Park Forest, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Many events are taking place in Park Forest this week and in the near future. It’s never too soon to start making your plans.
Send information concerning your community activities or events during the upcoming week by e-mail to Rosemary Piser, Associate Editor, with the details. Submission deadline is noon on Friday of each week.
Village of Park Forest Board and Commission Meetings
The following Village Boards and Commissions will meet the week of August 24:
- Housing Authority –Thursday, August 27 at 7 p.m.
All meetings are held at Village Hall, 350 Victory Drive. Residents are encouraged to attend.
Park Forest Scenic 5 and More – September 7
A day full of excitement in Park Forest is just a couple of weeks away. Plan on making Park Forest’s Scenic 5 and More events part of your Labor Day plans. The Park Forest Scenic 5 and More consists of:
- 5 Mile Race;
- 5 Mile Family Bike Ride;
- Competitions at the Aqua Center; and
- 5K Walk of the Central Park Wetlands.
For more information, call 708-8748-2005 or visit Park Forest’s Web site at: www.villageofparkforest.com,
Park Forest Aqua Center
The Aqua Center is now open on an abbreviated end of the season schedule as schools go into session and many staff have returned to college or teaching. Weekday adult and family swim is 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with open swim from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours are Noon to 7 p.m. All daily fees are $5 for the remainder of the season.
Park Forest Health Department, 350 Victory Drive (lower level)
School and “Sports Only” Physicals
Children of Park Forest and the surrounding area who are going into preschool, kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grades are required to have a school physical. A fee of $41 will be charged for Park Forest residents and $46 for non-residents (cash only) on:
- Saturday, August 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and
- Saturday, September 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Appointments are required. To make an appointment or for further information, call 708-748-1118.
Arts and Entertainment
Man of La Mancha Theater & Lunch Senior Trip – Registration Deadline – September 2
On Thursday, October 1 at 11:15 a.m. participants will depart from Freedom Hall and head to the Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana. Lunch will be served before the show and you can choose between roast sirloin of beef or baked cod accompanied with two sides and dessert. Following lunch, sit back and enjoy the Tony Award winning play, Man of La Mancha – the musical based on Cervantes’ Don Quixote. The fee of $58.00 per person includes round-trip coach bus, lunch and the show. Registration deadline is September 2 (tickets are non-refundable). Register in-person at the Recreation and Parks Department of Park Forest Village Hall (350 Victory Drive) or over the phone with a credit card by calling 708-748-2005.
Tall Grass Gallery, 367 Artists Walk, Park Forest
With These Hands – 2009 Sculpture Invitational –Thru September 13
A varied compilation of sculptural works will be shown by artists Joshua Andres, Patrician Bohannon, Louis Greer, John Hansen, Angela Lee, Michele P. Owens, Michael Ruback, Eric Steele, Jan Stewart, Grant White, and Robert Williams. Admission is free to the public. Gallery hours are 11 AM to 4 PM Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 708-748-3377.
Illinois Theatre Center, 371 Artists Way, Park Forest
A Shayna Maidel
Tickets are now on sale for A Shayna Maidel, the opening production of ITC’s 34th season. A Shayna Maidel dramatizes the saga of the Weiss family, Polish Jews whose lives are irrecoverably altered by the Holocaust. The New York Times described this play as “…a powerful, deeply affecting portrait of a family, which conveys the aftermath of the Holocaust through a poignant, imaginatively conceived examination of one divided family’s experience. A tribute to the sustaining power of family and to man’s indominatability.” A Shayna Maidel will open September 25 and run through October 11. Tickets range from $19 – $21. There is a $1 discount for students and senior citizens at all performances. For more information, call 708-481-3510.
Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University
UMOJA Step Show 2009
On Saturday, September 4, UMOJA “U.N.I.T.Y.” Step Show returns to the Center. Hosted by the Joliet Area South Suburban Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the purpose of this event is to raise awareness to the epidemic of gun violence that is taking the lives of our children every day. This safe, fun event for the entire family will be hosted by “the Hot Boyz” Tone and Shag. Funds raised will help support scholarships and other service projects provided by the sorority. The event begins at 7 p.m. with vending starting at 5 p.m. Advance ticket prices are: $25/box seats and $20 all other seats. Ticket prices at the door are: $30/box seats and $25 all other seats. For more information, call 708-235-2222 or visit the Center’s Web site at: http://www.centertickets.net/.
Unbound
Paula Marie Productions presents Unbound, a new, hilarious stageplay written and directed by Stacye V. Clark. Unbound will be presented on Friday and Saturday, September 18 – 19 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, September 20 at 3 p.m. Ticket prices range from $22 – $38. For more information, call 708-235-2222 or visit the Center’s Web site at: http://www.centertickets.net/.
2009 – 2010 Season Subscriptions
Help celebrate the Center for Performing Arts 15 years of touching lives and entertaining audiences in the south suburban area. Performances this season include singer, Jim Brickman, Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin, the Hubbard Street Dance Troop of Chicago, and Whose Live Anyway, featuring comedian Ryan Stiles to name just a few of the diverse events for adults and children of all ages. Subscription and individual tickets are now on sale. Call 708-235-2222 for more information or visit the Center’s Web site at: http://www.centertickets.net/.
Park Forest House Museum, 141 Forest Boulevard (Corner of Forest & Fir)
Relive your childhood memories or show your children/grandchildren what it was like to live in the ‘good old days’ by visiting the Park Forest House Museum. The Museum is open on Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults; children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Group tours are by appointment. Call 708-748-3731.
Educational Lectures
Governors State University (GSU), 1 University Parkway, University Park
Free LSAT Prep Class
GSU is offering a free LSAT preparation class on Mondays, beginning September 21 and ending May 24. The class is from 7:30 p.m. to 10:20 p.m., in room A2202. Class work will focus on the three main areas of the test: reading comprehension, logic reasoning, and analytical reasoning. While many test prep serves charge as much as $1,000 for LSAT prep class, GSU is offering this class at no charge. Advance registration is required and seats are limited. For more information or to register, call 708-235-3963 or e-mail [email protected].
Public Comments Sought
As part of the comprehensive evaluation conducted by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, GSU is seeking public comments about the university. Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the university or its academic programs and should include your name, address, and telephone number of the submitting individual. Comments will not be treated as confidential. Comments may be submitted by October 12, 2009 through the Commission’s Web site at www.ncahlc.org (click File Third-Party Comments) or by mail to:
Public Comments on Governors State University
The Higher Learning Commission
20 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602.
This and That
Kiwanis Pancake Day
The 58th Annual Kiwanis Pancake Day will take place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 26 in DownTown Park Forest. Advance tickets will be available at Village Hall at a price of $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12. Tickets purchased on the day of the event will be $6 for adults and $3 for children.
Thorn Creek Nature Center, 247 Monee Road
Nature Camp for Seniors
On Thursday, August 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, learn the skills you need to teach your grandchildren and the children you mentor about the woods. Discover Thorn Creek Woods in a new way. Ages 50 years and up. $5 per person registration fee. For more information, call the Nature Center at 708-747-6320.
Moo-alisa “Win This Cow” Raffle
Moo-alisa was created by the Salon Artists of Park Forest and was the mascot for the Park Forest 10 Ton Challenge. Raffle tickets are $5 each for your chance to win her. The Drawing will be held on Sunday, September 13 at the Park Forest Art Fair. Raffle proceeds will benefit local children through the Tall Grass Arts Association School and the Abraham Lincoln Allen, Jr., Youth Services Fund of the Friends of the Park Forest Health Department. Contact Brenda Walker at 708-748-1118 or stop by the Park Forest Health Department, 350 Victory Drive to purchase your ticket.
