A night at the Museum of Science of Industry

For 72 years the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry has been celebrating the holidays with Christmas Around the World and the Holidays of Light exhibit. Originally a United Nations Day salute to the Allies during WWII, the annual exhibit has grown to more than 50 trees decorated by volunteers from Chicago’s ethnic communities. Choral groups perform during the week, and weekends bring ethnic song and dance performances by many of the ethnic groups that decorate the trees.

 

Latvians have been joining in for years, possibly 40-50. I remember dutifully making several trips every year, one to help decorate our tree with the traditional puzuri and cranberries, the second to participate in our performance sharing traditional Latvian customs of the holidays. Those of you who might have stood onstage with me (or watched from the audience) for ~ten years might remember the catchy lines like “look, there’s the log!” and “but we can dance!” The Latvians will take the stage this year on Sunday, December 15^th at 10:45 am for those of my readers in the Chicagoland area; I urge you to stop in and say sveiks to the kids from Krišjāņa Barona Latviešu Skola giving up their Saturday morning to share a bit of Latvian culture with the world.

 

This year while in Chicago for Thanksgiving I happened to have an “in” with the head decorator of the Latvian tree, and so was invited to the Christmas Around the World annual Holidays of Light gala. The sight of the 45 foot Grand Tree in the center of the rotunda greeted us as we came up the escalator, and it was hard to miss this year’s theme – Disney.

 

We got a sneak peak at the new temporary exhibit “Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, presented by D23: The Official Disney Fan Club”, which celebrates the innovation of Walt Disney’s legacy with more than 300 artifacts from 90 years of Disney. We wandered through looking at the various movie paraphernalia and clips playing, and Lauris tried his hand at drawing Mickey Mouse at the end of the exhibit. Or should I say Mickey Squirrel? “I don’t want to draw a mouse, I want to draw a squirrel.”

 

Dinner was delicious, but the real attraction was seeing the exhibits after hours. I’m not sure the boys knew where to look first; between the thousands of twinkling lights in all the trees, the planes and trains in the transportation exhibit, the tsunami and hot air balloons in the weather exhibit and all the other exciting things to look at, their mouths were permanently open in awe.

Mad scientist Mikus!

 

A couple hours and several Minnie Mouse cupcakes later (seriously, who had the idea to use black frosting – our entire group ended up with black lips and tongues… dark chocolate would have done the job just fine) we had done the rounds of the majority of trees and open exhibits. I wish the miniature trains had been running as both boys are big train fans, but Lauris is still talking about all the wonders he saw at the “Christmas tree museum.” Thanks to my mother for taking us with, and good luck to the kids taking the stage December 15^th!

 

* The exhibit runs through January 5, 2014, and is included in the cost of entry to the museum. An additional ticket is required for the Disney exhibit. For a full schedule of performances and more information on the exhibits, please visit the Museum of Science and Industry’s exhibit overview webpage.

Old and new haunts in Lincoln Square, Chicago

We spent a lot of our time in Chicago this Thanksgiving in Lincoln Square, at Western and Lawrence. With a stop on the brown line and therefore easy access to most of the city, this neighborhood has seen a comeback in recent years, sporting new, hip restaurants in addition to the old favorites. For me it was a trip down memory lane, as I lived there with my family until about the second grade. It was on day two up north that an errand brought us past that home, and a few days later we walked past my old elementary school; same brick box of a building from my childhood, but the endless asphalt has been replaced with gardens, playgrounds and other friendly spaces. The same applies to the neighborhood as a whole, things have changed, but they also haven’t changed at all.

  
My grandmother still lives in the same house within walking distance from our old apartment. We stayed there, enjoying countless stories read aloud, home cooked meals (and pīrāgi!), and the extra time to catch up after a long absence from Chicago. Although the weather was cold it didn’t keep us indoors, and between errands and long walks we really covered some ground. Lincoln Square is an established neighborhood, with dozens of ethnic restaurants and stores dotting Western, Foster and Lincoln. I was happy to see our favorite pastry shop is still open, and the baklava was just as delicious as I remember it. Hellas Pastry Shop at 2627 Lawrence Ave. has been open 50+ years, and although the wedding cakes I remember peeking up at in wonder twenty years ago weren’t in evidence, the quality and service hasn’t changed one bit. Stop in, and if the sweet honey pastry baklava isn't your thing, try the spinach spanakopita!

