The SportsWise team remembers NFL running back Duane Thomas, who passed away August 4 at age 77.
Cover Story: Cherry Mine Disaster
The Cherry Mine disaster killed 259 miners in November 1909. It left 160 women widowed and more than 400 children fatherless. Outrage over the disaster led to new safety laws and reforms in mining and for labor in general.
Voice of the Streets (Op-Ed)
Dr. Victor Devinatz looks back at the year in labor news, and looks to the future as artificial intelligence changes the way we work.
From the Streets
The Hidden Gem Half Marathon is a grassroots effort by Flossmoor residents to showcase their tree-lined suburb, which one official says is "the community of the future, what America could look like."
The Playground
ON THE COVER: Smoke billows out of the St. Paul mine in Cherry, Illinois in 1909 as crowd gathers after the coal mine caught fire (Bureau County Illinois History and Genealogy photo). THIS PAGE: Memorial to Victims in Miners' Memorial Cemetery in the town of Cherry (Cherry Mine Disaster Museum photo).
DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of StreetWise.
Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher dhamilton@streetwise.org
Amanda Jones, Director of programs ajones@streetwise.org
Julie Youngquist, Executive director jyoungquist@streetwise.org
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Compiled by Declan Canaday
Lets Taco 'bout It!
Lakeview Taco Fest
Who will win the text vote for Chicago's Best Taco at the September 7 & 8 Lakeview Taco Fest? Choose from 10+ vendors serving tacos stuffed with chicken, steak, chorizo, or even seafood, goat and duck. Watch Mexican wrestlers and enjoy music by Stache!, Mariachi Los Palmeros, Hello Weekend, Rod Tuffcurls and The Bench Press, Kashmir, Boy Band Review and more. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at 3500 N. Southport. $10 suggested donation.
Don't Stop the Music!
40th Anniversary Inaugural House Music Parade
In the past 40 years, Chicago house music has grown from a local staple to worldwide stardom, inspiring a universe of electronic music. The Inaugural House Music Parade honors 40 years of beats on August 31 at 10 a.m., with a parade in Bronzeville, from 29th and Michigan to 23rd and Indiana. The event will be followed by a free street festival featuring local food vendors, live DJs, and an old-style house party.
Dzie´n dobry (Good Day)!
Taste of Polonia Polish festival
A celebration of Polish culture and heritage takes over the Copernicus Center (5216 W. Lawrence Ave.) for Labor Day weekend. Authentic Polish food and craft beer pairs with live music, art exhibitions, film showings, kids’ entertainment, and more. The festival takes place August 30 to September 2, from 5-10:30 p.m. Friday, 12-10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 12-9:30 p.m. Monday. Tickets are available at $10 for Friday only, $15 for any day, and $45 for a four-day pass, available at topchicago.org/tickets
Solidarity & Unity!
Chicago Labor Day Parade
The Chicago Federation of Labor salutes the workers who support the “city of broad shoulders” with a noon parade Saturday, August 31, on Cottage Grove Avenue from 107th to 112th Street in the Pullman National Historic Site. The parade will be followed by Eddie Fest, which honors the legacy of Ed Sadlowski and other local labor organizers. More information at www.chicagolaborparade.com
Art on the Edge!
Kusama Documentary at Lincoln Park
As part of its Movies in the Parks summer series, the Chicago Park District presents the documentary “Kusama - Infinity” on the night of September 3. The documentary follows the life of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, from her humble beginnings in Japan to her rise as a legendary international artist. The screening will be at 7:30 p.m. in Lincoln Park, behind the Chicago History Museum (1601 N. Clark).
All That Jazz!
Chicago Jazz Festival
A star array of locally and internationally renowned jazz artists gather in Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) the weekend of August 29 to September 1, as the Chicago Jazz Festival returns for its 45th year. Free performances run 1-8 p.m. on the 29th, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. the 30th, and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. the 31st and 1st. Featured artists include popular Latin jazz project the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, acclaimed pianist Orrin Evans, and multi-genre trumpeter Eddie Henderson.
ARC Music Festival
Feel the Rhythm!
Yves Francois’ Rocambu Jazz
Yves Francois’ Rocambu dance band performs two free concerts, focusing on a mixture of African, Latin, Arabic, and Caribbean grooves, the band incorporates music from dozens of styles while connecting to the heart of Chicago’s musical history. The first concert takes place Wednesday, August 28 at Ravenswood Manor Park (4626 N. Manor Ave.), while the second rocks out at Park No. 567 (1801 N. Milwaukee Ave.) on August 30; both performances run from 6-7:30p.m.
