Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Month in and month out, I’ve been telling people to visit Pullman for one event or another, but in this column, I have more than one happening to entice you with.
Three events that were waylaid by the pandemic have either made their return this year or are slated to do so: the annual Pullman Picnic, the St. Anthony Dinner Dance and the Pullman House Tour.
The Pullman Picnic was held in the beginning of August and those in attendance had a great time. It was one of those 90-degree days made just a bit cooler by the canopy I provided for the event. My area was busy with visitors stopping by throughout the day. Since Spaghetti-Os has stopped meeting, the picnic provided a great opportunity for the members to get together.
As the leaders of Spaghetti-Os, Bonny and George Sandona were the big draw for a number of people to visit Pullman that Saturday. Sonia Carli and her daughter Diane came from Wrigleyville, Denise Fattori-Alcantar from Pullman, Pete Guglielmi from Crete, Tina Muratori from New Lenox, and John and Mary Jane Bonaguro Dyrek from Florida all stopped by.
The weather was steamy hot but the shade made it bearable. Antonio Michelangelo was the best-behaved dog ever, spending the day walking around the visitors seated under our canopy. My daughter, Jamie, her husband Eric, my grandkids, Fiona and Ethan, and their dog, Molly, made the trek from the Edison Park neighborhood on Chicago’s Northwest Side to meet friends from my many years in Roseland and Pullman.
The St. Anthony Dinner Dance is back on track! As one of the parish’s most important fundraising events, it will take place on the evening of October 9. As in the past, it will be held at the Serbian Social Center at 18550 S. Stony Island in Lansing, Illinois.
This is a great opportunity to reach out to former classmates and make plans to have an informal class reunion. To request dinner dance tickets, make arrangements for a class reunion or answer any questions you might have, call the rectory at 773-468-6800.
The 48th annual Pullman House Tour will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 9 and 10. On this weekend, a number of community buildings and residences are opened to the general public for viewing.
These well-preserved 140-year-old homes range from executive houses to smaller worker’s cottages and multi-unit apartments. The Queen Anne architectural styling and the charm found in these residences are unequalled in Chicago’s storied history. With the leaves changing to their glorious fall hues, those attending the tour will be able to truly appreciate the mansard roofs and green-and-red trim, and red Illinois brick found throughout Pullman.
As a preservation community, any changes to residences must result in bringing the facade as near as possible to its original state. However, what residents do with the interior of their Pullman houses have led to many innovative and resourceful decorating ideas. Some of these interiors have been showcased in magazines. The Pullman tour allows for these innovations and restorations to be viewed by all.
The house tour weekend will also include an antique car show, music at the Arcade Park bandstand, food and beverages for sale, and much more. The tour will be headquartered at the Pullman Visitor’s Center, 11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave. For more information, call 773-785-8901.
Love the column? Buy the book!
Copies of “Petals From Roseland: Fond Memories of Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman and Kensington Neighborhoods” are available from me with prompt delivery at $20 + $5 s&h.
More than 700 copies have been sold. Roselandites who have bought my book are excited to have their memories brought to life. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have provided so many fond memories of Roseland.
My book is also available at D & D Foods, 1023 S. Halsted, Chicago Heights and at Bookie’s New and Used Books, 10324 S. Western Ave, Chicago.
Contact CJ Martello at 11403 S. Saint Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL 60628; 773-701-6756; or petalsfromroseland@gmail.com.
