Jean Fitz’s Weblog

As described in my previous post, I am slowly gathering models/themes for the 2009 Chicago Cemetery Calendar. Thank you to all who have expressed interest thus far. There is plenty of room left for your idea so let’s hear them, folks! You can talk the talk but can you walk the graveyard walk?…

Here is what I have confirmed so far:

Haskel: Chester Gould (Creator of Dick Tracey–pictured above.)

Brianna: Inez Clark (little girl in Graceland)

Natasha: Emma Goldman (anarchist)

Bob and Tanja: Ignaz Schwinn (Schwinn bicycles)

Scarlett (and maybe David S.?)-Circus Clowns…Mandy, you want in on this too? There is no limit on participating clowns. We can fit all you clowns in the polka-dot car actually. (HA!) The proposed photo shoot is not until August 3rd though. Plenty of time to work on your sad face clown costume and juggling skillzzzz.

Mrs. O’Leary’s cow has not claimed itself yet. Can you believe it? Will we end up crafting this cow costume by hand?

As many people have already heard, I am putting together a 2009 Calendar in a similar spirit as the 2008 Calendar. The polka-dot car will be featured in every month as we did last year but it will be placed strategically with various Chicago Gravestones. Yes, graves. This is where I need your help. I am now recruiting models for each month of the year. In a very respectful, celebratory manner, we will be recreating the character buried approximately six feet under our feet. I will drive you in your costume with props to our chosen location for the picture and in return you get a 2009 Calendar. Sweet deal, right?

(Pictured above is the stylish Natasha at Mies Van Der Rohe’s sleek grave site in Graceland Cemetery last November.)

Here are some pre-selected burials to ponder:

1. CHESTER GOULD-creator of comic strip Dick Tracey, buried in Oakland Cemetery in Woodstock, IL. (a bit of a hike but if you can rock the Dick Tracey outfit, you’re in.)

2. MRS. O’LEARY-yes, the one whose cow started the great Chicago fire. You’ve pretty much got the part if you have a cow costume and a lantern. She’s in Mt. Olivet on the Southside.

3. CHARLES COMISKEY- White Sox guy in Calvary Cemetery in Evanston. This cemetery is very close to a good place to eat chocolate. I’m just saying.

4. HAREY CAREY-buried in All Saints in Des Plaines. Big glasses and a microphone anyone?

5. CLARENCE and GRACE HEMINGWAY- yup, Ernest’s parents are in Forest Park at the Forest Home/German Waldheim Cemetery. Forest Park is a neighboring suburb of Oak Park. And Oak Park is where Mr. Hemingway was known to have said, “is a place of broad lawns and narrow minds.”–or something like that.

6. EMMA GOLDMAN-anarchist who could only get back into the country dead. The fabulous Natasha may have already claimed this rebel rouser as her chosen character. She’s got Russian connections ‘n stuff. This rebel rouser’s final resting place is also in Forest Park near the aforementioned broad lawns. Poor Emma.

7. 4 HORSE DRIVER/BALDY- and while we’re in Forest Park, we could go to Woodlawn Cemetery and recreate the circus from 1918. This famous story can be found here about the Circus train crash that killed scores of Circus performers. There is a mourning elephant statue commemorating the victims. Sad Clown anyone?

8. FRANK & PETER GUSENBURG-gangsters killed at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. I think it’s in ‘gangster row’ in Irving Park Cemetery. I know a few good gangster get-ups from last year, hmmm?

9. DINAH WASHINGTON-jazz legend in Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip.

10. INEZ CLARKE-in Graceland (the King of Kings when it comes to Cemeteries). This legendary and perhaps haunted grave site has a glass-encased statue of this 6 year old girl. It could be our spookiest one yet.

11. CIVIL WAR MONUMENT (in St. Boniface perhaps?)-I have some possible recruits willing to display their stage combat skills with swords and stuff. That one is in the works.

12. ???

There are 12 months to fill but this should get us started. Respond quickly to secure a spot in the Calendar!!! Here are some great websites to start your own searches: Graveyards of Illinois: www.graveyards.com

findagrave.com

Tuesday, 1:00 am.

Here is a portion of a handwritten moving sale notice. It was taped to the wall at the laundromat. I tore a portion of the writing while trying to keep the main message in tact. I just needed this little bit. I looked up the strange characters in an old handwriting analysis book. Much like a dream interpretation book, it is full of more generalizations than I am usually comfortable with…at any rate, I looked up this overlapping coiling motion this writer did, particularly in the o’s and d’s. This poor writer is just trying to sell a set of tables and chairs and here I am scrutinizing the shape of their letter d.

Here’s what the book said:

Or maybe it more closely resembled this:

Well, there you go. If you want those table and chairs, you’ll have to live with the fact that the previous owner had  narcissistic tendencies, or maybe extreme autoerotism, and could have been dishonest.

…extra irony points if you connected the keyboard in the background to the handwritten letters in the first picture.