24 minute read
Big Week
June 30-July 7 BIG WEEK
Sidewalk Obstacle Course
On Saturday, July 3, come check out the outdoor obstacle course at the Forest Park Public Library from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sidewalk course returns with an adventure/survival theme inspired by Jumanji. If there’s rain, the event will be rescheduled for Saturday, July 17. At 7555 Jackson Blvd. Visit fppl.org/events for more information.
First Thursday Art Stroll
On Thursday, July 1, from 6 to 9 p.m. join the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce and the Forest Park Arts Alliance for the First Thursday art stroll on Madison Street. This month’s featured maker is Accents by Fred, 7519 Madison St., owned by husband-and-wife team Fred Bryant and Ann Hanson, who hand-make almost everything in their store. Stroll down Madison Street to meet other Forest Park artists and makers.
Celebrate Nature’s Original Toys
Visit the Trailside Museum of Natural History, 738 Thatcher Ave. in River Forest, for a short, self-guided trail near the museum while you enjoy reading a posted story. This month the story is “Stick and Stone” by Beth Ferry, a story celebrating the original nature toys! Afterwards, stop by the museum to pick up a craft and activities bag to continue the adventure.
Unvaccinated visitors must wear a mask indoors at all times; and they must wear a mask outdoors when physical distancing (six feet from other people) is not possible. Contact 708-366-6530 or trailside. museum@cookcountyil.gov for more information.
Curious by Nature
This summer, kids of all ages can experience the library’s summer experience Curious by Nature. This summer is about celebrating nature and the world around us. The library has created an assortment of events and activities including a reading incentive program for kids ages 0 to middle grades. Visit fppl.org for more information.
Danger Island Virtual Escape Room
On July 7 from 2 to 3 p.m., middle grade students are invited to a virtual escape room. Answer questions and puzzles to survive the escape room, inspired by collaborative games like Gamewright’s fantastic “Forbidden” series of tabletop games (Forbidden Island, Forbidden Desert, and Forbidden Sky) along with survival adventure books like the “Can You Survive?” series and “Bad Island” by Doug TenNapel.
Compete individually or as a family or friend team to complete the challenge. You must register to receive the link to the form. Visit fppl.org/events for more information.
New D91 superintendent focuses on belonging and equity
Alvarez plans to spend time listeningand learning
By MARIA MAXHAM
Editor
On July 1, Forest Park Elementary School District 91’s new superintendent, Dr. Elizabeth Alvarez, begins her tenure, as previous superintendent Dr. Lou Cavallo retires after 14 years in the district.
In a recent letter to families in the district, Alvarez reached out to talk about starting in D91 and her core values and goals.
“I am honored and excited to be selected as the new superintendent of this magnificent district,” Alvarez wrote.
When the Review interviewed Alvarez after she was hired in January, she spoke about one of her biggest goals in education being to make everyone feel included, and she repeated that sentiment in her recent communication to district stakeholders.
“As an educator, my core values revolve around bringing a sense of belonging in every aspect of schooling,” Alvarez said. “When you feel you belong, from secretaries, food staff, aides, teachers, parents and especially our students, then you are able to put forth your best in all you do and you believe in yourself. This sense of belonging provides a feeling of non-judgment, where mistakes are expected, accepted and respected allowing all the comfort to grow, continue to be curious and innovate.”
In fact, Alvarez identified a sense of belonging as one of her three core values, in addition to ensembles and systems for success. Ensembles, said Alvarez, “ensure collective efficacy among all leaders (board, school leaders, teachers, school partners and all stakeholders).”
Systems for success include professional learning, focused on innovation, and ensuring that student assessments “are valid, reliable, fair, bias-free and culturally relevant for ALL our students.”
Alvarez also wrote about the importance of equity, including the need to continue to address educational gaps in learning and teaching.
Her first goal as superintendent in the district is to listen and learn, especially during the first 90 days of her tenure. She mentioned the time she’s already spent at board meetings and talking to board members, principals and staff, and union leaders. Alvarez has also met with village leadership, including Mayor Rory Hoskins.
Reaching out to meet with the community, said Alvarez, will help her “gain insights about strengths, areas of growth, challenges and next steps” and to develop “positive relationships and trust in order to build on the greatness and integrity of District 91.”
Her second goal is to design a strategic plan for the future of the district.
