7 minute read
Big Week
March 23-29 BIG WEEK
Big astronomy
Head to Triton College’s Cernan Earth and Space Center (I Building), 2000 Fifth Ave. in River Grove, for this matinee showing of Big Astronomy: People + Places + Discoveries on Tuesday, March 29
from 2 to 3 p.m.
This lm visits three world-class observatories in the rugged Andes Mountains and Atacama Desert of Chile in order to get the best possible look at the vastness of space. And in addition to looking up, the movie also highlights the region’s diverse residents who make space exploration there possible.
Tickets to the event are $8 for adults, and $4 for seniors (55 and older), kids (2 to 12), high school and college students. Triton College students, faculty and sta can watch for free.
More information at triton.edu.
Ask a LEGO expert
The “Brothers who Brick” from Fox’s LEGO Masters will be available virtually to answer your brick-building questions at this event hosted by the Forest Park Public Library on Sunday, March
27 at 3 p.m.
The brothers, Corey and Travis Samuels, will talk about their experiences on season one of the TV show and answer any of your questions about LEGO building, whether you’re a budding master or just starting out.
This event is intended for kids in middle grades. Registration is open now at fppl.org.
Genealogy
Learn the basics of genealogy at this in-person event at the Forest Park Public Library, 7555 Jackson Blvd., on Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m.
Local genealogist Jaymie Middendorf will lead this free discussion on how to research your family’s history, including by digging through census records, vital records and obituaries. Attendees will also learn which genealogy databases can be the most helpful and how to keep all of your new research organized.
Register online at fppl.org.
JAYMIE MIDDENDORF
Kribi Co ee tasting
The sta at Forest Park-based Kribi Co ee will be at the Forest Park Public Library, 7555 Jackson Blvd., and doling out the freshest tasty co ees for free on Saturday, March 26 from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The folks at Kribi won’t just be passing out co ee, they’ll be sharing some of the company’s unique airroasting methods, plus talking through how to pull an espresso shot and walking through the co ee making process, all the way from the farm to your cup.
The event is tailored for adults and registration is available at fppl.org.
‘Bone’ appetit
Head to the Trailside Museum of Natural History, 738 Thatcher Ave. in River Forest, on Sunday, March 27 at 3 p.m. to learn about the ambassador animals that greet visitors all year long.
Guests will be treated to feeding time by the museum’s educational sta and then have a chance to get out and explore the surrounding Thatcher Woods to track down their own grub or watch any of the area’s other animals indulge.
There is no cost to attend. For more information, visit fpdcc.gov or call 708-366-6530.
SUBMIT YOUR EVENT
■ Have an event we should feature in the Big Week? Email event details (photo, time, place, cost & a brief description) to Andy@forestparkreview.com. The deadline for submissions is Friday at noon.
FOREST P ARK REVIEW
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Many Americans are traveling again, though we’re a bit out of practice.
I recently visited Savannah, Georgia, because of a book that was selected by the McGaffer’s Book Club. We read “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” by John Berendt. His images of Savannah made the city irresistible. “Midnight” inspired a fellow club member to book her trip to Savannah in October.
My son, Mark, was my traveling companion. I vowed I would not yell during the trip. I once believed that yelling was the appropriate response to any difficult situation, but my family convinced me it makes things worse.
Besides, Mark would be a great asset. He works for TSA at O’Hare Airport and no one can navigate an airport better than Mark. He expertly printed our boarding passes and checked our luggage. His coworkers treated us kindly at the security checkpoint.
We didn’t get a direct flight to Savannah but flew to Atlanta instead. We thought a four-hour drive to Savannah would be more fun than a four-hour layover. Since I was doing the driving, I gave Mark the most important responsibilities. He was in charge of giving me directions and finding good stations on the radio. After we escaped the airport, I made a wrong turn and ended up back at the terminal. There was some brief yelling. Pouring rain made driving more difficult and the rain worsened as we approached Savannah. I was driving a strange car in blinding rain and construction made it more confusing. Despite Mark’s directions, I got off at the wrong exit.
There was some more yelling.
We were grateful to reach our hotel but found the room was freezing. Mark was responsible for room temperature and cranked it up to 84 degrees. After drinks and appetizers at the hotel bar, we found the “heater” was blowing cold air. I called the front desk and they promised to send an engineer the next morning. I went to bed fully dressed, with covers to the chin.
The next morning, the desk clerk refunded us $100 for sleeping in Siberia. Mark was also in charge of restaurant selection and found a charming place that served green grits. Everything in Savannah is quaint and charming. It was founded in 1733 and the architecture transports you back to that time. Savannah is very walkable, as well, and has a large selection of bars and resJOHN taurants. There was music everywhere, including a U.S. Navy band playing DixieRICE land jazz. But we had come primarily for Savannah’s legendary St. Patrick’s Day parade, and it didn’t disappoint. For three hours, we basked in sunshine as floats, marching bands, bagpipers and rock bands passed by. The crowd was boisterous but wellbehaved. Afterwards, we strolled down a street, where bands were playing and there was much drinking and celebrating. Savannah has so many wonderful sights to see but we had to leave the next day. We were so rushed at the Atlanta airport that I left my copy of “Midnight” in the rental car. There was no yelling, but can someone tell me how the book ends?
A L OOK BA CK IN TIME
By JILL WAGNER
Contributor
Parichy Stadium, located at the corner of Harrison Street and Harlem Avenue, was the home field of Forest Park’s Bloomer Girl softball team. They competed against elite women’s teams in the Chicagoland area like the Blue Birds, the Chicks, the Queens and the Music Maids in the first half of the 20th century.
Dorothy “Boots” Klupping, from Maywood, and her fellow classmate from Proviso High School, Shirley Jameson, both would later become softball stars in the league.
Klupping would be on the 1936 Parichy-Ford Roofers team before joining the Montgomery Vee-Eights and the Downdraft Furnace Girls/Hydrox Beverage Girls team, then returning to her roots and playing again in Forest Park in 1941. She was a member of one of their championship-winning teams. Klupping, in a 1940 interview with Herb Graffs, said of the other team after visiting their dressing room, “them tramps ain’t got a chance. They can’t hit me.”
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF FOREST PARK Pitching in Soldier Field for the Montgomery Vee-Eights so ball team in 1938 is local pitching star Dorothy “Boots” Klupping.
