From the Publishers Desk...

Straight Forward by Bonnie MacKay

COUNTRY FRESH. I stopped by the Farmers Market in downtown Lombard on my way to the office Tuesday morning and was quite impressed. It was my first trip to the market, but I will return.

I'm pleased to say the market was crowded and quite nice-and people were buying things, not just looking.

There were all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables including peaches, blueberries, corn on the cob, melons and much, much more.

In addition, Gloria's Gourmet Meats offers Illinois farm-raised pork, beef, chicken and turkey. There also were gourmet items, breads, flowers and tasty treats from A La Mode in downtown Lombard.

If you're looking for farm-fresh produce, the Farmers Market is the place to be.

The Farmers Market will be held each Tuesday through Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is located on the southeast corner of St. Charles Road and Elizabeth Street in downtown Lombard.

PURE VINTAGE. While attending a meeting the other night, I spotted something at Yeager Fotografix that I had been anxious to see-a poster reproduction from the 1930-era Lilac Festival.

Without a doubt, the posters are gorgeous.

The Lombard Historical Society has a collection of eight hand-painted promotional posters from the early 1930s, which were created by Chicago artist Charles Medin.

According to a press release from the Lombard Historical Society, Medin, a sculptor, photographer and artist, was the staff artist and assistant art director of the Illinois Central Railroad magazine.

He regularly painted covers for the magazine and did freelance work for organizations and businesses. The press release relates that an original Medin poster was recently offered for sale at a Chicago art studio for $6,000.

Medin not only painted the posters, but he lived in Lombard with his wife and daughter.

The Lombard Historical Society will be offering a new reproduction poster each year during Lilac Time. This year, the first in the series has been reproduced and is now available for sale.

The 1930 poster is done in an art-deco style and features pictures of Lilacia Park with a view of Col. Plum's home in the background.

The prints are available in two sizes: an 11 x 17 poster quality, which is unframed and sells for $20, or a 24 x 36 museum-quality numbered print, which sells for $150 unframed.

Posters may be purchased from the Lombard Historical Society at 630-629-1885 or by visiting the Web site at www.lombardhistory.org. The posters also are available at Yeager Fotografix, 112 W. St. Charles Road, downtown Lombard.