Feb. 1, 2001

Oak Park's "A Symphony of Place" should 
have spot in PBS documentary

By ERIC LINDEN

Did you know ...?

-- that the "A Symphony of Place" concert held in Oak Park on Jan. 27
should have a place in the upcoming PBS documentary on the national
Continental Harmony project?
Seven of the 58 places that were selected by the National Endowment for
the Arts for the American Composers Forum's "Harmony" concerts will be
featured in the documentary, which is being produced by Twin Cities
Public Television for airing sometime this year on the Public
Broadcasting stations.
The Saturday night concert featured an original composition by James
Kimo Williams that was aimed at spotlighting Oak Park's experience with
fair housing and diversity. Those who didn't see it can either wait for
the PBS documentary or check out local access cable channel 6, which is
showing a tape at some times.
Oak Park should have a spot in the PBS show if the organizers follow the
statement made by Patricia Shifferd, project coordinator of Continental
Harmony, who before the concert said that "no community has done a
better job" than Oak Park in producing a Continental Harmony concert.

-- that national Continental Harmony program opened on Feb. 27, 2000 in
Grand Forks, N.D. and, according to Shifferd, "culminated" with Oak
Park's performance on Jan. 27, 2001?

-- that two of the largest vacancies in Downtown Oak Park are in line to
be filled soon?
Xando Cosi, a restaurant/coffee shop/bar, is to be moving into 1101 Lake
St., the former Jenny Craig space, while Gateway Inc., a computer
systems company, is close to opening at 1132 Lake St., the vacant space
formerly occupied by Powerhouse Gym/Club West exercise club.
Gateway plans to use the space to let customers work with the company's
computer products before buying them elsewhere.

-- that River Forest Youth Baseball Night at Comiskey Park has been
scheduled for June 29?
On that Friday night, the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles
will play baseball before a crowd that will include Youth Baseball
members seated along the right and left field lines. The teams will get
a notice on the Comiskey scoreboard and will be shown on the JumboTron
screen.

-- that the latest in the local acronym name may be the best yet?
Following on the heels of APPLE, BRAVO, CARE and all the rest, ROOTBEER
stands for Reading Our Own Thing Because Everyone Enjoys Reading, a new
reading-encouragement program for students at Whittier School, 715 N.
Harvey in Oak Park.

-- that the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce will hold its
annual dinner dance gala on Feb. 3 at the Oak Park Hospital gymnasium,
500 S. Maple Ave.?
The chamber's new executive director James Doss should feel right at
home, as he formerly worked for many years for the Park District of Oak
Park.

-- that the River Forest village board has approved spending up to
$15,758 on a new car for Village Administrator Charles Biondo?
The car will be a replacement for Biondo's village hall-provided car and
is being purchased through the Suburban Purchasing Cooperative.

-- that the school board of River Forest Elementary School District 90
has approved another "Lock In" for Roosevelt Middle School students on
Feb. 23?

-- that the Oak Park Arms Retirement Community will celebrate Black
History Month on Friday, Feb. 16?

-- that a concert for Adolph "Bud" Herseth to benefit the Symphony of
Oak Park & River Forest will be held next month?

-- that Melrose Park Village Clerk Barbara Jasinski has dropped out of
the race for mayor of Melrose Park, which is adjacent to River Forest on
the west?
That means the mayor's race in Melrose Park will be a two-way affair
between incumbent Ron Serpico and challenger Michael Manzo, who is also
president of the school board of Proviso High School District 209, which
serves Forest Park among other communities.
"Because in a three-party race, Ron Serpico would have the supper hand,
I have decided to withdraw my candidacy," Jasinski said in an
advertisement announcing her decision.

-- that Lesley Wood has left her position as executive director of
Parenthesis?
Based at Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church, 405 S. Euclid Ave.,
Parenthesis provides programs for families with young children who live
in either Oak Park, River Forest or Forest Park. The not-for-profit
organization has no religious affiliation and is a community
organization supported by fees paid by parents, by fundraising events
organized by parent members and the Parenthesis Board, by corporate
donors, by the the United Way/Community Chest and by government
agencies.

-- that tickets for the annual Wright Plus house tour in Oak Park go on
sale March 1?
The annual benefit housewalk for the Oak Park-based Frank Lloyd Wright
Preservation Trust will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2001 and will
include interior tours of 11 buildings, some designed by Frank Lloyd
Wright. Tickets cost $70 each for members of the Preservation Trust
(formerly the Wright Home and Studio Foundation) and $85 each for
non-members.

-- that the empty former church at 331 S. Ridgeland Ave. in Oak Park is
for sale at $350,000?
In a twist, the empty building, which abuts up to Our Lady Immaculate
Church at 410 Washington Blvd., can only be used as a residential
development. "Interior needs work," said an advertisement for the sale.

