HS Board

The Mount Prospect Historical Society studies history, of course, and objectively knew about the Great Flu Pandemic of 1918. But its leaders didn’t expect to be struck by another pandemic today, any more than the rest of the public did.  We were past those kinds of concerns, weren’t we?

But during March of 2020 it became apparent that residents of this planet weren’t past them and the Society shut its doors, just like every other entity.

During the rest of 2020 and at least the first half of 2021 the Society has adapted. Board meetings have been held online via Zoom and, during the warm months, on the Society’s driveway with everyone sitting six feet apart. They held a retirement farewell for their 17-year veteran Office Manager outside on the driveway and hired new staff via virtual first interviews and socially-distanced second interviews and by the fall of 2020 had welcomed three new staff members to their team.

Society activities were largely cancelled – no Spring Dinner; a bus trip to the Robie House and the Pullman neighborhood postponed multiple times; no 2020 Housewalk – the list goes on and on.

But the Society also got innovative. They quickly put together five different neighborhood walking tours using information collected over preceding years for the Housewalk and posted them on their website for people to download for free and enjoy while walking for exercise and entertainment. The tours’ availability was publicized via lawn signs posted along the various routes and continue to be immensely popular.

The Society’s summer camps for children were successfully done virtually with parents picking up materials in our Education Center breezeway and then having their children participate via Zoom. They also managed to have a Blacksmith demonstration on the Society’s driveway for members of the public to enjoy. Their enthusiastic new Office Manager, Amanda Marcus, even put new emphasis on the marketing and sale of unique, themed “Sammy Skobel’s Hot Dogs” and “Hotter Than Mother’s Pinball” t-shirts via the Society’s social media outlets, bringing in over $1,000 in sales during late 2020 and early 2021.

The Society also kept its membership informed by holding a virtual Annual Meeting in March 2021 (instead of the usual Soup or Chili Supper in the Village Hall) and publishing their financial report in the Society’s spring newsletter.

But the Society’s biggest victory was the Virtual Dollhouse Walk which their new director, Emily Dattilo, constructed around five wonderful Society-owned dollhouses from different eras and one fabulous dollhouse owned by a former Housewalk participant, Julie Michalik.  

The Society’s videographer Board member Ed Johnson used his incredible skill, patience and equipment to create a narrated tour from a doll’s scaled-down perspective which they were able to post on the Society’s website and ask viewers around the country to enjoy for $10 per household.  Their usual realtor Housewalk sponsors even chipped in sponsorship money and all-told, during the months of December, January and February, the Society pulled in $2181.53 to help keep them afloat. A total of 126 viewers paid to see the featured dollhouses.

“It has been a difficult time which has forced us to pivot and adapt, but we have done just that and have ample reason to take pride in our accomplishments,” said Deb Rittle, Society president.

“We have also forged a partnership with the Village, the Public Library and both of the Village’s primary park districts to virtually record for the future the reality of the pandemic’s impact on the people of Mount Prospect in essays, testimonials, photos, artwork and videos.  That work continues,” added Marilyn Genther, Society vice president, and chairman of the Pandemic Reflections project.

The concept of building and erecting small birdhouse-style structures and turning them into lending libraries for neighbors and passersby was born in Wisconsin in 2009 and since then the idea has taken off like a wildfire with numerous groups and individuals adopting the idea and both building and erecting them around the country. The idea is to take a book and leave a book, too.

Locally, Joey Carbone’s name has become synonymous with the idea. His wife, Jen, read about the concept and asked him if he would build one for her and, the rest, as they say, is history!

“I do not have a background in carpentry,” Carbone admitted. “Everything that I know, I learned from my father who doesn’t have a background in carpentry either but is the handiest person I know.  When I was young, I would watch him every chance I got, whether he was fixing a hole in the wall or building a desk.  He taught me everything and still teaches me to this day. He even helps build mini libraries for us.”

Once friends and neighbors saw the Carbones’ mini-library, they began asking Joey to build custom little libraries for them, as well, and he obliged as much as he could, using donated materials and volunteer help from friends and neighborhood kids. He has never accepted pay for a library.

