Rogers Park Polar Bear Day

Happy 2008: Dive Into Entrepreneurship!

"It's Polar Bear Day -- or how about Polar People Day -- in Rogers Park, Illinois where folks strip off their clothes and jump into the lake. How wild is that?! And to think they did this when it's 22 degrees F. (who cares to bring up there was also a wind chill factor ... why look at the waves in the water). What uncommon bravery". - Read more here.




Tags: 2008, 22 degrees, 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, Escape from Corporate America, Laurel Delaney, New Years day, Rogers Park

First post of 2008

Happy New Year !

Happy New Year Rogers Park!

Tags: 2008, 60626, 60645, Bill Morton, Happy New Year, New Years day, New Years Eve, Rogers Park

Re: We don’t knead extra graffiti in Rogers Park

Re: We don’t knead extra graffiti in Rogers Park

So that’s where that old truck ended up! Actually, the Corner Bakery truck you photographed does not actually belong to Corner Bakery any longer. It was sold when our company was sold by our former parent company, Brinker International, and was to have been repainted. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. If you happen to see it again, don’t hesitate to photograph the license plate for us and send it our way so we can do our part to try to rid Rogers Park of graffiti!

Dianna Robinson
Director of Marketing
Corner Bakery Cafe




Photos from the original post:

Thank you Dianna,

- Bill Morton

Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, Brinker International, Corner Bakery Cafe, Dianna Robinson, Making things better in Rogers Park, Rogers Park

Rogers Park Power Outage

3am, 3:20am, 4am and again at 4:20am, brown-outs and power outages occured on and around the 730o N. Sheridan Road block of Rogers Park.

Again, businesses lost hours of work and the Chicago Fire Department had to check up on the retirement communities and group homes in the area.



Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, 7301 N. Sheridan Road, brown-out, power outage, Rogers Park

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

YoChicago deleted the following message on their Rogers Park feature:

"Although I am for progress, that last picture of the demolition site of the Adelphi Theater was an example of a historic building and viable business being destroyed wastefully"."It's been well over a year since the demolition, and the planned condo-project never happened. It's just a sad hole in the ground". - Bill Morton



So, I tweaked it a little bit for further consideration and re-posted.

"I am not opposed to progress, but the demolition of the Adelphi Theater (in the last picture above), was an example of wasteful destruction of a historical building and viable business.
It has been well over a year, and the demolition site is still an eyesore hole in the ground". - Bill Morton


What do you think? Are they going to delete my Rogers Park comment again?


Check out the YoChicago Rogers Park article and post here.




Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, Adelphi Theater, Bill Morton, demolition eyesore, Rogers Park, viable business, wasteful destruction, YoChicago

What's your favorite neighborhood and why?

"Rogers Park (where I lived for three years) had it's charms and diversity but what got me out of there was a bullet that came through my window". Read more here.



Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, bullet, Gapers Block, Rogers Park

Which is your least favorite neighborhood, and why?

Rogers Park was mentioned five times.

"Rogers Park. It's just still so depressing. I know there are some great old beautiful houses, but for the most part it's still a bit scary". Read more here.




Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, Gapers Block, least favorite, Rogers Park, scary

49th Ward Politics

Bribery, public trust, and other tempting and nifty terms

"I am not sure what, exactly, Bill Morton is trying to accomplish with his blog, but it has really nifty definitions like bribery, public trust, microtargeting, lawn sign, and election litter. I find it really cool. Relevant to us, here is a rundown of the field (from the political campaign staff entry)".

Read more here.

Still excited about your condo boom?

Rather than a condo boom, I've more often heard it referred to as "teardown madness".

Here is an interesting posting on the subject from the 24/7 North of Howard Watchers


"So lenders are facing bankruptcy due to what some consider greed or poor judgement. Owners are facing foreclosure from a mixture of financial ignorance and/or living beyond their means. So what support is there for those left to face other peoples often sad realities"? ... Read more here.





Tags: 24/7 North of Howard Watchers, condo boom, demolition eyesore, financial ignorance, foreclosure, poor judgement, Rogers Park, teardown

Graffiti on the Urban Dictionary

Here's one of the two definitions listed for graffiti:

"Vandalism by means of spraypainting words/pictures onto public areas.
Tyrone & Maximillion tagged a homeless person while he was sleeping in the gutter."

- Graffiti on the Urban Dictionary

Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, graffiti, homeless, Rogers Park, Urban Dictionary

Despite a condo boom rogers park retail lags.

