The Friends of the Forest Park Library had a most unusual program last Saturday. Eric Hollander showed slides of his phenomenal railroad exhibit. This has been a lifelong project at the Hollander household, it defies explanation. Everything in the panorama is done to scale. The train cars are all painted to exact specifications, the cars, other buildings and signposts, signals, etc. are all the work of Eric himself. The bridges work, even the water is not real water, it just looks real. Rick said he uses painted foil covered with plastic for the water. Mr. Hollander spends a great amount of time each day keeping the various parts of the project looking good, the mechanical parts in good working order. Background buildings are all painted by Eric who made a living as a painter. His parents were the late Jack and Grace Hollander who encouraged their son and gave him much love and artistic help. Jack Hollander himself earned a living as a commercial artist. Everyone was speechless after viewing the photos of the Hollander Railroad exhibit.
Incidentally, the Friends decided to change their meeting time to 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month. No more meetings this summer; see you in September. They cordially invite you to become a member and bring along ideas for programs, fund raisers, anything.
Alyssa Allgood, daughter of Steve Allgood and Nicole Rivera of Forest Park was just awarded the Clarene Juhnke Outstanding Music Major award at North Central College in Naperville. Alyssa is a double major in music and communication. We all read about how she won the Downbeat Magazine student award last month.
Do you like Balkan music? How ’bout wine? The KGB Tamburitza Band will be performing at a fundraiser for Bosnian flood victims at House Red Saturday, June 14. $30 per person includes live music, and a Serbian dinner buffet. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Greeting all comers with a big smile is one year old Charlotte Vaccaro. Charlotte charmed the diners at Louie’s last Saturday. She represents the fifth generation of her Forest Park family. She is the daughter of Annie Johnsen Vaccaro who grew up on the 600 block of Thomas. Charlotte is the granddaughter of Karen Bond Johnsen of the 1000 block of Troost and the great granddaughter of Thomas Bond and Doris Dobson of the Troost Avenue address.Little Miss Vaccaro is the great great granddaughter of George and Anna Bond of the 100 block of Lathrop and Wesley and Myrtle Dobson who lived on Harvard. There’s a thumbnail sketch of the family of one year old Charlotte Vaccaro.
Belated happy birthday wishes to young Tom Lane who was celebrating his June 9 birthday with his father, Officer Francis Lane last Monday.
Belated happy anniversary wishes to Nick and Sue Mangiaracina and Kelly and Tom Woods. Also Payton and Maddux Callis and Mel and Mary Block. Jill and Brian Hosty have an anniversary this week along with Danny and Diane Mohr and Mary Ellen and Pat Dowdle. Happy birthday wishes to Eric Bradley, Dave Smentek, Bernice Matthews, Paul McKune, David Jargstorf, Cecilia Webster, Gerry Schermerhorn, Karen Dylewski and Clayton Huebner. Lucy Liu has a birthday, also Tim Grams, and Louie Politis.
It’s Bloom’s Day on June 16. Who could forget that? ?
Jackie is a former Chicago and Elmwood Park schoolteacher with an undying love for music, friendly pets and a host of life’s other treasures too numerous to list. She was born on the far southwest side of Chicago in a great neighborhood when it was a great time to be young.
