Golden Ticket, Castle Saved, Tennis Club At 100: Year In Review

CHICAGO — And just like that, another year in the books. Another year — and another decade —as 2019 comes to a close.

Before we swing forward to the new year, let's recap all the local happenings from 2019 in Beverly, Mount Greenwood and Morgan Park. We've gathered some of the stories from the most defining moments of the year. Hope you have fun taking a look back at what turned out to be a pretty fun year in the neighborhood.

Scavenger Hunt Craze

- Looking back at the year and coming up with one thing to define 2019 in our neighborhood, the S&T Provisions scavenger hunts immediately came to mind. The one in November that went on for two weeks captivated residents and visitors in a unique way. S&T Scavenger Hunt Has Everyone Stumped

On the last day of the hunt, Mount Greenwood resident Chelsea Svec found the "golden ticket" worth $2,000 in a ventilation gap on a mausoleum at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Iconic Businesses Making Headlines

- S&T wasn't the only iconic neighborhood business making headlines in 2019. County Fair Foods served as a location for a scene from the 'Chicago Fire' television show and the Original Rainbow Cone underwent a new paint job and now has an orange color with the words 'Original Rainbow Cone' painted in white on its Western Avenue side.

Also, a County Fair tribute beer was brewed and served at Open Outcry and the Beverly Hills Tennis Club celebrated its 100th anniversary.

Saving 'The Castle'

- Help is on the way to restore the iconic landmark at 103rd and Longwood.

Marching Against Racism

- Two local activist groups, the Southwest Chicago Diversity Collaborative and Southsiders for Peace, marched through Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park and Beverly in September as a response to a number of white supremacist flyers that were found in the neighborhood earlier in the year.

Also, reformed white supremacist Christian Picciolini led a talk at St. Barnabas to begin a movement to address the situation.

Cancer Study Begins

- The University of Chicago has begun a study into the cancer epidemic centered in the 19th Ward.

The 19th Ward In Chicago's Election

- Matt O'Shea Defeats Challenger David Dewar In A Landslide
- Did The 19th Ward Play Spoiler In Mayoral Election?

Other top stories of the year:

CPS Strike

- Public school students in the neighborhood were off for a few days during a teacher's strike. We captured video of one of the rallies union supporters held outside Clissold Elementary School.

Hero Cop Saves Crossing Guard's Life

- Mary Ellen Meuris jumped into action, using CPR to save the life of a crossing guard who collapsed near St. John Fisher School in November.

Local Sisters Diagnosed With Rare Disease

- A strong effort has begun to help Lucy and Winnie Ryan, two young Mount Greenwood neighborhood sisters who are among just 17 people in the world to have been diagnosed with a rare form of mitochondrial disease.

5G Concerns

- A group of local moms held a meeting to discuss the concerns they have over the recent construction of 5G wireless towers in Beverly, Mount Greenwood and elsewhere in the country.

Prep Football Success

- Brother Rice, Marist, St. Rita and Mount Carmel all made the IHSA semifinal round in football. St. Rita and Mount Carmel both made IHSA championship games and Mount Carmel won a state championship.

Also this year in sports, Mother McAuley hired a new basketball coach and the Mighty Macs were state runner-up.

Remembering Those We Lost

- Bob Hallberg, legendary Chicago basketball coach

- Molly Fetzer, young St. Cajetan mom who died of cancer at 38

- Betty Johnson, a veteran advocate in Mt. Greenwood

- Mary Rita Klees, matriarch of the Klees Golf Shop

- Matt Hooker, beloved Mount Carmel wrestling coach

- Rev. George McKenna, former pastor at St. Barnabas

- Jack Becker, Navy veteran and lifelong St. Christina parishioner

- Dr. Robert Dolehide, who had an office at 112th and Western

- James Heffernan, founding member of the South Side Irish Parade Committee

Local Residents Honored

- Tim Noonan, the North Beverly man who headed the effort to restore a World War I monument in the Dan Ryan Woods, was the Grand Marshal of the Memorial Day Parade down Longwood Drive.

- Bob Sheehy was honored by his alma mater Leo High School for a lifetime of giving.

- Tommie Harris, a Beverly bungalow owner, was honored by the Chicago Bungalow Association for his gardening creativity. He won the 2019 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for best landscape design in the city.

New Neighborhood Businesses

- Two Mile Coffee Bar Inside The 95th Street Train Station

- Grant's Wonderburger Returns

- City Grange

- Keir Foot & Ankle Specialists

- Peace Of Pizza

- Sunrise Restaurant

- Midwest Express Clinic

Gone But Not Forgotten

- Klees Golf Shop

- Ellie's Café

- Bookie's Getting Rid Of Their Old Location

- SXU's Regina Hall Demolished

Old And New

- Remember the 10-year challenge? Here's the one we put together for 111th Street back in January.

Been Here Forever

- We did a profile on the Kean Bros. gas station at 111th and Talman, a longtime business that's believed to be the only full-service gas station in the city of Chicago and anywhere nearby.

The Year's Best Celebrations

- South Side Irish Parade (Marriage Proposal Caught On Video)

- Breast Cancer Walk Draws Thousands To Beverly

- Juneteenth Celebration Comes To Beverly

- Beverly Hills Tennis Club Celebrates 100th Anniversary

- St. Cajetan held an all-school reunion in September.

'Event Of The Year'

- The Papa Hops 16'' Softball Tournament was an upset winner in our 'Event of the Year' showdown held on Twitter. The mid-summer one-day softball tournament that raises money for the Tom Hopkins Foundation beat out the BAPA Home Tour, South Side Irish Parade and Beverly Breast Cancer Walk head-to-head in a bracket-style tournament.

Best Pizza

This year, Palermo's won our best pizza poll. They beat out Wiseguys, S&T, Rosangela's and Milano's head-to-head in another bracket-style tournament.