Stay in the (West) Loop!
West Loop Art Fest
Fulton Market transforms into a live gallery as the West Loop Art Fest returns for another year of arts and entertainment. Starting off at Fulton and Peoria, artists from across the U.S. will showcase and sell their art. Live music and children’s crafts accompany the free event. The fest runs 5-10 p.m. on Friday the 30th, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday the 31st, and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday, September 1.
Keep the Party Going!
Over 70 house artists gather at Union Park (1501 W. Randolph St.) over Labor Day weekend for the ARC Music Festival, an all-day party running August 30 to September 1. Each day of concerts will be followed by official after-parties throughout the city, available with the purchase of additional tickets. Single-day admissions begin at $200 and can be purchased at arcmusicfestival.com/tickets.
A Nice Day for a Ride!
Bike the Drive
The Active Transportation Alliance runs this biking fundraiser to help support its mission of boosting public transit across Chicago. Starting at 6:30 a.m. on September 1, bikers set out onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Butler Field (at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Monroe), following a 30-mile looping route until closure begins at 10:30a.m. Registration costs $73, or $18 for those under 18, at bikethedrive.org/register
Remembering Duane Thomas
John: NFL running back Duane Thomas, who died August 4 at age 77, was drafted in 1970 with the 23rd overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys. He had a very impressive rookie season, with 803 yards, second in the NFC only to the Washington Redskins’ Larry Brown. But after his rookie season, Thomas and the NFL had a rocky road. First of all, he requested a three-year contract from the Dallas Cowboys, but management denied his request, so he went off name-calling. Team president Tex Schramm was a seafoam, Personnel Director Gil Brandt a liar and Head Coach Tom Landry a plastic man. He was traded briefly to the New England Patriots in 1971. Thomas had an even bigger problem with New England Head Coach John Mazur, however, so Commissioner Pete Rozell nixed the trade and Duane ended up back with Dallas.
In Duane’s first game ever in Texas Stadium, he was the first of the Cowboys to score a touchdown. In Super Bowl VI, he and Roger Staubach helped the Cowboys to their first-ever win in 1972. Staubach was named Super Bowl MVP, due to his excellence of play and Thomas’s boycotting of the media. After
the 1971 season, Thomas became even more isolated and was traded to the San Diego Chargers.
Thomas was suspended by the San Diego Chargers for 28 games for failing to report to training camp, and was left on the reserve list, which made him ineligible to play in 1972. In 1973, the Chargers traded Thomas to the Washington Redskins and in two seasons there he rushed for 442 yards, but he wanted a substantial salary increase. In 1975, he signed with the Hawaiians in the World Football League until they foldedin October 1975. Thomas then attempted a second comeback with the Dallas Cowboys on May 1, 1976. He had a better attitude and admitted to Coach Landry he had made a mistake. Even though he and Landry parted ways, Thomas left on better terms.
He signed with the Canadian Football League in 1977 and with the Green Bay Packers
in 1979, but he was released before both seasons. His career stats were 2,038 rushing yards, 453 carries and 21 touchdowns while catching an additional 38 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
William: I started out impressed with 803 yards. But what doesn’t impress me is when they let that stuff go to their heads and demand higher salaries. That’s why I like high school and college sports, there’s more sportsmanship than the pros, where it’s all about the money. I can’t believe he got passed around like currency. You have a good player like that, hold onto him.
Allen: The Cowboys have a knack for picking running backs, starting with Emmitt Smith. He holds the all-time record for rushing with 18,355 yards. After Smith, Duane Thomas was an example of a running back.
John: I admire how he admitted to his mistakes. He wised up, grew up and learned it was more than just about him. It was about the organization. But his skill level in 1976 was not the same as in 1971. If he had maturity in his younger years, he could have been an Emmitt Smith or a Troy Aikman.
William: He did own up to his own mistakes. Most people don’t do that nowadays.
Allen: Duane Thomas did get a Super Bowl ring and live to be 77, that’s a good run. God bless his family. He will be missed.
John: I also want to send condolences to his family.
Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com
Vendors: A. Allen, John Hagan, and William Plowman chat about the world of sports.
