St. Rita getting a fresh coat of paint

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By Kathy Headley

Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor

6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778

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If you attend Mass at St. Rita of Cascia Parish, you already have seen the scaffolding going up as the parish prepares to give the huge church a facelift. Just as when the church was first built in 1949, the work will not interfere with regular services. Putting on a fresh coat of paint inside should take about a month to complete.

Registration closes at 2 p.m. Friday, April 12 for Saturday’s first Go Run Marquette community run. These free, Saturday events begin at 9 a.m. and are open to anyone who enjoys racing, running, jogging or walking. Long-time runners, newcomers, families and children are all invited to take part.

The April 13 run and all Saturday runs are hosted and managed by the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Area Runners Association. Pre-registration is required at CARAruns.org.

Also this Saturday at the Marquette Park Fieldhouse, 6734 S. Kedzie, the non-profit Human Scale and the Anchor Tutorial Team will unveil the design for the experimental creative space planned for the park behind the fieldhouse in the area of the water retention walls. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. Light refreshments will be provided.

Kathy Headley

This Saturday, April 13, and again on Saturday, April 20, children preparing for the sacrament of First Holy Communion along with their parents, grandparents or godparents are invite to take part in the second annual First Communion Retreat. Entitled This is My Body, the one-day retreat takes place in the St. Rita Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western, either day from 9 a.m. to noon with popular retreat director Rev. Tom McCarthy OSA and Mary Jo Jenkins, Assistant Shrine Director. The morning will include hands-on activities and a snack as well. For more information, visit stritashrinechicago.com or call (773) 925-6600.

This Sunday, April 14, Community Cinema brings the 2023 Paramount Pictures film TMNT: Mutant Mayhem to the Chicago Lawn Branch Library, 6120 S. Kedzie, beginning at 2 p.m.

On Wednesday, April 17 it’s After School Fun at the library from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Suitable for kids ages 3 to 13 and their families, there will be board games, puzzles and small crafts to create. Families are welcome to bring their own snacks if they wish.

Then on Thursday, April 18, from 5 to 6 p.m., kids in grades 3 to 8 are invited to join the Spy Academy STEAM Club at the library. Members will test their speed and logic skills, make a spy ID buzzer, build a magic box and reflective eyeglass lenses and construct an escape zip line. Registration is required. Visit chipublib.org or call (312) 747-0639.

Next Saturday, April 20, all are invited to join the Sisters of St. Casimir in a Mass praying for the beatification of Mother Maria Kaupas in the SSC Chapel, 2601 W. Marquette Road, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Coming up on Saturday, April 27 is this year’s Unofficial Bogan Reunion. The event will be held at The Brick Tavern, 6030 W. 111^th St., Chicago Ridge, beginning at 6 p.m. Bogan will have the whole bar to itself. As in the past, there’s a $10 cover charge. There will be a DJ, pizza and a cash bar. For more information, check out the Unofficial Bogan Reunion page on Facebook.

Speaking of Bogan, how about the surprise when the White Castle across the street at 79^th and Pulaski closed permanently? You just don’t hear of a White Castle closing very often.

Now back to 1979. When we left last week, we were trying to remember the name of the popular Hallmark store at 2410 W. 63^rd St. Later on, it became Kim’s Hallmark but in 1979, it was Vogue. Gen M. lived down the street on Artesian and remembers it as a huge place full of knickknacks and collectibles. “One could browse around that store for hours,” she said.

I talked to Bud Bartell a few years back and he told me his mom, Violet, started Vogue at 6226 S. Western as a card/gift/baby shop in 1941. Bud actually met his wife at the store. It was shortly after he got out of the service. This was back in the days when stores were open until 9 on Saturdays.

Bud called his mom to tell her he was going out and not to worry. Violet said, “Would you do me a favor first? Jeannine is still here. Could you circle by the store around 9 and give her a ride home?”

He did and ended up giving her many more rides home as they hit it off right away. Bud and Jeannine were married in 1949. Later, Jeannine took over the store. So from going into the store, some might remember Violet, some might remember Jeannine. Some might also remember Bud’s stepfather, John Carroll, as he was a podiatrist with an office at 6rd and Western and wrote a foot care column in the Southwest News-Herald for several years.

Now, about this time in 1979, a ribbon cutting ceremony was being held signaling the start of the remodeling and reconstruction of the A & P Food Mart at 61^st and Kedzie. When it was all finished, what do you suppose the former A & P would become?