Safe photo fun. Thomas Photographic Studio will do a communitywide photo shoot on Monday, March 26. Owners Angela and Colin Thomas said they will follow COVID-19 physical distancing recommendations for everyone’s safety, but they see the project as an opportunity to be creative, have fun and shed a little pandemic stress. “Because we cannot touch, we will not be posing you. Please plan your own pose. It can be fun, it can be creative, it can be anything you’d like,” according to the TPS website. There is no fee for participating, but those who sign up will get a $1 invoice to verify their registration and the couple will accept tips.
Thank you, thank you! The Chronicle team is grateful for the continued support of readers who are doing what they can to help us keep the news flowing during this crisis. We know all our local businesses are hurting, and it’s very encouraging to see the community rally around. That will help ensure a healthy bounce back when the crisis eases. If you have not contributed but would like to, there is a link on our front page to donate. Thank you!
HF Safari. Across the country, “bear hunts” have popped up to provide a little whimsy to these stressful times. People put stuffed bears (or other critters) in their windows to provide a reassuring sight for passersby. Families can seek out window displays and see how many stuffed animals they can find. On Wednesday, Amy Crump posted a comment in the Chronicle’s COVID-19 survival discussion group asking whether there was interest in starting a local bear hunt. Brittany William dubbed it “HF Safari” and the project was launched. Sarah Austin posted a spreadsheet that participants could use to list their display. Local photographer Sandy Armenteros has been out getting photos of the participating wildlife and posted some this morning.
Case update. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported on Thursday there were 673 new cases of COVID-19 since Wednesday and seven additional deaths, bringing the total confirmed cases to 2,538 and deaths to 26.
Take it seriously! Yesterday, Chicago closed its main walking trails — the lakefront, riverwalk and 606 — and banned contact sports because too many people were ignoring physical distancing requirements of the state’s shelter-in-place order. There have been cases of inappropriate gathering locally, too. Carole Sharwarko wrote a story for the Chronicle that will be posted today about local police efforts to discourage gathering. Homewood Dairy Queen posted a notice on its Facebook page on Thursday saying its back lawn was now out of bounds because too many people were gathering there to socialize after getting ice cream treats.
“While we remain open and committed to serving our community, we ask that you maintain distance in line, get your treats and enjoy them in the privacy of your own homes,” the notice read. “We all need to do our part to flatten the curve and regain normalcy in Home Sweet Homewood.”