SCHERERVILLE – Bold colors, miniskirts and go-go boots were all the rage in 1965, when the Altar and Rosary Society at Our Lady of Grace in Highland hosted its first fashion show, but none of them were on display when the Parish Life Committee revived the annual fundraiser.
While Carson, Pirie & Scott may have been the first source of the fashions, “I remember Highland Department Store providing the clothing, and later a Lansing, Ill. store,” recalled Carol Hus, current president of the Altar and Rosary Society, which hosted the event for about five years. “It was a lot of work, finding a store to help us out, and getting models to volunteer, which was hard to do.”
Hard work is what greeted parishioner Liz Al-Akel when she briefly revived the fashion show in 2000, later handing it over to the Home and School Association, which kept the fashion show going for at least two more years. After another hiatus, the Parish Life Committee wanted to host a fundraiser for Our Lady of Grace this year and brainstormed ideas, said Al-Akel, “We decided bringing the fashion show back would be the best idea, and Father Brian (Chadwick, pastor) was excited about it. Elegance Wedding and Formal Wear had just opened in 2000 and provided the fashions that year, so we’re so happy they agreed to work with us again, as did Dunhill Tuxedos.”
“We are trying to promote community, support for our schools and fund beautiful things for the sacraments; all of the proceeds will go to the parish for whatever the biggest needs are,” added Al-Akel.
In attendance with Hus on April 26 at Andorra Banquets were three other Altar and Rosary Society members from the 1960’s, Dolores Smolen, Mary Balestra and Shirley Scanlon, all of whom applauded efforts to resurrect the fundraiser.
Smolen remembers playing the piano for the first fashion show, while Scanlon recalls hosting one of the early events at a Dolton, Ill. hall “that held a lot of people.”
Those were the days, added Hus, “when you couldn’t get a seat at Sunday Mass, and we had 7, 9 and 11 a.m. Masses and another at 4:30 p.m. The parish had two priests. The Altar and Rosary Society also hosted a Christmas bazaar and two rummage sales each year, and we gave $25-30,000 annually to the parish.”
“I am a parishioner, and I go to all the fundraisers to support the parish,” said Balestra.
The fashion show offered a kind of reunion for parish families, attracting all ages. Ten-year-old Alek Al-Akel, dapper in a tuxedo he modeled during the show, got some tips from his father, Jordan Al-Akel, who modeled in the past. “I told him to remember to smile and enjoy it,” the elder Al-Akel said of his fourth-grader, who admitted he’d rather be wearing his prized Michael Jackson-style jacket.
Modeling “spirit wear” from their high schools, including letter winner jackets, were Isabella Ruiz, an Andrean High School sophomore from Hammond, and Tessa Boyer, a Bishop Noll Institute sophomore from Highland. Both serve as ambassadors, Student Council members and athletes at their respective schools.
“What I like about Andrean is that it is really a family,” said Ruiz, whose favorite subject is English. “It’s small, and everybody knows each other.”
Boyer, who favors Math, praised Noll for its’ “very healthy energy. It’s very accepting of everyone.”
Another family well-represented was the Kaptur clan, including Renee Kaptur Rotatori, who attended OLG school, and her sisters-in-law, Sue Kaptur, of Munster, and Jackie Kaptur, of Valparaiso. “My mom is (still) a parishioner, and it’s good to support my school,” said Rotatori.
In addition to the fashion show emceed by Bobbie Halas, a Parish Life Committee member, the program included lunch, raffles, door prizes and vendors.
With more than 100 tickets sold, Liz Al-Akel was pleased with the support shown by her faith community. “Hopefully, next year will bring even more people,” she said optimistically. “We want to make this an annual, or biannual event.”
“I’m here today to enjoy the memories,” said Smolen with a smile.
Caption: Jordan Al-Akel and his son, Alek distribute their raffle tickets, hoping to win a prize, at the Spirit of Spring Fashion Show hosted by the Parish Life Committee at Our Lady of Grace in Highland, on April 26 at Andorra Banquets in Schererville. Alek, a fourth grader at Southridge Elementary School in Highland, modeled the tuxedo he is wearing. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