 

Part of the neighborhood for forty years, the Chicago Brauhaus is also still there, as is Café Selmarie (which I waxed poetic on in the post Pies, Mittens and Snowmen. Originally a single storefront, Selmarie has now taken over three or four, and sports outdoor seating during the summer months. Complimenting these old favorites are new trendy spots like Elizabeth Restaurant, which doesn’t take reservations but 'sells tickets' (home of “New Gatherer Cuisine”…), and Goosefoot, an “artful blend of French technique with modern vision crafted from small artisan farm products.” Needless to say the boys and I didn’t hit these hotspots, although we did venture east the day before Thanksgiving to brave the lines at Swedish Bakery on North Clark Street (technically this qualifies as Andersonville, not Lincoln Square, but it is close enough to be well worth the trip). To complete the ethnic food experience, we ordered takeout from my favorite Thai restaurant, Opart Thai (located on Western next to the el stop). Despite the competition for that “favorite” label from a local spot here in Greenville and a lucky stop in Greensborough NC, Opart Thai for me has long been the defining taste of what Thai cuisine should be.

 

Despite the conclusions this post might lead you to (that we spent our Thanksgiving eating), there was much time spent with family and friends that didn’t involve that excellent pastime that pairs so well with the holidays. One morning we caught up with an old friend of mine whose children go to the very same elementary school I already mentioned, and on another we headed north to do some shopping. If only I had a few extra days, I might have had the opportunity to stop in at the longtime Lincoln Square resident Timeless Toys, or newer addition Marbles: The Brain Store, to take care of some Christmas shopping. And the whiff of fragrance that drifted out the door of Merz Apothecary sufficed to evoke memories of visits to buy bath salts and perfumes as a very little girl pulling on the hand of my mother.

Mikus and Winnemac Park

 

I would be remiss not to mention a few other highlights of Lincoln Square: Winnemac Park and Welles Park have long been favorites for kids (starting with my mother, aunts and uncle, including my cousins and siblings, and now my two boys!), and cultural centers such as Old Town School of Folk Music and Sulzer Regional Library are famous city-wide. We could have easily spent two or three weeks here, not just the one. Of course other parts of the city held draw for us too, including the Latvian School of Chicago, my parents’ home and the Thanksgiving destination in nearby North Mayfair, but this visit it was Lincoln Square that tugged at the heartstrings. Greenville is a great town, but Chicago is my hometown…

The Latvian School of Chicago

One of the cornerstones of the Latvian society in Chicago is the Krišjāņa Barona latviešu skola (KBLS), the Latvian School of Chicago. The elementary and high school was founded in 1950 by Latvian immigrants who fled to the United States from Latvia after WWII, and moved to the present location at the Chicago Latvian Zion Church on Montrose Avenue in 1976. The stated objective of the school is to “involve children and youth in Latvian community life, and to provide interested families and their children a program of instruction in the Latvian language, culture, history and current events.” The school uses the American Latvian Association curriculum as a basis for its program, and there are a growing number of children who homeschool through KBLS in cities that don’t have Latvian school programs.

I graduated KBLS in 1998, after 14 years of Saturdays spent in the kindergarten, elementary and high school classrooms learning how to dance traditional Latvian folk dances, play the kokle (a wooden string instrument most similar to the zither), soldering silver jewelry with Latvian motifs and amber inlays, and making friends and connections that will stay with me for years to come. In a sense I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity, as there are only 10 to 15 year-round Latvian schools in the US, in addition to the 3 summer programs and one or two preschools. However, none of these are in South Carolina, and short of starting up a program ourselves, Lauris and Mikus will not have this opportunity – which is why we jumped at the chance to visit the Lāčbērni preschool class while in Chicago.

Lauris sporting a Nīcas costume

It was like a French reunion as our friends from Chatenet, France were also in town visiting. All three boys spent the morning working on their counting and sorting skills, practicing their letters and phonetics, and learning about the traditional Latvian folk costumes. Lauris immediately recognized his old friends from the Biz Biz program he attended this summer in Gaŗezers, and even though Mikus preferred the train table to the school table I believe he did get something of value out of the morning’s lessons.

After lunch in the cafeteria we stayed on to bake some piparkūkas (the Latvian Christmas cookie), lending a hand with the community cookie bake. The results will be sold at the annual Christmas market, with proceeds benefitting the school. The next bake will be on December 7^th, so I urge all you Chicagoans reading this to pencil it in your calendars and go pitch in; it was a fun time socializing over a cup of coffee and the cookie cutters, and everyone is welcome to join in.

Lobster claws!!!

