Det. Allan Reddins was honored during series of events held this week in Washington D.C. memorizing law enforcement officials who died in the line of duty as part of National Police Week. Det. Reddins was killed on Nov. 29, 2024 while responding to a call on Lake Street. As part of the memorial week, Det. Reddins’ name was engraved on the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. On Monday, Sgt. Shana Higgins, a former Oak Park Police Officer now with the Queen Creek, Ariz. Police Department, biked in the Law Enforcement United ride in honor of Det. Reddins. The bike ride honored all 232 officers nationwide who lost their lives in 2024.  Det. Reddins’ name was read aloud during a candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening. On Thursday, the 44th annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service was held at the U.S. Capitol. Several members of the Police Department and Det. Reddins' family traveled to Washington D.C. to mark this solemn remembrance. To see more pictures from this week’s events, visit www.oak-park.us/reddins.

Members of the Police Department joined law enforcement agencies across the state in taking part in the annual Cop on a Rooftop fundraiser to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. Police Department personnel collected donations from 5 a.m. to noon the morning of Friday, May 16 at the Dunkin' Donuts at 6820 Roosevelt Rd. The in-person event raised more than $1,800. Click here to donate to the Oak Park Police Department's team.

The Oak Park Farmers’ Market opens for a milestone season this Saturday, May 17, celebrating 50 years of providing fresh, local food to the community. The Market takes place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday from opening day through October at its longtime home in the Pilgrim Congregational Church parking lot at 460 Lake St., one block west of Ridgeland Avenue. More than two dozen independent farmers and producers will participate in the Farmers’ Market’s 50th season, offering everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to meat, fish, cheese, eggs, flowers, bread, grains and honey. The Market also features donuts made on-site, fresh coffee and live bluegrass music. The first several weeks of the Market feature Go Green Days with sustainability-focused organizations sharing information about ways to protect the environment. More information is at www.oak-park.us/farmersmarket.

Join Village President Vicki Scaman at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 17 in the Village Hall courtyard for a one-mile walk to the opening day of the 50th season of the Oak Park Farmers’ Market. The community walk is part of the Village's participation in the Move with the Mayor initiative as President Scaman joins municipal leaders across the nation in highlighting the physical and mental health benefits of movement. The first 100 people to join the walk on Saturday will receive a free Village tote bag. More information is at www.oak-park.us/mwtm25.

The owners of Breakfast House Oak Park have completed their renovations at 138 N. Marion Street and have removed the paper that had covered the businesses windows. The Village issued Breakfast House its business license and certificate of occupancy on Wednesday. The business, after previously obtaining its Oak Park liquor license, will now be submitting for its required State liquor license. Breakfast House joins Publican, Kyuramen and FARE as the latest in a group of successful small restaurant chains that started in Chicago before opening their first location outside of the city here in Oak Park. Breakfast House plans to announce its opening date soon and will be open daily with online ordering available for delivery.

The Wolf Boba Tea & Coffee has completed a comprehensive renovation of the space at 134 N. Oak Park Ave. and is set to open after the Village approved its business license and certificate of occupancy. This new business in the Hemingway Business District will offer delicious boba teas, specialty coffees, snacks and sandwiches to its customers. The Wolf prides itself in delivering high-quality products by using ingredients imported from Taiwan, where boba tea originated. News of the The Wolf’s plans to open in Oak Park was first shared in the September 2024 edition of the Village’s Pick Oak Park Report. The Village welcomes The Wolf to the Oak Park business community!

The Village is partnering with organizations throughout Oak Park and the westside of Chicago for a Black maternal health event. From Bump 2 Baby will bring together four maternal health experts to speak and answer questions. The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21 at PCC Austin Family Health Center. Admission is free, and dinner will be served. Click here to RSVP.

The Village is hosting an electronic waste recycling drop-off event this Saturday, May 17 at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. Registration for the event is now closed. Due to strict regulations on collecting and processing these materials, residents were required to register for a time slot between 9 a.m. and noon and identify their electronic waste items in advance. The event is made possible by LRS, the Village’s waste-hauling contractor. There is a limit of seven items per household, and within that there is a limit of two televisions and/or computer monitors. The recycling drop-off event is for Oak Park residents only and is particularly intended for residents in large multifamily buildings. Residents in single-family homes and buildings with up to five units can also schedule an E-Waste Pickup from their home by submitting a request at www.lrsrecycles.com/oakpark.

Community members are invited to join Thrive Counseling Center, the Village, the Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township and River Forest Township for a discussion on veteran mental health at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 19 in the Veterans Room at the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St. The presentation aims to educate attendees on the specific risks and factors associated with veteran suicide and emphasize the importance of both community and clinical support in reducing suicide rates. While the event is free, counselors and social workers can register and earn one CEU credential for $20.

