What fantasist group for this year’s Black History Month Community Quilt. This year we made log cabin quilt blocks. The log cabin was used in a quilt or drawn on the ground to indicate that the people here are safe to speak with on the Underground Railroad.

Community quilts from the last three years are on display at the Forest Park Public Library for the month of February.

​On January 19th, Scratch Public House hosted a real ducky prohibition speakeasy bash, sponsored by April Baker Homes. The joint was swingin' to the Ragtime Roustabouts, and Jill Wagner laid down the lowdown on Forest Park's prohibition history. The giggle water flowed, the cats and dolls were on cloud nine – it was the cat's pajamas, a bona fide good time!

Dear Members and Supporters of the Historical Society of Forest Park,
As we bid farewell to 2023, it is with great pride and enthusiasm that we reflect on the memorable events and moments that have defined our year at the Historical Society of Forest Park. Our community has come together to celebrate history, culture, and the remarkable individuals who have contributed to our shared heritage.
The year kicked off with a vibrant and educational Black History Month programming in collaboration with the Forest Park Library. Participants delved into the rich history of the Underground Railroad through engaging discussions on quilt patterns and came together to create a Gee Bend-inspired community quilt—a testament to the strength of unity and creativity within our community.

HSFP and  Kiwanis Trivia Night at Duffy's had everyone searching their memories and counting the places in Forest Park you could get tacos. We'll be announcing the date for this years Trivia night soon.
During Women's History Month, Forest Park Public library hosted Amy Binns-Calvey, who spoke to a packed house about Emma Goldman, who rest sat Radical Row in Forest Home Cemetery. Women's history month was marked the release of the first volume of our zine, "7 Women Who Inspired Forest Park," 
In May, we honored John Rice at our May Day outdoor exhibit, presenting him with the esteemed "Mark Rogovin: Working Class Hero Award." Rice's tireless efforts, alongside Gladys Turner, to promote the legacy of Dr. Joseph Corbin, founder of the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, resulted in the well-deserved National Register of Historic Places status for this significant institution.
We marked the release of our latest Anthony Landahl film, "Bloomer Girls," our own League of Their Own with a screening at the Eagles Hall. Our Morning at the Museum event in May brought together enthusiasts and fans of 16 Inch Softball, celebrating its induction into the Hall of Fame.
German Fest provided a platform to share the history of the Haase family and Altenheim through our old-timey photo booth, bringing the past to life in a fun and engaging manner.

The Garden Walk, our most successful to date, owes much of its triumph to the generous support of sponsors like the Gillian Baker Team, Grand Appliance, and Lauren Burjan @Properties.
Our annual Scarecrows event, in collaboration with the Forest Park Art Alliance, once again transformed Forest Park into a whimsical and sometimes spooky display of creativity and community spirit. Throughout the year, we explored the Forest Home Cemetery through Haymarket Martyrs Monument tours, bike tours, school field trips, and walks with the library.
At our annual meeting, we were delighted to present Anthony Landahl with the prestigious Dr. Frank Orland Award for his outstanding contributions to researching, writing, editing, and narrating short films for the HSFP. Keep an eye out for our upcoming release, Coffins for Axis.

We played bingo and sang at the Eagles hall for our Member Appreciation Party in November. 
In a heartwarming collaboration with Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin, we participated in  three Operation Rising Spirit events, collectively writing 257 cards for veterans in Illinois care homes—a small gesture of gratitude for their sacrifice and service.
As we look ahead to the new year, we are excited to kick off 2024 with our Speakeasy Prohibition Party on January 19th, promising another year filled with engaging events, community collaboration, and a continued commitment to preserving and sharing the rich history of Forest Park.
Thank you to our dedicated members, volunteers, and supporters for making 2023 a truly exceptional year for the Historical Society of Forest Park. Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Alexis Ellers, Executive Director and the Board of Director

Operation Rising Spirit Forest Park, a partnership with the Historical Society of Forest Park  and Commissioner Michelle Melin- Rogovin was a great success! Today our volunteers at the American Legion made and wrote 85 cards, bringing our Forest Park total to 257 cards for veterans in Illinois care homes.

We held a total of three events in the Forest Park community hosting 50 total people to educate our community about Forest Park’s veteran stories and our Navy torpedo factory in WW2, while we made holiday cards for veterans. Our free events created joy and community this season and will be delivered throughout the state.

Our events included involvement and participation from Forest Park businesses, groups and organizations: Forest Park Public Library American Legion Forest Park, Forest Park Boy Scouts Troop 107, The Brown Cow, the Dive Bar Letter Writers, Team Blonde Boutique, Spa, Salon, Explore Forest Park, Duffy's Tavern Forest Park Living Fresh Market, Forest Park

Thanks to everyone for your participation​

​Operation Rising Spirit at Duffy's Tavern was a tremendous success! Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin organized a wonderful event. The Historical Society of Forest Park showcased the contributions of our village and honored our local service members. A group of 20-24 community members came together to craft 91 holiday cards for Illinois veterans residing in state care homes, including some homemade cards, with assistance from the Dive Bar Letter Writer. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for this memorable evening!

​The Historical Society of Forest Park and the Arts Alliance of Forest Park would like to thank everyone who participated in this year’s Invasion of the Scarecrows fundraiser. The creativity was once again amazing, and many folks have told us how hard it was to vote for just one winner in each category. All who participated are winners in a way, and should pat themselves on the back! The Historical Society and the Arts Alliance are winners also, because we were able to raise $1,500 to go toward programing and events. And, of course, there are four winners who each took first place in one category and whose announcement has been anxiously awaited. Drumroll please…… here it is!  
 
It was definitely the year of Barbie! Not just one Barbie, but two Barbie-themed scarecrows won prizes! Weird Barbie at 937 Circle took first place in the Most Artistic category, and the Barbie Photo Booth at 301 Elgin received most votes as People’s Choice. And while the Chicago Bears have not had a winning season so far this year, or maybe because of that, folks fondly remember the 1985 Bears and Da Coach Mike Ditka, since the scarecrow with his likeness at 7348 W. Madison won the Most Historical category. Last, but definitely not least, the winner of the Forest Park Pride category was the Forest Park El train conductor (who looks a little like John Candy) at 439 Hannah.

Congratulations to Zackary McDowell (937 Circle), Burhan Syed (301 Elgin), Hillary Mason (439 Hannah) and Forest Park Bank – Loan and Deposit Operations (7348 W. Madison).  Honorable mention should go to Ricky Poonsa at 537 Marengo whose Peanuts Great Pumpkin theme just barely missed a prize and landed in fifth place in the total number of votes. The prize for block with the highest participation went to the 900 block of Circle with scarecrows at four locations. Congratulations to Zackary McDowell (937 Circle), Colette Anderson (932 Circle), Meaghan Hunt (911 Circle) and Kimberly Adami-Hasegawa at 905 Circle who all contributed displays!
 
Winners have been notified and  will be honored at the Historical Society’s Membership Party on Sunday, November 12. As in previous years, prizes were donated by local businesses, and the Historical Society of Forest Park and the Arts Alliance of Forest Park would like to thank the following businesses and individuals for their contributions:
 
Arts Alliance of Forest Park
Ed's Way
Fat Duck
Historical Society of Forest Park
Jimmy's
Joel Albright
La Maison de Bonbon
Lin Beribak
Louie's Grill
Loyola Center for Fitness
Rick Wagner
Scratch Public House
Starship
Twisted Cookie

Click photo to  enlarge