)

Flossmoor’s 4th annual Hidden Gem Half Marathon may be 13.1 miles long, but the race’s highest point…

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Karen Torme Olson is an award-winning journalist, author, teacher, and recently retired secondary school counselor. For the last four decades, she has crafted stories and photos for numerous publishing outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, Google, Stars and Stripes, Frommer’s Travel Guides, and most recently the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle. She received her doctoral degree in Administration and Supervision from Loyola University Chicago in 2006 and subsequently discovered that her most rewarding writing assignments involved crafting letters of recommendation for the hundreds of talented students who sought her counsel at Homewood Flossmoor High School over the last 19 years. She is mom to three sons and grandma to one grandson. She lives in Olympia Fields with her husband Randy Weissman, two spoiled rescue dogs, and two imperious cats.

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