Join the Historic Preservation Commission for the next installment of its Speaker Series at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 in the Council Chambers at Village Hall. For 25 years, the Chicago Bungalow Association has been supporting homeowners with energy efficiency grants and educational tools to help them maintain, preserve and adapt their historic Chicago bungalows and other vintage homes. Join Carla Bruni, Chicago Bungalow Association’s Preservation and Resiliency Specialist, for an inside look at the impactful work being done — including innovative strategies and partnerships that are helping residents remain in their homes while reinforcing the neighborhoods these homes anchor. More information is at www.oak-park.us/speakerseries.

The Fire Department will begin testing fire hydrants next week as part of a routine procedure that is expected to continue periodically all summer to ensure proper operations of these vital emergency response devices. Crews will be out through the end of September inspecting, flushing and measuring flow rates on all 1,240 fire hydrants in the Village. The inspections also will make sure all hydrants are accessible and not damaged in any way. More information is at www.oak-park.us/hydrantflushing.

Don’t miss the Village’s Energy Efficiency and Electrification Expo on May 31. Learn about utility incentive programs, talk to a climate coach, see a heat pump in action and find out how to pay for energy efficiency upgrades with grant funding from the Village. The event will take place at the Oak Park Farmers’ Market, which runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Pilgrim Church Parking lot at 460 Lake St. The event is being coordinated by the Office of Sustainability & Resilience. More information is at www.oak-park.us/E3expo.

Save the date for Kapwa, Oak Park’s Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month Celebration from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 31 at the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St. The free event will include intergenerational stories, music, appetizers/desserts from Oak Park APIDA restaurants, and kids arts and crafts activities. The event is being coordinated by the Village, Oak Park Public Library and community volunteers. More information is at www.oak-park.us/kapwa.

The Village is teaming up with the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Oak Park to take Oak Park’s Pride Month celebration to new heights this June. Mark your calendar for Out in the Burbs from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 7. This new, collaborative all-day Pride event will be full of energy, inclusivity and community celebration in Downtown Oak Park on Marion Street between Lake Street and North Boulevard. Out in the Burbs will feature live music, dynamic performances, a teen pride zone and a bustling marketplace of local vendors. More information is at www.outintheburbs.com. A separate Pride Celebration with bounce houses, face painting, music, drag performances, a community resource fair and giveaways will also take place during Downtown Oak Park’s Thursday Night Out from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 5. More information about Oak Park’s Pride Month Celebration is on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/pride.

All children and families who will be starting kindergarten at any school in Oak Park this fall are invited to the Blast Off to Kindergarten community event from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, May 18 at Rehm Park, 1000 S. Scoville Avenue. Hosted by the Collaboration for Early Childhood in partnership with Oak Park Elementary District 97 and community partners, this space-themed event is designed to celebrate Oak Park’s little ones while also helping parents and caregivers connect to parent organizations and the “Solar System of Support” that will help jump-start a smooth transition to kindergarten. The event will feature after-school programs, Oak Park Elementary School District 97 staff and administrators, staff from Oak Park kindergarten programs and parent teacher organizations from local schools. More information is at www.collab4kids.org/blast-off-to-k.

The Oak Park Arts District is hoping community members will start their weekend on Harrison Street as businesses in the district are planning to expand their hours to 7 p.m. starting in June. A special event is being planned from 1 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 6 featuring special promotions and sales at many Arts District businesses to kick off the initiative. More information about the Arts District is available at www.oakparkartsdistrict.com.

Bike boulevards update – The contractor mounted pedestrian and cyclist rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) and push button posts at all four project locations, which include three Scoville Avenue intersections at Jackson Boulevard, Washington Boulevard and Madison Street and the intersection of East Avenue and Lexington Street. The contractor is currently working on installing the necessary wiring and mounting RRFB flashing lights and panels. Work for the RRFBs and push buttons is expected to be complete by the end of next week.

Pavement preservation update – The start of the annual pavement preservation project is postponed to next week. The work will start with pavement patching, then crack fill, micro surfacing, rejuvenator application and pavement markings. A map showing the proposed improvements is available on the Village’s capital improvement project website. All work is still expected to be completed by mid-July.

Alley improvements – Garage access has been restored for the first five alleys completed this year. The alley between the 500 blocks of East Ave. and Scoville Ave. will be reopened by the end of next week. Pavement removal is in progress in the alley between the 400 block of Humphrey Ave. and the 700 block of Austin Blvd. All affected residents have received parking passes.

ComEd distribution conduit Installation – Work continued on the ComEd conduit project for the USPS facility in Forest Park. Sidewalk improvements and parkway restoration will be completed from Euclid Avenue to East Avenue along Randolph Street, and from Randolph to South Boulevard on East by the end of next week. Conduit installation will continue on East from Harrison Street to Jackson Boulevard for the next two weeks.