We Southlanders eagerly awaited our turn for the Stanley Cup to tour our neighborhoods.
Newspaper articles announced the upcoming arrival of the cup at three locations on Aug. 13. But there also were a few “surprise” appearances planned for that day.
Blackhawks fans waited in long lines both at Marist High School in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community and at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood for the chance to see, touch and take a photo with the Stanley Cup. It was at Marist from 10 to 11:45 a.m. and then traveled to Crestwood to be on display from noon until 2 p.m.
Mike Gapski, head trainer for the Blackhawks and a longtime Crestwood resident, decided to pick up some lunch during the gap from 2 p.m. until the cup’s scheduled 9 p.m. arrival at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park.
Gapski called his friend Pete Andrews, one of the owners of AneMoNe Caffe in Palos Heights. He ordered several brick oven pizzas, bruschetta and arancini balls to serve during a family party that afternoon. Since he was going to stop by to pick up his carryout order, he promised to bring the Stanley Cup inside for a short visit.
Gapski’s daughter, Gillian, is a server at AneMoNe and a 2015 graduate of Marist High School. Gapski recently shared with the media that each time one of his kids graduates from Marist, the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup. We are hoping we won’t have to wait for his son Ryan to graduate in 2018 for the next one.
At about 2:30 p.m., Gapski drove up in a gray 2014 Ford Mustang GT convertible supplied by Hawk Ford, of Oak Lawn. According to the dealership this car is a demo usually driven by Blackhawks play-by-play announcer Pat Foley.
Palos Heights Mayor Robert Straz and the Palos Heights Police Department were on hand to escort the cup into the restaurant. There were about 80 diners present at the time.
As the cup was brought in, Andrews and co-owner Emanuele Riontino quickly donned Blackhawks jerseys and helped snap photos of their families and guests as all got the chance to pose with the cup.
While several patrons seemed to have been tipped off about the cup’s visit, it was interesting to watch the expressions of those who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
One unexpected visitor that afternoon was Steve Dolinsky, food reporter for ABC 7, who had decided to drop by to try out AneMoNe’s Neapolitan-style pizza in his quest to find the best pizza in Chicago. He seemed to enjoy his visit all the more with the unannounced visit of the Stanley Cup.
Andrews was delighted with the outcome of the day’s events. He told me, “We were so happy to be able to host the Stanley Cup at AneMoNe Caffe in Palos Heights. This is such a rare and special treat for our customers and the residents of Palos Heights. This goes to show how the family businesses in Palos Heights are thriving and it’s a great city to dine and shop.”
Later that afternoon, Oak Lawn Mayor Sandra Bury posted a photo on Facebook. She met up with Gapski when he made a visit to his mom’s house in Oak Lawn near St. Linus’ Parish. In the photo with the Stanley Cup displayed in the front yard of the house, Bury was shown wearing a championship ring.
The Stanley Cup surely made the rounds that day. A big thanks goes out to Gapski for making a lot of folks happy and for helping out some very worthy causes with proceeds from the fundraisers in conjunction with these events.
News from our neighbors
*On July 1, the youth group at St. Catherine of Alexandria in Oak Lawn had a switch in leadership as Terry Landstrom passed the baton to Phil Caffee, making him the new youth minister. Landstrom had served in the capacity for 12 years. Caffee was mentored by her for the last four years as he pursued his bachelor of arts degree in Christian education at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. Caffee also leads several local Catholic parishes in faith and worship music during some weekend Masses.
*The Reavis High School Fall Arts & Crafts Fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 3 at the school, 6034 W. 77th St., Burbank. Admission is a nonperishable food item or $1. It again will be hosted by the Reavis drama club and the Drama Mamas and Papas. For more information, call the school office at 708-599-7200.
*Someone Special Uniquely Personalized Books recently launched its interactive website, www.SomeoneSpecialBooks.com. Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 teachers Kate Ryan and Heather McCarthy invite you to check out their selection of books, which may be ordered online. You can choose from a variety of options to create your own personalized, fully customizable hardcover storybooks, reflecting the needs of children. For more information, email [email protected]
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.Regina “Reggie” Sabadosa is a freelance columnist and can be emailed at [email protected].