🌱$4M Green Proposal For OPRF + National Cinema Day + Church Names

Welcome to the long weekend, Oak Park and River Forest. Here's a quick guide to the latest local news.

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First, today's weather: A t-storm around in the p.m. High: 85 Low: 66.

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Here are the top 5 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. The Oak Park Department of Public Health reported 103 new cases of COVID-19 in the village this week. That number is up by only one case from last week's count. (VOP)

2. A potential plan to convert portions of OPRF High School to geothermal energy could cost more than $4 million, Wednesday Journal reports. The board of education plans to vote on the subject at is Sept. 8 meeting. (Wednesday Journal)

3. St. Giles and St. Catherine-St. Lucy will host two meetings for parishioner input on the combined community’s new name. An in-person option is Sept. 10, with a virtual meeting Sept. 14. (St. Giles)

4. The “Tour de Proviso” bike ride will run through Riverside this year on Oct. 1. Registration is now open for the third annual event, which took place in parts of Oak Park and River Forest last fall. (Landmark)

5. The Historical Society of Forest Park is selling scarecrow kits for its October “Invasion of the Scarecrows” event. Proceeds benefit the historical society and the Forest Park Arts Alliance. Other area organizations are gearing up to “own Halloween” next month, with Casket Races and book events. (Forest Park Review)9

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• It’s National Cinema Day! Visit Lake Theatre for $3 tickets to any screening in any format. (Showtimes)
• Bring broken items to Fox Center for its monthly Repair Cafe. (10 a.m.)
• The Historical Society of Forest Park offers a tour of the Haymarket Martyrs Monument & Radical Row. (11 a.m.)
• Take a guided wellness walk in Thatcher Woods. (1 p.m.)
• Trailside Museum acknowledges International Vulture Awareness Day with a family program. (1:30 p.m.)
• The Cernan Earth and Space Center at Triton College hosts a Led Zeppelin-themed laser light show. (8:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Ascension Catholic Church is collecting diapers and baby wipes to support charities in Cicero, Maywood and Berwyn. (Ascension)
• It’s the final day to enter the Oak Park Farmers’ Market Pie Bake-Off, which will be held Sept. 17. (VOP)
• Barriefest will be held one week from today in Barrie Park, featuring food vendors, music and activities in support of Takeout 25 and the South East Oak Park Community Organization. (Takeout 25)
• Trinity High School is offering a Studio Art Experience for local seventh and eighth graders next weekend. (Trinity)

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That's all for today! I hope you have a safe, healthy Labor Day weekend.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Oak Park-River Forest Daily? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.