Construction season has arrived

By Kathy Headley

Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor

6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778

Well, it’s official. The portable toilet has arrived on our corner, which told me the work by the gas company contractors was set to begin.

No sooner had the pot landed, I began to hear the sound of sidewalk sections being ripped from the ground. So far, it seems the work is progressing pretty smoothly. But perhaps I had better not speak too soon. I should quickly go knock on wood. After all, why take chances?

Looking ahead to Earth Day this year, let me pose a question: How many times a day do you open a bottle, finish the contents and toss the bottle–hopefully in the recycle bin? What about the cap? The team at the Greater Southwest Development Corporation would really like your bottle caps. The plan is to use them on Earth Day, April 23, to put together a mural.

The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the sprucing up of two busy areas, 63^rd and Western and 63^rd and Kedzie. Then at noon, on the southwest corner of 63^rd and Kedzie, the parking lot will be cordoned off in front of Lawn Terrace to allow for creating a recycled mural from the caps while enjoying live performances, live painting and food by local businesses.

This event is the brainchild of Alicia Espinosa, the new outreach manager at GSDC.

“Bottle caps from detergent, gallons of milk, juice, soda, etc., any caps, as long as they are round and made from plastic are needed,” she told me. “And we need a lot!” Caps can be dropped off at GSDC, 2601 W. 63^rd St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or call (773) 436-1000.

Also in connection with Earth Day, St. Rita of Cascia Parish and St. Clare Chapel are still pursuing their goal of planting at least 40 trees in the neighborhood. You can request a tree to be planted in front of your house as long as you promise to keep it watered and live within the parish boundaries of Western to Kedzie, 55^th to 67^th Streets. If you would like to find out more or if you’d like to sponsor a tree, call the parish office at (773) 434-9600.

As the weather begins to lend itself to outdoor activities, remember CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) has started a weekly group run/walk at Marquette Park on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. All ages, all paces, all abilities are welcome. Meet up by the running track just east of Kedzie.

Up until Easter, morning prayers will be offered at St. Adrian Church, 7000 S. Fairfield Avenue, at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. Everyone is welcome to join in this beautiful event.

Have you ever contemplated trying yoga? Over at the Chicago Lawn Branch Library, 6120 S. Kedzie, Yoga in the Library will take place every Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Health benefits attributed to yoga are improved flexibility, an increase in strength and endurance, decrease in chronic back and neck pain, help with anxiety and depression and help in quality sleep.

There is only one more week to register for the online book club sponsored by the Chicago Lawn Branch Library and the Southwest Regional Senior Center. Register by emailing [email protected] or calling (312) 747-0639.

When we left 1992 last week, we were checking out the progress on the building at 63^rd and Talman, which would become Churchview Manor Senior Apartments. By this time, the windows were going in and the new apartments were in the process of being painted. Steve Janiszewski who was the branch coordinator for Elmhurst Federal Savings, 2748 W. 63^rd St., at the time, commented that it was a first-class structure and they were proud to give financial backing. Now after seeing the address of Elmhurst, do you remember what the original name on that bank building was?

My favorite comment came from Linda P., who answered, “It was little Marquette.” And she was so right. I think that is how most of us referred to Marquette Federal Savings all the time.

During this week in 1992, a popular local restaurant was celebrating its sixth anniversary. Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it made its home in the building which formerly housed Yankee Doodle Dandy. If we had stopped in here for, let’s say breakfast, 30 years ago, where do you think we’d we be eating?