Finally, she plans to implement that strategic plan, through collaboration with the board, district and community. Part of that involves strong communication between the district and its stakeholders, as Alvarez said she wants to “cultivate transparency, trust, communication” and ensure that the five district schools are represented and supported in an equitable manner.
And Alvarez wants to “promote D91 as a high performing district, where students lift their heads high with pride when they graduate from D91 knowing they are prepared for high school and beyond as our next generation of leaders.”
Alvarez was hired after an extensive search by the D91 school board. Her hiring was announced in January. Her contract runs from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024. She’ll be paid $180,000 the first year, and her salary will be determined by the board for the following years. Alvarez taught middle school for 13 years, served as an assistant principal for two years and a principal for six years. Most recently she was chief of schools for Chicago Public Schools for five years.
For more information, visit fpsd91.org.
Photo provided FOCUS ON BELONGING: District 91’s new superintendent, Dr. Elizabeth Alvarez, said creating a sense of belonging for everyone in the district is one of her primary goals.
Former NFL, East standout to host rst-ever camp at alma mater
By MICHAEL ROMAIN
Staff Reporter
Former NFL player and Proviso East football standout Sergio Brown will be returning to his alma mater this summer to host his first-ever football camp. Brown’s camp will be held July 14 through July 17, 4 to 6 p.m., at Proviso East High School, 807 S. 1st Ave. in Maywood. It’s open to young people ages 8 to 18.
“This is the first step in bringing back our football family to Maywood,” said Aaron Peppers, a Maywood trustee who coaches the varsity football team at East. Peppers was also the head coach at East when Brown attended the high school before going off to play at Notre Dame.
Brown was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He eventually played for the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills before ending his playing career in 2016.
“Sergio has so much history here,” Peppers said. “Him giving back and recognizing where we are in our community is a beautiful thing. We relish the opportunity to share with our kids and to keep this going for as long as possible.”
Peppers said he’ll try to give every young person who wants to participate time to register, but he may cut off registration a week before the camp starts.
Those interested in attending can register at: piratesfootball.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Peppers at 708516-6028 or email him at bigpep34@yahoo. com. The camp is free and is open to all regardless of skill level or experience.
Putting the personal into personalization
All American factory in Forest Park acquired by local business owner
By MARIA MAXHAM
Editor
With so much focus on bars and restaurants on Madison Street, it’s easy to forget that Forest Park is home to manufacturing too. Real American factories where goods are made.
Energy Tees, which has been located at 1401 Circle Ave. for over 20 years, is a production facility that customizes apparel. Jerseys for sports teams, for example. Polo shirts with embroidered corporate logos.
But it was recently purchased and is part of a larger, made-in-the-U.S.A. personalization business, providing thousands of branded items on an individual or corporate level. If you want a cutting board with your dad’s name on it for Father’s Day, you can get it. Need a thousand T-shirts printed with your company logo for a 5K? You can do that too.
Owner Eric Priceman purchased Energy Tees on May 28, and with it the machinery and facility on Circle Avenue. What’s cool is that the manufacturing happens right there: employees spread shirts on a machine that prints logos on them. Some items are hand painted using stencils. In another room, embroidery machines sew lettering and logos onto shirts.
Also of note is that Priceman’s business, which provides a wide range of personalized products to companies and individuals, has sold nothing from overseas since 2018. Everything is manufactured in the United States, most of it in Forest Park, Oak Park and Austin.
The Forest Park location is the third addition to Priceman’s local production facilities. He already owns a factory called Victory on the West Side of Chicago in the Austin area, and in 2019 he purchased Shirtworks in Oak Park at 127 N. Marion St. It’s now called Personalization House, but more than the name has changed; the focus has pivoted from apparel-only to quality, personalized products of all kinds: Barbecue grilling sets. Serving trays. Champagne glasses. Branded Adidas or Yeti items.
Energy Tees will add a wider variety of apparel to Priceman’s offerings, and apparel will be produced at the Forest Park location while non-wearable products will be produced at Victory.
Priceman’s background is in the trophy business, selling sports and corporate trophies, plaques and awards. At one time, he was the largest purchaser of trophy marble in the United States. But he said the industry has changed, and people are looking for something different.
“People like personalization,” Priceman said. “They want something more than the old staid trophies.”
