Don’t miss the 51st A Day in Our Village festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Sunday, June 1 in Scoville Park! More than 125 activity booths representing Oak Park civic, cultural, social service, educational and religious organizations will fill the park for this year's event, showcasing the variety of ways to get involved community life. Live music, a food court featuring local businesses and extensive activities for kids are a few of the highlights in store, with the Park District of Oak Park again bringing its bubble foam cannon in a nod to A Day in Our Village tradition. A Day in Our Village is sponsored by the Village and made possible thanks to organizing support from the A Day in Our Village volunteer committee. Find the latest event details at www.oak-park.us/dayinourvillage.

The Village rolling out the launch of the “Make REAL Change, Not Spare Change” campaign — an initiative focused on promoting a safer, more compassionate and connected community. In the coming weeks, residents will begin to see new decals and signs displayed throughout Oak Park in support of this effort. These decals are part of a broader campaign to:

• Educate the public about homelessness and panhandling,
• Promote long-term, sustainable solutions for those in need,
• Coordinate resources that improve public safety and community well-being, and
• Support local businesses.

The campaign encourages residents and visitors to make a real impact by making a donation to support unhoused individuals. As donations are received, the money will be given to the Village to purchase hotel and food vouchers that can directly support unhoused residents in Oak Park. For more information about the campaign and the use of funds, visit www.oak-park.us/realchange or contact the Village’s Community Services Administrator Vanessa Matheny at 708.358.5416 or vmatheny@oak-park.us.

The Village has been named to the 2024 CDP A List, the top status available from the largest global independent environmental disclosure system, recognizing global leadership in environmental transparency, climate action and resilience planning. Only 112 cities worldwide earned CDP’s top status, including 29 U.S. cities, the most from any country. Earning a spot on CDP’s A List is a significant achievement that reflects the highest standard of local climate leadership. To be recognized with an A, cities must publicly disclose through CDP-ICLEI Track and meet rigorous criteria—including a city-wide emissions inventory, a climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA) and a published climate action plan. Click here for a press release announcing the cities that earned A List status. For information about the Village's efforts around climate action, visit www.oak-park.us/sustainability. 

The Village Manager's Office and Development Services Department collaborated to produce a Development Activity Status Report that was shared in a memo to the Village Board earlier this week. The report, which will be published on an annual basis moving forward, provided a status update on development activity that is either recently completed or substantially underway within the Village. Click here to view the first report.

The Police Department’s Honor Guard posted the colors during Oak Park’s annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday at the Peace Triumphant monument in Scoville Park. Village President Vicki Scaman also provided remarks during the event, which recognized and honored all veterans, especially those who lost their lives in service to our country.

The Fire Department is bringing back an old community tradition to the Village when it hosts a push-in ceremony for its new fire engine at 8 a.m. on Thursday, June 5 at the Fire Station No. 2 located at 212 Augusta St. A fire truck push-in ceremony is a cherished tradition in the fire service, symbolizing the official welcoming of a new apparatus into service. It involves firefighters symbolically pushing the new truck into the fire station's bay, harkening back to the days of horse-drawn pumpers. In this case, the Fire Department will be welcoming its new Engine 602, which is a 2025 Pierce Enforcer. This new engine is similar to the current Engine 603, which increases consistency across the fleet. It is equipped with a 1500 gpm pump, a 500-gallon water tank with a mounted deck gun and high-efficiency LED emergency and scene lights. It is replacing a 2010 Central States HME. 

Police Commander Nathaniel Leitl successfully completed coursework earlier this month through the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety’s School of Police Staff and Command. The intensive law enforcement management and leadership program helps prepare mid- and upper-level personnel for senior command positions. The Northwestern University Center for Public Safety was established originally in 1936 to expand the scope of university-level education in traffic safety, having since broadened its scope to include police operations and management.

The Police Department expanded its ranks when new Police Officer Tristen Tanner was sworn in during a ceremony Tuesday at Village Hall. The Development Services Department welcomed Danny Vargas as a Business License Officer. Danny comes to the Village with five years of experience in code enforcement and property maintenance. A newcomer also arrived in the Public Works Department as Israel Rodriguez Quintero joined the Streets Division as an Equipment Operator. Israel has worked in construction since turning 18.

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 this Saturday, May 31. The Village’s Energy Efficiency and Electrification Expo will take place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Oak Park Farmers' Market, 460 Lake St. This event is intended to serve as a one-stop shop to discover incentives, programs and expert guidance on home electrification and energy efficiency. More information is at www.oak-park.us/E3expo.

