Our two youngest grandkids, Madeline and Ben Whitcomb, turn 17 and 16 respectively next month so our recent annual visit to Colorado was a birthday gift we gave to ourselves.
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In case you are curious, all, including parents Deb and John Whitcomb and their three dogs, are doing well. We spent the week basking under blue skies and low humidity.
What’s not to like?
It is 1,000 miles by car from their house to our shack on Shabbona Drive. It takes us two easy days of driving each way (thank you, cruise control). We loved our stay but it was time to go home to Park Forest, our home for 53 years. This is where we raised our two children and where our friends live.
Park Forest is where I once shook hands with village founder Phil Klutznick and once saw President Barack Obama march in a July 4 parade when he was running for the U.S. Senate in 2005. It was home to opera singer Dawn Upshaw, songwriter Buddy Mondlock, actor Tom Berenger, and nationally known sports columnist Paula Boivin, who grew up across the street from us. Park Forest has an Aqua Center, a health department, a farmers market, a wetlands area, a nature center and a great library. On a clear night, I can stand in my back yard and gaze at stars and planets.
Once in a while someone asks why we live in an area ignored and red-lined by those whose vision stops at the dollar sign; a community with empty homes and an infrastructure that needs constant attention. Wouldn’t you be better off living someplace, any place else, they ask? What difference would it make where you live, they inquire?
Our answer is usually the same. It is about the people of the village that make all the difference.
I can now give them two more explanations for our choice.
Two months ago, a group of residents formed plans to help a woman living alone in a cluttered home that seemed too much for her to care for. It began with one man and within a week dozens of people who did not even know the woman came to clean up and began to fix up her house. No one was paid, yet they came back day after day, cleaning fixing, painting and making things right. This volunteer work is still going on so I will talk more about this in another time.
Two weeks ago, my son, Alan Shnay, his wife, Beth, abd their large dog, were in a van that stopped operating at the intersection of Shabbona and Blackhawk streets. Nothing worked. No lights, no ignition, no radio. Nothing. It was the alternator. The AAA was called but between the phone call and the arrival of help, more than three dozen pedestrians, bicyclists, dog walkers and a resident nearby offered to help. Two police cars even stopped to make sure the driver and passenger were safe.
Two grim-looking men seemingly straight out of a prison movie eventually showed up in a beat-up truck. They offered the use of the truck’s spare battery until they were told about the nature of the problem. There then ensued a pleasant conversation about the different natures of dogs. The two men made sure all was well and stayed until the tow truck arrived.
In both tales, those who helped or offered aid were of various ages, gender and skin color.
I think these tales are some of the reasons we stay in Park Forest. Despite being underserved and overlooked, despite its housing issues, despite those who moan publicly and who smirk and snigger in their posts about the woes of the community, it is always the people who make the difference. It is the people who make Park Forest great and despite the pundits of doom, reflect the greatness of our nation.
In case you ask, yes, we had a great time in Colorado. And you don’t have to ask. It was good to come home.
Jerry Shnay is a freelance journalist and can be reached at [email protected].