The beautiful music of summer

By Peggy Zabicki

Your correspondent in West Lawn

3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327

Summer is all about the children in our lives. Is there anything more wonderful than playing with your kids at a park or taking a walk and pushing a buggy with a sleepy baby inside? Or even looking out the window and watching children run by? The sound of children playing is the music of summer.

When being outside isn’t possible, here is a suggestion for a terrific indoor activity for kids. The Yong In Martial Arts School, 6232 S. Pulaski, will be presenting a summer camp for kids during the weeks of July 25 to 28 and Aug. 1 to 4.

Peggy Zabicki

There will be demonstrations and training in Taekwondo, acrobatics, kicking, flipping and jumping. This exciting program will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for kids to learn from a World Taekwondo Member. In addition, there will be a guest speaker from a Taekwondo team that performed on the TV show America’s Got Talent.

Call the Yong In Martial Arts School at (773) 767-2646 for more information.

The West Lawn Branch Library, 4020 W. 63rd St., has activities all summer long.

Yoga for Adults takes place every Friday in July from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Equipment is provided. All levels are welcome.

The West Lawn Walking Club for Adults will be meeting at the library on Tuesday, July 12 and 19 at 11 a.m. The group will walk around the neighborhood for approximately one hour. Dress with the weather forecast in mind and bring a bottle of water.

Family Game nights take place on Monday, July 11 and 18 from 6 to 7 p.m. All ages are welcome to play the Pokemon card game, chess and a variety of board games. Children must be accompanied by parents or guardians.

A book-making craft workshop will take place on Wednesday, July 13 from 2 to 3 p.m. Adults and teens are invited to create a small book. All the materials you need to construct your own journal will be provided. The supplies were generously donated by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Call the library at (312) 747-7381 for more information about these events.

No time like summer to give your kids a head start for school. A vision check up is often overlooked but is so important for children.  I recommend West Lawn optometrist Dr. James Roth. He has been my family eye doctor for many years. It is reassuring to know that Dr. Roth has my medical history and is not only able to detect any changes in my vision, he can spot other medical conditions that affect the eyes, like diabetes. Dr. Roth is located at 6857 S. Pulaski. Call for office hours and appointments at (773) 767-5000.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Pat Palanyk at a luncheon at Palermo’s Restaurant. Many of you may remember when Pat was the West Lawn correspondent for the Southwest News-Herald. Pat wrote this column for 12 years, starting in the 1970s.

We had a fun conversation about gathering local news items for the column and reporting on neighborhood events. She is a wealth of information on West Lawn history. What a delightful lady! Lucky me. I got to spend time conversing with Pat and eating scrumptious food at Palermo’s.

Pat said, “Hi to all my old friends in West Lawn.”