Library fair was a success

By Kathy Headley

Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor

6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778

Last Saturday was the Chicago Lawn Resource Fair hosted by the Chicago Lawn Branch Library. What a nice event: plenty of games and prizes for the kids.

Organizers had 61st Place was blocked off, from Kedzie west to the alley, allowing plenty of room for all of the community groups with tables and giveaways along the perimeters. In the center, kids played with games like a jumbo Connect Four, a jumbo chess board, and lots more.

Miss Nellie from the library had a steady line of kids anxious to watch as she created balloon animals for them. For adults there was plenty of information, giveaways and freshly popped popcorn.

Pastor Ben and Jordon from Hope Church LaGrange came, brought huge goody bags and invited everyone to their Tuesday night dinners at the Marquette Park fieldhouse (6 p.m.). I’d like to talk about every table I visited, but we’ll save some of those for future columns.

Fall classes at Teatro Tariakuri, 3117 W. 63^rd St., will begin on Monday, Aug. 22. This year, scholarship awards and financial aid will be available for dedicated students in the dance and performing arts classes.

The Broadway in the 17^th Ward Scholarship is open to young artists ages 5 to 17. A microgrant is being offered by Ald. David Moore for dance and theater to help young artists in the community develop. Applications will be taken on Saturday, Aug 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and are only held in person. The scholarship is open to 20 students and includes ballet, jazz, musical theater, tap and Latin dance.

For more information on Teatro Tariakuri or questions on the scholarships, call the school at (312) 532-2774.

The Wrightwood Improvement Association will host their annual garage sale on Saturday, Aug. 20 on the old Luther South grounds (87^th and Kedzie) from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Southwest Regional Senior Center, 6117 S. Kedzie, is holding a Super Bingo on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 10:30 a.m. A prepaid $5 reservation fee is due by Monday, Aug. 22. All money collected will go to get the prizes. Any questions, feel free to call (312) 747-0440.

Special Olympics sports at Marquette for ages 8 and up beginning their season next week includes bocce, flag football and golf. For more information and to register, go to chicagoparkdistrict.com or call the fieldhouse at (312) 747-6469.

Nativity BVM Parish will be celebrating their 95^th anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 18, beginning with an anniversary Mass at 11 a.m. with Bishop Rimantas Norvila and followed by a banquet in the parish hall. If you would like to share your good wishes, commemorative ads are now available for purchase in the Nativity Ad Book. For more information, call the rectory at (773) 776-4600.

Now back to the 1960s. Last week we had decided before we left 59^th Street we’d go down to the corner of 59^th and California and get a hamburger first. Bill S. was the first to guess we were going to Burgerland. “The hamburgers were really good,” he said. “And as I recall, the fountain cokes were 10 cents.”

The first thing to come to mind for Judy E. (who was a teenager at the time) was the jukebox. Miami Joe worked in the area at the time and remembers the owners as a very nice couple.

Last week I mentioned that Pat P. heard at one time there was dancing at Mabenka. No one was certain about the answer, so I went back to Mabenka before the last day to ask Janina if it was true. As anyone who drove by the restaurant over the last week knows—boy, was it crowded! I went around the block and through the parking lot four times. I was about to give up, as it was near closing time, when a space opened up.

The answer to the dancing question is yes. Dancing was held on Wednesday nights. The plan was to bring in a polka band and have one more Wednesday night dance. I couldn’t get back on Wednesday to see if they did. A tearful farewell goes to Mabenka and thanks to Janina for the great years. Hope you enjoy your retirement.

Now let’s continue talking about some places we may have gone to just have fun. Tom Z suggested a good one. Can you place Irv’s? Here are a few hints: It was not on 59^th, 63^rd, Western, Kedzie or Pulaski and there is a very large store on part of the land where Irv’s once was. Got it?