“People call me crazy for not charging for the libraries,” he continued, “but I don’t do it for the money.  I do it simply because it is nice to be nice. Since we don’t charge anything for a library, we are able to reach more families.  That’s what it’s all about — spreading the love of reading and knowledge and giving more access to literature. The payment I get is seeing the happy families enjoy the libraries and that is plenty for me.”

“We have all of our mini libraries in Mount Prospect, except for a few special cases. There is one at Dewey School in Evanston, another at a community garden on the south side of Chicago, and two that are technically in Des Plaines but are very, very close to Mount Prospect. We have a total of 61 mini libraries right now.”

And they are all unique neighborhood works of art, if you will – which get neighbors sharing and talking and helping one another.

“I couldn’t have done this without some wonderful and generous neighbors,” Carbone continued. “This has been a group effort in many ways.  I have an amazing group of consistent volunteers that help cut wood, paint, even dig holes to install the mini libraries.”

“I’ve met so many wonderful, kind and generous people in our community and have even gained lifelong friends.  I’ve also taught my two sons so much about woodworking, art, painting and philanthropy.”

While Carbone’s mini-library pre-dated the pandemic, the worldwide health crisis had an effect on it during 2020.

“The pandemic caused people to become more interested in the mini libraries — because it was a safe and fun thing to do,” Carbone said. “They are able to social distance, be outside and stay safe.  This year we even had “contactless Halloween” where we had over 35 mini library “custodians” supply treats for kids that they could find via Google map.”

The Carbones and those with Carbone-built mini-libraries have even turned them into mini pantries during these difficult times.

“I had seen mini pantries online and since the pandemic made it especially hard for people to go grocery shopping, I thought we could help our community by turning our mini libraries into mini pantries,” he related. “Many helped by stocking canned goods, non-perishable foods, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and many other items in their libraries. These items were available to anyone who needed a little help with no questions asked. Everything is shared through our ‘MP Mini Library Mission’ Facebook group.”

In early February 2021 Carbone was honored for his mini-libraries by Mount Prospect’s Special Events Commission during its first-ever VIRTUAL Shining Stars Award ceremony. He received the “Home Town Award” which recognizes a group or individual that has done something special to promote the feeling of community or to further unify the diverse groups within the community and who exemplifies the village’s motto, “Where Friendliness is a Way of Life.”

The Catholic Friday Lenten Fish Fry tradition continued during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic but not on the church campus. Instead, St. Raymond Fish Fry committee members recruited five local restaurants to cook and serve the fish and pizza to patrons and then donate a portion of the proceeds to the church, according to Joe Irick, owner of Station 34 at 34 S. Main Street.

“Last year St. Raymond’s had asked if Station 34 would provide cheese pizzas for their Fish Fry as an alternative for those who do not consume fish,” he recalled. “Then, this year we mutually discussed putting on the Fish Fry at the restaurant and donating a portion of the proceeds back to the church since the Archdiocese of Chicago had said parishes could not do their traditional Fish Fry.”  

“I asked other restaurant owners in downtown Mount Prospect to participate, too, because with the number of parishioners St. Raymond’s has, there was absolutely no way I could handle that many additional patrons on top of our usual busy Friday night business,” Irick continued.  “You see, St. Raymond reported that they served between 450 and 650 people on each Fish Fry Friday, which they held every other week during the Lenten season.”

“Chris Boznelos of Mrs. P & Me was the first to hop in with us and we’re very glad he did, to help shoulder the load! In fact, I’ve heard that they are even doing a fish fry on Thursday nights, too. I also alerted the Downtown Merchants Association of this to see if they could help reach out to other restaurant owners, as well, and a few more hopped in with their assistance.”

The other participating restaurants included Canta Napoli Pizzeria and Ristorante, Jameson’s Charhouse and Mr. Beef and Pizza.  

Interestingly, prior to this, Station 34 did not have fish on their menu. But Irick said that they have now expanded their Lenten season menu to include Alaskan cod.