Remembering the Cherry Mine Disaster 115 Years Later
by Stella Kapetan
"November 14, 1909 - Alfredo my brother is still with me. There are many dead men and mules. I tried to save some, but I almost perished too. If I should die, give my ring to Mamie Robinson. The ring is at the Cherry Post Office."
Miner Sam Howard, age 20, wrote this diary entry on the leaves of a book used to record miners’ time and wages on his second day trapped in the St. Paul Coal Company mine as a fire raged through it. Sam would die there two days later. Alfredo was 16 and died near him.
Mamie had waited at the mouth of the mine for Sam’s rescue. “Sam and I were going to be married on Christmas Day,” she told the Chicago Tribune at his funeral. “He was brave and good, and we are proud of him.” She wore Sam’s ring until she later married.
The Cherry Mine Disaster, as it is called, killed 259 miners in November 1909. It left 160 women widowed and more than 400 children fatherless. John Francisco from Austria left behind nine children, and five men were each the father of a twoweek-old baby, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many families lost multiple members; the bodies of 15-yearold Andrew Krall and his father, Henry, were found in an embrace. The Loves, who had emigrated from Sweden, mourned the deaths of four brothers. Mine owners disregarded the law that set the minimum age for mine workers at 16. Three of the seven boys under 16 working that day were among the dead. About 222 miners survived the tragedy.
The mine, located in the town of Cherry, Illinois, 105 miles southwest of Chicago, was built four years earlier to supply the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad with coal for its locomotives. Most miners were immigrants from throughout Europe, with more than 70 Italians the largest number from any single nation. Miners worked in pairs, often with a father, brother, son or other relative.
The mine was considered safe and modern because it was electrified. But the electricity had failed a month prior, and miners had reverted to the old-fashioned method of using handheld lamps and kerosene-lit torches. On Saturday, November 13, a torch hanging from a beam ignited hay in a pit car that
was intended for mules that pulled cars in the mine. Flames lit the wood beams and quickly spread. The miners nearby escaped using the only two ways in or out of the mine: an air shaft and a hoisting shaft that ran cages of men and coal from the surface to below. But there was no alarm system in the mine to warn miners of the fire, and those in other areas continued to work, unaware of it.
Meanwhile, people outside the mine saw the smoke escape, and the alarm in town was sounded. Wives with their babies and children in tow ran to the scene along with those who would attempt to rescue the men. Mamie, Sam’s mother and other women refused to leave the scene during the rescue operation and slept nights on the ground.
Many miners learned of the fire when they saw smoke. They yelled warnings to others as they rushed to the exits, while some first searched for their family members. Miners helped each other escape in darkness as they climbed over dead bodies and mule carcasses. They got lost when known routes were blocked by fire walls and smoke that forced them down unfamiliar tunnels, and they dodged crashing timbers, gasped for air that was full of poisonous gas called "black damp" and navigated around coal cars and mules.
John Stuckert later described his struggle to reach the bottom of the main shaft to catch a cage ride to the surface for The Cherry Mine Disaster, a report prepared by The United Mine Workers of Illinois: “I tried to light my lamp, but it would not burn.”
John and the men he was with ran into another group that asked which way to go. “I said, ‘You have to judge for yourselves, I don’t know.'”
The man in front of John yelled for them to quickly get back. But John pushed forward. “…we were running into mules and
An illustration of the Cherry mine from the Report on the Cherry mine disaster by the Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics. Second Column: In the Morgue. Crowd Coming to Cherry Afternoon of the Fire. Bringing Up the First Body by Way of the Air Shaft. (All three photos provided by F.P. Buck from his book "The Cherry Mine Disaster.")
empty cars and we had to crawl by the cars to get by the trip and there was a mule then to the left, then we ran into another mule with empty cars. We traveled around until we came to the bottom. The smoke was awful thick. We had two doors to go through. When we got to the first door it was hard to open. I fell when I got the door open. One man came up and fell over us. He picked himself up and helped me up. And I stood back and I had hold of my own partner and he pulled me up to the next door and we got the next door open and got to the bottom. The smoke was so heavy there that it was like a vice holding you around the chest and taking your breath away. The man ahead held up and said: ‘No further boys we are going to die here' and he was trying to pull me back. I said ‘No friend, don’t go back, I see only one chance for us to make the big bottom, if we can’t make the big bottom we are lost.’ He got
up once by putting my hand on top of a railing, which helped a little. I heard mules coming and men hollering among the mules and I crawled along the right side until I got right close to the bottom, then I was completely done and fell. At last I got up again and crawled a little more, and I just made the bottom and fell on the cage. I never lost my presence of mind until I reached to top.” John made it out of the mine, went
Cherry Mine Disaster Leads to Safety Laws and Reforms
“Coal mining was the most dangerous occupation in American history,” said Thomas Suhrbur, member of the Illinois Labor History Society executive committee. “From 1900 to 1930, more than 2,000 miners died each year in accidents. In 1907, 3,242 miners died in accidents. Mine owners disregarded miners’ safety to maximize profits. They (miners) organized unions to offset the power of the owners.”
