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By Peggy Zabicki
Your correspondent in West Lawn
3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327
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Happy 98th Birthday to Chicago Midway International Airport. Back in 1923 it was called Chicago Air Park with one runway. The city of Chicago leased it on May 8, 1926 and officially dedicated it as Chicago Municipal Airport on Dec. 12, 1927.
When my hubby was a kid in the 50s and early 60s, he and his mom and dad and eight brothers and sisters would pile into their station wagon and drive over to the airport and watch the planes take off and land. He said the airport was so small that it looked like somebody’s backyard.
Since then it has grown and expanded. Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel envisioned Midway Airport as a key location for direct and connecting flights all around the world, and further expansions were made. Midway International Airport is now one of the busiest airports in the world.
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Peggy Zabicki
Even though I am close enough to be able to walk there, I rarely hear any airplane noise. The location has made it convenient for me to pick up and drop off friends from out of town. Midway continues to feel like a little neighborhood airport because you can still just walk right in.
Another important neighborhood landmark is West Lawn’s bowling alley, Lawn Bowl, 6750 S. Pulaski. Lawn Bowl has been family owned for over 50 years. It is a busy place right now because summer leagues are starting.
Recently, the youth league held their annual Creative Pin Contest. Participants decorated bowling pins by using a variety of materials, fabrics, paints and embellishments. This year’s theme was Mascots.
Congratulations to Abby Lawler of the Lil Strikers team and Giovanni Faneli of the Justice League on their winning bowling pin entries. Both winners received a new bowling ball.
If you would like to see photos of all the decorated pins, visit Lawn Bowl. They are open seven days a week. Call for summer league information at (773) 582-2525.
A neighbor of mine whose daughter attends Curie High School told me that Curie basketball coach Mike Oliver was recently inaugurated into the 2024 Hall of Fame for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Congratulations, Coach Mike!
St. Mary Star of the Sea School will be having a rummage sale on Saturday, May 18 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in their south parking lot, 6435 S. Kilbourn. Call the rectory at (773) 767-1246 for more information.
The next meeting of the Calvary Seniors will take place on Tuesday, May 21 at noon at Calvary Lutheran Church, 6149 S. Kenneth. All are welcome to join this fun-loving group of seniors. Bring a sandwich and a few dollars for bingo and raffles. Call Elaine at (773) 424-3031 and let her know you are coming.
The Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 S. Pulaski, is such a valuable learning institution for our community. Their extensive photo collection and history files are available for visitors to see and study. Author Justin Riskus has spent a lot of time researching the museum’s archives as he gathered information for his second book about Lithuanians in Chicago. His book will be part of Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series which seeks to celebrate the history and heritage of cities across America. The book is expected to be available for purchase at the end of the year at the Balzekas Museum.
Last and probably least, if you live near me, you may have experienced a problem with your water last week on May 6. All of a sudden, we had no water coming out of our faucets. Eventually, I saw a worker outside at the sewer located on our block. He said the city was working on a “water problem” on 60th Place from Central Park to Pulaski. There was no warning, no notice, no one knocking at our door or posting a notice.
This lasted several hours. When the water was turned back on it was very rusty so we let the faucets run for a long while. It would have been nice to get a heads up about it. I had been planning to do laundry that day. At least I filled up my coffee pot before the water was cut off. Not being able to do that would have been a real disaster!