“People like things they can use,” added Lauren Nemiroff, president of Personalization House and VP of marketing for Victory, Priceman’s factory in the Austin neighborhood. “Trophies collect dust.”
Nemiroff joined Priceman in 2018 when he hired her to do graphic design. “My task was to build a website with a shopping cart feature,” Nemiroff said. Now, she’s in charge of brand building, and she said the local connection is important.
Not only do they manufacture and sell their products in Forest Park, Oak Park and Austin, but Nemiroff and Priceman look at those three locations as being interconnected, and they want to be involved on a deeper level than as business owners.
“Servicing the local communities is important to us,” Nemiroff said. “We want to give back to the community.” They plan to partner with local nonprofits to help in fundraising efforts and raising awareness.
Priceman and Nemiroff also plan to sell community-branded merchandise, such as a shirt with a map of Oak Park or Forest Park that features local landmarks.
That kind of personalization, looking to offer what people want and what’s important to them, is what Nemiroff and Priceman say sets them apart from other vendors selling branded merchandise. A quick online search reveals a multitude of online stores where you can order pens or teddy bears or aprons with your name or company’s logo on them. But, said Priceman, there’s an irony in the fact that the personalization business in general is so impersonal.
“It’s the romance that sets us apart, that’s the difference between us and others,” Priceman said.
“Romance” is an interesting choice of words, and it’s the local connection that makes the difference. Talking to someone in-person instead of just filling out a web form (which is also available if you prefer to do it all online). Trying out a pen you want engraved before ordering it.
A customer can walk into the Oak Park location, for example, and sit down with an employee who will help with design or provide advice on products. There are samples there too, so a customer can touch and feel the items before making a purchase. And the items are engraved or personalized in Forest Park, Oak Park or Austin.
“What most people order online, we’re producing locally,” Nemiroff said.
To be expanding now, after COVID, is a success story in itself, and Nemiroff said they did well throughout the pandemic, looking for opportunities to adjust the way they did business to not only survive but thrive. They partnered with a local orchard, for example, that had started producing hand sanitizer.
But Priceman said he’s always looking at ways to change and expand, to offer more and better services and products to customers. He likes his employees to be both octopus and sponge, he said, soaking everything in while reaching out with eight arms to explore opportunities.
“Maybe it’s a cliché,” Priceman said, “but we don’t ever want to pigeonhole ourselves.”
ALEX ROGALS/Sta Photographer HARD AT WORK: (Above) Victor Figuroa, of Forest Park, inspects shirts from a shipment at Energy Tees, 1401 Circle Ave. Embroidery machines (le top) along with screen printing machines (le below) can be found on the Energy Tees factory oor.
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AFTANAS
Retiring in September
from page 1
Aftanas grew up near Midway Airport, where lots of Chicago police and firefighters lived, and that exposure, he said, inspired his career choice. When he was 7, he wanted to get a birthday present for his brother, so he left the house on his own to go to the store without telling anyone. His mother couldn’t find him and called the police, who picked him up and brought him home. “That’s why you’re a police officer,” she always said.
Aftanas worked his way up through the department over the years, supervising the department’s detective division and, in 2006, becoming deputy chief. That was an appointment made by former chief Jim Ryan, and Aftanas laughed when he told the story.
“Ryan took me out to lunch and told me I was going to be deputy chief,” Aftanas said. “He told me, ‘You have no choice.’”
Nine years later, when Ryan retired, Aftanas was recommended by former Mayor Tony Calderone and unanimously approved by the village council as chief of the police department. During Aftanas’ promotion ceremony, Calderone said, “I feel the utmost confidence that you are going to continue to lead this police department from the foundation it was built on with the experience that you had serving as the deputy chief of police for the last nine years.” And he did. Known for his even temper, strong leadership, and dry humor, Aftanas is considered an exceptional leader by those he works with. “He’s led the department with intelligence and really fostered a sense of community. He’s a very good leader,” said Mayor Rory Hoskins. “You know, it might be time to leave when you look around the department and realize you’re the last man standing,” Aftanas said. “I’ve been here longer than anyone else.” While his plans for retirement are still forming, Aftanas said
TOM AFTANAS he’s going to use some vacation Forest Park Poilice Chief time before his official last day on the job, and Deputy Chief Ken Gross will be acting chief in his absence. Gross is also Aftanas’ recommendation to fill the permanent position of chief, a recommendation he said he’s formally made to Hoskins, who, as mayor, will appoint the next chief with village council approval. Hoskins has said he plans to recommend Gross to the council as the next chief.
