Blog | Linda Borromeo

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They Never Wearied of Stories: Discover a Surprising Children's Library

May 6, 2018
4 min

They Never Wearied of Stories: Discover a Surprising Children's Library

What can the height of a table tell you? Walking into a special children's library of long ago, a small table could tell you a surprising story. At the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Children's Building housed a garden playground on the roof, a wondrous collection of toys from different lands, and a library filled with treasures. And, in that welcoming library, low tables stood at the best height for children to use. Scattered across the tables were bright, current

Fairy Lamps on the Wooded Island

Mar 2, 2018
3 min

Fairy Lamps on the Wooded Island

For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. (Song of Solomon 2:11-12 ESV) What makes light so powerful? Light just seems to make many things feel more hopeful and promising. At the Chicago World's Fair, a beautiful kind of light was remembered by many who attended the Exposition in 1893. In an island world apart from the main Fair, the Wooded Isl

Finding the World in 21 Days: Helen Keller Goes to the Fair

Nov 9, 2017
5 min

Finding the World in 21 Days: Helen Keller Goes to the Fair

There are so many ways to experience the world—watching the flight of a bird—hearing the wings sing—speaking to a friend about what we've seen and heard...all become part of our memories. But each person participates in the world differently. When a high fever shattered Helen Keller's ability to see and hear, the walls of her world closed in...until she found a new direction. I've been thinking about Helen's story as a character named Gretchen becomes an important part of my

A Spanish Princess, a Glass Dress and a Creative Gamble

Aug 5, 2017
5 min

A Spanish Princess, a Glass Dress and a Creative Gamble

Cinderella's fairy godmother created glass slippers with just a flick of her wand. She would have needed to work overtime, however, to create something even more fanciful: a glass dress. Actually, there were two glass dresses—fashioned for an American actress and a Spanish princess—during the enchanted reign of the White City. In 1893, the White City contained a treasure trove of fascinating exhibits from all over the world. They were housed in magnificent or whimsical buildi

A Lighthouse Fights Bureaucracy at the Chicago World's Fair

Oct 21, 2016
4 min

A Lighthouse Fights Bureaucracy at the Chicago World's Fair

Driving down the highway, I'm always intrigued when a moving house rolls by me. Propped on the back of a trailer-truck, with a sign proclaiming "oversized load," the home being transported looks large and somehow vulnerable at the same time. As I travel along behind the house, watching for a safe opening to pass, I wonder— What special meaning does the house have to the person moving it? Why couldn't they bear to leave it behind? I've never found out the answers to those ques