Happy birthday, Archer Park Fieldhouse

By Mary Stanek

Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon

3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394

Happy Grandparents Day on Sept. 12 to all the grandmas and grandpas in the area. This week also brings the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Yom Kippur starts at sundown on Sept. 15. It is also known as the Day of Atonement. Rosh Hashanah started the holidays on the 6^th.

Some in the community celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the dedication of the fieldhouse at Archer Park last month. According to an article in the Archer Heights Civic Association’s newsletter, the facility was built thanks to the advocacy of AHCA members Christine Sendzik and Violet Hopkins. On May 6, 1970 ground was broken for the facility. The field house was dedicated on Aug. 16, 1971 and open to the community.

Mary Stanek

I certainly remember visiting the Sendzik store on Pulaski near 47^th Street with my grandma. (I’m not sure if that is the same Sendzik.) If I recall correctly, they sold all kinds of things for ladies. Sort of like the Dori’s store on Pulaski near 57^th Street. I would shop at Dori’s with my mom, and I will always have the sad memory of shopping there one last time to buy my mother the final dress she would be wearing. Those little shops were so unique. Anyone else remember shopping there?

Thank you to all that helped in the cleanup of the Cicero/Stevenson expressway intersection. Those included are 22^nd Ward Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22^nd Ward Streets and Sanitation Superintendent Manuel Heredia, AHCA member John Marusarz and Illinois Department of Transportation crews, to name a few. After reading about the amount of trash, litter, used needles, spoons, lighters, human waste, etc. that they had to clean up within five full days, a huge thank you should be shouted out.

Last week I spoke how artwork is needed in the community. If you get a chance to visit neighboring Garfield Ridge, please stop by the Veterans Memorial Triangle along Archer. The artist who completed the beautiful artwork piece is Penny Burns. I had the pleasure to meet her a few years ago. She also did the mural in Fat Daddy’z beer garden.

The farmers market at Mayfield Banquets will be dedicated to local authors on Sept. 29. The market runs from 3 to 7 p.m.

Happy Birthday wishes to my fellow correspondent, Kathy Headley and to my St. Turibius classmate, Rita Fyfe.

I just bought myself one of the best birthday presents ever – two tickets for Beyond the Eats, with Alton Brown, one of my favorite Food Network chefs, on Oct. 16. And I’m not sitting in the balcony either. I just need someone to tag along with me.