Roland Weigt

Interview Date: February 26, 1986
Interview Location: Narrator’s home, 8647 Fernald, Morton Grove
Interviewer: Yvonne Ryden
Duration: 73 minutes

Introduction

Roland Weigt is a photographer and has lived in Morton Grove all his life. His father, Richard, was a well-known carpenter in town.

In this interview, Roland recalls many memories of early Morton Grove. He remembers the volunteer fire department being rallied to a frantic blast of the Poehlmann Brothers greenhouse whistle — the same whistle that was used for starting and quitting time. Summertime picnics stand out to him as the big Sunday occurrence in this community and Morton Grove Days as the event of the whole year.

In the 1920s, Roland’s father was the projectionist at the first and only movie house in Morton Grove on Capulina and Ferris Avenues. They converted to sound movies in the ‘30s, but the business was not profitable due to the Depression. The Weigts then opened the first outdoor movie in Morton Grove supported through local merchant advertising.