by Richard Harris

"Hard to believe," reflects Jon Nordhem. "We're approaching our fourth decade in Lincoln Park." Best of all, Jon and his brother Bill, proprietors of the legendary Four Farthings Tavern and Grill at Lincoln, Dickens and Cleveland Avenues, have no intention of letting up.

"We introduced some new items on the menu and we're beginning to see a youthful changing of the guard in the dining room", Bill observes with assurance that signature items still draw raves. For regulars with longtime cravings for the steaks, chops and seafood, "it's as good as it ever was."

"When we took over in 1981," Jon reminisces," the place was in desperate need of a makeover. The Farthings previously was a shot and a beer joint with sawdust on the floors and perhaps a leftover spittoon. What's currently restaurant seating was a second hand book store with inventory spilling onto the sidewalk. It conjures up a microcosm of Lincoln Park's Bohemian past.

"Slightly more than a decade earlier, right here was where the likes of Abbie Hoffman, Tom Haden , and Jerry Rubin gathered to plot demonstrations for the '68 Democratic Convention," Bill mentions with a hint of irony. The establishment has attracted its share of celebrities over the years including Roger Ebert and fabled journalist Mike Royko. "Mike may be fabled but not what I'd consider saintly," smiles Jon affectionately, and then proceeds to rattle off a roster of colorful guests including Boy George. "He didn't exactly fit in," adds Bill.

One notable example who still returns is Santa, performed distinctively by Mike Duffy. This brings to mind, with the outdoor café furniture retired til next summer, the warmth and good times awaiting Lincoln Parkers inside one of the places that makes our community very special. The board of the Lincoln Central Association offers 3 cheers for 3 delicious decades of The 4 Farthings, and looks forward to many more.