Soon anyone will be able to “hear” what life was like 50 years ago in Joliet and it won’t be from someone reading a book, but from people who lived through some of the hard times of the early 20th century. The Joliet Junior College Library and Joliet Area Historical Museum (JAHM) have teamed to digitize 55 audio recordings that offer first-hand accounts of life in the Joliet area during the first half of the 20th Century. The project, which consists of more than 3,300 minutes of audio cassette reels, was funded by the JJC Foundation, with support from the nonprofit Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago. The audio comes from interviews conducted 50 years ago with residents born near the beginning of the 20th Century. The digitization is an expansion of the library’s recent transcription of the interviews. “Listeners will hear about the hardships faced by individuals and families and also a broader perspective on the Great Depression and the world wars,” said Amy Chellino, archive specialist with the JJC Library. “The interactions are timeless conversations between generations and are reminders of the ephemeral moments we have in our lifetimes.”
Expansion
Parking in downtown Plainfield could get easier
Anyone who has been to downtown Plainfield knows parking is at a premium. Now with the holiday shopping on the horizon, the Plainfield Village Board is considering an intergovernmental agreement that would expand the existing north Des Plaines Street parking lot in the downtown corridor. Allen Persons, public works director, said in April 2020, a developer was considering the demolition of a property at 15024 S. Des Plaines St. and redevelopment of this site. This plan, he adds, included the expansion of the Des Plaines Street parking lot within property owned by the village, Plainfield Township and the developer. “Staff has been informed that this plan will not be moving forward as discussed in 2020,” Persons said Monday.
Rialto Square Theatre awarded $1,426,183 Shuttered Venue Operator's Grant
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was established to assist eligible organizations; local, regional, and national venues, promoters and producers in the effort to reopen after an unprecedented closure due to the pandemic. SVOG is administered by the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance, which includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues.
“The WCMEAA Board would like to thank the City of Joliet for their continued financial support of the Rialto Square Theatre’s operating budget in addition to S.T.A.R. Memberships and patrons. Their support positions us to utilize available funds to address long overdue theatre repair and maintenance as well as one-time capital improvement projects,” said Robert Filotto, WCMEAA Board President.
SVOG funds will be allocated to payroll, utility, insurance, repairs and maintenance, and other operating costs incurred during the pandemic while virtually no event revenues materialized. The Rialto Square Theatre is also facing several long overdue major capital improvement projects, which include:
