Greeting the new year

Here we are with a new year and a new opportunity to create an exciting life or a sedate life. The choice is ours! Looking back on our lives in the larger Roseland community, we can find plenty of examples of both lifestyles.

When I was a child back in the 1950s, my mom would have us kids tag along whenever she went shopping or visiting her friends. From that perspective, I got to know a lot of sedate people! Of course, you must keep in mind that I was my mother’s last child and was born when she was 42 in 1946. All of the friends my mother visited were already in their late 50s and had been stay-at-home moms as was the custom of those days.

The mothers may have been sedate during visits but they did all the labor-intensive homestyle things, like cooking meals from scratch with fresh ingredients, mending or making the family clothes, doing laundry and ironing, or canning produce from the garden. Pulling out the old Hoover vacuum cleaner was a natural part of the housekeeping chores.

We rarely hear about doing chores these days. I recall kids back in the day talking about their weekend chores. Only a few of them said anything about an allowance being tied to finishing their chores.

In other words, those “sedate” people were very active and just took the time to relax when my mother came by with us for a visit. They also led exciting lives by being socially active in the many clubs that were available for people to join and maintain friendships.

In these high-tech days, with all the social media tools available to us, there are fewer in-person clubs to join. I recall al of the social clubs being represented in the parades that took place on The Ave or one of the many processions that various churches put on.

There were athletic clubs like Bombers AC, as well as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Palmer Park Baseball League, Holy Name Bowling League, and Roseland Little League. Those are just the groups I was familiar with, but I know every neighborhood had their own social clubs along those same lines.

Becoming a member of a local group led to exciting family times. The groups sponsored annual events, with the members taking part in organizing, participating and working on the events as fundraisers or just as an opportunity for their members and friends to socialize. I recall looking forward to the annual Holy Name picnic every year.

Those social opportunities are what created the memories we have. But the world has changed and “exciting” means different things to different people. Today’s Pullman residents find their excitement in the various community events that take place in the different seasons.

In the past year, we’ve celebrated the Taste of Chicago, Labr Day, the Pullman National Historical Park, the Fourth of July, Halloween Pullman Macabre House Tour and Pullman Drive Thru, the Annual Pet Blessing, the Pullman Garden Tour, the Pullman Holiday Candlelight House Tour, Classic Car Show, and the big daddy of all Pullman events: The Annual Pullman House Tour which just celebrated its 52nd tour event.

That’s the new excitement that Roseland residents get to take part in. All of them are broadcast on social media. In the past year, all the events have been well attended, making each event more exciting.

In addition to the National Park Service information and ranger display, there are always displays for various social organizations seeking support while sharing information. Pullman’s Labor Day celebration is of national importance due to the Pullman Strike of 1894.

The strike lasted from May to July and didn’t result in an immediate victory for the workers, but it did result in long-lasting wins. As a result of that Pullman strike, Labor Day was established as a national holiday and the groundwork was laid for an eight-hour workday. This is why national labor organizations can always be found at the Pullman Labor Day festivities.

The Annual Pet Blessing has become a tradition amongst Roseland and Pullman’s pet lovers.  There are displays from various wildlife organizations such Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation and the Chicago Herpetological Society. In addition, there are raffles and informational displays throughout the grounds. All of this precedes the blessing of the animals by Fr. Mark Krylwicz of St. Anthony’s and Rev. Luther Mason of the Greenstone United Methodist Congregation.

“Petals from Roseland: Fond Memories of Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman and Kensing Neighborhoods” is available from me for anyone interested in sharing or revisiting their life in Roseland at $20 + $5 s&h. Contact me at petalsfromroseland@gmail.com or 11403 S. St. Lawrence Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60628; 773-710-3559. My book is also available at D & D Foods, 1023 S. Halsted, Chicago Heights, at Bookie’s New and Used Books, 10324 S. Western Ave, Chicago and at Miles Books,2819 Jewett Ave., Highland, Indiana.