Well, living in Naperville or northern Illinois, for that matter, you can be sure there is no guarantee on the weather.
My dad talked about an April snowstorm that hit on April 10, 1938, and we have photos to prove it. Eighteen inches of snow arrived with 50-mile-an-hour winds. Dad said that Ogden Avenue was closed for five days!
The drifts on the Keller farm were over the milk house and the cows had to be kept in the barn because there was no pasture—it was just snow! My dad said you could walk over the milk house on the high drifts.
Then there were the blizzards of 1967 and 1978. And the flood of 1996. And don’t forget the recent past of February and March 2021. Snow, beautiful snow!
This column focused on growing up in Naperville is my tenth one. Since I began, I’ve received numerous comments, compliments and also questions about different topics.
One reader recently came to me with a question about ethnic restaurants in Naperville in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Well, it caused me to do a little digging, especially since now our community boasts nearly 300 restaurants featuring a variety of tastes to please every appetite.
Here’s what I was able to find. There was a Chinese take-out on the south side of the Bowling Alley called Tongs. It was located on the southeast corner of Chicago Avenue and Washington where Barnes & Noble is now.
There was a Bohemian restaurant on the backside of the Red Top Tavern on the southwest corner of Main Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Also, there was a pizza joint on the northwest corner of Loomis and Ogden where Nickey’s is now.
The only other one I can remember is The Sweden House (A little bit of Sweden) on the northeast corner of Washington Street and Ogden Avenue. There’s a small mall there now with a bank.
Back then, there also were several other eating places in town, but they were family-owned small places, offering what I would call “normal cooking.” You know, meatloaf, fried chicken, steak, potatoes and homemade soups.
As we approach spring and May, I’m pleased to say that the Naperville Municipal Band is planning to begin rehearsals for the upcoming summer season in Central Park.
Watch for updates about the Memorial Day program at the Community Concert Center, scheduled to begin at noon on Mon., May 31, followed by the series of Thursday evening concerts scheduled to begin at 7:30PM June 10. The band and all its membership are anxious to get back to entertaining our devoted crowds!
