VIDEO: "Welcome to Englewood" Sign Unveiling, May 12, 2017

[VIDEO] I'm sorry to have missed this video. Last month the Englewood community got themselves a landmark sign located at 63rd/Yale (almost near what used to be the former Harvard stop on the CTA Green Line). This is an event I caught wind of mainly on ig and even regrammed one record of this event.

Anyway this illustrates something that I've noted here on this blog. Englewood has a marker, and then I found that Grand Crossing and Park Manor have markers. Even suggested at one point perhaps Chatham should have a sign or mark at entry points into the Chatham perimeter.

Perhaps on King Drive, Cottage Grover, 75th, 79th, 83rd, 87th and certainly on State Street. I got one potential candidate for what this sign this Chatham brand should look like. Of course someone who lives there has to make the proposal and ultimately make it happen.

Of course I recognize that's not the only community that can use this idea. Perhaps once Pullman's national monument really gets going this is the treatment they get. Hopefully in the future Roseland can have one to begin it's revitalization, especially when the CTA red line gets extended past 95th Street.

Forgot to add this video was produced by an old favorite artistmac who was also in Englewood for the groundbreaking and grand opening of Whole Foods Market Englewood. And he also drove along 63rd Street at one point also.

Make your own "Straight Outta Compton" signs....

Straight Outta Compton is a film scheduled to premeir in theaters everywhere August 18, 2015. It's a film about the rise and fall of the rap group N.W.A. This is one film I am looking forward to.

On FB, this link has been getting circulated amongst fb friends and allows anyone to do our own version of the Straight Outta Compton signs. Many have decided to take advantage to rep their own Chicago neighborhoods. I've done it not only for the many neighborhoods of Chicago, but also my old high school as well. In addition to streets and slang names for areas of the south side.

You're more than free to add your take to this as well. The more the merrier no matter where you're from!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Block club sign in the 9th ward...

This is on the back of a block club sign on the corner of 100th Street & Indiana. Unity is certainly something all neighborhoods should strive for. Hopefully this block has it!

A Roseland Heights neighborhood watch sign...

Years ago when I started this blog, I was keen on making signs like the one above more or less as a marketing tool although that plan never got off the ground. The idea was to produce signs that could be displayed in the front window of a home or business.

Thankfully some of our neighborhood associations already produce such signs as the one above that were handed out at a recent Roseland Heights neighborhood meeting. The scan above and below this paragraph were of the signs handed out at the recent meeting from this past Tuesday.

The scans you see below Roseland Heights residents may have found on their porches, screen doors or perhaps mail boxes on a Wednesday morning. The Roseland Heights neighborhood watch signs were produced by West Chesterfield Community Association President Michael LaFargue. Provided with these signs were a legal-sized paper flyer that highlighted many of the accomplishments of Mr. LaFargue in real estate and as a community activist.

I wonder if this is a concerted effort between Roseland Heights and Mr. LaFargue or both were done independently. So this means there are questions and perhaps there are some answers.

BTW, the scans of both signs have been uploaded to my scribd account. The Roseland Heights version and the Michael LaFargue version. Both versions are printable especially with photo paper available from either Walmart or Target.

Neighborhood Pride on a Poster - Gapers Block Chicago

Neighborhood Pride on a Poster - Gapers Block Chicago

Check out http://studiochris.com/ for some examples of neighborhood posters. I look forward to seeing a Chatham poster although I'm sure there are some graphic artists in the neighborhood that can produce something similar to allow residents to show their pride in their neighborhoods.

Over the history of this blog we have shown neighborhood logos for both Englewood and Chatham. We even wondered why Chatham doesn't have at least neighborhood markers for the neighborhood although apparently Park Manor and Grand Crossing do have markers on opposite sides of the expressway.

What other ways do you show pride in the neighborhoods where you live?

How about this for a way to attract visitors?

Great for public safety

I saw some of these signs on Facebook, and was thinking...what if we put up signs like these along 79th street and other areas? Would they attract good business?

They would have the novelty of the Cows, but be far less expensive and much simpler to put up.

 A quick Internet search showed that artist Jeff Shell has done these all over Manhattan.

What do you think? Love 'em? Or hate 'em?

On Bourbon Street in New Orleans

Fire fighter parking only...

At the Chicago Fire Department station on 79th & Michigan. A warning if you take away the parking spot of any fire fighter here. Picture was taken this afternoon.