-- that the Kulp-Gould House, a 12-room Georgian Colonial mansion at 814
Franklin Ave. in River Forest, is on sale for $925,000?

-- that there is a waiting list of more than 100 to rent in the Oaks,
the rental property for senior citizens and disabled persons that is
owned and managed by the Oak Park Residence Corporation?

-- that Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest, the independent bank at
1001 Lake St. in Oak Park, is reporting total assets of
$85,451,000--$64,104,000 of which is loans and other outstanding cash?

-- that the Community Chest of Oak Park & River Forest might want to
rethink its allocation for the Des Plaines Valley Boy Scout Council,
especially in light of reports that fundraising by the Chest, the local
United Way agency, is down so far this year?
The Chest previously has not wanted to get involved in the Boy Scouts'
dispute with Oak Park organizations who object to the Scouts' exclusion
of gays, and the Boy Scouts don't seem worried they'll face United Way
funding cuts.
"The United Way does not implement a specific policy of
nondiscrimination for individual charities so as to avoid conflict with
charities that serve only specific segments of the population," the Boy
Scouts said in a statement, "including all-women's shelters, programs
for persons of a certain age group or programs for persons of specific
cultural communities."

Jan. 27, 2001

'Sense of Place' composer Williams 
looking to move to Oak Park

By ERIC LINDEN

Did you know ...?

-- that Kimo Williams is telling friends he wants to move to Oak Park
with his wife and their daughter?
Williams is the acclaimed composer of the "Symphony of Place" work being
presented tonight about Oak Park's history with fair housing and
diversity. As part of putting together the work, Williams has spent a
lot of time talking to village residents, researching the community and
spending time in Oak Park.
He's liked what he's seen and heard enough to consider moving here from
Chicago.

-- that according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the
Wright-designed Hills-DeCaro House in Oak Park has been sold for
$1,299,999?
The house on North Forest Avenue was Wright's first major alteration to
an existing house. And after a fire in January 1976, the home was
restored.
The house went on the market last September, and Prudential Premier
Realty LLC in Oak Park had the listing.

-- that in Governor Ryan's seemingly daily giveaway called Illinois
FIRST, Triton College is the latest to benefit?
Out of $2,025,000 in new Illinois FIRST money parceled out this past
Thursday, Triton, the River Grove community college that serves Oak
Park, River Forest, Forest Park and other near-west Chicago suburbs, got
$100,000 to build a new library in a community center serving the
Hispanic community and $100.000 more to purchase some land for a new
off-campus center that will contain places for G.E.D. courses, teaching
English as a second language and citizenship classes and two computer
labs.
Both projects were initiated by State Rep. James Durkin, the Westchester
Republican and former Triton trustee whose 44th District includes the
area of Oak Park south of the Eisenhower Expressway and west of Lombard
Avenue.

-- that the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association has named Lisa
Pearson as co-chair of its fifth annual gala fundraiser to be held on
June 15, 2001?
OPALGA still is looking for a male co-chair of the 2001 gala. This
annual fundraiser provides the resources for OPALGA to operate three
weekly youth programs and to have office space for OPALGA and other
groups that address the rights of gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and
transgendered people.
At its gala, OPALGA also honors Oak Park Leaders for their service to
the LGBT community. Last year's event cited Oak Park Police Chief Joseph
Mendrick and Carole Goodwin and Carol Zientek, co-owners of the former
Left Bank Bookstall, a used book store that operated at 1125 Westgate
St. and at 104 S. Oak Park Ave. Zientek died in an automobile accident
on July 9, 1998.
Carole Goodwin continues to be active in OPALGA and other Oak Park
organizations. Since closing the Left Bank Bookstall storefront, she
continues to sell used and rare books via the Internet
(www.leftbankbookstall.com) and at book fairs.

-- that the three incumbents will be running for re-election to the
Triton College Board?
Seeking new six-year terms are Stephen R. Kubiczky of Riverside, Irene
Moskal Del Guidice of Schiller Park and Diane Viverito of Elmwood Park.

-- that the District 97 school board has changed the school calendar for
the 2001-2002 school year due to the construction and renovation at
several schools and facilities scheduled for next summer?
The first day of student attendance now will be Tuesday, September 4,
2001. Thursday, August 30, 2001 and Friday, August 31, 2001 will be
scheduled as two of four mandated Institute Days for staff. And among
other changes, the last day of the school year will be June 14,
2002--unless bad weather forces some earlier school days to be canceled.

