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4 | July 12, 2018 | The tinley junction News
tinleyjunction.com
benches
From Page 3
is made with plywood, fiberglass
resin, glow-in-thedark
paint, acrylic paints
and canvas. It also features
solar-powered lighting,
Woodman said.
“You can sit in the spoon
[located on the back of the
bench] and be a spoon full of
sugar,” Woodman said.
Tinley Park resident and
retired art teacher Nick
Schulien has created more
than 40 benches for the project
throughout the past 14
years. In fact, “bench season,”
as his family refers to
it, has become a full family
affair, with both of his
daughters — Jennifer Lilly
and Becca Zavala, of Oak
Forest — participating.
“My daughter [Lilly]
came up with the idea for
‘Little Shop of Horrors.’ … I
came up with ‘Snow White’
because it was the first Disney
musical,” he said.
Zavala added: “It’s just
something we all do when
it’s bench season. We all go
and help and do whatever we
can to help.”
The family team created
the “Little Shop of Horrors”
bench, which was created
using plywood, paint, clear
plastic sheeting, indoor/
outdoor carpeting, cloth,
stuffing, two-by-fours, and
chicken wire.
Taking inspiration from
her father, Lilly works with
the family team, but also
creates her own benches.
She has made more than 30
benches in the past 13 years,
she said.
“I saw my dad doing it
growing up, and it looked
like a lot of fun,” Lilly said.
“It was something I had
never done before, I had
never worked with wood,
I had never cut something
or screwed something, so it
was a challenge.”
In addition to her contribution
to the family’s bench,
Lilly made two additional
benches for this year’s project.
The first is a “Moana”-
Winners in 2018 included (left to right) Becca Zavala, Mary Fry, Jennifer Lily, Nick Schulien,
Michael Woodman, Sherri Bartolini Ordaz, Renee Gill, and Michele Owens.
themed bench made from
plywood, paint, two-byfours,
indoor/outdoor carpeting,
artificial flowers,
canvas, fabric, greenery and
insulating foam.
The second bench she created
was a “Shrek”-themed
bench, which was made with
plywood, paint, canvas and
greenery.
Yet, one of the best parts
of creating the benches is
seeing how the community
reacts to them.
“You know they are impacted
by them by seeing
how they react,” Schulien
said. “ … It does affect
people, and that’s what you
want.”
Schulien said he’s going
to keep creating benches as
long as he can.
This year, Schulien also
created two benches in addition
to the “Little Shop of
Horrors.” “Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs” highlights
the princess and her
friends. The bench was made
with stuffing, cloth, fake fur
and ribbon.
He also made the “Hercules”
bench, which was made
using cloth, concrete tubes,
plastic and foam.
“It’s something exciting
and challenging every
year because the theme is
different every year and you
try to come up with something
truly different,” he said.
The Music at the Plaza was
yet another success, drawing
a crowd of friends, family
and neighbors together for
an affordable night out.
“It’s a cheap night out that
brings families together with
the community,” Brady said.
“They set up their chairs and
blankets, some people even
will set up tables.”
Donna Framke, marketing
director for the Village
of Tinley Park, added, “This
is the kind of stuff that
makes our community our
community.”
Five Guys Named Moe,
a Chicagoland area band,
performed a variety of classic
rock hits covering artists
such as Bon Jovi, Aerosmith
and Styx.
“With our new music
branding, we’ve amped up
the quality of the bands,”
Framke said.
Sitting in their lawn
chairs with a blanket spread
out on the ground for their
two sons — Andrew, 7,
and Ryan, 4 — Tinley Park
residents Brenda and Dave
Radziwon bring their family
to the concerts regularly.
“Everybody has a good
time,” Brenda Radziwon
said. “There’s lots of family
and lots of kids. For the
last three years we’ve been
coming. Usually, we meet
with our neighbors and
hang out with them, but it’s
a fun time. The boys love it,
they get to play with other
kids.”
The Village of Tinley Park
is to host its annual Downtown
Tinley Block Party
on Sunday, July 15, from
noon to 7 p.m. along Oak
Park Avenue from 171st to
Hickory streets. The theme
for this year’s block party
is “‘80s Life Amplified.”
For more information about
the Downtown Tinley Block
Party, visit TinleyPark.org/
SpecialEvents.
Addy Wheaton, 3, and her brother Jimmy, 4, of Tinley Park,
share a pizza as they await the announcement of the 2018
Benches on the Avenue winners.
Georganna Jeffrey (left), Hayden Nichols (middle), and
Jennifer Preusser, all of Joliet, dance to the music of Five
Guys Named Moe at Tinley Park’s Zabrocki Plaza.
2018 Benches on the
Avenue Award Winners
This year, seven awards
were given to local
artists who participated
in the project. The
following awards were
given on Saturday
evening:
• The Best First-Time
Artist Award was
presented to T.F South
High School Art Club
for its “Journey to
Neverland” bench based
off of “Peter Pan.”
• The Best Group/Family
Project Award went to
Sherrie Bartolini Ordaz
and Michael Woodman
for their “Tuppence a
Bag” bench based off of
“Mary Poppins.”
• The Best Use of
Materials Award was
presented to Jennifer
Lilly for her “Moana”-
themed bench.
• The Best Portrayal
of Theme Award was
presented to Nick
Schulien for his “Snow
White & the Seven
Dwarfs” bench.
• The Most Creative
Award went to Raye Ann
Saunoris for her “Jungle
Beat” bench.
• The Best 3-D Bench
Award was presented
to Nick Schulien for his
“Hercules” bench.
• The Judges’ Choice
Award went to the
“Little Shop of Horrors”
bench created by Nick
Schulien, Jennifer Lilly
and Becca Zavala.
The winning artists
received a plaque and
a cash prize from the
Village of Tinley Park.