The entire community is invited to 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 use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Oak Park will be permanently prohibited starting this Sunday, June 1. With the local ordinance about to take effect, the Village is partnering with locally owned Ace Hardware stores to host a Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Trade-in Event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. Residents and registered landscape companies can receive savings on cleaner, quieter, battery-powered leaf blowers – available on a first-come, first-served basis at Olson's Ace Hardware (1137 Chicago Ave.) and PJ's Ace Hardware (7 Chicago Ave.). For details about leaf blower regulations in Oak Park, visit www.oak-park.us/leafblowers.

Oak Park’s Pride Month celebration is right around the corner. The Village is teaming up with the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Oak Park to host 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. More information is at www.outintheburbs.com. An additional Pride Celebration with bounce houses, face painting, music, drag performances, a community resource fair and giveaways will take place during Downtown Oak Park’s Thursday Night Out from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 5. More information is at www.thursdaynightout.com/about and www.oak-park.us/pride.

The Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce cut a ribbon this week to celebrate its move into a new office space at 1101 Lake St., Suite 307. The Chamber previously enjoyed office space in the Village’s Hemingway Business District and now is settling into its new Downtown Oak Park Business District location. In attendance, along with various chamber staff and members, was Chamber President Rob Guenther, Chamber Executive Director Darien Marion-Burton, Village Trustee Chibuike Enyia, and Village staff representatives Cameron Davis, Noemy Diaz and Danny Vargas.

Downtown Oak Park’s popular Thursday Night Out dine-around series begins June 5 and runs from 5 to 9 p.m. weekly through the end of August. This event serves as a great way for community members to regularly gather with family, friends and fellow Oak Parkers. Thursday Night Out offers the ability to explore all of the unique businesses in the district while, at the same time, grabbing a bite to eat off the special Thursday Night Out Menu. In addition, event attendees can gather to enjoy free entertainment by one of the many exciting live musical acts planned each Thursday night. During just the month of June alone, the following musical groups will be performing: West End 40 on June 5; Tempero Brasileiro and Marcel Bonfim’s Brazilian Jazz Quartet on June 12; I.V. Collective on June 19; and The Box Band and White Saddle Band on June 26. For more information, visit www.thursdaynightout.com.

CrumbCrusher Cupcakes may be relatively new to Oak Park after opening at 805 South Blvd. around the start of the year, but it is already attracting some noteworthy attention. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Office of Tourism announced this week that CrumbCrusher was one of 20 small businesses selected for the Illinois Made program, which highlights authentic products and one-of-a-kind experiences that reflect the best of Illinois’ craftsmanship and culture. With the new 2025 class, there are currently 277 Makers in the Illinois Made program. Click here to read a press release announcing the 2025 class.

The Oak Park Arts District's annual What’s Blooming on Harrison Street Festival starts at 11 a.m. this Saturday, May 31. From Humphrey to Cuyler avenues, Harrison Street will transform into an art fair with live music, food vendors, maker's booths and a children’s carnival. More information about the family-friendly event can be found on the Arts District website.

Water and Sewer improvements – Permit pending, a water and sewer improvement project on Forest Avenue and Colombian Avenue will be starting the week of June 2 with tree protection installation and construction staking and layout. The contractor will also begin dropping off equipment and materials to both sites. The project will take place entirely within the right of way on Forest between Division Street and Greenfield Street, and Columbian between Division and Augusta Street. The contractor anticipates breaking ground the week of June 9. The project consists of water and sewer improvements on Forest, sewer improvements on Columbian, sidewalk and curb repairs, and the resurfacing of both streets. There will be changeable message boards on site warning residents of upcoming detours during construction. All affected residents have received parking passes. The estimated completion date is Nov. 14.

Bike boulevards – The contractor is currently troubleshooting compatibility issues with push button equipment. The concrete subcontractor has begun saw cutting in preparation for concrete sidewalk work at the intersections of Scoville Avenue and Madison Street, Scoville and Washington Boulevard and the southern cul-de-sac at Rehm Park and Scoville.

Pavement preservation – 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 – The first seven alleys completed as part of this year’s alley improvement project have had garage access restored. By the end of this week, the alleys between the 1000 blocks of Lyman Ave. and Humphrey Ave. and 100 block of Humphrey and Austin Blvd. will be reopened. Work will resume in the two alleys adjacent to schools on June 11. The entire project is anticipated to be complete by July 15.

ComEd distribution conduit installation – Work continued on the ComEd conduit installation project for the USPS facility in Forest Park. Trenching has been completed at all locations except East Avenue from Van Buren Street to Jackson Boulevard, which will continue through next week. Parkway restoration and sidewalk replacement work will continue into mid-June when roadway paving is scheduled to begin.