The outrage over the Cherry Mine Disaster led to new safety laws and reforms in the mining industry and for labor in general. Congress established the United States Bureau of Mines the following year to research and investigate mine methods with a focus on miners’ safety. And Illinois passed its first Workers Compensation Act so workers would no longer have to rely on charitable donations after an industrial accident, according to the Illinois Labor History Society website. New state laws also required mines to have firefighting equipment at the scene and more effective training for workers in safety positions.
home to compose himself and returned to help pour buckets of water down the mine shaft.
The United Mine Workers of America union continues to fight for miners’ safety. In July they condemned the U.S. House of Representatives' move to defund enforcement of the new Department of Labor rule that protects miners from exposure to silica dust, which can cause black lung disease.
The fight for mine safety following the disaster at Cherry and the struggle that continues today are echoed in the saying common among those who have ever toiled in the mines: "Safety laws are written with the blood of miners."
-Stella Kapetan
Miners who had escaped went back down and rescued others. Some themselves became trapped and died. A group of 12 miners and civilians descended in a cage six times and brought up several miners to safety. On the seventh time down confusion with the signals between the man running the cage and rescuers caused delay in hoisting up the cage. When it was finally raised, all the rescuers were dead. The bodies of eight lay on the floor with clothes on fire and their hands covering their faces. Four were lying on top of the cage indicating they were trying to climb away from the fire, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Report of The Cherry Mine Disaster.
Many who became trapped gathered in groups. Sam and his brother were with five others.
Some miners, like Sam, knew they were likely going to die in the mine and used discarded pencils and paper scraps to scrawl poignant good-bye letters to their wives, which were found next to their bodies. They asked their wives to speak well of them to their children, give them a good education and try to keep the family together.
On November 14, Sam wrote: “I have tried as hard as possible to escape, but I couldn’t..I saw Gim Gamieson and Steve Jimco dead along the entry, and I won’t be alive much longer…It is something horrible to see men and mules stretched out dead wherever you go."
In addition to no alarm system in the mine, The Cherry Mine Disaster report found that the many laws mine owners ignored included required fire extinguishers, signs with directions to the escape shaft and an exit sign posted at its location. The mule barns and stairs were made of wood.
Cousins Andriano and John Muzzarelli later testified at the Coroner’s Inquest that they learned of the fire after it was burning for two hours and that coal continued to be hoisted up to the surface in the cages after the fire was discovered, leaving no
Trapper Boy, Turkey Knob Mine, Macdonald, W. Va. Boy had to stoop on account of low roof, photo taken more than a mile inside the mine. Witness
E.N. Clopper. Location: MacDonald, West Virginia
(Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress).
room for them. They pleaded with the cage runner to stop and hoist them to the surface, but he said that the fire would soon be put out, and they would be returning to work. He finally relented.
Sam wrote in his diary the next day:
"November 15: Two men tried to get out but they have not returned…Tired, hungry and sleepy. I can’t stay still one moment. If I could only escape from this hole!...Black damp is everywhere. Every hope has vanished. We have done all we could."
On the second day of the fire, mine officials sealed the opening of the mine to extinguish the fire. Families were not told of the plan and were frantic when they saw what was happening, fearing there were miners still alive who would be suffocated or find their way to the exits only to find them blocked.
Karen Tintori described the scene in her book “Trapped.” “The crowd surged forward in hysteria and disbelief, straining against the ropes and the human chain of volunteers keeping them from the shaft. There wasn’t a dry eye among any of them…Mrs. Timko broke through the restraints with the strength of a lioness. Undaunted, she tried time and time again to fling herself down the shaft as the men worked to cover over the mine.” The mine was reopened several days later, and on November 20, rescuers found 21 men alive who had survived eight days by building a wall of mud, rocks and timbers that protected them from the black damp. Hope soon spread that more men would be found alive. But it was not to be.
