He’s a real hall-of-famer

By Kathy Headley

Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor

6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778

Let’s start out today by congratulating, a local fellow, St. Rita High School alumnus Jim Schumacher, who was recently inducted into the 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame.

Jim was a player-manager and organizer on the Southwest Side for more than 25 years. He was a pitcher and manager for the ACES from 1974 to 2000, and his bio tells us the team was loaded with St. Rita players and future Hall of Famers. Winning titles and championships. throughout his career, Jim was said to be an integral part of the team’s successes. He will be honored in October at Oakbrook Drury Lane during the inductee dinner.

Kathy Headley

Well, last Saturday’s drizzly weather put a damper on the first Neighborhood Taste of Chicago Pop-Up at Marquette Park. For a good part of the day, Taste-goers needed to juggle their food in one hand and an umbrella in the other. If you were there, you may have seen Mayor Brandon Johnson when he stopped by, talking to vendors and taking away a to-go order.

The event was set-up on the south side of the park, beginning at California and stretching west down 71^st Street. Interestingly though, as we drove the circumference of the park and made our down Kedzie, it was quite obvious the wet weather did not stop the golfers who played through without umbrellas, or the soccer players competing in their regularly scheduled Saturday games.

For the first time since the pandemic, the Convoy of Hope Celebration will be back at Marquette Park this Saturday, Aug. 12, beginning at 10 a.m. with free food, giveaways, entertainment, informational tables and hot lunch for all.

Mark your calendars for next Saturday, Aug. 19, for an event titled Unearthed Histories, where the Marquette Park Composers Workshop partners with local poets to bring you a transformative musical exploration into the history of music and art in Chicago. This sounds pretty interesting. We are invited to “share in a reverence for our collective history and radical imaginings of our future.” The event begins at 2 p.m. by the lagoon outside the fieldhouse, weather permitting.

Community Cinema brings Columbia Pictures’ 2021 film The Mitchells vs. The Machines to the Chicago Lawn Branch Library, 6120 S. Kedzie, this Sunday, Aug. 13, beginning at 2 p.m.

In keeping with the 150^th birthday celebration of the Chicago Public Library, the Chicago Lawn Historical Society glass case located in the Adult Reading Room of the library is currently featuring photos from our Chicago Lawn Library in its former location at 62nd and Kedzie. Check it out and you will get a peek inside during the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s.

Over at the Southwest Regional Center, 6117 S. Kedzie, representatives from the Social Security Administration and the Illinois State Treasurer ICASH offices are scheduled to present a “Lunch and Learn” at 10 a.m. This will provide an opportunity to ask questions of both agencies.

Then on Tuesday, Aug. 15, it’s a $5 Spotify Dance for seniors with lunch and music included, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Rounding out the week at the Center on Friday, Aug. 18, there will be a Cubs Watch Party as the Chicago Cubs take on the Kansas City Royals at 1:15 p.m.

All parishioners, former parishioners and friends of Nativity BVM are invited to join the celebration of the parish’s 96^th anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 17. Festivities begin with a Mass at 11 a.m. celebrated by the Rev. Gintaras Jonikas, followed by a banquet in the parish hall at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $60 for adults and $30 for children under 12 years of age. Call the parish office to reserve a seat or a table (10 persons) at (773) 776-4600.

There will also be a cash raffle at the banquet with tickets available in the church after Masses at $10 each. First prize is $500, second is $200; third, fourth and fifth are $100 each.

There is still time to take part in the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s annual photo contest. The 2023 contest includes a search for the best photos of Forest Preserves: landscapes, close-ups of plants, insects, bird, shots of people enjoying the outdoors, etc. Winning photos will be featured in the 2024 Forest Preserves of Cook County Calendar and on their social media accounts. The deadline for submission is Aug. 15. Rules and instructions can be found at fpdcc.com/photo-contest. So if you are interested, head to Dan Ryan Woods this week.

Those who attended St. Rita Grammar School in the 1950s may remember Adrian Dominican Sister Jeanette (Anesa Mari) Jabour, who recently passed away at the age of 91.

Those who attended St. Sabina Grammar School in the 1960s may remember Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary (Mary Ania) Schlehuber, who recently passed away at the age of 95.

We’ve been spending the last few months visiting places we remember that were here in the neighborhood 50 years ago. Let’s spend another week or two in 1973 before we hop into a different era. Now I think this is kind of a hard question, but we’ll see if anyone can come up with this answer. Fifty years ago, for girls, a popular hobby was Make-It-Yourself Purse Kits. They ran $9.95 at this particular shop on 63^rd Street. The shop had plenty of things of interest to boys as well. Where do you think we would be shopping?