🌱 Fall Fests Planned + Bob Newhart Honored + Board To Meet In Person

Good morning! Thanks for reading this first September edition of the Oak Park-River Forest Daily. As we start a new month, please remember that my inbox is always open at georgi.presecky@patch.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Daily, what you enjoy about it and how we can improve it. Thanks! Now let's get to the news.

First, today's weather: Mostly sunny and very warm. High: 89 Low: 72.

🏡 Attention, real estate pros in Oak Park-River Forest! We're now offering an exclusive sponsorship opportunity for an agent interested in attracting local clients and standing apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

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

1. Infrastructure improvements are on the way for Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest. Thanks to an Illinois Department of Transportation plan, "various bridge replacement projects, sidewalk accessibility and traffic signal improvements” are in the works through 2028. (Forest Park Review)

2. The Oak Park Village Board will return to in-person meetings this month. Trustees have not met in person since March 2020. A September meeting date has not yet been announced. (Wednesday Journal)

3. Oak Park native Bob Newhart will turn 93 on Monday. The Edgewater Historical Society will honor the iconic comedian with a commemorative street sign near the Thorndale Beach North Tower, which was used as the exterior shot for his character’s apartment in “The Bob Newhart Show.” (Paid source: Tribune)

4. Several fall festivals are on the calendar in the area this month. Oktoberfests are planned in Oak Park and Berwyn. Other upcoming events include a Convivencia Hispanic Heritage Month Festival, Barriefest, Fall Fest and Ribfest in Forest Park. (Park District)

5. “Stranger Things” fans, take note: the Maze branch of the Oak Park Public Library will transform into Hawkins, Indiana for a night next week. The Sept. 9 after-hours event will include games, photo ops, costumes and prizes. (Library)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Tween Tasters at River Forest Public Library. (3:30 p.m.)
• “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.” opens at Lake Theatre. (5 p.m.)
• It's Back-to-School Night at Oak Park & River Forest High School. (6 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A new mural paying tribute to Betty White’s Oak Park roots has been completed on North Boulevard. “I hope it just makes everybody happy when they see it,” artist Sara Jean Stevens said. (Wednesday Journal)
• Dominican University graduate Eugene Giudice was named a fellow of the Special Libraries Association. (DU)
• Voting is open through Sept. 7 for Brookfield Zoo’s photo contest. (Brookfield Zoo)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Laurie Christofano, Realtor | RE/MAX In the Village — (Visit website)
• Laura Ruiz, REALTOR® at REALTY OF CHICAGO — (Visit Website)
• Add your business here

Events:

• The BEST BBQ in Chicago is coming! Order Smoque by Wednesday. (September 8)
• Add your event

You're all caught up for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update!

— 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.