OPEN BLOG: Block clubs

I took this picture on October 13, 2010. A block club sign on the 7300 block of South Prairie.

Questions: Are you currently active in a block club? Have you thought about forming a block club? Were you able to start a block club? Whatever your answer, feel free to tell us about your block club.

Tweet, e-mail, post a comment here or even Facebook your response!

A nice sign of the neighborhood

We've read about signs in the community some people really hate.

Here's a sign i think most agree is a good one. I snapped this photo at 81st & Vernon on Saturday (I saw another on at 81st neat St. Lawrence, across the street from Chatham Fields Lutheran Church).

There is a bible reference to James 2:8 (from the New International Version)

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"[a] you are doing right.

Anyone know who posted the signs, and where we could get more?

PHOTO: Minimalist block club sign

A clear sign with blue lettering found at King Drive and 88th Place. I wish I got a better picture than this. Hopefully if you click the pic it will be in better resolution.

OPEN BLOG: Chatham neighborhood identifiers

Based on the discussion regarding the photos I took on 71st Street on either side of the expressway and this article from the Chicago Sun-Times regarding obelisks that are being erected on 35th Street in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood.

QUESTION: Should there be neighborhood identifiers in Chatham? If yes, what should those identifiers be (i.e. obelisks, scuptures, signs, etc.)? If no, then explain why not?

PHOTOS: West and East of the Dan Ryan Expy at 71st Street

West of the Dan Ryan. Sort of a welcome sign to the Grand Crossing neighborhood.

East of the Ryan. Sort of a welcome to the Park Manor Community.

These are some nice street art both very different and in no way similar. Park Manor sign has leaves and the Grand Crossing sign seems to have some African style art going for it.

EDIT: I just noticed there are also some doves on the Park Manor sign (well sculpture is probably more accurate) in addition to the leaves.

I've got an idea

Uptown Update (recently they've gotten media attention for a video posted there of a "riot" in their part of town last week) has a page that allows readers to download and print off flyers that advertise the blog. I think this blog needs to do the same and I like to think I'm creative but I feel I need help in getting some ideas for flyers off the ground.

If I was to do that in the future I would like to offer rough sketches of my ideas for Sixth Ward flyers. For instance what I'd like to do is create a neighborhood watch sign that also advertises the blog with blog name and URL address. Of course that's not the only way to advertise the blog, however, I feel that it could have some use other than just as a display sign. I hoped that people could come here and report what's going on in their neck of the woods.

That's where you the reader comes in. Some of you may be better graphic designers than I am. Some of you may have better ideas for a sign than I do. Besides a neighborhood watch sign isn't the only idea worth playing around with.

If you do have any ideas, you are more than free to drop an e-mail or leave a comment in this post. If you know your way around any computer graphics program or if you are an artist then get in touch. Your input and skills are certainly needed although I can't say I can pay you at the moment.

Either way this is a worthwhile project. Hopefully such signs/flyers will be available online likely through Scribd and thus available for download and printing. These signs/flyers can be printed either at home or office or anywhere there are printing services available.

Until that time, however, let's see what we can come up with.

The rose in the header

Extracted using photoshop from this block club sign. Not sure what the rose represents, but it was a striking image on the back of this sign. Check out what used to be on this sign!

Eh, not as nice, but it wasn't until I saw this photograph that the back of this sign was recently changed too bad that I can't say I ever got the front of this sign. I posted a shot of it one winter, but how about a shot in much warmer weather. FTR, sign is located at 97th & Indiana.

Hmmm, funny I never took a pic of the front of that sign this summer, but here's the post of the front of that sign in the winter.

Hey this block club sign has changed

Since I walked by this sign and took a pic in early March right on 87th and Calumet. There isn't even an indication of what block this was here. They must be reading this blog.

BTW, if you are either a member of a block club or familiar with block club activities I would love to hear from you. Post a comment or send an e-mail.

Block Club Sign = 7900 Block of Calumet

A photo of a block club sign not taken by Levois!

Block club sign

I took this picture on New Years Eve on the corner of 95th and Indiana.

Block club sign

Took this shot strolling along 87th Street on Thursday. This sign is for the 8600 Block of St. Lawrence.

Block club sign

300/8600 block of 87th Street and Calumet Block Club sign. Took this picture strolling along 87th on Thursday.

Block club sign

Walking on 87th street today.