Mary Stanek

Mary Stanek

Best of all, spring is coming

Spread the love

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.

MaryStanek 1

Mary Stanek

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 55th 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. 55th 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.

Local News

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Neighbors

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

By PETER HANCOCK  Capitol News Illinois  phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact.  That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval.   Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

By ALEX ABBEDUTO   Capitol News Illinois  abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com  The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement.  Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

Capitol Briefs: Insurance reforms advance as Pritzker announces California trip

Capitol Briefs: Insurance reforms advance as Pritzker announces California trip

By PETER HANCOCK, JENNIFER FULLER & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposal for sweeping reforms in the state’s health insurance industry passed out of a committee Thursday and will soon make its way to the full House for consideration. Pritzker first outlined the proposal in his State of the…