Goebigkids_031816

Family parade evokes fond memories

Spread the love

.

.

By Joan Hadac

Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge

(708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com

Are you excited about the Chicago Working Families’ Archer Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Saturday? I am, both as a 30-year resident of Garfield Ridge and as the granddaughter of Irish immigrants.

What I wouldn’t give to spend just one more day with my maternal grandma, Joan (Donahue) McGee of County Offaly (in the Irish Midlands), and my maternal grandpa, Edward “Eddie” McGee of County Down (in the north, bordering the Irish Sea).

Grandpa was a farm boy who left school after the fourth grade to support his family. He came to the U.S. in the late 1920s with not much more than the clothes on his back. Like all immigrants, he faced his share of discrimination over the years—everything from anti-ethnic taunts and slights to—well, you get the picture. Everyone reading this column today is either an immigrant or descendant of immigrants.

While my grandma and grandpa were not rah-rah Irish flag wavers, they were always proud of their roots, as well as their adopted country, America.

I think they would have liked the Chicago Working Families’ Archer Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade, in large part because it celebrates families and keeps participation by politicians and corporations to a minimum. It has a real “neighborhood” feel that Grandma and Grandpa would have liked.

So on behalf of Eddie and Joan McGee, a genial tip of my flat-top cap to the driving force behind the parade: International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 President-Business Manager James M. Sweeney. Thanks as well to the Clear-Ridge Men’s Social Athletic Club (SAC) for their invaluable role in making the parade happen.

CRRNH IrishParade2016 030823

A photo Joan Hadac was delighted to take at the Garfield Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2016. –File photo

In years past, I covered the parade with a camera and was glad I did. Lots of fun. This year, I’m under the weather and may not be able to attend. But I’m looking forward to seeing photos—especially of the families (moms, dads, kids and even family dogs) wearing the green. That applies to local families with Irish roots, as well as “Irish for a day” families—the Garcias, Kowalskis, Battaglias, Johnsons, Chens, Husseins and so on and so forth. You’re all welcome at this parade, which steps off at noon from Archer and Oak Park and heads east, disbanding at Kennedy High School.

Have fun, everyone!

Mark your calendar

  • Want to save money on your property taxes? Make plans to attend a property tax workshop set for 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 14 at Hale Park, 6258 W. 62nd St. Just bring your Property Index Number, which is found on your tax bill. At this event you’ll be able to file an appeal on your 2022 taxes (payable in 2023).

On hand at this event will be staffers from the Cook County Board of Review.

This is the fourth property tax workshop hosted this year by 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn and State Rep. Angelica “Angie” Guerrero-Cuellar (D-22nd). My thanks to them for hosting these useful events. Over the years, Alderman Quinn and crew have helped residential property owners in this area reduce their tax bills.

  • A “49 Club” poker tournament sponsored by the St. Jane de Chantal Holy Name Society is coming on Saturday, March 18 at Ward Hall, 5157 S. McVicker. Buy-in costs $50, and only 49 players will be accepted for the event, which will see games of five- and seven-card stud. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and games start exactly an hour later. Buy-in includes food and drinks. To reserve your spot, find “St. Jane de Chantal Holy Name Society” on Facebook and leave your name and telephone number.
  • Is it possible that the Queen of Hearts jackpot is now over $440,000 at St. Faustina Kowalska Parish? Well, this week’s edition of the Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound was printed before the March 4 drawing. But if the queen remains elusive, the jackpot remains big. The Queen of Hearts drawing is held every Saturday at Tom’s Tap, 6707 W. Archer. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the parish office or at Tom’s Tap. This is a split the pot (50/50) raffle. Proceeds benefit the parish.

    joanhadac

    Joan Hadac

  • The next combined meeting of CAPS Beat 811 and the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday March 21 in the St. Faustina Parish Center (the old St. Jane de Chantal School), 5201 S. McVicker. If you want to help prevent crime and make the neighborhood safer, this is a good meeting to attend. My thanks to CAPS co-facilitator Marilyn Gilroy, as well as Parish Operations Director Celena B. Strader, for sharing this information.
  • The Garfield Ridge Civic League’s next public meeting is tentatively set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 25 at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 5550 S. Merrimac.

A strong, independent, non-partisan civic association is an important part of any good city neighborhood or suburban town, and the GRCL has served in that capacity since 1939. So please consider stopping by.

