Going out like a lion or lamb?

By Joan Hadac

Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge

(708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com

As I write this (March 23), the weather forecast I’m looking at for Marfch 31 calls for a high of 48 degrees with a 30% chance of rain. Does that mean March is going out like a lion or a lamb?

I hope April is unseasonably mild because I know my husband has fairly ambitious plans to get his mammoth Russian sunflower seeds into our garden as soon as he can without danger of frost. In years past, we’ve had some real beauties: seven feet tall with giant heads loved by bees and butterflies alike (and months later by squirrels who gorge on the seeds).

Anyway, please get your calendar and make a note of these events:

• The Easter Bunny will make a breakfast stop at the Rhine VFW Post 2729, 5858 S. Archer, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 9.

Bring your children (or grandchildren, as the case may be) and sit down for breakfast with the world’s most famous bunny. A meal of scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, orange juice and coffee will be available.

The Easter Bunny is set to appear at the Rhine VFW Post 2729 on Saturday, April 9, as well as at other sites across the area.
–Photo posted to social media by the Mr. Costume company

Bring your camera and take plenty of photos. Every child in attendance will receive a gift.

Tickets are priced at $10 each for adults, $5 for children ages 3-10, no charge for children under age 3. Tickets will be available at he door; or if you want to buy tickets in advance, stop by the post on Thursday, March 31 or Thursday, April 7 during the weekly bingo games. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the games start at 6:45. You don’t have to play bingo to stop by and buy tickets for breakfast with the Easter Bunny.

Thanks to the post and its auxiliary for hosting this visit from the Easter Bunny, and thanks specifically to Rich Aguinaga for sharing this news.

• Volunteers are needed to help honor the memory of fallen members of the military.

Here’s how you can help: volunteer to assist with the annual Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run, set for Saturday, June 18–starting at the Grundy County fairgrounds and ending at the Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall in Marseilles.

The Wall has been described as a stunning tribute to all U.S. service men and women who have lost their lives in overseas conflicts from 1979 to the present. Each year, names are added to honor the sacrifices of those lost in the year before.

Currently, the Wall holds more than 8,000 names. This year, organizers will add the names of the 13 U.S. military members who lost their lives in the final, chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last August.

Joan Hadac

The annual run attracts as many as 10,000 motorcyclists—many from states outside Illinois, according to Clearing resident Bob “Cooch” Kuczera, a longtime run organizer and veterans advocate.

Volunteers will be matched with their interests and abilities, often selling run-related merchandise to help raise funds to support the wall, said to be the only war memorial in the U.S. that was erected while a conflict was still underway.

For more information, visit middleeastconflictswallmemorial.org.. My thanks to Cooch for sharing this information.

• As the pandemic continues to fade (and let’s hope that continues), things are starting to open up at the Garfield Ridge Satellite Senior Center, 5674-B S. Archer.

Tai Chi classes are back, from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursdays. Craft classes are resuming, from 9:15 to 10 a.m. Tuesdays. Chair exercise classes are returning, from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Music appreciation classes run from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays. YouTube-ing (in which a range of videos posted to YouTube are played) are held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Mondays. Ten-game bingo sessions run from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. These programs are generally for men and women age 55 and up. For details, call (312) 745-4255.

My thanks to center manager Julie Slawniak for sharing the good news.

Remember, folks, this satellite senior center matters to Clearing and Garfield Ridge. It was established years ago after seniors here were tired of City Hall telling them to go to the senior center all the way over at 61^st and Kedzie. Quite a bit of pressure was applied by seniors back then, and seniors today are reaping the rewards of that effort. So if you’re age 55 or older—or you’re not but have neighbors who are—please support this senior center.

• The Clear-Ridge Historical Society has announced the return of in-person programs at the Clearing Branch Library, 6423 W. 63rd Place.

All are welcome to join the CRHS Join us at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 3 for a meeting of the Midway Historians, a group of men and women dedicated to preserving the history of the airport. No charge for admission, but donations to the non-profit CRHS are always welcome.

• A discussion of Erik Larson’s book The Devil in the White City will be held soon at the Garfield Ridge Branch Library, 6348 S. Archer. The book looks at the true story of serial killer H.H. Holmes, the 1893 World’s Fair and how the two coincided in Chicago.

The first discussion will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 13; and another at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 14.

Copies of the book are available at the library. The discussions are for adults only. For details, call the library at (312) 747-6094. Thanks to librarian Patti Tyznik for sharing this news.

• This year’s final Lenten fish fry at Two Holy Martyrs Parish is set for 5 to 7 p.m. Friday April 1 at the Sharp Center, 5940 W. 62^nd St. A fish plate is just $12, and a number of other delicious treats are on the menu. Dine in or carry out. After the fry, please join parishioners for Stations of the Cross in St. Symphorosa Church next door. For details, call the parish office at (773) 767-1523.
• Finally, please remember that you can read this column online 24/7 when you head over to southwestregionalpublishing.com/clear-ridge-reporter and subscribe for as little as 4 cents a day. It’s a bargain!

Well, that’s it for this week. I’m looking forward to a pleasant April and a blessed Easter. See you soon.