Grocery store manager is a West Lawn original

By Peggy Zabicki

Your correspondent in West Lawn

3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327

Have you been grocery shopping at the Save A Lot at 4439 W. 63rd St. recently?  If so, you may have noticed some improvements in the food displays. New manager Juan Valenzuela has goals of improving merchandise quality and selection.

Juan has lived in West Lawn his whole life. He grew up near 69th and Kedvale. When he was a college freshman, he applied for a job at Save A Lot. He started out as a cashier and then worked as a stock person. He worked his way to shift leader and then assistant manager. After working for several years at Save A Lot, Juan is now the manager. He is a true West Lawn success story.

As Juan works to improve sales at Save A Lot, he looks forward to increasing the work hours and benefits for his employees. “I really want to get more hours for my people and then we can get more done around the store,” he said.

Peggy Zabicki

Next time you shop at Save A Lot, say hi to Juan. He looks forward to meeting all his customers. Save A Lot is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The 26th Annual Community Yard Sale will take place on the weekend of May 13-15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entire block of 4300 West Marquette Road, as well as the 6300 to 6500 blocks of Tripp, Kildare, Kolin, Kostner, Kenneth and Kilbourn, will have merchandise for sale by residents. This is going to be big, so be sure to mark it on your calendar.

The West Lawn Branch Library, 4020 W. 63rd St., will be showing the movie Ron’s Gone Wrong at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 6. This movie is appropriate for all ages. Call the library at (312) 747-7381 to reserve your spot. Admission is free.

The latest CAPS meeting for Beats 813 and 833 was held on March 22. Information about crime in our neighborhood was shared. The top crimes that occurred between the dates of Feb. 22 and March 21 were theft, deceptive practices, criminal damage, battery, motor vehicle theft, assault, robbery and weapon violations. The next meeting for Beats 813 and 833 will take place on April 26. There is no April meeting scheduled for Beat 823.

The number one complaint people call me about is the noisy drag racers. These inconsiderate drivers race up and down the main streets, and now the side streets, all through our neighborhood at all hours. Besides being in violation of noise ordinances, they are a danger to the safety of other drivers and pedestrians.

We need to continue to bring this up at CAPS meetings and phone calls to the police and our aldermen. Call 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn at (773) 581-8000 and 23rd Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares at (773) 582-4444.

Queen of the Universe School, 7130 S. Hamlin, has a science-focused curriculum. The eighth grade students are currently studying heredity and genetics. They extracted DNA from strawberries. The seventh grade students are studying ecosystems and the habitats of animals and plants. The sixth grade students are studying weather, and the fifth grade students are studying outer space.

If you are interested in a Queen of the Universe education for your children, call the school at (773) 582-4266 for information on fall registration.

St. Nicholas of Tolentine School, 3741 W. 62nd St., recently hosted a tour of their school. This event gave neighborhood families a chance to explore the St. Nick’s preschool and kindergarten program. If you would like more information about all of their educational programs, call them at (773) 735-0772.

St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, 6200 S. Lawndale, will be having a pancake breakfast on Palm Sunday, April 10. Their Girl Scout and Boy Ccout troops will be hosting the event in the school basement. Breakfast will be served between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. All are invited.

St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, 6424 S. Kenneth, will be having their Casino Night on Saturday, April 23 from 6 p.m. to midnight. This adults-only (age 21 and up) event features raffles, black jack, roulette, craps, money wheel, Texas Hold’em and more. Call for more information at (773) 767-6160.

Everyone at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish would like to wish parishioner Frank McDermott a very happy birthday. Frank celebrated his 101st birthday on March 26. Wow! Happy Birthday, Frank. May our Lord continue to bless you this year and always.