Evanston RoundTable

Good morning, Evanston.

The traditions continued – songs, prayers, speeches, reflections, wreaths, and salutes – but for many there was a new feeling, as a crowd of about 250 gathered at Fountain Square for Memorial Day ceremonies.

Noting that last year’s Memorial Day ceremony was canceled and that planning for this year’s ceremony was uncertain because of revised COVID-19 protocols, emcee Greg Lisinski of American Legion Post 42 said the crowd and the ceremony gave “a sense of normalcy. Hopefully, it will seem more normal as we go along.”

Coming to Evanston in June – a large, new abstract piece of public art, called “Inclusiva,” will be installed on the east side of the new Robert Crown Center, just north of the main entrance. The sculpture is the work of artist Blessing Hancock.

Commissioned by the City and managed by Woodhouse Tinucci Architects, the building’s designers, the stainless steel sculpture will stand some 12 feet high and reach 25 feet in diameter with a large, open center. Words laser-cut into the satin-finished surface will describe Evanston to all who visit.

At night, the free-flowing, organic shape will be illuminated from within with lights of changing color. The sculpture will be big enough for several people to gather in or to walk through, allowing for group selfies as well as close inspection of the words and phrases – all chosen from submissions by Evanstonians themselves.

The week ahead

Today

  • F.A.N. (Family Action Network), “Hunt, Gather, Parent: Raising Happy, Healthy, Little Humans.” Book discussion by author Michaeleen Doucleff and Chicago Tribune “Balancing Act” columnist Heidi Stevens. Virtual event. 7 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday

Thursday

  • “Beyond The Green New Deal,”  Discussion with Stan Cox, author and senior scientist at The Land Institute, and Jerome McDonnell, environmental reporter for WBEZ, about the complexities of energy transformation in the U.S. 7 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. 

Friday

  • Friday Family Fun Night, outside, at Fleetwood-Jordain community center, 1655 Foster Street, 6 to 8 p.m. Reading, games, and activities.  
  • Virginia Woolf Lecture, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Northwestern University Professor Christine Froula will discuss Virginia Woolf and her works, with a focus on “Mrs. Dalloway,” “To The Lighthouse,” and “Orlando.”

Saturday

  • Downtown Evanston Farmers’ Market, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. University and Oak streets.

Sunday

Elsewhere on the RoundTable Website

Harith Razaa, owner of Comfort Desserts Reimagined on Dempster Street (Photo by Adina Keeling)

New Bakery Owner Harith Razaa Is in the ‘Happiness Business’. Harith Razaa only wanted to do two things with his life: own a bakery and become a florist. His parents disapproved, so he went to college at the University of Wisconsin and went on to work in radio, health care, government, information technology, and even opened up his own shrimp company.  Those jobs earned him leadership positions and made him money, but they weren’t fulfilling, said Mr. Razaa. Now, at age 70, he is finally opening the bakery he always dreamed of. 

Blue Crab (National Wildlife Foundation)

Charles Wilkinson: Blue Crab Summers. It was simple then, a whole different world back in the late Forties, living in Annapolis, between the Chesapeake Bay, Weems Creek and the Severn River. We were 11, my twin brother Noel and I, and newspaper boys for the then Evening Capitol, so we had bikes as ready for the summer as we were since summer anywhere near the Bay meant crabbing.

Sweep Lifts Wildkits to Another 20-Win Season. Twenty-win seasons have pretty much become the norm for the Evanston baseball program since Frank Consiglio took over as head coach in 2008. So what does it take for the veteran head coach to get excited about reaching that plateau again?

COVID-19 by the numbers: We are checking in with many sources to keep you updated on COVID-19 cases and vaccine information.

  • The City reported seven new COVID-19 cases in Evanston this past week.
  • Northwestern University reported one new case the week ending May 30.
  • Evanston School District 65 reported three new cases among students for the week ending Friday, May 28. The number of students in quarantine is nine. 
  • There were two new cases among students at ETHS last week. ETHS reports five students in quarantine.
  • Sadly, there was one fatality reported yesterday. Evanston has now lost 118 residents to the pandemic. 
  • Our City’s seven-day positive test rate is 0.1%; in Illinois it is 1.6%.
  • The number of cases per 100,000 population over the past seven days is nine in Evanston and 45 in Illinois.
  • As of Monday, 5.3 million or 41% of Illinois residents are fully vaccinated.

Evanston Vax Facts: According to City figures, 83% of Evanston residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 67% of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated while 97% of residents 65 and older are fully vaccinated.  More details are available on the City’s Vaccine Dashboard.

Around the Web

Three ‘lost’ Charles Schulz strips have been rediscovered. Do they show the adult Lucy Van Pelt? The three “lost” comic strips, featuring only adults, go on display at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California on June 17.

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