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The growing popularity of piercing
Madison Street studio owner talks about changes in the industry
By TOM HOLMES
Contributing Reporter
Back in the 1950s, our fathers and grandfathers would laugh if we suggested that they get one of their ears pierced for an earring. Getting pierced was a rite of passage for early adolescent girls but not for men.
“Times have changed,” said Jeffrey Clark, owner of Luxe Piercing, 7439 Madison St.
The phenomenon of men getting pierced started 40 years ago, Clark said, when the first stand-alone studio, The Gauntlet, opened up in L.A. in 1975. Back then it was part of the queer leather and punk rock scenes and was largely a counterculture statement.
“The body modification industry is strange,” Clark said, “because piercing of men has been associated mainly with LGBTQ community.”
Or, he added, it was a kind of an “f-you” to society, somewhat like men letting their hair grow long in the ’60s.
Prior to the opening of The Gauntlet, he said, getting pierced was mostly an underground phenomenon, and if it was done in view of the public, it happened in a tattoo shop or at a kiosk in a mall.
Sixty years ago, if a man got pierced, he would probably take his jewelry off when he went to the office and put it back in when he got home. Clark told the story of a man who had a piercing for years and his children didn’t know about it until after he died.
Now, he said, getting pierced is almost mainstream.
Fifty years ago, pierced people were almost always female or gay and doing it as a statement. Now his clientele is 25 percent male with a mix of sexual orientation. And if clients are getting pierced to make a statement, it’s not political but fashionable.
Whereas 20 years ago, his parents wouldn’t let him get pierced until he moved out of the house, recently Clark did a piercing on a young boy because the kid thought it was “cool” and one of his parents was present. He has seen a spike in male clients, including business professionals. Clark himself is currently wearing jewelry in 11 piercings.
He has found that many of his male clients trust him, like their barbers, with personal feelings. And from those exchanges he learned that getting a piercing often has as much to do with clients’ inner self-image as their outer appearance.
“You are doing something on the outside of you that makes you feel more comfortable on the inside of you,” Clark explained.
Using himself as an example, he noted that, as a boy, he did not like his nose, “so what better way to feel comfortable about it than to put something else, like jewelry, in there that I really like.”
And that’s how the owner of Luxe Piercing got started in the business. An acquaintance of his was opening a studio and asked if wanted to apprentice. “At that time,” he recalled, “I was turning 24 and thought I’d give it a shot. The worst case scenario would be that I would not like it and quit.
“I absolutely fell in love with it, with being able to facilitate the changing of someone’s appearance. It’s pretty cool. It’s a powerful thing to help someone feel comfortable in their own skin.”
Especially during the pandemic, Clark has been meticulous about keeping his studio clean. “Everything we use,” he said, “is single-use and disposed of after using it on a client. We wear a lot of gloves and use disinfectant wipes before and after each client. In addition, we sell high quality, biocompatible jewelry.”
Clark said he wants his business to not only be profitable but ethical. The starting wage for his employees is $15/hour, and everything he uses except for gems is sourced in the U.S.A.
“I want to pay a livable wage and provide health insurance,” he said. “That does bring up the cost, but I sleep better at night knowing that my people are being taken care of.”
BODY PIERCER: Je rey Clark, owner of Luxe Piercing Boutique, 7439 Madison St.
ALEX ROGALS/Sta Photographer
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It takes a village to raise a park superintendent
Ryan Russ re ects on Forest Park’s in uence
By TOM HOLMES
Contributing Reporter
Most locals who frequent the Park District of Forest Park (PDOFP) can spot Ryan Russ from a distance. Unmistakable with his dreads and ever-present smile, the relatively new superintendent of Buildings & Grounds credits where he is in life partly to his own effort and partly to the village that raised him.
Dream job
Growing up on Hannah Avenue in Forest Park, as a kid the park was the “greatest place on earth.” His first job at the park was pool attendant at the age of15 in 1991. At 18 he moved over to the maintenance department. Not really on a career path after graduating from high school, he worked several jobs and found himself at the park almost every summer, which allowed him to stay in contact with important mentors.
