Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
The living has been easy and the fish have been jumping, which can only mean that this column will cover the summer that has just passed us by. When summer planning began back in May, my calendar filled up with incredible speed. Among the many events I took part in were Fenger reunion picnics, Pullman Factory tours as well as tour guide training, the Roseland Roundtable picnic, Veneti nel Mondo monthly meetings, the Friends of Pullman picnic, Spaghetti-Os monthly meetings, the Zimbauer-Bolf Roseland picnic, and a Spaghetti-Os bocce tournament.
Yes, it was a full summer that kept me on the go. All of those events took place on the South Side while I was still living on the North Side in Wrigleyville! Is it any wonder why I wanted to move to Pullman, with the gas prices we experienced throughout the summer?
The Pullman Factory tours are given the first Sunday of the month and last about an hour. Anyone on the tour is guaranteed to find out something new about all things Pullman, from the man to the town. To find out the tour schedule or the date for the Hotel Florence’s post-construction opening, call 773-660-2341.
The Friends of Pullman Picnic had a very sunny, warm and hopeful beginning. There were a lot of old faces, and boy were they old. Of course, they had trouble recognizing me because my face is older, too. This picnic brings out some of the residents of Pullman but, as the name implies, there are also a lot of friends of those residents.
My friend Michelle Regan and I set up my canopy and a couple of chairs to get out of the sun, and we were joined throughout the early afternoon by many people we knew from the Pullman Sunday Morning Brunch Club, including Holly and Jay Ludlam, Jim Badalli, and Jim Ostarello and his sister Diane. Larry Avignone also stopped by and mentioned that he has decided to donate Roseland related materials to the Roseland Roundtable.
The blues-harmonica-playing Jim drove up in his beautiful red Hummer with Judy and Carol. Unfortunately, just forty-five minutes later, the rain came. It was a strange rain, with a few drops one minute followed by a torrential downpour. Everyone scattered, jumping into their cars or running for shelter. Hopefully, next year’s event will be on a beautiful dry day. My sister Rosie and her friend Pete drove through Pullman after the rain and saw a number of people gathered at different spots in the neighborhood, so the picnic actually hadn’t shut down entirely as much as shifted to new locations.
The Roseland Roundtable Picnic at Wampum Lake was attended by about 40 people. It was a beautiful day, with at least four grills going. Dan Bovino deep fried green peppers for everyone at our table and brought along Marie Eneeninburg Chin, whose daughter Margie joined us. Eneeninburg is the last name of one of the founding families of Roseland and, the city of the same name in Holland is the home of the Roseland Museum.
The Zimbauer-Bolf Roseland Reunion Picnic provided all of the attendees with a great day. Although the picnic took place the day after the torrential rainfall abruptly dampened the Friends of Pullman Picnic, it was a clear sunny day of reminiscing, tossing bean bags and enjoying the meal provided and served by the Zimbauer-Bolf family: Theresa, Bernie, Craig, Margie, Tim and others. The picnic always brings out great friends such as Dennis and Debbie Carlotto, Danny and Sue Bovino, Joe and Marilyn (Nelson) McCarthy, and Rich and Mary Ann Nicola.
The Spaghetti-Os have been enjoying a boom in attendance, and back in July, with nine teams and 134 total participants turning out for a great evening of reminiscing among friends at the June 24 bocce tournament. The event was almost called due to the heat, but with a slight change in the scoring, all games were completed. The winning team of Giovanna Incandella, Pete Roi, Jim Meekma, and Mary Ellen Craig received life-like trophies.
The Veneti nel Mondo meetings, which are held every other month in Oak Forest, provide another great get-together opportunity. Some of the Pullmanites in attendence at the July 8 meeting were Louise Panozzo and her sister-in-law Anne Ronzani, along with Gail Germia, and Victor Perlotto. If anyone is interested, Veneti nel Mondo is organizing a 10 to 12 day tour of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia in September 2013. For details, contact Anna Galvan at 815-463-9303.
The summer has also been filled with out-of-towners visiting on vacation, or residents returning from vacations. Steve and Sandy Trombello returned from a trip to Italy, where they stopped by the actual St. Anthony of Padua Church. They were generous enough to give me a Mass book and brochures to share with anyone that would like to see them. Once I have organized my house in Pullman, I will have one wall in my living room lined with shelves displaying Roseland/Pullman/Kensington/St. Anthony memorabilia for anyone to review. Cathy O’Driscoll Herbst and her husband Hal came through town from North Carolina for a brief visit with their daughter Karissa of Dyer, Ind.
If the above isn’t proof of a busy summer, I don’t know what is. Hopefully, winter will be mild and will allow for a lively, on-the-move way of life, which we all know is the Fountain of Youth.
Contact CJ Martello at 1501 W. Belmont Ave. #708, Chicago, IL 60657; 773-525-7823; or cjfranoi@yahoo.com; Roseland Roundtable on Facebook.
