So you might have heard the segment on B96 earlier this week. The Chicago radio station set up a 20-second showdown between two suburban citizens to list the reasons their town was the best.
A resident from Hinsdale faced off with a resident of Forest Park.
I have to admit, I listened to “Killer-B” 96 in the late-1980s when, as a very cool DuPage teen, I would go dance at Medusa’s in Chicago. Hinsdale was the haut monde suburb to the south, the super-privileged teenagers had their own cars that were more expensive than my parents’ cars.
Today, my 12- and 8-year-old have the J. Niice and Showbiz Shelly show cued up to wake them up in the morning.
When I heard that Forest Park was on B96, I was curious to learn what my preteen station would say about my adult hometown in 20 seconds. Maria from Hinsdale went first. She listed the Hinsdale schools as being great, the houses, the people, the attractiveness of the dads and the schools again.
Kathy, our public relations representative from Forest Park went next. She opened by plugging the public works director, John Doss (her brother), who keeps the streets clean. She mentioned the St. Patrick’s Day Parade (giving credit to Mayor Calderone), the great park district, great schools, great community with a big heart, and closed by comparing Forest Park to Mayberry.
I was proud of Kathy’s list. We all are a little biased, of course, about our hometown. I would have added the diversity here, our outstanding Chamber of Commerce, the citizen activism (Culture Park-Forest Park at the Altenheim), the spirit of volunteerism, the excellent scouting programs, the Historical Society, and, of course, our award-winning newspaper, the Forest Park Review.
My 8-year-old son, Logan, put to the challenge to describe Forest Park in 20 seconds, said, “Forest Park is peaceful. You can walk all over Forest Park if you are a kid and you can sleep at night because it is quiet. There are lots of kids on our block and the next block to play with, our yards are small but you can play in the front yard and backyard of all the houses at the same time, so it is bigger than it looks. We can also play at the park (at 16th Street) and we all get along.”
Sounds like a pretty good place to grow up.
Thanks, Forest Park.
