The Clearing Night Force’s tree lighting event is an annual favorite with young and old, as this photo from 2019 illustrates. --File photo
Holiday cheer continues at Hale Park
By Joan Hadac
Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge
(708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com
I hope your Christmas season is off to a warm and memorable start.
Thanks to the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch, the Midway Chamber of Commerce and everyone responsible for making the annual Christmas tree lighting in Wentworth Park and the annual Snack With Santa a success last Saturday. Many, if not most, neighborhoods in the city don’t have anything quite like those two events.
If you missed the tree lighting last weekend, please know you are welcome to attend a tree lighting scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13 at Hale Park, 6258 W. 62nd St.
Sponsored by the Clearing Night Force, this event is not the big, outdoor extravaganza seen at Wentworth Park, but it has just as much Christmas cheer.
Everything occurs inside the fieldhouse, so you won’t be at the mercy of the elements.
The Clearing Night Force’s tree lighting event is an annual favorite with young and old, as this photo from 2019 illustrates. –File photo
You’ll enjoy hot cocoa and cookies as you are invited to sing along with carolers from the Hale Park Theatre Company.
Children will enjoy an ornament-making activity, as well as a visit with Santa Claus himself.
This is all at no charge, although I would imagine that the non-profit Clearing Night Force would turn away any kind of a donation to might want to make. For details, send an email to clearingnightforce812@gmail.com.
Mark your calendar
- If you missed the Midway Chamber of Commerce’s Snack With Santa, please know you are welcome to have breakfast with Santa at the Rhine VFW Post 2729, 5858 S. Archer, from 8:30 a.m. to noon Sunday, Dec. 11.
Enjoy pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, cake, cookies, juice and coffee.
Admission is $11 for adults, as well as children ages 9-17; $5 for children ages 3-8; and no charge for kids younger than 3.
Santa will be on hand, and all children will receive a modest gift. There will also be raffles. For details, call the post at (773) 284-9025.
- For Christians in general, Advent season has started. For Catholics in particular, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Thursday, Dec. 8. That’s followed by the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Monday, Dec. 12. She originally was Patroness of Mexico but was declared Patroness of all the Americas by then-Pope John Paul II. May these special days, as well as the Advent season in general, be especially meaningful for all believers.
- A Christmas festival is set for 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11 in the basement of St. Blase Church, 6101 S. 75th Ave., Summit. Enjoy food, refreshments, Christmas music, a piñata for children and more. Proceeds from the event benefit the CCD program of Blessed Martyrs of Chimbote Parish. Not sure what the admission fee is. For details, call the BMC office at (708) 458-0007. The parish includes the westernmost section of Garfield Ridge.
- Speaking of BMC, the parish’s Ladies of the Rosary are hosting a Christmas party from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14 at European Chalet, 5445 S. Harlem. Tickets are $35 each and include dinner and entertainment. There will be a cash bar. There will be a raffle of holiday baskets. Not sure if tickets are available, but call (708) 458-0501 for details.
- Santa Claus will climb aboard Jim Sircher’s vintage fire truck and ride through the streets of Garfield Ridge (west of Central) from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, courtesy of the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch. The Jolly Old Elf will do the same in Clearing (west of Central) from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. So keep your eyes and ears open, everyone, and thank you, Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch!
- Children under age 7 are invited to a Christmas themed event scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12 at Valley Forge Park, 7001 W. 59th St. The session will include holiday crafts, games, cookies and hot cocoa, arm painting and a photo opportunity with Santa Claus. Fee is $10 per child. For details, call (773) 229-0812.
Local News
Apply for violence prevention funds, Preckwinkle says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Community organizations engaged in violence prevention are invited to attend a series of virtual information sessions for the upcoming Gun Violence Prevention & Reduction Grant opportunity. The information sessions will help local organizations understand the application process for nearly $50 million in funding that will be awarded in the city and suburban…
Kaegi hosts webinars on affordable housing
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Cook County Assessor’s Office has announced dates for its upcoming informational webinars about a new affordable housing property tax incentive. Created by state statute, the Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program provides property tax relief to incentivize the creation, rehabilitation and maintenance of affordable housing units in Cook County. While…
County offers help with water bills for people in poverty
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A new program to assist low-income residents with water utility bills has been announced by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County. Funded with dollars provided by the American Rescue Plan Act, the Low-income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides financial…
St. Patrick’s Day parade dedicated to Officer Ella French
Spread the loveHeroism, sacrifice to be honored By Tim Hadac A 29-year-old woman remembered as a hero and martyr among many—in Chicago and elsewhere—will be saluted at the Archer Avenue St. Patrick’s Day parade, set for Saturday, March 12. The late Chicago Police Officer Ella French, shot to death during a traffic stop near 63rd…
Eight years later, an Eagle takes flight
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Hi everyone. I want to tell you about the eight-year journey of one young man, which started in fourth grade at Kinzie School and ended just recently. His journey took him from Cub Scout Pack 3625 at Kinzie School through…
A crazy fun day
Spread the love Dahlia Walkosz and Olivia Lopez, fifth graders at St. Daniel the Prophet School, were among many having fun during Crazy Hat Day–part of St. Dan’s efforts to promote good spirit during this year’s Catholic Schools Week. Parents looking for a school for their children for the 2022-23 school year are invited to…
Naz teacher earns Golden Apple nomination
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A teacher at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park has been named a Golden Apple Award Finalist for Excellence in Teaching. Amelia García is one of just 30 finalists for the prestigious award. Hundreds of high school teachers across the state were nominated. Winners will be announced this spring—surprised individually…
Pandemic relief funds available for business, Gonzalez says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. (D-21st) is calling attention to a new round of Back to Business grants available to local businesses dealing with financial hardship related to the pandemic. “For years now, the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for small business owners throughout Illinois, but they have largely…
New Red Stars coach wants to bring ‘joy and positivity’
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Chicago Red Stars have found their new coach. The team announced February 18 that Chris Petrucelli will replace Rory Dames, who resigned a day after the 2021 NWSL championship game. Dames has since been the subject of national stories regarding his alleged abuse of players both on…
Neighbors
Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…
‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…
Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…
Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety,…
“No Schoolers”: How Illinois’ hands-off approach to homeschooling leaves children at risk
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & MOLLY PARKER CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS investigations@capitolnewsillinois.com This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided…
Brushing off concerns of overspending, Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget
By ANDREW ADAMS JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. The signing caps months of work – and tension – among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the…
Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938…