Covering the final Uniquely Thursdays concert last week for the final installment of our Summer Days series brought back lots of memories.
Since I've worked in Hinsdale forever, I was around when the concert series launched in 2002. That year, and for the five summers that followed, the event took place on First Street between Garfield Avenue and Washington Street.
I remember those early concerts well. So does Washington Street resident Lynette Lovelace, who was involved with the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce when board members came up with the idea at a brainstorming session. The name for the new series came from her.
"It just sort of rolled off my tongue and stuck," she shared with me this week.
Although the series has become a very popular event in town, not everyone was enthusiastic in the beginning. Prohibition had just been overturned a year earlier, and some were still getting used to the idea that the village was no longer dry.
"The hardest issue was getting a permit to close the street and serve alcohol outside," she said. "We definitely had many naysayers concerned that this would bring trouble to our streets. So getting everyone on board initially was harder than I expected."
Lynette owned Kokopelli on the south side of First Street at the time (she later opened Embrace Boutique & Bistro on the north side) and coordinated most of the food served at the event.
"I distinctly remember walking our grill down from our house each week to have the chefs out there grilling the brats, hamburgers and chicken," she said. "To me, this was such a meaningful extension of Kokopelli and my desire to create a family, fun community gathering place of friends meeting friends in our beautiful village."
The only other food available at those earlier concerts was pizza from Giuliano's. Giuliano's didn't sell their margherita pizza at the event, but since it was my favorite pizza - and I was such a regular - they always had one tucked away.
One of the freelance photographers I worked with at The Doings was at Uniquely Thursdays one night and ordered a slice of margherita from Giuliano's booth. He came back empty handed, saying he was told they didn't have any. After consulting with me and returning with a new order - a piece of "Pam's pizza" - he was served immediately.
There also was an old-fashioned ice cream cart on site, and The Doings would bring a popcorn machine. "I remember how rewarding it felt to see community out and about, kids running around eating ice cream and we sold the Lite Up sticks and the kids were so excited when it got dark," Lynette said. "I loved seeing people show up with their chairs and blankets to sit on the middle of First Street."
Jim Slonoff and I and others from The Hinsdalean spent many nights at Uniquely Thursdays after we started the paper in 2006 and the event moved to Burlington Park in 2008. We offered games, temporary tattoos and a giant Hinsdalean cardboard photo frame that kids could pose in to get their picture "on the cover."
In 2010, we invited local officials to join us as targets in a pie throwing contest to benefit HCS Family Services. People who donated three food items or cash could throw a pie pan filled with whipped cream at one of us. I think we still owe Ruben Peña, then principal at Hinsdale Middle School, a new shirt, as our makeshift smocks didn't protect his from being covered in whipped cream. I'll never forget that - or the smell of whipped cream turning sour on a hot summer night while I was driving home in my car.
Uniquely Thursdays has been a great addition to the village. I'm already looking forward to its return next summer.
- Pamela Lannom is editor of The Hinsdalean. Readers can email her at [email protected].
