Columnist

Not a roar, but a whimper, the 1920s

Published by admin on Tue, 07/14/2020 - 10:02am

The roaring 1920s has a reputation as wild as Braidwood herself used to be. Prohibition notwithstanding, it was a time for parties. Was it like that in Braidwood? Today we look at the beginning of the decade to see if it truly came in like a lion.

No vaccine for this disease; base ball fever

Published by admin on Tue, 07/14/2020 - 9:52am

I know I have it, and I also know there is no cure. There is only one thing that will alleviate the symptoms, but at this time it is totally unavailable. Yes, I am talking about base ball fever. I long to see a live game, in person or on a screen. Reruns of old games don't cut it. I always know how it's going to turn out, unlike a live game where anything can happen and usually does.
So, in the spirit of the moment, let's take a virtual tour of baseball in Wilmington through the ages. Also note that I spell the name of the game with two words, as was done up until the 1920s.

Escape the mundane with a Piña Colada

Published by admin on Mon, 07/13/2020 - 3:20pm

Happy belated Piña Colada Day! Did you miss it? July 10 marks National Piña Colada Day in the U.S., and this year was a banner year for the home mixologists as many bars around the country remain closed. For this installment of the Sunday Cocktail we are going straight to the birthplace of the Piña Colada, San Juan's Caribe Hilton.

New unemployment director is Illinois’ best bet

Published by admin on Sun, 07/12/2020 - 11:25am

Gov. JB Pritzker has not had a lot of luck with the Illinois Department of Employment Security since taking office in 2019.
Pritzker appointed Gustavo Giraldo as his IDES director in March of last year. Giraldo abruptly walked out of the office two weeks later. The Pritzker administration has never explained why.

Reading photos, draw your own conclusions

Published by admin on Tue, 07/07/2020 - 10:52am

I can hear the music in my head, from PBS's TV show The History Detectives. It happens to me every time I feel like I have a puzzle to figure out. I'm putting on my Sherlock Holmes hat, come Watson the game is afoot.
I recently reviewed the photos I have of people and organizations in Braidwood history. Two photos caught my interest, and I realized that they represented the very violent history of Braidwood. We know little about who these people were, but we do know they were “packing.”

Save the speeches, it's the 4th of July

Published by admin on Tue, 07/07/2020 - 10:28am

As far as I can see the 4th of July is for having fun with friends, fireworks and feasting. We wear red, white and blue, watch patriotic movies and exercise our many freedoms. I am not sure how the 4th was celebrated before the Civil War, but after, it was a solemn occasion indeed. Let's go back to see the evolution of our most patriotic of all holidays.

Embrace the cocktail of Chicago

Published by admin on Tue, 07/07/2020 - 10:10am

The Northside vs. Southside of Chicago is more than a generations-long debate over baseball and restaurants. During the height of prohibition, rival gangs made literally truckloads of money running the liquor trade in speakeasies and illegal gambling establishments on opposite ends of town. It turns out that the Northside gin was of a higher quality than the Southside gin, but the Southside bartenders had an equalizer: the Southside Cocktail.

Unemployment delays causing political backlash

Published by admin on Fri, 07/03/2020 - 9:22am

Months after the nation's economy crashed and millions were (and continue to be) put out of work, a large group of Illinois House Democrats is still quite upset at the way Gov. JB Pritzker's administration is handling unemployment insurance claims.
But the Pritzker administration is refusing to bend on their most important demands, saying the governor will not move selected constituents to the "front of the line" ahead of others, which created a backlash within his own party.

Prosperity and problems went hand in hand

Published by admin on Tue, 06/30/2020 - 9:21am

We have seen the nation's economy tank, all due to the coronavirus. How it will get better is not obvious. Braidwood in 1877 was a small version of this. Coal had not been mined for over a year. Businesses moved to other towns, or closed entirely. When the strike was over, and men were ready to get back to work, things moved slowly at first. Let's see how Braidwood got back on its feet.

Summer festivals 1870s style

Published by admin on Tue, 06/30/2020 - 9:21am

Good weather is finally here, and in normal times thousands of Will County citizens would be going to the County Fair, or Catfish Days, or one of the many town festivals near us. But almost everything has been cancelled. So today we will attend virtual festivals. There was no more popular decade for festivities than the 1870s, set the way-back and bring your appetite.