“It’s been great!  The St. Raymond members/supporters are incredible,” he continued. “Theoretically, it would be nice if this encourages more people to stop in and try Station 34. But right now, I’m just happy to be a part of such a strong tradition that I still remember fondly from my childhood.”  

“St. Raymond de Penafort hopes to return to offering their traditional Fish Fry events in Lent of 2022 as it is such a sought-after community event,” said Sharon Moeykens, Engagement Director. “The parish is extremely grateful that in such a time of uncertainty, these five Mount Prospect restaurants have rallied together to creatively serve a parish and its community during Fridays in Lent this year. We hope to continue strong relationships with restaurants in the area for future events.”

The Station 34 Pizza Pub, 34 S. Main St. (southwest across the street from Village Hall), offered family pizza meal kits to customers locked up during the various COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. They were the brainchild and invention of Station 34 owner Joe Irick who had actually started working on the idea before the pandemic hit.

“I wanted to bring home from the restaurant a fun activity for my kids,” Irick recalled. “So, I started to experiment to find the perfect recipe for a dough ball that would work well in a regular oven. When the pandemic hit, it just made sense to make these kits available for everyone to buy so that they could have a fun experience while stuck at home. It was also another way to bring in revenue while the restaurant was closed for dining.”

“So, we added them to our menu and promoted them on local Facebook groups. Quickly, customers started to promote the product to their friends, and it became popular, so I created a separate website for more direct marketing of the Pizza Meal Kits, and it continues to grow to this day,” he explained.

“Customers love that they have a fun activity to do at home and that the pizza was truly the same quality as restaurant-style pizza. They’ve been a hit!” Irick added.

At the beginning of the pandemic when many were afraid to make a trip to the grocery store, Station 34 even offered delivery of produce, meats, cheeses and toilet paper via their website. They also partnered with Capannari’s Ice Cream to deliver their ever-so-popular pints during the winter months when their storefront is closed. Station 34 has also expanded on the food kits idea and now offers hamburger kits (during grilling season) and taco kits, too. They can all be purchased at station34pizzapub.com.

Prior to the explosion of COVID-19 on the scene in March 2020, Mae Wilton ran a Parents Time Out business for young families.

“Our whole business model relies on getting parents out of the house and meeting new people through our events,” Wilton explained. “Our prime customer base consists of families with kids ages 0-12, but all are welcome to attend our events.”

“When the pandemic first hit, we struggled to find new event ideas, while also struggling with our new normal in our own home,” she recalled.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic “we have been running sanity socials, which are virtual events for parents to connect with one another. They run at 8:30 pm every Thursday and are free to join. We have also tried to run one event every month that is family-friendly.”

For instance, they held a socially distant Santa event that was a huge hit and also ran a free “Noon Year’s Eve” event. Families signed on to join a virtual book reading and balloon drop countdown at noon.

They have also run virtual pizza making and hair styling classes/events.

“While everyone is very excited to be able to have in-person events soon, they seem to enjoy the options we have provided during this time,” Wilton concluded.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Picket Fence Realty at 400 W. Central Rd., led by Tom and Mary Zander, chose to erect an ever-changing chalkboard on the front of their building and used it to post inspirational messages.

“We had initially planned on putting up some posters in those two spots on the front of our building, similar to those attached to buildings around the world — with wheat paste,” Tom explained.  “But when the pandemic struck, we decided to make a chalkboard which would allow us more flexibility.  We discussed allowing the public to draw on it, but there were obvious concerns with that idea.  Now, we just use it to post random thoughts and messages, similar to the businesses that post cute sayings/thoughts on their signs or in public view.”

Tom is the artist. “I have some artistic talent but need to sketch it out in advance for it to come out looking halfway decent.  For more intricate images, I have an old school projection lamp that will display images on the chalkboard for me to trace, but that can only be done in the dark.”

Many customers, associates and random people have noticed and mentioned the chalkboard, he added, so they plan to continue to use it, even once the pandemic is part of our memories.They are open to suggestions for future topics.