This week we heard the all three Presidential hopefuls-Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain-all talk about each other and their respective competitors as being out of touch with the public at large.
Well, they were all right to some extent. I am firmly convinced that the longer someone stays in public office (but for local, part time, often unpaid offices) the more out of touch that politician will become.
Oh, it is not as though that disconnect is sought or advanced. It just happens, which is too bad, because pols need to know what the average Joe is doing on the streets, the ups and downs of normal life, the way prices can affect families, etc.
To that end, I have to share with you my visit to the World’ Largest Laundromat in Berwyn.
I have wanted to see this Laundromat for some time, because it prides itself on being “green” and conservative in terms of the use of natural resources. The place, rebuilt allegedly even more “green” after it burned down a few years ago, has a bird exhibit to chip away your time, vending machines for snacks, an eating area and, at the time I was there, a host of Easter lilies all over the place.
My daughter in law, Christina, and I scooped up everything we could find that was washable between us so that we would have enough laundry to do in such a big place.
I used to use a Laundromat in Springfield because the first place I lived in had no washing facilities. And then, there was the time the basement in Riverside flooded, taking out the motors on the washer and dryer, so it was off to the Laundromat as a failsafe.
But, other than that, I had completely lost track of the fact that many families take large loads of wash a week to these Laundromats to get the job done and done as cheaply as possibly, especially during these miserable, economic conditions.
It was almost as good as watching television, watching the multiple machines I and others had going. I noticed, too, that there was a variety of ages represented doing the wash, but an exceptionally large number of young men-young men, I thought, who should have been off at work somewhere, unless no jobs existed for them.
There were kids galore, many who had brought their own toys and games to amuse themselves while moms and friends kept the laundry moving through the process.
For all its being warmed by solar panels and “green” orientation, I was most surprised that the World’ Biggest Laundromat did not recycle all of the plastic boxes and bottles that were being generated by the laundry process.
I was especially pleased at the commercial size of some of the washers and dryers, because I could get heavy quilts and dog pillows and things like that which would have caused my home washing machine to go apoplectic.
It is a great place to visit, and because Christina and I had done so well, we trotted down to Pierre’s Bakery, which is less than a block away. We figured we had worked hard, and now we could afford a little sweet treat. We wound up buying boxes of goodies to take home.
And, before I sign off and speaking of food, I must compliment the VIP Party of North Riverside on one of the most successful pancake breakfasts around. Party members ran the breakfast like an assembly line in terms of service and courtesy.
The North Riverside VFW was filled to capacity and stayed that way for hours. Of course, it does not hurt to note that the breakfast is “free” as that will surely bring out the masses.
It was nice to see Cong. Dan and Judy Lipinski joining North Riverside Mayor Rich and Judy Scheck. Toss me into the fray, and at one point, if someone called for “Judy,” three of us turned around. Congrats to the trustees who helped staff the event: Jim Votava, Tom Corgiat, Randy Czajka, Joan Sargent, Ken Krochmal and Gary Wittbrodt.
And just one more comment about food…After gorging myself on pancakes at North Riverside, I found the Riverside Lions Club’s annual chicken dinner to be another sell-out crowd over at the township hall.
It was so good to see so many families of many ages come out to support the Lions, with great help from the police department’s Explorer post to make sure that plates were full and customers happy.
And, an invitation to all: on April 17 at 7 p.m. at the Riverside Township Hall, the Riverside GOP hosts the township’s three police chiefs: Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield, to talk about drugs, gangs and other problems we would all like to pretend did not exist, but do.
