Art League Honors Activists + Block Parties Are Back

Welcome to the weekend, Oak Park and River Forest! Thanks for reading the Daily this week to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the village.

In today’s Daily, learn more about the Oak Park Art League's new exhibit, summer festivals around Illinois and the "Bike Your Beat" police program returning to the village.

First, today’s weather: Mostly cloudy throughout the day, with a high of 67 and low of 53.

Patch Pick: A new “Craft Beer Trail” launched May 10 in Oak Park in celebration of American Craft Beer Week. Special offers are available at One Lake Brewery, Oak Park Brewing Company, The Wild Onion Tied House and Kinslahger Brewing Company for guests who download the craft beer trail pass from Visit Oak Park. (WGNTV)

Here are the top five stories in Oak Park today:

1. The River Forest Village Board voted unanimously May 10 to allow resident block parties to resume after being suspended in 2020. The events can now operate under a 100-person capacity limit and without official village personnel on site as in past years. “We know they’re a great opportunity for neighbors to get to know each other and get a sense of community,” acting Village Administrator Lisa Scheiner said of the parties, which can take place two weeks after a permit request is submitted. (Oak Leaves)

2. The Oak Park Art League is putting “everyday activists” on display with its new photo installation. Triton College student Tameka Wilson teamed up with Susan Stall from Arbor West Neighbors to interview and photograph locals making a difference, from book club leaders to environmentalists. “My biggest takeaway from this is the majority of our everyday activists don’t see themselves as activists. They saw themselves as everyday people,” Wilson told Michelle Dybal. The exhibit opened yesterday at the Art League’s gallery and will be on display through May 26. (Wednesday Journal)

3. Winifred Haun & Dancers will give an outdoor performance tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Oak Park’s Historic Pleasant Home. Socially-distant groups of 20 will move throughout Mills Park to watch five separate dances in “Finding the Light.” Haun told Pioneer Press reporter Myrna Petlicki that the piece is inspired by the idea that “art helps people find the light,” Haun said. (Oak Leaves)

4. Mark your calendars! The Oak Park Farmers’ Market returns to Pilgrim Church May 22 for its 46th year of service. Mandatory COVID-19 protocols will be in place, including capacity limits and face coverings. Patrons will once again have the option to purchase items online for pick-up at the market, which opens at 7 a.m. (Oak Leaves)

5. Oak Park police are resuming their community policing initiative “Bike the Beat.” Officers will bike in groups around eight designated areas. According to the Village newsletters, officers will stop “at fields, parks and playgrounds to meet with new residents, answer questions about the community, listen to feedback and even register bikes on-site.” The next event is set for May 22. (OP/FYI)

Today in Oak Park:

• Young chefs between the ages of five and 12 can learn recipes and kitchen techniques at the Fox Community Center’s “Creative Cooking” workshop. (9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.)
• Fenwick High School’s varsity baseball team takes on De Le Salle. (11 a.m.)
• OPRF varsity softball plays Willowbrook High School at home. (1 p.m.)
• Enjoy a socially-distanced outdoor performance from the Park District’s youth music and theatre participants in their Spring Showcase at Scoville Park. (2 p.m.)
• Pro Musica Youth Chorus will perform its spring concert virtually, featuring a variety of solo and duet performances. (6 p.m.)

Oak Park Patch Notebook

• Tomorrow is your last chance to catch the Oak Park Festival Theatre’s virtual production of “The Venetians,” an Shakespeare-inspired adaptation Rima Thomson called “refreshingly engaging, clever, funny and commanding.” (Wednesday Journal)
• Fenwick High School alumnus Dr. James Tita wrote a reflection on the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of a frontline healthcare worker. His guest column is in this week’s edition of The Friar Files. (Fenwick High School)
• Oak Park and River Forest High School announced it will undergo asbestos abatement beginning June 1. (OPRFH)
• As more COVID-19 restrictions lift, towns across Illinois are making plans to safely host their summer festivals. Pioneer Press reports which favorites will return, and which are cancelled for the second summer in a row. (Chicago Tribune)

You're all caught up on what's happening today in Oak Park. Feel free to email me at georgi.presecky@patch.com with what you’d like to see here, to share upcoming news and events, or just to introduce yourself! An extra special thank you for the warm welcome I’ve received this week.

As my favorite NPR reporter Kai Ryssdal signs off, “Good as always to have you along.”

-Georgi