Village of Park Forest Economic Development
Business Person of the Year
Nominate the person you believe should be named Park Forest’s Business Person of the Year. Nomination forms can be found on the Village of Park Forest web site (www.villageofparkforest.com). Nomination forms are due October 30. For more information, call Sandra Zoellner at 708-283-5623.
Shop Park Forest First!
Park Forest Farmers’ Market
The 36th Annual Park Forest Farmers’ Market will be held on Saturday’s from 7:00 a.m. to Noon through the end of October. Vendors from across Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan will have a tremendous array of fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, breads, cheese, organic eggs and meat, and the “best pork chop sandwiches in the universe.” Come early and enjoy a breakfast burrito and cup of coffee while you shop the Market. The Market is located in the parking lot of the Eagle Movie Theater at the corner of Lakewood Boulevard and Cunningham Drive in DownTown Park Forest.
Greening of Park Forest
Safe Disposal Program – Bio-waste
The Park Forest Health Department and Environment Commission have partnered to provide information on the proper disposal of bio-waste such as used syringes or lancets (medical sharps). Begin by purchasing a Sharps container to dispose of your medical sharps for $10 at the Park Forest Health Department. Return the filled container to the Park Forest Health Department and purchase a new container. Call Brenda Walker at 708-748-1118 for more information. You can find additional recycling information by clicking on the “Recycling” icon found on the front page of eNews Park Forest.
Recycle Used Cell Phones and Cell Phone Accessories
The Rotary Club of Park Forest is conducting a used cell phone and accessory collection drive to benefit the families and programs of the South Suburban Family Shelter. Donated items can be placed in the collection box located in the lobby of Village Hall. For more information, call Denyse Carreras at 708-283-5603.
Go Green with a Free Tote Bag
The Village of Park Forest encourages residents to visit Village Hall to pick up an environmentally friendly canvas bag that can be used for your day-to-day shopping needs. These bags are free while supplies last with only two expectations: 1) that residents have a valid email address so that future environmentally conscious concepts can be shared by the Village’s Environment Commission; and 2) that bags are limited to one per household. For more information on this program, visit the Village Manager’s Office on the second floor of Village Hall of call 708-748-1129.
Rain Barrels
Rain barrels have become the “must have” item for Park Forest residents. The Park Forest Environment Commission and the Park Forest Recreation and Parks Department are facilitating the sale of rain barrels for $49 each. Residents interested in buying rain barrels can visit the Recreation and Parks window on the main floor of Village Hall, 350 Victory Drive, to order a barrel in the color of their choice (terra cotta, gray, black or blue) and pick them up at the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, September 5th. You can also purchase a rain barrel at the Farmers’ Market with colors limited to the stock-on hand. Common rain barrel accessories will also be available for sale at the Farmers’ Market. Payment can be made in either cash or personal check. For further information, call Village Hall at 708-748-2005.
Human Interest
Donate Unused Air Miles to Support Families of Wounded Servicemembers
“Operation Hero Miles” collects unused frequent flyer miles to help military families visit service members who were injured in Iraq or Afghanistan and are recovering in military hospitals around the world. Airline partners are: AirTran, Alaska Airlines, American, Frontier, Midwest, Northwest, United, and US Airways. To donate airline miles, visit www.FisherHouse.org.
Donate to Troops Serving Abroad
The Village of Park Forest is currently seeking the names and addresses of local military personnel currently serving overseas so that they may receive packaged donations from Park Forest residents. If you are a Park Forest resident and have a family member from your household currently deployed or if you have recently returned from a tour of duty, please call Judi Lancaster at 708-283-5608 or stop by the Manager’s Office at Village Hall, 350 Victory Drive.
Sources: Village of Park Forest Weekly Manager’s Report; State Representative Anthony DeLuca, Spring/Summer 2009 Calendar of Events, Park Forest Library, Tall Grass Arts Association, Center for Performing Arts, Prairie Sate College, Governors State University, Illinois Theatre Center, and Park Forest Historical Society Web sites.
