Highlights

Christmas is a time for celebration, but how celebrate has changed over the centuries. How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you embrace the more secular version embodied by Santa Claus with his big bag of presents, or the more religious one in which gifts are given in recognition of God’s gift to us of His Son Jesus Christ? One tradition I embrace is the Christmas story told by Mario Avignone, the founder of this column. Fr. Pierini asked him decades ago to start writing Petals as a way of keeping Roseland alive in our hearts. In my 10-plus years as …

“Winter’s on the horizon, and as true Chicagoans, we may complain about the weather, but we handle it like troopers. We realize that resistance is futile. We all have friends who have become “snowbirds,” escaping to Florida annually and, this year, straight into the arms of Category 5 Hurricane Dorian! By staying in Chicago, we deal with life as we always have. And yet, we’ve never had to rebuild or relocate. That being said, winter can be a great time for recalling the way we’ve dealt with our major storms — the Chicago way I recall being home on leave …

We’re finishing up another great summer in Chicago, with fond memories of many activities and so much to look forward to. Here in Pullman, the Pullman Artspace Lofts project is nearing completion and the first tenants are brimming with expectation while they wait for their move-in date. The construction fence is gone and the larger construction vehicles have done their job and the buildings are looking more Pullman-like than they did in the artist’s renderings. After ten years, the community will see how the added designation of “artist colony” melds with the national reputation Pullman has as a preservation community …

There are times when I have to wonder what I’m going to write about, and then there are serendipitous times like this! We’ve had reunion picnics, a garden tour, progress on the artists residence, the loss of the Gately’s building, a St. Anthony’s festival, the loss of Roselandites who we’ve known from years gone by, and the initiation of the Kickstarter campaign for my book.” “Petals from Roseland: Fond Memories of Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman, Kensington Neighborhoods.” Summer always provides us with plenty reunions but the best seem to hold off until August and that’s why it gets top billing. There …

If you’re talking with Roselandites about popular folks we grew up with you’re going to hear mention of local baseball players, teachers who were unforgettable, well-known cops, popular bar or restaurant owners, and community leaders. Through these conversations, I began to wonder what about Roselandites that made their mark outside of Roseland. I looked on the internet and Wikipedia gave me a few names, but nothing that I didn’t already know. When I don’t know, I know where to go — my readers! Thanks to everyone who made the time to contact me with suggestions of those that were from …

We have been through many summers over the course of our lives. When we were young, we could hardly wait for sunny summer days to run to Roseland’s baseball fields or playgrounds. Swimming was always available regardless of the weather thanks to the indoor pool at West Pullman Park. Back in the day, horseshoe equipment was put in the boxes at the end of the horseshoe courts for everyone’s enjoyment. A variety of classes were offered in park field houses such as sewing, cooking, puppetry, gymnastics, exercise and weightlifting. Roseland parks with their baseball and soccer fields, tracks, and tennis …

The way we look at things is influenced by the way we were brought up. That may be why we miss the good old days of Roseland where we were full of maybes that our parents and our surroundings instilled in us. Looking back on our lives we can find “maybes” regarding the paths we’ve chosen in life or those we’ve chosen for lifelong love. The more serious “may be” concerns itself with the Roseland we remember and love. Things may be different in Roseland but our memories are solid with no “maybe” about it. With Easter just past, every …

Even though construction on the model Pullman community began in 1879, there’s always room for more. Pullman has plans for the future that have direct philosophical ties to George Pullman’s creative lines of thought. He meant “his” town to be a showplace to be toured and enjoyed while serving as a beacon for the future. Today, Pullman is indeed a showplace that many people are interested in seeing, while it continues to create a progressive, inspiring and inviting community that’s rooted in its past while reaching for the stars. The two projects that will have the most direct effect on …

We’ve entered into the tail end of the holiday season and what, to my reckoning, has always been the toughest part of the winter season. We’re never certain if the winter winds will be howling through like Lou Rawls’ “Hawk” or if the snow will be dwindling down to inches instead of feet. Regardless, we are left with personal space to look back and ahead as we await the warming of the seasons. Pullman is making its way through its 138th winter and, as usual things, there’s quite a bit to look back on and forward to, as might be …

Everyone who grew up in Roseland, Pullman or Kensington has experience change. We have many fond memories of growing from childhood to adulthood there. Although many of us cling to those memories and mourn what we stubbornly regarded as a major loss to our lives, those changes and more have inevitably occurred regardless of how much they affect us. “Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away.” — Frida Kahlo Many of us have gotten married — a ceremony that is meant to bind two people together for a lifetime — and then found …