🌱 Vandal Defaces BLM Sign, Pride Flag + Food Truck Rally Planned

Happy Monday! Let's get to today's top stories in Oak Park and River Forest.

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Now, today's weather: Breezy with a t-storm or two. High: 83 Low: 68.

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Are you a parent in Oak Park looking for summer activities for your child? Magical Minds Studio hosts a series of week-long summer art camps for children from PreK through Middle School, from June 13 to August 19th. Programs include puppet making, Legos, ceramics, clay, painting, photography and Outdoor Adventure for middle schoolers. Enroll by May 15 with the code PATCH2022 and receive a 10% discount. To learn more and to see this summer’s schedule visit Magical Minds Studio today.

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Here are the top 4 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. A Black Lives Matter sign and Pride flag were defaced at an Oak Park home Aug. 3, according to police. The vandalism was reported in the 1000 block of South East Avenue. (OPPD)

2. A COVID-19 vaccine clinic will be held tomorrow at Cheney Mansion. All doses of all vaccines will be available for anyone six months or older. (VOP)

3. About 100 residents attended last week’s National Night Out event in Elmwood Park. The evening is designed to bring community members and law enforcement officials together. More than 150 towns across Illinois participated. (Paid source: Elm Leaves)

4. Oak Park resident Paul Seline was featured in the Tribune on the Aug. 6 anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. In a letter, Seline described visiting the city in 2001, shortly after 9/11. “May this anniversary remind us of the enormous human costs of war and the value of peacemaking,” he wrote. (Paid source: Tribune)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Kids K-6 can explore mixed media at Magical Minds Studio. (8 a.m.)
• Garden Story Time at River Forest Public Library. (10 a.m.)
• Salsa and Bachata dance classes are held at Hit It! Fitness. (8:15 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The branzino at Amerikas received rave reviews from Wednesday Journal writer Melissa Elsmo. (Wednesday Journal)
• Trinity High School is seeking young performers for its fall production of “The Wizard of Oz.” (THS)
• Three Proviso East athletes were named All-America cheerleaders earlier this summer. (Forest Park Review)
• Save the date: River Forest will host a Food Truck Rally Aug. 27 in Keystone Park. (Park District)
• Registration is open for next month’s Brookfield Zoo Run. (Zoo)

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Featured businesses:

• Laurie Christofano, Realtor | RE/MAX In The Village — (Visit website)
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Events:

• One-of-A-Kind Meerkat Experience Coming To Oakbrook Center (August 30)
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That's all for Aug. 8! See you tomorrow for more local news.

— 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.