Then snow pants, gloves and hats went on, and the three friends ventured out to the playground. The boys had prime spots to watch planes passing overhead on their approach to O’Hare airport, but soon even this couldn’t distract them from the cold wind on exposed noses and cheeks…

After helping decorate the scout and guide Christmas tree we watched folk dancing rehearsals, laughing at our polka memories as both of us moms had danced similar steps in the very same room many years ago. Another cup of coffee, more antics on behalf of the boys and soon it was time to head to grandmother’s house for time with family and a delicious dinner. A big thank you to the Latvian School of Chicago for so graciously accepting us into their fold Saturday, and maybe one day we’ll be joining the ranks of Latvian school students homeschooling with the KBLS materials.

Celebrating Latvian Independence Day in Greenville SC

For the second year in a row we’ve had the pleasure of hosting the South Carolina Latvians (and a few from North Carolina and Georgia!) to celebrate Latvia’s Independence Day. Where the previous year’s event was a bit hastily put together, this year’s fête was a good month in the making and all the bases were covered. The guests arrived bearing dishes to share and were soon snacking on homemade pīrāgi; we could have even had a taste-off, as two recipes were represented! The highlight was delicious smoked salmon and whitefish all the way from Atlanta Smokehouse Products in Marietta, GA; if you live in the Atlanta area I highly recommend this savory seafood for a special occasion, or even just dinner – delicious! (And for those elsewhere, they do ship...)

 

After a satisfying meal we turned our attention to the projector that Roberts had set up to broadcast the President of Latvia, Andris Bērziņš’ annual 18th of November address to Latvians living outside of Latvia. Short but eloquent, followed with the Latvian hymn and a toast to Latvia on its 95^th birthday.

 

No Latvian party is complete without kliņģeris (the traditional Latvian saffron birthday bread) and a dessert spread, and we dove right in. With everything from Southern specialties like pumpkin cake and salted caramel-chocolate pecan pie, to a cherry-cream cake Kārumniece all the way from Latvia, by the time the last plate had been cleared we were all stuffed and sated.

 

With 37 of us (almost double the guests we had last year) we had a cozy celebration, and the kids had just as much fun as the adults, running around until far past their bedtimes. It seems that every year we discover more of “us” living here in the Upstate; this year we were joined by a Latvian and his wife that has been living here thirty years and thought he was the only one – “there are others!?”
 

I’m honored to have been able to host this gathering: an opportunity to celebrate our shared heritage, commemorate the 95^th birthday of a country I so strongly identify with, and build on our own little corner of Latvia here in the Upstate. Sveiks svētkos!

Last year’s post on November 18^th – 18. novembris Greenville

 

Autumn in downtown Greenville

We love visitors, because they let us show off all of our favorite spots in Greenville and give us an excuse to revisit places we might not otherwise make it to as often as we would like. Day two with Daina (day 1 here) started off with pancakes (paldies Daina!) after which we headed downtown to search for the Mice on Main. We had obviously not been to this end of N. Main in a little bit because we really had to search for the first mouse; the open book that explains this Greenville scavenger hunt (along with Marvin the mouse) has been moved again, along with the boulder it was mounted on after being removed from the fountain prior to the remodel of the area. It’s just across NOMA square, close to Roost restaurant…

A pause with Mr. Poinsett allowed us to share another neat tidbit about Greenville with our guest; this first US Minister to Mexico introduced the poinsettia plant (known for its red and green foliage) to the United States in 1825. Nearby, the artificial turf in front of the Courtyard Marriot had been removed in preparation for the opening of Ice on Main on November 29^th.

We cut through the Peace Center plaza to the TD Stage at the Peace Center, a relatively new part of Falls Park. I had never before seen the old grist mill with a tent inside, and my thoughts drifted back to a most romantic wedding dinner we attended there seven years ago (although sans tent). I prefer the structure as it was then, open to the elements with twinkling white lights strung about, but with the colder temperatures I can imagine the lure of having an enclosed structure.

Looping around we crossed Liberty Bridge before descending down to take a look at the enormous beech tree with exposed roots on Howe St. Although the top half of the tree had already lost its leaves, you would never know it looking from the bottom up. Strolling along the river and falls we admired the fall foliage and slowly made our way back to the splash pad across the river from the TD Stage. The shooting water jets had been turned off for the winter, but the fountains leading up to River Place were still flowing, with a vibrant yellow gingko tree standing in the center.

The afternoon was pleasantly passed doing some shopping in the West End, and before seeing off our guest the following day we managed to squeeze in a trip to the Greenville zoo and a stop at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery. Having a visitor made it feel like the holiday season is starting early this year, and the festivities continued with Monday’s 18. novembris celebration…