Summer options

Summertime is here and there are plenty of options to keep you busy. The plan for this month’s column is to offer several opportunities to visit Roseland, Pullman and Kensington.

The first thing that comes to mind since it is June, is the St. Anthony Festival on June 14. The end of the month is covered by the longstanding Annual Pullman Garden Club Tour. The next thing that comes to mind is the Taste of Chicago in the Pullman Neighborhood. The Pullman National Historical Park has a full schedule of offerings for the month of June. The Roseland pizza get togethers are happening once again. Not happening in Roseland, but with plenty of Roseland people in attendance, the final Dolton Shrimp Boil is scheduled.

Ever since I was in grade school at St. Anthony’s in the ’50s and ’60s, June 14 has been stuck in the forefront of my mind. That’s because the grammar school nuns pounded that date into our heads in preparation for the big St. Anthony’s Feast Day celebration and procession. That’s the official date, with the event each year falling on the nearest Sunday. It’s a great coincidence then that this year’s celebration falls on Sunday, June 14.

In recent years, Fr. Mark has set the procession as the hallmark of the festa, with the musical entertainment on a stage in the church parking lot being a gathering point for all parishioners, former parishioners, Pullmanites and neighbors. The procession will take place before Mass, coming up 116th Street to Indiana Avenue and, following prayers in front of the church, will enter the church for the Mass.

After each Mass, a different band is scheduled to entertain. As the afternoon goes on, our dance team, Grupo Cultural will proudly perform. It is always a pleasure to see the elaborate and colorful costumes worn by the dancers and to be charmed by the choreography and their enthusiasm.

Besides the entertainment, there is always a variety of Hispanic and American food items to choose from. According to the long-range forecast, the weather is going to be sunny and approaching 80 degrees. The festa is another opportunity to come back and check out St. Anthony’s and recall one of your most heartfelt memories and maybe have a mini reunion with old friends and former classmates while you’re there. There will even be roast beef sandwiches comparable to the ones everyone misses: Panetti’s.

The Pullman Garden Club always holds their Annual Pullman Garden Tour on the last Sunday of the month. I’ve been honored to lead their first garden tour of the day for the past nine years. Last year’s tour left me looking forward to this year’s wide-range display of our community’s gardening abilities,.

In years past, the Pullman Garden Club would host a tea party on the veranda of the Florence Hotel. However, with major plans in the works for the remodeling of the hotel, the veranda tea party has been moved to a new location and hopefully, it will once again take place this year. My suggestion is to come to Pullman on the last Sunday of June, enjoy the tour, and find out for yourself what splendid afternoon tea awaits you.

The Taste of Chicago has been through many versions since Mayor Jane Byrne began the event way back in July of 1980. The most recent change to the event occurred due to COVID, when it was decided that a major festival would attract too many people to one location. It was decided to host multiple Taste of Chicago neighborhood festivals.

July 8-12 will mark the return of the downtown festival for the first time since COVID. However, due to the success of the neighborhood festivals, the six neighborhood event will continue this year, including the Pullman Park Taste of Chicago at 111th and Cottage Grove on July 18. You can check the city of Chicago website for any additional information, including sponsorships and entertainment.

The Pullman National Historical Park has a wide range of offerings to fill either an hour-long visit or an entire day of exploring. Viewing the exhibits and historical displays as the administration clock tower is a great way to begin. They also have brochures available for a walking tour of the neighborhood.

Looking online before coming to the National Park will give you a list of current events. There are often special children’s programs that offer a history-based experience. Lectures and presentations are offered throughout the year, including a lunch and lecture series led by a ranger or other qualified professional.

Touring the National Park is bound to tire you out and you’ll be looking for a place to take a break. It just so happens that right on the corner of 111th and St. Lawrence Avenue is the Pullman Coffee Club. It’s housed in the beautifully restored Sessions House. The Club offers a variety of coffees, teas and desserts to restore your energy. Roseland’s well-known Old-fashioned donuts are a specialty among the many desserts you will find available.

While enjoying your break at the Pullman Coffee Club you can watch their film on the history of the Pullman Palace Car Works. The coffee club is part of the Pullman House Project that gives visitors the opportunity to visit select Pullman houses that have been furnished in period styles. Visitors can experience George M. Pullman’s Town of Pullman as his workers experienced it in the 1880s. You can meet Pullman’s workers and their families in the places where they lived.

Throughout the years there have been get togethers that allow former Roseland residents to see old friends and classmates and neighbors. For many years, these events took place at Traverso’s on Harlem Avenue. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in these get togethers under the title of Roseland Pullman Social. One simply has to go online to find out more about these get togethers.

These events often take place at Mama Vesuvio’s East in Palos Heights. The restaurant has an excellent menu, an outdoor patio and. best of all. covered bocce ball courts. The owner, Geno, is from the Roseland community. I have run into many Roselandites dining there on the patio during the summer months, especially now that John Traverso has retired and Traverso’s has become a Barraco’s.

Many former Roselanders have attended the Dolton Isaac Walton League Shrimp Boil, as it has become another place to run into former friends from Roseland. However, as we’ve all gotten older and many Roselanders have moved to distant suburbs, it has become difficult to staff this wonderful annual event. As a result, it has been decided this will be the last year the Dolton Shrimp Boil will be taking place. I suggest putting the event on your calendar so you can begin contacting your friends and firming up plans to attend one more time. Te final Dolton Shrimp Boil will take place on Aug. 14 and 15.

“Petals from Roseland: Fond Memories of Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman and Kensington Neighborhoods” is available from me for anyone interested in sharing or revisiting their life 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.