-- that Lakin General Corporation, a Chicago machine-parts maker, will
moved its manufacturing operation to the Chicago community of Austin,
which is east of Oak Park?
Lakin has proposed building a 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility
on the 5.7-acre site of the former Archer Daniels Midland factory at
1815 N. Laramie Ave. in Austin. Specifically, the Laramie Avenue site is
in the Bloomingdale/Laramie Redevelopment Project Area in the 37th
Ward.  The new facility would be located in one of the city's six
Enterprise Zones, which would make it eligible for tax credits from the
city and state governments.
Contingent on final city approval, Lakin will purchase the property from
the city for $600,000, and will receive a low-interest, tax-exempt, $6.6
million Industrial Development Revenue Bond. Lakin also would receive a
Cook County Class 6(b) tax incentive, which provides for a reduced
property tax assessment rate for manufacturing or industrial facilities.

The $7.2 million project, if approved by the City Council, would keep 80
jobs and create 40 more jobs in the Austin community over the next two
or three years. The plan also provides room for expansion.

-- that in 1953, the nine acres on the southern part of Columbus Park in
Austin were destroyed to make way for the Eisenhower Expressway?

-- that Amundsen Park, also in Austin, is named after Norwegian polar
adventurer Roald Amundsen?
Amundsen led many scientific explorations in the Arctic and Antarctic
and is best known for discovering the South Pole on Dec. 4, 1911. In
1928, Amundsen's plane disappeared near the North Pole as he led a
search for a missing Italian dirigible.

-- that the Oak Park Art League is seeking to hire a gallery for its new
satellite on Harrison Street in Oak Park?

-- that David Wickster--the former Oak Park police officer who used to
be president of the Oak Park Fraternal Order of Police union and who is
now executive director of the  Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council
that used to be in Forest Park but is now in Western Springs--is issuing
a warning about so-called "cell phone guns"?
The guns have turned up in parts of Europe and, Wickster told FOP
members, "look like regular cell phones in size, shape and all other
appearance. But they disguise a .22 caliber pistol capable of firing
four rapid rounds." The cell phone guns are loaded by being twisted in
half. The rounds fit into the top, under the screen, and the lower half
under the keyboard houses the firing pin. The antenna forms the barrel,
and the weapon is fired by pressing numbers 5 to 8 on the keypad.
"While these weapons have not yet been reported in the United States,
experience tells us it's only a matter of time," Wickster said, adding
that "We can expect security guards to start x-raying cell phones, if
they haven't already done so."

Green Party in Oak Park failed in its effort to put their
proposed development referendum on the April 3

By ERIC LINDEN

Did you know ...?
 

-- that the Green Party in Oak Park failed in its effort to put their
proposed development referendum on the April 3 election ballot?
The Greens, who were aligned with Ralph Nader in the last Presidential
election, gathered about 2,600 signatures to put on the spring 2001
ballot a question that was aimed at changing the way the village board
approaches development.
Unfortunately for the Greens closer to 3,100 petition signatures were
needed to qualify by the deadline, which for referendums was Jan. 16.
"While we have fallen short of our goal, getting 2,600 signatures in 11
days is quite an achievement," the Greens said in a statement. "Everyone
who helped in this effort should feel proud of this."

-- that a reception to kick off the effort to re-elect Ade Onayemi to
the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 school board was held on Jan.
19?
Linda and Chester Stewart--he's the outgoing member of the Oak Park and
River Forest High School board--hosted the reception at their Oak Park
home. And by the way, the candidate's full first name is Adekunle, but
he's more commonly known as Ade, which is pronounced Ah-dee.

-- that the committee to elect Bob Spatz to the District 97 school board
will hold its own kick-off on Feb. 2?
This one is to be held, also in Oak Park, at the home of Jeff Weissglass
and Jeannie Affelder.

-- that Forest Park Mayor Anthony Calderone attended the Jan. 21
reception for the volunteers of the Animal Care League of Oak Park?
The reception at the River Forest home of Chatka and Anthony Ruggiero
was held to honor those who have helped the Animal Care League recover
from Nov. 7, 2000 serious fire at their headquarters at 1013 Garfield
St. in Oak Park. Calderone was honored because he donated to the league
space in the now-closed Inne Towne Pet Motel on Madison Street in Forest
Park.
Village hall has purchased the property, ostensibly for redevelopment,
but there is speculation in Forest Park that the Pet Motel's owners
might want to reopen and even expand on the same site.

-- that Sarah's Inn's new executive director will be introduced formally
at a community reception next month at Dominican University in River
Forest?
Mary Ruth Coffey will be presented from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15,
at Lewis Lounge at Dominican, 7900 W. Division St.

-- that the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory wants to produce and
publish a cookbook as a fund-raiser?
A committee is being set up to select and edit recipes, to name the book
and to supervise production.