Craig says...


Bill Morton says...


anon says...




Condo Boom? I have a list of Rogers Park real estate going into foreclosure.




Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, anonymous poster, Bill Morton, condo boom, Craig Gernhardt, Rogers Park, YoChicago

1,000 Words. What a Concept!

The Chicago Reader's Year-End photo issue is remarkably like Rogers Park in 1,000 Words.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Rogers Park!

Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, Christmas, Merry Christmas, Rogers Park

Rogers Park on Urban Dictionary

Here's one of the two definitions listed for Rogers Park:

"One of the few slums left on Chicago's otherwise nice North Side.

Pedestrians here are often "gooned" (randomly beaten) while walking down the street, dilapidated tenements line the 'L' tracks and Morse Avenue is a notorious open-air drug market.

In fact, Rogers Park is so hoodish that its criminal atmosphere seeps into south Evanston, immediately past Howard Street to the north.

Typical inhabitants include drug dealers, thugs, homeless people and annoying, pretentious hipsters who would rather listen to a gunshot lullaby every night than live in a nice neighborhood like Lincoln Park or Lakeview.

Humboldt Park and Uptown may be crappy North Side neighborhoods, but Rogers Park takes the cake.

Rogers Park is the Englewood of the North Side".


For the full page click here.



Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, Rogers Park, Urban Dictionary

Rogers Park condo-project that never happened: Featured on YoChicago.com

Bill Morton said:

"Although I am for progress, that last picture of the demolition site of the Adelphi Theater was an example of a historic building and viable business being destroyed wastefully".

"It's been well over a year since the demolition, and the planned condo-project never happened. It's just a sad hole in the ground".


Read more here.




Tags: 49th Ward, 60626, 60645, Adelphi Theater, Citizens for the Adelphi Theater, demolition eyesore, Rogers Park, YoChicago

Christmas Party at Quest Network Services

Party at Quest Network Services on

Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 7:00 PM
Let's have some Holiday Festivities before Christmas and the New Year!

There is no cover charge for this event at Quest, but please bring something to contribute to the party.

7301 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago, Il. 60626


- Bill

Mary Jo Doyle

A customer just informed me about Mary Jo Doyle.

The following is from http://www.howardwatchers.blogspot.com/ :



Wednesday, December 19, 2007



Mary Jo Doyle
1939-2007




We have lost a true friend of Rogers Park and its history.



John E. Maloney Funeral Home
1359 West Devon Avenue
Friday 12/21/07 viewing from 3pm-9pm


Mass at Saint Margaret Mary's Church
Saturday 12/22/07 at 10am
2324 W Chase Ave




In lieu of flowers you may make donations to:


The Rogers Park/ West Ridge Historical Society
Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society
7344 N. Western, Chicago, IL 60645
773-764-4078



American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
P.O. Box 22718 Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718
1800-ACS-2345



The Red Door Animal Shelter
Red Door Animal Sheltr
P. O.Box 269119 Chicago, IL 60626
773-764-2242



St. Scholastica Academy
St. Scholstica Academy
7416 N. Ridge Chicago IL 60645
773-764-5715




Visit RogersPark.com for additional information



Labels: Mary Jo Doyle

Rogers Park Q & A

This one was sent to my e-mail address: BillMorton.RogersPark@gmail.com



Q: Do you know anything of a hit and run in Rogers Park that concerned a white pickup and a judge riding a yellow bike, or any hit and run that occurred in the last say 5 months in that area?I overheard a neighbor talking, it might be BS but who knows, have contacted police they are disinterested.

Thank You, R. J. Y.



A: R. J. Y., I did hear of a hit and run in the alley behind Sherwin Manor Nursing Center. Here are all of the details I have: http://rp1000.blogspot.com/search?q=hit+and+run . I also spotted a flyer taped to a bus shelter on Sheridan and Chase inquiring if anyone had witnessed a recent hit and run.

Thank you for your question. - Bill Morton, Rogers Park in 1,000 Words




Tags: 60626, 60645, Q and A, Rogers Park

Adult Spelling Bee featured on Chicago Public Radio.

This morning the recent Adult Spelling Bee in Rogers Park was featured on Eight Forty-Eight (WBEZ 91.5 FM)

Listen to the mp3 here: http://audio.wbez.org/848/2007/12/848_20071217.mp3








Tags: 60626, Adult Spelling Bee, Eight Forty-Eight, Rogers Park, Steve Edwards, WBEZ 91.5 FM