🌱 Patch AM: Oak Park Conservatory A 'Hidden Gem' In The Community: Best Of 2025

Greetings Oak Park! We’re your go-to source for what’s happening in town. Read on to get plugged in! ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Why neighbors call Oak Park Conservatory one of town’s hidden gems
• How will Oak Park’s bigger arts and tourism budget affect you?

Also on today's calendar: Lunch & Learn and 9 more events.

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Oak Park? Post it to Oak Park photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: The doctor told me to drink carrot juice after a hot bath. - Did it help? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Wednesday: Fog in the a.m.; partly sunny, with a high of 36 and low of 31 degrees.
• Thursday: Windy with rain, then cooler, temps: high: 47, low: 17. ⛄️ Brr!
• Friday: Colder; breezy in the morning, with a high of 29 and low of 24 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Oak Park Conservatory A 'Hidden Gem' In The Community: Best Of 2025 (patch.com) — Oak Park residents are celebrating the Oak Park Conservatory as a peaceful, educational retreat and one of the village’s hidden gems in Patch’s Best of 2025 series. A local nominator praises its plant education programs, spring plant sale, and cozy winter refuge, inviting neighbors and families to visit, learn, and simply relax among the greenery.
   

• Oak Park increases funding for tourism, arts (oakpark.com) — Oak Park’s village board has boosted 2026 funding for both the Oak Park Area Arts Council and the newly rebranded Explore Oak Park and Beyond, strengthening local arts and tourism. The arts council plans more grants, scholarships, markets, and murals, while the tourism agency will keep promoting Oak Park and neighboring suburbs using increased hotel tax revenue.
   

📸 Around Oak Park

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Oak Park

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Saturday January 3

• Lunch & Learn
  West Central SDA Church, 1154 Wisconsin Ave, Oak Park
  12:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Wednesday December 17

• Jimmy Kimmel's Ariel Elias in Oak Park for One Night Only
  Comedy Plex Comedy Club , 1128 Lake St Lower Level , Oak Park
  7:30 pm

Friday December 19

• This week, holiday food events delivered to you from Bittersweet, Manny's Deli, Urbanbelly, & more!
  3:00 pm
• Candlelight Oak Park: Christmas Pop Classics
  Arts Center , 200 N Oak Park Ave , Oak Park
  6:30 pm
• Jazz Prayer - Where Jazz Meets Spirit
  Good Shepherd Lutheran Church , 611 Randolph St , Oak Park
  7:10 pm
• Comedian Pares Ratliff: The Last Truth Tellers
  Comedy Plex Comedy Club , 1128 Lake St Lower Level , Oak Park
  10:00 pm

Saturday December 20

• Snoopy Holiday Sip and Paint Art Class
  Toast To Paint , 7185 W Bloomingdale Ave , Chicago
  7:00 pm

Sunday December 21

• Hoiday Sing Along Concert with Gingerbread House Decorating
  Unity Oak Park Spiritual & Family Center , 405 N Euclid Ave , Oak Park
  9:00 am

Monday December 22

• Tis the season!
  The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association , 178 Forest Ave #1 , Oak Park
  1:15 pm

Wednesday December 24

• Enjoy a Jazzy Xmas Eve Dinner with Doug Lalli
  4:00 pm
• FREE Open Mic Comedy & Wise Cup Coffee
  Comedy Plex Comedy Club , 1128 Lake St Lower Level , Oak Park
  8:00 pm

Sunday December 28

• Dixon's Violin LIVE!
  Greenhouse Theater Center , 2257 N Lincoln Ave , Chicago
  4:00 pm

📣 Oak Park Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Oak Park PatchAM possible:

• Laurie Christofano, Realtor | RE/MAX In The Village — (630) 248-1976
  Moving doesn’t have to be overwhelming…
• Doug Lalli - Jazz Musician, Composer and Teacher — (708) 228-7150
  Call 708-228-7150 to arrange for your first FREE lesson!
• Art Studio 928 - Oak Park, IL — (312) 371-9526
  From Team Off-Sites to Parties – Host It at Studio 928!
• Doug Lalli - Pianist/Composer/Teacher — (708) 228-7150
  Call 708-228-7150 to arrange for your first FREE lesson!
• Oak Park Conservatory — (708) 725-2400
  Discover Oak Park’s Hidden Gem – A living world of beauty

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Lou Malnati's Pizzeria posted a job opening for Waitstaff in Oak Park. Apply here.
• MaidPro, Inc. posted a job opening for Housekeeper/Housekeeping in Oak Park. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Oak Park here.

🗞 Nearby News

River Forest

• Nativity scenes, art spotlight immigration (umnews.org)
• Term limits in River Forest confirmed (oakpark.com)
• OPRF, Fenwick hockey revel in big wins (oakpark.com)

Forest Park

• Tech learners celebrate library's hands-on training (forestparkreview.com)
• Yes, inventor of headwalking is buried in Forest Park (forestparkreview.com)

Chicago

Ok Oak Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don’t know. I can never finish drinking the hot bath!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

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