Chicago White Sox Reveals FUNdamentals Area on Opening Day
The Chicago White Sox, working with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, approached Chicago Scenic to create several key elements for the White Sox new and improved FUNdamentals area at U.S. Cellular Field. FUNdamentals is a 15,000 sq-ft interactive skills area for kids offering a variety of baseball skills instruction led by the Chicago White Sox Training Academy.

Chicago Scenic provided an interactive racing game that pits the player against an automated life-sized cut-out of Sox left fielder Scott Posednik. The race, from home plate to first base, starts when the player hears an automated “crack” of the bat. The race can be run at various speeds including a major league pace covering the 90’ in 4.2 seconds. The scoreboard mounted at the end of the baseline records Scott’s time, your time and the best time of the day. A larger-than-life catcher’s mitt serves as a back-stop to this interactive.

CSSI also provided a fast pitch area that allows kids to throw baseballs at targets of Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski. The catchers travel in front of the thrower like a carnival shooting game, and hitting the moving catcher causes it to fall over. Two radar guns clock the pitching speed.

CSSI created three pinwheels in a new whiffle ball field overlooking left field. The wheels mirror the pinwheels atop the White Sox scoreboard. They are designed to light up with chasing lights whenever a home run is hit. CSSI designed the pinwheels with remote control capabilities, so the operator has the ability to be anywhere within 150 feet of the pinwheels to activate them.

Senior Project Manager Ken Zommer worked with Dan Polvere of Illinois Sports Facilities Authority and Don Esposito of the White Sox to complete this expansive project. Dan Yuen served as job lead for racing game and pinwheels, while Beth Smith was job lead on the interactive fast pitch. Bronskill & Co. provided the creative development, and HKS was the Architect on this project.

Chicago Gets A Little Sweeter With Hershey's Retail Store
Michigan Avenue just got a little sweeter thanks to Hershey’s Chocolate World. The flagship store offers more than just candy; it offers an experience by surrounding the customer with fabulous sights, smells and entertainment. The 3,600 sq. ft. interactive candy store, located at 820 N. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, celebrated its grand opening July 13, 2005.

Chicago Scenic was contracted by Crane Construction to provide unique specialty retail fixtures and interactives throughout the store. In the “Fill-A-Bucket” area, candy travels from chutes in the wall and down a giant candy funnel before dropping into the shopper’s bucket sitting upon a decorated old-fashioned candy kettle. Project Manager Nate Combs explains, “Our job was to take a plain kettle base and turn it into an exciting, interactive mechanism”. Adding copper and spring-loaded wheels to the base helped achieve the objective. Action poles with chasing lights were also provided to add excitement.

Additional elements to help showcase everything Hershey's include unique retail bins and acrylic-based LED lights that offer an array of shifting colors. Job lead Dave Kaina worked to fabricate and install the items.

U Dawg U Brings Hot Dogs and More to Illinois Tollway Oases
CSSI is helping bring hot dogs, mustard and more to the riders of the Illinois toll road. Chicago based franchise U Dawg U aims to offer authentic, Chicago-style hot dogs in the bright and inviting setting of the seven newly renovated tollway oases.

Gene Shapiro of Vedco Inc. approached CSSI with an initial design concept for the U Dawg U franchise. CSSI Designer Tom Ryan further developed the concept to create the look of an old-style hot dog stand. The result was a stainless-steel, red-canopied Chicago street push cart.
Project Manager Mark Ewing worked with a diligent crew to deliver the main components for the stand including the front counter, support posts, a canopy header designed to allow in natural light, and flex light neon side panels resembling the old push carts. Thus far, three stands have been installed along the tollway with four installations remaining. Luis Salces is the job lead on this on-going project.

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