Bodies were found alone and in groups, laying down, sitting – some with arms folded on top of their raised knees and one on his knees “in the attitude of prayer,” according to The Cherry Mine Report. Bodies were taken to a nearby tent erected as a makeshift morgue to be identified by loved ones. But some were burned beyond recognition. Others had a mummified appearance due to effects of the poisonous gas that made them unidentifiable.
Mamie identified Sam’s body. His diary shows he and his group had flickers of hope that they would make it out of the mine alive even as they anticipated the end was near; Sunday at 3:49 p.m., Sam wrote that they again tried to get to the escape shaft. And he wrote the next morning at 9:15: Still breathing. Something better turn up or we will soon be gone."
But less than six hours later he wrote his final entry with barely legible writing that showed how weak he had become.
"Our life is leaving. I believe this is the last moment. We are getting weaker. Alfredo Howard is in the same shape we are."
Sam’s body was found with his pencil fallen from his hand. Everyone in his group died with him.
Letters Written by Men Trapped in the Cherry Mine Letter 1
There is no hope, girl. We are lost; we are choking to death slowly. I am going to die like a man for the kid’s sake. Make a man of him, but for God’s sake tell him the last thing his dad said was ‘Don’t go into the hell mouth of a coal mine.’ – Jim (Stearns).
Letter 2
Nov. 14, 6 o’clock – John Lipeak – On Sunday, 15 minutes after 11 o’clock, there were in the last entry seventy of us men and now we are only thirty. The rest died. I am still alive and waiting, my dear wife for God to come. I bequeath my wife $200 the funeral expenses $100, and to the girl, my daughter, $200. So my dear wife we are still living a little bit but we are suffocating. You do as you know best and live as you can with God. – John Lipeak
From Left: Mourners and coffins from the Cherry Mine disaster. A group made orphans by Cherry Mine disaster, Cherry, Ill. / Washington Photo Co. A crowd gathers at the mouth of the shaft of the mine. (Images courtesy of the Library of Congress).
Labor day 2024: Labor, Artificial intelligence & Trade unions (op-ed)
by Victor G.
Labor Day is a time to take stock of the current state of the US trade union movement and the US employment situation Although 191,000 workers were added to the trade unions’ rolls in 2023, union density decreased from 11.3% to 11.2%. Additionally, 2023 saw a rise in labor militancy with 458,900 workers engaging in strikes, up 280% from 2022. Although employment grew by 114,000 in July 2024, the unemployment rate, while still historically low, rose to 4.3% in July, increasing for the fourth consecutive month since registering at 3.8% in March. Based on such metrics, the US economy still appears to be relatively healthy although dramatic developments in artificial intelligence (AI) over the last few years have people, such as Elon Musk, worried that AI will result in a jobless future for most workers. In simple terms, AI can be defined as computer systems replicating human intelligence in task performance.
Such fear is nothing new. Since the Industrial Revolution people have believed that technological advancements would lead to massive unemployment, resulting in the early 19th century Luddites destroying English cotton and woolen mill machinery. And nearly two centuries later, Jeremy Rifkin’s "The End of Work" (1995) contended that because of the extensive utilization of information technology, tens of millions of jobs would soon be abolished. Such job loss did not come to fruition, but some people argue that with AI’s implementation things are now different
One must remember that AI is a tool, just like the hammer, machines, and computers. These tools have modified job tasks and even eliminated certain jobs but not work per se. And, of course, technological advancements have created new jobs. The telephone’s widespread use, for example, led to the employment of 342,000 US telephone operators by the mid-20th century. AI’s implementation also will lead to the establishment of new jobs, ones that cannot be foreseen at this time. That said, US employment is currently three million higher than at its pre-COVID apex. Even with AI, David Autor, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology economics professor, contends that due to plunging birth rates in the (post) industrialized world (including China), the major problem in the future will be worker shortages, not job shortages.
The difference between AI and other technological implementations is that AI is predicted to impact white-collar decision-making occupations most directly as opposed to clerical and factory jobs, which were affected by earlier rounds of automation. While computers can perform routine tasks, AI can execute nonroutine tasks which most affects higher-level white-collar jobs (although currently AI does not always provide correct information). Even though AI is
quite proficient at evaluating vast quantities of data in producing fruitful insights, it does not possess a nuanced understanding humans acquire through life experience. Because AI has no such tacit knowledge, according to Autor, jobs that necessitate interaction with people, problem-solving expertise, adaptability, and flexibility, will lead to lower quality levels upon AI’s implementation. Since abolishing AI is an impossibility, the employees’ goal should be using AI as a complement for enhancing workers’ expertise rather than having it substitute for workers.