“My love for this park,” he said, “started when I was a kid coming here with my friends. But the way I feel about it now that I’m 45 was instilled in me by Dave Novak and Larry Piekarz, the two directors I worked under and Larry Buckley who was my boss in the Dept. ofBuildings & Grounds. I looked up to those three guys because of their love for this place.”
Most important, they seemed to see potential in him that he couldn’t see in himself. When the foreman position opened in 2011, Buckley called him and asked ifhe wanted to apply, even though Russ’ work record at the park had been less than sterling.
Piekarz and Buckley both told Russ that ifhe did the work of foreman well, he had a chance to become superintendent when Buckley retired. By the time Buckley did retire, Jackie Iovinelli was the new executive director of the park, and she decided to name him interim director — interim because both she and Russ himself knew he was not yet ready for prime time.
“She told me,” said Russ, “that there were a lot ofthings I had to do in order to get where I wanted to go. She laid out what I had to do to earn the promotion, but she added she would be right there with me whenever I needed help.”
Identity
Russ’ mom is white. His birth father, whom he did not meet until he was 30, is Black. He was the only person of color in his class until he got to middle school where there were a lot more Black kids. But that didn’t solve his identity problem because the Black kids would say “well, you’re not black” and white kids would say “you’re not white.”
To complicate matters even more, his mother married a man from Iran. “When we would go out together,” Russ remembered, “people would look at us with a ‘what the hell is going on with that family’ stare.”
Once again, someone from his village stepped up. Wayne Buidens, who co-founded Circle Theater in Forest Park, ran a youth theater program, saw talent in Russ and cast him in roles not designed for Black kids.
“Being able to play those roles helped my confidence,” he said. “I became more able to be proud of everything I am.”
Also crucial was the devotion ofhis Iranian stepfather. “At the time,” said Russ, “I couldn’t figure out why this man who wasn’t my birth father would want to be my dad, but every day of my life he was there for me — money, time, everything. That’s a role model.”
When he graduated from the eighth grade, he listed his name as Ryan Russ Dormeyer Abahi — Dormeyer, his mother’s maiden name and Abahi, his stepfather’s surname.
On his racial identity, he said, “Not identifying is almost as good as identifying. When it comes to my race, I consider myself to be a part ofthe human race. Why do we have to put people in categories?”
Recovery
“I’ve been sober for 19 years,” Russ said. “At 25 I was living in my parents’ basement drinking my life away when my parents and Mr. and Mrs. Novak sat me down and said, ‘Listen, something has to change or you’re going to be dead or in jail.’ I had to surrender. That day was my new beginning. That day changed my life.”
He also had other supporters in the community who helped him move forward. Years after he graduated from the middle school, staff members like Jim Murray, the school psychologist, and Assistant Principal Scott Entler helped him “work the program” as people in recovery sometimes say.
Once again, his village was there for him when he needed them.
Novak resigns as commissioner of Forest Park
Mayor will appoint a replacement; council will vote
By MARIA MAXHAM
Editor
Dan Novak announced at the June 28 village council meeting that his family is leaving Forest Park, so he will be resigning from his position as a village commissioner.
The news didn’t come as a complete surprise, as his house in town has been on the market and speculation has abounded that he may be moving. But Novak remained quiet on the issue until the meeting, during which he shared that he is stepping down as commissioner.
“As I enter a new/next chapter in my responsibilities and professional life, I am no longer able to serve the village that has
raised me,” said Novak, who grew up in Forest Park. Novak thanked his family, the residents, and village staff. “Thank you to all of our Forest Park constituents, especially the ones who have supported me over the last six-plus years as well as those who looked out for and after me over the last 40 years,” said Novak. “It is true, it takes a village to raise someone, and I am thankful.” Novak told the Review after the meeting that a promotion at his job in Wheaton means he won’t have the time to dedicate to Forest Park and moving closer to work is important for his family. “I need to give 110 percent to Wheaton like I’ve given to Forest Park,” Novak said. Mayor Rory Hoskins said he DAN NOVAK will appoint a new commissioner, and he and the remaining three commissioners will vote on that choice, the process for replacement of commissioners who leave with less than two years left in their term. Hoskins said he has someone in mind but plans to speak to the other commissioners before sharing his potential choice.
