Petals From Roseland

The Roseland Roundtable began a little over a year ago as a Facebook site. Danny Bovino, Paul Petraitis, and CJ Martello got together at Harbor Lights Restaurant on 115th to talk about their love for Roseland and made plans to preserve the memories of Roseland. This discussion led to the RoselandRoundtable Facebook site that today boasts 2390 Friends and presents over 1000 photos. In addition, there is a monthly Roseland Roundtable get together at various restaurants in the south suburbs. Thanks to the networking, or discussion, possibilities presented by Facebook, you can always find lively commentary below any of the …

Lou Ann Sola Pretto, Gina Frighetto Sakiewicz, Ana Magnabosco, Louise Panozzo, Jack Rossi, Fran Trentacosti, Carol Miceli, Edda Mancuso, Tony Pittacora, Vince Zopetti, “Midge”, Mike Maglis, CJ Jim Martello, Adriano and Gina Magnabosco, Bob and Lorraine Brezich, Chuck and Beverly Carli, Julia Munoz, Madelyn Wolf, Georgia Vroman, Jo (Josephine) Navarette, Gloria Bernardi and her son John Bernardi, and Marilyn Meneghini Carone, Dan and Sue Bovino, Dennis and Debbie Carlotto. I’m sure you’ll recognize more than a few of the names. It’s amazing that this is 2011 and yet, the family names that we heard so often when we were younger …

Let’s go back to the November 2009 Ciope Hunt! Apparently, there are a couple of people who have a ciope recipe: Gloria Slivensky from Minnesota and Tony Maro of Chicago. I came across Gloria on the website Chowhound and the next time she makes ciope, she is going to photograph the process. Tony Maro posted photos on Facebook of ciope he made last year and plans to forward me the recipe. For the time being we’re in a holding pattern until someone shares their ciope recipe with us but I’ll keep you posted. Talking about food has sparked my desire …

A little over two years ago, I began my journey as the author of Petals from Roseland. Little did I know at the time that I would be tapping into the fountain of youth. Of course, now I’ll have to explain myself. Roseland as we knew it in our youth was a fun place to grow up with the same friends, some we still have today, and familiar businesses and schools and hangouts. I was recently reminded of those days of our youth, not necessarily mine, while at a Spaghetti-Os dinner. Aldo Panozzo had a small photo album he was …

Roseland was a community unto itself. There were clothing and shoe stores galore and Gately’s People’s Store for a major department store. There were restaurants up and down Michigan Avenue (The Ave), including Tony’s Snack Shop, Snack Time, Giovanni’s, Nino’s and Krapil’s, and Kresge’s and Woolworth’s each had a food counter. Over the past couple of years, a number of people have mentioned various theaters that were in the Roseland community. Those included the Normal, Verdi, State, Roseland Show, Parkway and Ridge. The State Theater (11016-20 S. Michigan Ave.) seated 2,000 and was much more stylish than any of the …

This year’s holiday celebration started early with the St. Anthony dinner dance. Fr. Mark Krylowicz, Louise Della Betta, LouAnn Sola Pretto, Armand Dequi and the Chateau Bu Sché staff came to the rescue when they got together and overcame the obstacle created by the closing of Villa di Bruno. Many of us remember the ‘Chateau’ from years gone by when we attended weekend dances there. Well, I’m here to tell you that just as we’ve grown up, so has the Chateau. A great deal of expense and effort has been put into remodeling and updating the décor and the entire …

This is the month for giving thanks and Roseland gave us many things to be thankful for. We can start by being thankful for the fact that we ended up with a deeper appreciation for all things Roseland. Whether it is due to the fact that succeeding generations move out of neighborhoods, or the fact that racial flux is an urban reality, neighborhoods do change. However, in the case of Roseland, the change was sudden and shocking and I believe it is this factor that made Roseland a more deeply woven part of the fabric of our lives. For those …

Growing up in Roseland, there were a number of places we frequented, first by virtue of our parents taking us there and then by us venturing out on our own. As we grew older, those places grew smaller. Not physically, of course, but comparatively, as we grew to fit spaces that seemed so large when we were children. One such place was Gately’s Peoples Store on 112th and Michigan Avenue. As children, the main aisles seemed so wide as we passed by the sale items on display. Later, when we went there on our own, or with our friends, the …

Roseland was a complete small town that fulfilled our every need. We had our “Main Street,” which was Michigan Avenue, affectionately called “The Ave,” from 103rd Street to 127th. This was where we spent our time away from our black-and-white or color television sets and radios. Stores on The Ave were sometimes the destination of a shopping trip, but more often simply a stopping point while taking a leisurely stroll. The Ave was the center of a social life that occasioned cruising in a souped-up ’57 Chevy or a super-clean ’56 Ford T-Bird or whatever other hot car a young …

I’ve begun attending St. Anthony’s on a regular basis ever since my older brother Chester in Highland, Ind., became ill. I often spend a weekend at his place to visit and keep him company while he recovers. He is doing very well and, as a bonus, we’ve become “Sunday parishioners” at St. Anthony’s. St. Anthony’s parish is a diverse group including the local Mexican neighbors who comprise the majority of the neighborhood residents; African-American residents from Roseland; parishioners from Pullman; and former parishioners who drive in from the city and suburbs. Being a member of many groups with former Roselandites …