  • Next week will be busy at the Garfield Ridge Satellite Senior Center, 5674-B S. Archer (immediately west of Archer and Laramie). Here are just a few highlights:

A “cardio chair” exercise class is set for 9 to 9:45 a.m. Monday, March 13. A $1 donation is requested to join this class. After lunch, bingo will be played at 1:30 p.m.

Trivia with a St. Patrick’s theme is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 14. Bingo is set for 1:30 p.m.

A “cardio chair” exercise class is set for 9 to 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 15. A $1 donation is requested to join this class. A pharmacist from the White Crane Wellness Center will give a presentation at 10 a.m. and stick around for individual consultations. After lunch, bingo will be played at 1:30 p.m. At 12:45 p.m., enjoy a cooking class with Chef Gloria D. Hafer.

A White Crane social worker will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16. An exercise class for those with arthritis will run from 1 to 2 p.m.

A St. Patrick’s Day bingo party is set for 1:30 to 4 p.m. Friday, March 17. Admission is $5, which gets you two cards to play through 10 games. Additional cards are 50 cents each. Lunch is not included, but you will receive coffee and dessert. No tickets will be sold at the door.

For ticket information and more details on the center, its events and services, call (312) 745-4255.

Have a great week.

Local News

Shepard senior Jake Klein goes up for the kill against two Lincoln-Way East players during a match on March 22. Photo by Jason Maholy

Boys Volleyball | Shepard finishes 4th in Bronze at Marist Invite

Spread the love

Spread the loveShepard served as one of three host sites for the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational, and kicked off play in Palos Heights by facing Lincoln-Way East on March 22. The Griffins defeated the Astros, 25-10, 25-15. Marian Catholic beat Shepard, 25-23, 25-9, in the Astros’ second match of the day. The Astros fell to…

The Obbie’s Pizza sign will remain a familiar sight on Archer Avenue. Taking time out for a photo are new owner John Caputi; his son, Giovanni; and Obbie’s longtime managers, Jim Triak and Jeff Twaragowski. --Photo by Cosmo Hadac

Obbie’s Pizza to stay ‘unique and delicious’

Spread the love

Spread the love. New owner vows to serve same popular menu .  By Tim Hadac Archer Avenue’s long-time king of pizzerias will continue to rule. Same recipes at Obbie’s Pizza, 6654 W. Archer. Same pizza and ingredients. Same pasta, broasted chicken, shrimp, perch, Italian beef/sausage/meatball sandwiches, sides and pop. Same seasoned, Middleby Marshall pizza oven…

CRR_NH

Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound March 27, 2024

Spread the love

Spread the love

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Thome sweet Thome: Nazareth baseball defeats Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s alma mater

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Nazareth baseball team took a road trip to the middle of Illinois and improved its record to 7-0 on March 23 by beating Limestone, 6-0. Limestone is the alma mater of former White Sox player and Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Thome, who is an assistant coach…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Chicago Catholic League greats headed to Hall of Fame

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A handful of area stars will be inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The list features Kevin Bracken (St. Laurence, wrestling), Kevin Carberry (St. Rita, football), Matt Macievic (De La Salle, cross county and track), Mike McGrew (Mount Carmel, football), Dan Nicholson (Brother Rice,…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II picked up a late invitation to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and beat Chicago City, 6-0, on March 20 in front of an announced crowd of 810 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Giovanni Granda and midfielder Vitaliy Hlyut each made their professional debut and scored…

Julia Bianchi heads back on defense shortly after delivering a first-half goal for the Chicago Red Stars on March 23 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year’s last-place finish notwithstanding, the Chicago Red Stars have had a pretty rich history of success. The franchise has seven NWSL playoff appearances and has finished runner-up twice (2019, 2021), and prior to 2022 had finished no lower than fourth in the league ‘s regular season standings for…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept.…

Morton's Nariah Clay was named to the NCJAA Division II all-tournament team as the Panthers finished fifth in the nation. Photo courtesy of Morton College Department of Athletics

Morton College women’s hoops takes fifth in nation

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country. The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National…

Marist's Jack Meader (left) and Nathen Toth face each other during a block attempt against Downers Grove North in the semifinals of the Marist Invitational on March 23. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Lockport for Gold at RedHawks Invite

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist enjoys getting its season going by hosting a tournament that is now in its 20th year. They had a good time again this season, going unbeaten over five matches in two days to win the Marist RedHawks Invitational for the sixth consecutive time. The RedHawks ended the tournament…

Neighbors

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022…

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

By BETH HUNDSDORFER  Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…

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…