Thursday, September 29, 2011
Usually I stray from commentary, but here are five things I've come to love as a Lisle resident. (Also known as: watch me attempt to blacksmith.)
1. BNSF overpasses: It's usually when I'm on my way to a Patch editors meeting in a fellow commuter town that I come to appreciate the infrastructure that exists downtown Lisle. While Maple Avenue can get backed up at rush and a stream of cars pour from the Lisle Commuter Station, it's nothing compared to the agony of the wait in other places (most notably every time I order carry-out from Thipi Thai in Glen Ellyn, which can't be more than 100 yards north of the train tracks). 2. Bike trails: When I lived in Chicago, my bike was stolen from my building. While chained to a stairwell. I determined myself to purchase a new one once I moved here, and ever since I've been enjoying the endless combinations of paths curling through the …
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s (free) historical celebration.
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Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Submitted by Wayne Dunham Join us on Saturday, Sept. 17 to experience a noisy remembrance of the Civil War while stepping back into the history of Lisle and DuPage County. Beginning at 11 a.m. and hourly until 4 p.m., a group of Civil War re-enactors will fire a Civil War canon as part of the 27th Annual Depot Days celebration at The Museums at Lisle Station Park, 921 School St. Admission is free. In between firings, the group, dressed in Civil War uniforms, will be on hand to explain how the canon fires, talk Civil War history, and lead you through several displays. The group represents Taylor's Battery, a Chicago Light Artillery unit organized early in the Civil War by Ezra Taylor. Approximately 207 members from the greater Chicago …
Friday, April 29, 2011
In addition to honing their craft, the blacksmiths at Museums at Lisle Station Park perform demonstrations and teach interested residents the basics.
Eight men are standing around the fire in the barn at the Museums of Lisle Station Park, where volunteer blacksmiths meet each Tuesday evening. Four of them are part of the weekly presence on the campus, and members of the Lisle Heritage Society. “We come out as long as the temperature is in the double digits,” Fousek says. In 2010 they didn’t miss a single meeting; this year, they only skipped sessions that fell around the February blizzard. So what do they do? According to volunteer Paul Novorolsky, the men “learn the craft and benefit the museum.” Benefits include the creation of tools and metalwork for museum buildings. They built the stools in their work area, and shaped the latches on the windows and doors. According to volunteer Jim…