Because skilled white-collar workers are most likely to be affected by AI (as already mentioned), it is unsurprising that one of the major issues of the 2023 strike of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild—American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) was the use of AI technology in Hollywood. In a nutshell, the SAG-AFTRA agreement requires that an actor provide permission during each stage of the generative AI process while producers must clearly state their intentions for utilizing AI while attaining the actor’s informed and explicit consent before using their digital replica. WGA contract protections include that AI will not be used to write or rewrite any literary material. Moreover, the company cannot require the writer’s use of AI while writing although the writer can decide to utilize AI if consent is obtained from the company. Finally, the company must reveal to the writer if any information provided has been produced by AI or contains AI-generated material.
AI is a major issue that will concern many white-collar employees, as well as their blue-collar counterparts, in the future. Since many white-collar workers believe that only bluecollar employees require unions for protection, AI might be the impetus that encourages more white-collar workers to organize trade unions and subsequently come to value collective bargaining. All workers, whether they labor with their hands or brains, need trade unions as they are subjected
Devinatz
Flossmoor hidden gem half marathon
by Suzanne Hanney
to employers seeking cheap labor and to place labor under strict control. The AFL-CIO believes that to safeguard their job quality and rights, workers must have input in AI development and utilization. Although the SAG-AFTRA and the WGA achieved significant limitations on AI use in their labor contracts, such victories will only be consolidated upon the unionization of additional groups of white-collar workers.
Dr. Victor G. Devinatz is Distinguished Professor of Management, specializing in labor relations, and was the Hobart and Marian Gardner Hinderliter Endowed Professor (20142015) at Illinois State University. He can be contacted at vgdevin@ilstu.edu
Flossmoor considers itself “the community of the future, what America could look like – a hidden gem,” says lifelong resident and Hidden Gem Half Marathon Director Tom Dobrez.
The south suburb has a population that is close to 50/50 Black and white, great schools and housing stock, Dobrez noted. It’s also welcoming to LGBTQ, diverse in its worship centers, with downtown businesses that are 90 percent woman-owned (and significantly minority woman-owned).
As a result, there’s a noticeable spirit that brings the community together – and which it shows off on race day, Dobrez added. Always the weekend after Labor Day, the Hidden Gem is a nonprofit event run entirely by unpaid volunteers.
The 5th annual event, set for 7:30 a.m. Saturday, September 7, celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Village of Flossmoor. Just a quick drive or METRA train ride away from Chicago, it offers free parking, runner swag and medals, one of Illinois' largest cash prize pools and the free Kegs and Eggs breakfast afterwards for runners, spectators and volunteers. The 2024 Hidden Gem Half Marathon title sponsor is UChicago Medicine.
The Hidden Gem Half Marathon, now a two-time winner of the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) Race of the Year, came to fruition through grassroot efforts by Flossmoor residents aiming to create an enticing community event. Now entering its 5th year, it attracts 1K runners, from over 25 states and 5 nations; both casual runners and those training for the Chicago Marathon.
The 13.1-mile race traverses seven different tree-lined Flossmoor neighborhoods, each of which takes on a theme, from rainbows to holidays like the Fourth of July and Christmas to superheroes. Residents get in the mood by decorating their homes, wearing costumes, and tailgating at cheer parties. Mile after mile, runners are also spurred on by musical groups, cheerleaders, steppers, dance teams, DJs and choirs.
Besides enthusiastic cheering, the Hidden Gem is known for the landmarks on its route. Flossmoor has a collection of world-class outdoor sculptures, some permanent and some rotating. Sculptors represented include Richard Hunt, Bruce Peasley, Mark Lundeen, Terry Karpowicz, Hubert Phipps, Luis Kaiulani, Scott McMillan.
The race produces what Dobrez calls the “Gem Effect” for the little-publicized community, such as “Plant the Gem,” the one-day event where volunteers planted 300 trees along the race route and took responsibility for watering them. There was also the couple who met while running the race a few years ago – and who are getting married the weekend after this year’s event.
More information can be found at www.hiddengemhalf.com
Below: SAG-AFTRA members and supporters demonstrate on the picket line in front of NBC Studios on August 31, 2023 in New York City (John Lamparski photo).
