Plenty going on at Marquette Park

By Kathy Headley

Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor

6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778

With Labor Day now behind us, even though we tend to think of this as the beginning of autumn, if it stays warm for a bit. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the Golf Course at Marquette. Don’t forget that kids under age 17 play free with an adult. Book your tee time ahead at (312) 245-0909.

Another popular sport that has attracted folks to Marquette for years is bird watching. It is not unusual to see people with binoculars and a camera searching for great blue herons and black-crowned night herons along the lagoon’s edges. With Marquette being one of the largest parks in the city, it is possible to see a wider range of wildlife here than at some of the park’s smaller sites. In addition to the herons, peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawk have also been spotted at the park.

The annual Siluva Masses and novenas began at Nativity BVM parish this Thursday, Sept. 8, at 11 a.m. Mass. The novena runs from Sept. 11-18. For more information on either event, call the parish office at (773) 776-4600.

This year marks the 95^th anniversary of the founding of Nativity BVM Parish. The celebration will take place on Sunday, Sept. 18, beginning with a Mass at 11 a.m. celebrated by Bishop Rimantas Norvila and followed by a celebration banquet in the parish hall. Tickets for the banquet are $65 for adults and $30 for children under 12. All are invited to join in the celebration. For more information on either event, call the parish office at (773) 776-4600.

Kathy Headley

On Saturday, Sept.10, the Marquette Park Kids Soccer Association will be closing out the season with a team parade, trophies, gamily games, food, raffles and prizes beginning at 11 a.m. at Tarkington Park. The league has been serving the community since 1996 and serves 500-plus kids and teens ranging in age from 5 to 16 years of age.

This Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10 and 11, is Fiesta Mexicana at St. Rita of Cascia Parish, 6243 S. Fairfield. The Mexican feast returns after a brief hiatus due to the pandemic. The popular two-day event features good food, drinks, music and camaraderie. For more information, call the parish office at (772) 434-9600.

Last week we decided to end our summer fun with some more ice cream. This time we were going back a little further than usual all the way to the late 1940s and 1950s. Now we must choose between the drug store with a soda fountain at 63^rd and St. Louis, which had grape soda at the fountain; or the candy store with a soda fountain just east of Kedzie on the south side of the street, which served cantaloupe sundaes in the summer.

Since we had an early deadline for the newspaper this week, I don’t believe you had a chance to think this one over. You may not have even had a chance to read the paper before this edition went to print. So, with that being said, we’ll let this ride until next week.

Also, Camille S. who gave us one of these suggestions enjoyed going here for a treat in the late 40s and early 50s. I must mention that both of these were popular places for decades. As a matter of fact, the destination on 63^rd Street just east of Kedzie was there well into the 1980s. So what do you suppose the names of these places with a soda fountain are?