🌱 Former Fire Chief Dies + Softball Player Earns State Honors

Welcome to the weekend, Oak Park and River Forest! In today's Daily:

• An Oak Parker was just chosen to help lead Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign.
• River Forest Public Library officials named a new board member.
• A Pride party, flea market and more events are on the weekend calendar.

But first, today's weather: Partly sunny and hot. High: 91 Low: 71.

Here are the top 3 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. Former River Forest Fire Chief Russ Nummer died last weekend at age 70. His memorial will be held tomorrow in Forest Park. (VRF)

2. Former Oak Parker Sheila Nix will serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign chief of staff, the Sun-Times reports. She previously served in the role when President Joe Biden was vice president. She was also Dr. Jill Biden’s chief of staff during the Obama administration. (Paid source: Sun-Times)

3. The Illinois Softball Coaches Association named OPRF High Schooler Elyssa Hasapis to its all-state team earlier this month. The sophomore led the Huskies to third place in Class 4A. (Paid source: Tribune)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Head to the Oak Park Farmers Market outside Pilgrim Church. (7 a.m.)
• Studio 8 hosts a flea market in Forest Park. (10 a.m.)
• The Village of Oak Park hosts a Pride Party. (11 a.m.)
• Join the Berwyn Pride Walk. (1 p.m.)
• A Patriotic Pops Concert is held at Concordia University. (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park spoke to NPR this week about the most recent legislative session. (NPR)
• River Forest Public Library officials appointed Kosha Baxi Carstens to the board this month, the Village of River Forest announced. (VRF)
• More than 500 people attended the GreenTown Conference at Triton College this week. (VRF)
• The Oak Park and River Forest High School Film Festival will host a free screening of 10 student films Monday at Lake Theatre. (OPRFHS)
• Three Oak Park events are included in WBEZ’s guide to summer in Chicagoland. (WBEZ)
• The Oak Park and River Forest Garden Walk will be held tomorrow. (Patch)

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Featured events:

• An Afternoon of Blues with Pierre Lacocque and Mississippi Heat (June 25)
• D&D Jazz Duo at Q-BBQ - June 27 (June 27)
• "Music to Dine By" with Doug Lalli at Tre Sorelle (July 1)
• Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th (July 4)
• Add your event

You're all caught up! Have a great 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 writing has been recognized with awards from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.