The 1950s Park Forest House Museum, 227 Monee Road, Park Forest, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, invites you to “Step Back into a 1950s Christmas,” from December 4 through January 4. A museum visit provides a wonderful inter-generational experience. Bring the kids, grandkids, and grandparents. Operated by the Park Forest Historical Society, the museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays (closed Christmas Day but call about New Year’s Day), from 1 to 3:30 p.m., with appointments for small groups at other times. Admission/donation is $5 for adults, with children 12 and under free. One free adult admission is available with the purchase of a Marshall Field’s brick or a “Remembering Rich East” DVD or thumb drive.
Parking is in the small lot at the far end of the church. Knock on the second to last classroom door to be admitted. Call Museum Director Jane Nicoll, at 708-481-4252, to confirm opening in case of extreme weather. Information and email inquiries are through the website at www.parkforesthistory.org.
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of 21st Century preparations to spend quality time getting a dose of holiday nostalgia. Vintage decorations are in every room. The museum features a musical, Black Forest green, aluminum, rotating tree – a Brilliant Noble Fir, made by the C. Sincere Company in Chicago, decorated with mid-century modern ornaments. Gurley candles and Rosbro plastic figurines, a collection of Santa and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shakers, dolls, toys, and games will bring back memories to share. The museum also has a Hanukkah display, along with an exhibit on Jewish residents of Park Forest.
The society is selling bricks from the Marshall Field’s store in Park Forest to support the museum and the mission of preserving and sharing Park Forest history. Bricks, at $15 each or two for $25, come with a certificate of authenticity and a history of the Marshall Field’s Park Forest store.
Prints of Annabelle Gould’s vibrant watercolor showing the Park Forest Plaza and Holiday Theatre also are available for $15, while the “Remembering Rich East” video is $20 for either a DVD or thumb drive. Books and other items on Park Forest are available at the museum and in the online store, at www.parkforesthistory.org. Shipping and handling for bricks is at least $19.
Questions on the museum and exhibits should be sent to Director Jane Nicoll through the email on the website. After January 4, the museum will be closed in January, except by appointment. It reopens February 1, with the exhibit, “Step Back into a 1950s Valentine’s Day.”