Tag Archives: CJ Martello

When it comes to love and the month of February, we don’t have to look any further than the good old days in Kensington, Pullman and Roseland. The mere mention of a time, place or event from those neighborhoods brings back a flood of fond recollections about growing up in the greater Roseland community. When it comes to our love of all things Roseland, who doesn’t remember the earliest days of their youth running around the neighborhood with the other kids. Sometimes, the best memories were created with siblings and other times with the kids next door or across the …

Here we go again, rolling into another year whether we’re ready for it or not. After all these years, one thing we’ve learned for sure is that we’re moving ahead regardless of how we feel. Let’s take a look at some of the happenings from 2022 as we look forward to good things to come. Pullman is always a happening place, ever since President Obama proclaimed it a national monument. As a part of the National Park System, the Ranger staff is always busy doing their job of promoting the park and enticing new visitors. The programs they have promoted …

Christmas is a time for celebration, but how we celebrate has changed over the centuries. How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you embrace the more secular version embodied by Santa Claus with his big bag of presents, or the more religious one in which gifts are given in recognition of God’s gift to us of His Son Jesus Christ? One tradition I embrace is the Christmas story told by Mario Avignone who is the originator of this column. Fr. Pierini asked him decades ago to start writing Petals as a way of keeping Roseland alive in our hearts. In my …

This year’s Labor Day weekend celebrations were looked forward to with great anticipation and, though the weather wasn’t exactly as we had hoped, all events were successful. For me, the eventful weekend began on Sunday when the first Sunday of the month walking tour took place. More than 50 individuals participated. The group was so large that it was split into three, each with their own tour guide, proving Pullman’s emergence as a “must see” Chicago sight. What made this tour group special for me was that my friends Diane De Re and Sonia Carli, along with their four friends …

Once again, we’ve seen a summer come and go and, as usual, we get to look back on what we DIDN’T manage to get done, or attend, or see, or listen to. But let’s look at the bright side and focus on what we actually DID accomplish! Summer in Pullman began its countdown to the always festive Labor Day Weekend with the annual Pullman Family Picnic. It was the first blazing hot Saturday in August, so it wasn’t as well attended as we had hoped. However, that didn’t stop attendees from having a great time. The smaller crowd actually allowed …

In the past year or so, I’ve been telling people that I’ve been writing Petals From Roseland for 12 years. Now that September has rolled around, marking the first month I took over from Mario Avignone, I stopped to do the math and realized that I’ve actually been writing the column for 14 years! It was September of 2008 when I was first introduced as the author of Petals from Roseland. I personally paid my thanks to Mario by visiting him in the Manteno Veterans’ home a few times. I also attended the premiere presentation at Casa Italia, along with …

As we head into the final weeks of summer, let’s grab every opportunity to gather outdoors that we can! Chief among them in our neck of the woods is the annual Pullman Family Picnic, slated to start at 1 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Arcade Park. Pullman has many stalwart residents who raised their families there and watched their kids leave while they stayed. The annual picnic is a time for their kids to return to their roots, bringing their friends with them. You’re invited to do the same! Many former residents make it an annual pilgrimage to recharge their …

My recent columns have been nostalgic trips through our Roseland, Pullman and Kensington memories. For this month’s column I’ve got some great events and happenings that I’d like to invite everyone to attend. Mark your calendar so you can attend these events and share the good times with family and friends. Pullman National Monument is an exciting locale for a summer outing and is a leisurely drive from anywhere in the city or suburbs. The rangers are knowledgeable about the history surrounding the Pullman factory, the 1894 strike and the Pullman Porters. They are willing to answer any questions you …

What comes to mind when you first hear the phrase “Roseland groups”? If you’re in your late 70s and older, its’ probably Frankie Bortoli or Eddie Baldacci and their bands. If you’re from the generation before that, you’re probably thinking Styx or Chicago. If you so, you’d be way off the topic of this column. Many social groups were formed in Roseland based on school, church, sports, ethnic or military affiliation. The American Legion, VFW, Tornados A.C., Gano A.C., SFBI, and several bowling leagues and Holy Name societies come to mind. Unfortunately, times have changed. And with most people keeping …

We often find comfort in our memories! Fond memories are wonderful not just because they sustain us in life’s calm or rough waters, but because they are self-replenishing: Every day brings us new memories that we store in our mental Rolodex files. When the time is right, we just send that Rolodex spinning until we hit upon the memory that will bring a smile to our face right when we need it. Fortunately, through readers of my column, St. Anthony parishioners, Spaghetti-Os members and and Pullman residents, I am often presented with great material that brings up many memories. I’ve …