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By Kathy Headley
Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor
6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778
As I am typing this column, I realize that today is my anniversary, for it was on Oct. 7, 1993 that my first neighborhood column appeared in the Southwest News-Herald.
The fact that I’ve hit the 30-year mark was quite a shock to me, as it seems like only yesterday I began. I can easily tell you why the time has flown by and I continue to enjoy what I am doing. It is because of you, our interesting conversations about the neighborhood and our history.
The more we talk, the more I have learned over the years about this neighborhood that we have shared. So I thank you for your continued interest and hope that we will be sharing stories and learning from each other for a while yet.
Let’s take a quick look at that inaugural column where we find one of the first topics I shared with you and it went something like this:
The reason we chose this community when we were buying a house was Marquette Park. It’s still one of the best reasons that I can think of for making this neighborhood your home. Whether it’s a snowfall in the winter, the sun shining down on the lagoon in the spring and summer or the crisp colors of autumn, it’s a beautiful place to be.
Mark your calendar
If you are reading this before 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, there’s still time to register for the next CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) Runs free timed 5K and 1-Mile event which takes place this Saturday, Oct.14. On the day of the event, runners/walkers will meet at 9 a.m. on Mann drive, just west of the running track. Register at cararuns.org.
Once again this year, the Marquette Park Art Workshops with visiting artist William Estrada are taking place this month. Coming up this Monday, Oct. 16, is Clay Offerings. During this two-hour family workshop participants will work with small amounts of clay to create miniature sculptures of objects and then have the opportunity to take them home. The workshop has two sessions: one at 5 p.m. and the other starting at 6 p.m.
During the month of October, rosaries will be said at Nativity BVM in English on Sundays at 9 a.m. (before the 9:30 a.m. English Mass) and on Saturdays in Lithuanian at 3:30 p.m. (before the 4 p.m. Lithuanian Mass).
The Altar Guild of St. Thomas More will host their Annual Rosary in the Garden this Sunday, Oct. 15, after the 10 a.m. Mass in honor of our Blessed Mother. Light refreshments will be served and there will also be a raffle.
On Sunday, Oct. 15, an opportunity to get your flu shot will be offered in the gym at St. Clare of Montefalco, 5443 S. Washtenaw. Representatives from Walgreens will be on hand to administer shots from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Also on Sunday, Oct. 15, parishioners and friends of Nativity BVM are invited to celebrate Father Jauniuas’ birthday at noon in the parish hall.
On Tuesday, Oct. 17, a legal aid seminar will take place at the Southwest Regional Senior Center, 6117 S. Kedzie, featuring topics like powers of attorney and property transfers. This seminar begins at 10 am.
On Wednesday, Oct. 18, it’s Arts and Crafts at the Center with Mrs. Pena beginning at 10 a.m.
In recent years, during the weeks leading up to All Souls Day, Nov. 2, those going down 63rd Street past St. Rita of Cascia Church have been taken aback by the display of white crosses lined up on the northwest corner at Fairfield. These crosses are put up in memory of deceased loved ones. A donation of $10 per cross with a limit of five names per cross is requested. Crosses will also be put up outside of St. Clare of Montefalco Church this year. To include your loved ones or for more information, call the rectory at (773) 434-9600.
Finally, a prayer goes out to St. Rita Grammar School alumnus John J. York (Class of ’72) who was recently diagnosed with two forms of cancer. If you did not know John from school or the neighborhood, you may recognize his name and face from his 22 years playing Mac Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.
John is approaching this with a positive attitude and was quoted in People magazine saying that he has battled ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease since he was 17 and his feeling is, “It’s just another thing that I gotta now take care of.”
Now let’s return to 1981. No one was able to come up with the answer to last week’s question so let’s let it roll for another week.
At this time in 1981, a new home entertainment opportunity was coming to the neighborhood. A blue-ribbon commission had been formed in September and had already met three times. As was going on in other neighborhoods, and states for that matter, specific steps for operation were in the process of being spelled out and a series of penalties for non-compliance with city regulations were being written. Now, in 2023, it is certainly a common addition to most households. What do you think it was?