Best of all, spring is coming

By Mary Stanek

Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon

3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394

Mardi Gras, Paczki Day, Fat Tuesday and the start of the Lenten season all happen this coming week. But the absolute best part is, March is here. Spring is just around the corner (we can only hope).

The Polish community of St. Turibius Parish will be selling paczki before and after all Masses the weekend of Feb. 27. I hope I can report on some fish fry events during the Lenten season.

In the first week or so of March 2020 I had purchased tickets to the St. Patrick/St. Joseph table over at St. Bruno Parish (scheduled for March 15, 2020). And bam, poof–just like that, canceled. St. Bruno, along with St. Turibius, held awesome buffets around St. Patrick and St. Joseph Days. It was a great way for the neighbors and families to get together and share an awesome ethnic meal. I hope those days will soon return.

Living in the Archer Heights/West Elsdon and neighboring communities offers us many options for great ethnic food. There are numerous Mexican restaurants available. Two of our favorites, one along Pulaski, one along Archer, offer reduced-price margaritas on Mondays/Wednesdays or Tuesdays/Thursdays.

Great carnitas, from the Pilsen area, can be found right along 55^th Street. There also is a wide variety of Asian take-out and dine-in options. We have two favorites as well. Pizza and Italian are plentiful and delicious. There even is an upscale new Italian restaurant along Archer, with rave reviews.

Polish food can be taken home and enjoyed from some great delis. For good old fashioned American bar fare, including burgers, sandwiches, wings and even pizza, there is Guides, along Archer. With that I wish Daria, our bartender, a Happy Birthday and best wishes for the coming year.

Don’t even get me started on the delicious ice cream shops as well, one a block and a half down from my home. There are so many more good eats around the Southwest Side. So, let’s support them all.

Mark your calendars for Earth Day on April 22. There will most likely be many events to celebrate taking care of our Earth. As of now, there is a community clean-up scheduled on April 23 for 3502 W. 55^th St., a vacant lot by the railroad tracks. Save the date, and I will follow up closer to the date.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year along Archer Avenue on March 12. The St. Patrick’s Day parade steps off at noon from Oak Park to Narragansett, honoring the late Officer Ella French as honorary grand marshal. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s Get Behind the Vest program, which provides protective vests to police officers in the city.

Happy Belated Birthday to Nicole Young.