OUR PLACE
Yerkes Observatory is open for public tours once again.
Lack of support from the University of Chicago resulted in its closing, leaving many wondering if the future included access to the building and the knowledge and history it holds. The Yerkes family, that ownership of the building and scope reverted to when the University of Chicago closed the place, got big checks to go away, according to confidential sources. The intelligentsia quickly moved in, formed a 501 (3) c corporation (the Yerkes Future Foundation), and went at taking over.
Many remarkable scientists have worked at Yerkes or with collaborators here, including Albert Einstein and Edwin Hubble. The staff of the Yerkes will be conducting public tours starting Friday, May 27, 2022. Yerkes Future Foundation has worked on restoring the magnificent buildings and grounds. Historical artifacts have been gathered and added to the collection of the already existing items inside. Since 1897 Yerkes Observatory has played a leading role in astrology and is the home of the great refractor telescope. Tours will include guides, who will talk about the history of Yerkes, architecture, astronomical research, and the universe.
Tours will take place Thursday through Monday, costing between $34.00 to $38.00 per person. For more information and how to book a tour go to yerkesobservatory.org. The Yerkes has changed a lot since it went extinct and then the bones were found, cleaned and the ‘animal’ of an observatory brought back to a sort of life. Tours, for example, used to be free. Modern life is more expensive than the Jurassic period, however.
The people who are running the Yerkes, except for Queen Diane, are wonderful. Because of how everything was done with the changes that occurred at the observatory, Queen Diane is not a fan of the GSR, nor is the GSR a fan of hers. The $38.00 charge is just another example of her influence. Another is the special discount for military personnel, and that rate is $34.00. Really, what a break! Thank you for your service. How about the $78.00 ‘oligarch’ tour where “the adventurous” can explore the dusty closets and abandoned laboratories in the old basement of the place?
Memorial Day is an American Holiday observed on the last Monday of May.
The day is more than a kickoff to summer celebration, originally is about honoring the men and women who have died while serving in the US military. The day is observed by visiting cemeteries or memorials, family gatherings, and participating in parades. Each year on Memorial Day at 3 p.m. a national moment of remembrance takes place. Lake Geneva will be honoring the fallen with a Memorial Day Parade with a moment of reflection afterward. The parade starts at 10 a.m. and runs along Broad Street ending on Wrigley Drive in Flat Iron Park. Have a safe Memorial Day, enjoy the season, gather with your friends and family, and take a moment to remember.
Gooseberries, located on State Street in Burlington, has been sold.
The owners of Gooseberries Fresh Food Market announced that they are selling the store to an out-of-town grocery chain based in Illinois. The store has been owned by the Spiegelhoff family since 2006 and cited the changes in the grocery business along with current supply challenges as the reason for wanting to sell. The sale came a few months after the Spiegelhoff family purchased the property from the former owners of the Piggly Wiggly in that location. The Spiegelhoffs had been leasing the property until this past January when they finally purchased the store and land.
Gooseberries is being purchased by Berkot’s Super Foods, a company that already has sixteen stores, just over the border from Wisconsin in Illinois. Berkot’s offers a bigger variety of products than Gooseberries, including more fresh meats. Berkot’s also works to embrace the communities it’s in by supporting local churches, scout troops, and more. The company claims it is focused on serving the community and taking care of its employees. The new owners of Gooseberries indicated that they would retain the current staff of Gooseberries. Hopefully, only positive changes are in Gooseberries’ future that store location will remain a favorite of so many. No matter what the facility will be like after the changes, the traditional quality, personality, and great service of the old Gooseberries will be missed.
