Joan Hadac

Joan Hadac

Trying to see the sunny side of life

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By Joan Hadac

Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge

(708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com

Hi everyone. I hope you’re doing well. Coming up is one of my favorite months, and it’s not for the reason you think.

Yes, Valentine’s Day is special, but I like the fact that I see more sun, more daylight and know spring isn’t that far away. I may be harping on a theme in my columns lately. I’m trying to be an optimist, not a pessimist. I’m trying to see the sunny side of life.

Speaking of Valentine’s Day, Two Holy Martyrs Parish is hosting a Valentine’s Day bingo on Saturday, Feb. 12 on the St. Symphorosa campus in the Sharp Center, 5940 W. 62nd St. Doors open at 12:20 p.m., and games start at 1:30 p.m. You’ll pay $20 at the door. Pull-tabs will also be part of the fun.

joanhadac 1

Joan Hadac

You won’t go hungry either. The event will feature a chili bar, hot dogs, chili dogs, nachos, chips, popcorn–and in honor of Valentine’s Day, red velvet cake.

For more information, call the parish office at (773) 767-1523. Thanks to Lara for sending me the news.

Do you enjoy playing bingo on a regular basis? Bingo is played every Thursday at the Rhine VFW Post, 5858 S. Archer. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and games begin at 6:45 p.m.

Players must wear a mask when entering the bingo hall. They must also show their identification and vaccination record card. Temperatures will be checked.

The post is looking for volunteers, even if you can only help once or twice a month. Every volunteer makes a difference. For more information, give the post a call at (773) 284-9025.

KN95 masks are available on a first come, first served basis at 23rd Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares’ office, 6247 S. Archer. These are one of the best masks out there.

It’s a nervous time out there, especially since the latest COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is so contagious. If you are among those getting the shots, make sure you are up to date and have gotten your booster.

Omicron may not be as virulent as other variants, but if you get it and have symptoms, you will still feel lousy and are required to go through quarantine. So to be safe, mask up, stay six feet apart from others, wash your hands and follow other pandemic-related guidelines. Your health matters.

Just a note to parents who may be deciding for the first time or considering a change of school for their child or children, Sunday, Jan. 30 starts Catholic Schools Week. St. Symphorosa School, 6125 S. Austin, is hosting an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 30. Parents can learn what programs make St. Symphorosa special and meet the people that make up St. Symphorosa. Registration is being accepted for the 2022-23 school year. For more information, call (773) 585-6888 or visit stsymsschool.org.

St. Daniel the Prophet School, 5337 S. Natoma, is also hosting an open house during Catholic Schools Week from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 30. For more information, call (773) 586-1225 or visit stdan.net.

Take care and I’ll talk to you next week.

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