Berwyn, IL -

It’s made international news since it was reported by the Life that the owners of the Cermak Plaza would be removing the famed Berwyn Spindle to make room for a new Walgreens store. Since then, the Berwyn Arts Council, a volunteer and self-funded organization, has been trying to save the beloved piece of architecture made famous in the movie “Wayne’s World,” according the group’s chairman Jon Fey.

Q: Why is the spindle important to Berwyn?
A: The spindle is an important part of Berwyn’s culture and it fits in with the mission with the Berwyn Arts Council to advocate for art and culture. It’s such a perfect piece. Art is a wonderful idea and something that’s important ... to the economic viability of Berwyn.

Q: What does the council hope to accomplish?

Jon Fey Chairman, Berwyn Arts Council 60 Owner of SWF Products in Berwyn jjfey@berwynartscouncil.org

A: We’re working with the stakeholders, that being the plaza owners, Walgreens and the city ... Walgreens to a lesser extent. We’d like to work with them to make sure that the Spindle will be put back up. It will need to be moved. Keeping it where it (currently) is doesn’t seem to be an option. It could stand to be restored and this is an opportunity to put it in a better place and restore it and make it an even better contribution to culture.

Q: What has the council been doing to promote the campaign?
A: We put a petition on www.berwynartscouncil.org. We’re getting a lot of feedback from individuals who are excited to see the Spindle stay. We’re seeing a tremendous amount of passion about it.

Q: Where should the spindle be relocated to?
A: It definitely needs to stay in the parking lot and that’s the intention of the of the plaza owners. I believe they’re open to it. There are some money issues, but public donations might make it less. We’re in the process of raising money to get the Spindle put back up.