Suburban Cook County voters can cast an early ballot for the March 17, 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election from March 2 through March 16 at Village Hall. Early voting hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Grace-period registration is also available during early voting hours for those individuals who missed the registration deadline. Valid identification is required to register during the grace period, and a vote must be cast immediately after registration. Find more information at www.oak-park.us/earlyvoting26.

The Village’s fourth annual Black History Month Celebration is taking place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, 178 Forest Ave. Space is limited for the event and registration is full. This year's theme is "Celebrating a Century of Black History," honoring 100 years since the first national Black History Week was established in 1926. The Village’s Black History Month Celebration will feature keynote speaker Maggie Anderson, JD, MBA as well as music, dance, historical reflection and storytelling that celebrate the richness and resilience of Black history and culture. 

The Village’s Office of Economic Vitality, in partnership with the Oak Park Area Arts Council, commissioned local artist Peter Eastwood to create a captivating series of panels celebrating Oak Park’s 12 unique business districts. From North Avenue to Roosevelt Road, the artwork captures the vibrant spirit of each distinct district. The mural is on display in the Economic Vitality office, located Downtown at 1010 Lake St. If you’d like to view the mural, please call the office at 708.358.5695 to make an appointment. For more information about what Oak Park’s business districts have to offer, visit the Pick Oak Park website.

The Village attended Oak Park and River Forest High School’s Summer Job Fair on Tuesday. Representatives from the Village’s Human Resources and Public Works departments met with students and discussed Public Works summer internship opportunities exclusively available to full-time OPRF students.

The Village is planning to open its block party application form the week of March 2. In the meantime, residents can download the 2026 block party petition form and begin gathering signatures from at least 10 separate addresses on the block, or a majority of residents on a smaller block, as required to complete the application process. The 2026 block party season will run from April 4 through Oct. 31. Each block is limited to two events per year. The events can be a block party, a block sale or a combination of both. More information and a link to the petition form can be found at www.oak-park.us/blockparties.

The Village is hosting two Shape Oak Park Community Workshops next week to explore how updating Oak Park's zoning code could create more housing choices — like duplexes, triplexes and townhomes that fit naturally within our neighborhoods. The workshops will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, March 2 at the Community Recreation Center, and 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4 at the Oak Park Public Library Veterans Room. Both workshops will cover the same material, so attend whichever fits your schedule. Light refreshments will be provided. Attendees will hear about what the Shape Oak Park team has learned so far, explore what missing middle housing looks like in Oak Park and share their voice on the updates to the zoning code. Find more information at www.engageoakpark.com/shape.

A series of energy efficiency workshops for commercial and residential building owners and tenants hosted by the Village and the EnergySense Resiliency Center kicks off next week. The first workshop titled “From Baseline to Bottomline” will take place Tuesday, March 3 and focus on ways to plan for high value, smart replacements in commercial buildings. This workshop is intended to help commercial building owners move beyond benchmarking, demonstrating how performance data can be used to develop a strategic roadmap for high-value upgrades and smarter capital investments in commercial properties.

The Village is partnering with the Oak Park Public Library to host Plating in the Parkway: A Native Garden Design Workshop at 6 p.m. on March 11 in the Veterans Room at the main library. Following a brief progress report from the Village's Office of Sustainability and Resilience on the Climate Ready Oak Park Green Infrastructure plan and the new parkway ordinance, various templates for potential parkway garden designs will be shared. Participants will have an opportunity to create their own parkway garden plans using the template in a workshop style setting with local experts on hand to answer questions and offer guidance as well as to learn more about related organizations. Beginner gardeners welcome! The program is free to attend, but registration is required as space is limited – click here to register.

The Fire Department welcomed the arrival of new Firefighter/Paramedic James Johnson. A swearing-in ceremony was held today at Village Hall as James begins his one-year probationary period.

Development Services and Economic Vitality staff joined the Oak Park - River Forest Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Oak Park Business Alliance in celebrating Khyber Pass’ 30-year anniversary. Since opening its doors at 1031 Lake St., Kyber Pass has been serving bold flavors, warm hospitality and unforgettable meals in Downtown Oak Park. From perfectly spiced kabobs to delicious samosas and signature dishes, Kyber Pass has become a local favorite and a gathering place for friends, families and food lovers alike. Congratulations Khyber Pass to three decades of community, culture, and incredible Indian cuisine — and many more delicious years to come.

Development Services and Economic Vitality staff joined the Oak Park- River Forest Chamber of Commerce in celebrating We the Collective Fitness’ grand opening at 134 N. Ridgeland Ave. Located in the heart of Oak Park, We the Collective Fitness is more than just a gym — it’s a community-driven space built on strength, support and collective growth. From high-energy group training to personalized coaching, this new fitness hub is all about empowering every member to reach their goals together. For more information on new businesses in Oak Park, visit www.pickoakpark.com.

Oak Park was featured this week on The Kittchen, a food and travel blog written by Kit Graham. Things to Do in Oak Park: A Staycation with Explore Oak Park and Beyond highlights a curated mix of things to do, see and taste in the area – showcasing local boutiques, dining favorites and the charm that makes Oak Park an ideal staycation destination while incorporating the places she visited during her stay. The piece offers a well-rounded guide for anyone planning a visit with Explore Oak Park and Beyond.

Check out Explore Oak Park and Beyond’s Bite the Burbs Restaurant Week, which is happening now through March 7. Bite the Burbs features a chance to dine at participating restaurants while taking advantage of special offers and prix fixe menus. Click here for more information.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) recently issued its State of the Region report. The report highlights how northeastern Illinois has evolved over the past 10 to 20 years, providing snapshots of where we are today to inform where we want to go in the future. The featured topics are closely related to residents’ quality of life and issues that are ripe for regional coordination — for example, housing supply, water usage, transportation options and living-wage jobs. Click here to read the report.

Renew the Avenue update – Water and sewer main work is underway for the Renew the Avenue project. The northern crew working on Oak Park Avenue from Lake Street to Ontario Street completed the installation of the new water main and will be finalizing the required testing of the new main this week before it can be approved for service installations. The same crew is installing the new sewer main from Lake to Ontario and will continue with this work through the end of next week. The southern crew working on Oak Park Avenue between Randolph Street and Pleasant Street will be installing new sewer main next week now that the planned utility relocations on that block have been completed. Nicor is finishing up the new gas main installation on North Boulevard this week and will move to install a small section of new main at Oak Park Avenue and Hunter Court next week.

Traffic signal improvements – The contractor is working through troubleshooting issues with the traffic signal conduit that runs under Garfield Street. The required road closure on Garfield Street from Euclid Avenue to Grove Avenue was rescheduled to this Thursday due to the cold temperatures earlier in the week. The road closure will be in effect during normal weekday work hours. The duration of these repairs is unknown. At the end of each workday, the road will be reopened to traffic on Garfield Street. During this temporary closure, northbound and southbound traffic on Oak Park Avenue will remain intact, and Garfield will be open to local through traffic only. Work will then continue with replacing the signal heads at the intersection of Garfield and Oak Park Avenue.

Sewer televising – The contractor for the sewer televising project is currently working on locations in the southwest part of town. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of March. Partial lane closures are anticipated while work is in progress.