 At this year’s annual meeting, the Historical Society of Forest Park honored Michelle Melin Rogovin with the Dr. Frank Orland Award. Michelle has been a champion and leader, generously supporting the Historical Society of Forest Park. Over two decades ago, her husband, Mark, served on our Board, and she has been a steadfast supporter of our local historical society before, during, and since his tenure. Her time, talent, and contributions have supported our efforts.
Michelle has been a generous supporter of our local historical society for decades. She attends almost every event—you will see her at May Day, Trivia Night, and before a bike tour. She goes beyond mere attendance; she has shared her gorgeous garden during our annual Garden Walk and even opened her home and garden for the pre-party for the volunteers of the Garden Walk. She has generously offered her talents and has worked on procuring grants for our society. Michelle is a positive and grounding force, helping us frame our goals and objectives. She is currently assisting in revising the book The Day Will Come, which highlights the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument and the graves and ashes that rest alongside and near the monument. Additionally, Michelle has stepped in generously as a benefactor for multiple years, giving us the ability to create content and build our connection to the community. Her support, along with that of other donors and supporters, helps us achieve our mission. We work to build our resources and make them accessible to the community, while also raising awareness of our collective cultural heritage to foster pride in our community. 2024: A Year of Milestones and Community Engagement with the Historical Society of Forest Park10/23/2024
The Historical Society of Forest Park had another historic year in 2024, offering a wide range of events and initiatives that deepened the community’s connection to its rich history. We provided free educational materials, including a Welcoming Booklet, an Activity Booklet, a Scavenger Hunt, and the second volume of the "7 Women Who Impacted Forest Park" zine. We hosted our always swinging Prohibition Party at Scratch Kitchen. In February, we partnered with the Forest Park Public Library for Black History Month, featuring our 4th Beloved Community Quilt project and an Afrofuturism art-making program.
Our May Day event, where the Mark Rogovin Award was presented to Larry Spivack of the Illinois Labor History Society, and was extra special this year as we unveiled a plaque and dedicated Dr. Joseph Carter Corbin’s gravesite as a National Historic Place. At our annual meeting, we honored Michelle Melin-Rogovin for her exceptional contributions as a benefactor, furthering our mission in extraordinary ways. Another key event was the first-ever "Movie at the Mausoleum," co-hosted with the Forest Park Public Library, the Park District, and Cool Truck Treats. Our library talk series featured a compelling presentation on Lucy Parsons by Amy Binns-Calvey and a discussion of Waldheim Cemetery’s history by Abby Schmelling. Cemetery events were a focal point, with tours for Boy Scouts, a bike tour of Forest Home Cemetery, and our monthly Haymarket Martyrs' Monument tour. Fundraising efforts, including the annual Garden Walk and the ever-popular Scarecrow fundraiser, were also a success. Scouts did an amazing job leading three groups, totaling 40 people, through Forest Home Cemetery on Sunday, sharing the cemetery's rich and diverse history and those buried there. HSFP is proud to have helped raise $720 for Forest Park Scouts while supporting their development in public speaking and tour guiding. We can’t wait to do it again in the spring!   Thank you to everyone who came out to our “Movie at the Mausoleum” event! We had perfect weather.
A big thank you to Forest Home Cemetery for hosting us, the Forest Park Public Library, and the Park District of Forest Park for bringing everything we needed to make the movie happen. And a special thanks to Cool Truck Treat for bringing the truck and stepping in with a generator when we needed it most. Shout out to the bat that flew in front of the screen, adding to the ambiance! Beautiful weather graced the 7th Annual Garden Walk, a fundraiser for the Historical Society of Forest Park. On Saturday, over 225 people attended the event, which showcased eight gardens with the help of dozens of volunteers ensuring everything ran smoothly. The day began with ticket pick-up at the Park District of Forest Park’s Roos Recreation Center. Inside, the Historical Society presented a pop-up museum highlighting Forest Park's rich history. Outside, the park district’s grounds supervisor displayed a sample Victory Garden next to Building 4, reflecting this year's theme. Participating homeowners graciously opened their gardens, each space a testament to their hard work and creativity. Garden Walk booklets provided the history of each garden and the concept of Victory Gardens. On Friday evening, hosts, volunteers, members, and sponsors gathered for a kickoff party at Michelle Melin-Rogovin's garden, the 2022 Best in Show winner. Saturday's after-party was held at McGaffer’s Saloon, where Joe Lepkowski was awarded Best in Show with a beauitul award made by Lin Beribak at the Forest Park Art Alliance. All gardens were given a special award by the Forest Park Garden Club that highlighted what made them special. Thank You to Our Host!!!Izzo at the Park District of Forest Park, Goode, Backman, Lipkins, Pittman-Johannsen, Wagner, Beribak, and Lepkowski
Thank you to our Historical Society Board Thank you to Kristen Lyons, Garden Walk Chair, and HSFP Board President Mark Boroughf. They dedicated months to this walk, finding gardens and sponsors, setting up our pop-up museum, scheduling volunteers, and managing everything in Forest Park before and after the event. Special thanks to Kristen for coordinating with the Park District for this wonderful starting point and their collaboration. Shout out to our entire Historical Society board who work so hard on this and all our events! Thank you to the Forest Park Arts Alliance Thank you to Linda Beribak at the Art Alliance not only was she a garden host this year but she also created this beautiful award for Best in Show! Thank you to our volunteers
Running the Garden Walk requires 25 volunteers, we couldn't do this without you! Thank you to our SponsorsNot only Is the Garden Walk a ton of fun it is also our biggest fundraiser of the year! Huge thank you our sponsors who bought booklet ads, many of which come back year after year.
April Baker Homes Ferrara Candy Company Smokey Joel's Everett Wealth Solutions Lauren Burjan @Properties McGaffer's Saloon O'Sullivan's Public House And a thank you to our community partners Park District of Forest Park Garage Galleries Oak Park Garden Walk Forest Park Garden Club And a thank you to our raffle donors Kristen Lyons Michelle-Melin Rogovin Kiwanis of Forest Park McGaffer's Saloon |
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