-- that a total of five people represent the local villages on the
O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission?
The delegate from Oak Park is Village President Barbara Furlong and the
alternative is Herman Ebner, the husband of Village Trustee Barbara
Ebner. Village President Frank Paris represents River Forest on the
commission, while village residents Robert Kenny and Michael Cassady are
the alternates.
Forest Park is not represented on the Noise Compatibility Commission.

-- that the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest newspaper
shut down its Internet presence earlier this month because of a stated
lack of revenue and lack of community interest?

-- that with Deborah Stewart out, Oak Park Festival Theatre is looking
to hire a new managing director?
Just to avoid confusion, the managing director handles the theater
group's business affairs. Dale Calandra remains in the post of artistic
director of Festival Theatre, which presents Shakespeare and other
classic theater each summer in Austin Gardens in Oak Park.

-- that Karen Yarbrough on Jan. 21 officially took over as state
representative from the 7th District, which includes parts of Oak Park
and Forest Park?
Democrat Yarbrough was unopposed in the November election and in the
March 2000 primary defeated then-incumbent State Rep. Wanda Sharp. The
new state representative now has a district office at 1701 S. 1st Ave.,
Suite 406 in Maywood. Hours for the district office will be Mondays
through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but on one day to be determined,
the office hours will be extended to 7 p.m.
Moreover, on one Saturday each month, Rep. Yarbrough plans to meet with
constituents on an "open door" basis--much like the open office hours
held by Oak Park Village President Furlong. And in another note,
Yarbrough will be establishing a committee for legislative scholarships,
probably in May, according to the representative's new spokesman, Larry
Shapiro of Oak Park, who had most recently worked in that capacity for
U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis, whose district includes River Forest and parts
of Oak Park and Forest Park.

-- that Pilgrim Real Estate in Oak Park once was located in a building
designed by famed architect Frederick Shock in the Austin community of
Chicago to the east of Oak Park?
The building had been at Parkside Avenue and Lake Street across from
Austin Bank of Chicago. Pilgrim opened a branch office at 601 N. Harlem
Ave. in Oak Park in the 1930s. The company moved to its current location
at 1037 Chicago Ave. in 1982.

-- that the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commece--whose new director
James Doss started on Monday, Jan. 22--has scheduled its annual dinner
celebration for Saturday, Feb. 3 at a location to be announced?
Oak Parker Doss had worked at the Park District of Oak Park for many
years--most recently as director of Revenue Facilities,  mainly the
pools and the rink. He retired from that post about a year ago, but had
been working for an ice rink in Skokie. Doss replaces Loretta Daly, who
will stay on a transition until the end of January.

-- that this year's winner of Oak Park and River Forest High School's
annual Martin Luther King Jr. oratorical contest was a poem and that the
keynote address was given by president John McCulloh?

By ERIC LINDEN

Did you know ...?

-- that the NAACP Oak Park branch will hold an election of new officers
on Friday, Oct. 26?
Dorothy Reid of Oak Park, among other things a local Realtor and a
member of the Oak Park Elementary District 97 school board, is unopposed
for election as president of the NAACP branch, which will hold its
elections from 7 to 8:30 p.m. that Friday at Fellowship Christian
Church, 1110 Madison St. in Oak Park.
The elections so far at least are a mixed bag: Yolanda Evans and Al
Brown for first vice president, MaSheila Drake for second vice
president, Wyanetta Johnson for third vice president and Dean Christ,
Sherlynn Reid, who is Dorothy Reid's mother, and Michael Shields, a
former branch president, for at-large members of the branch's executive
committee. But there are no candidates for branch board treasurer and
secretary, a post that Dorothy Reid now holds.
All branch members and interested persons are invited to attend the
elections. And beginning in February the branch's general membership
meetings will be held on the fourth Monday of the month from 7 to 8:45
p.m. at the main branch of the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St.

-- that crime in River Forest rose during 2000?
Preliminary figures from the River Forest Police Department show Part I
crimes increased from 507 incidents in 1999 to 573 reported crimes in
2000--with most of the increase in theft, although burglaries rose
sharply from 50 in 1999 to 72 in 2000. Here's the complete comparisons
of the Part I crimes.
 
 

Offense	2000	1999
Homicide	0	0
Criminal Sexual assault	1	0
Robbery	11	15
Aggravated battery	2	0
Aggravated assault	1	3
Burglary	72	50
Burglary from motor vehicle	54	65
Theft	408	351
Motor vehicle theft	22	18
Arson	2	5
TOTALS	573	507

-- that Barbara Graham has been named to the River Forest Plan
Commission?
She replaced Ronald Lucchesi, who had resigned.

-- that the Oak Park Public Library is seeking to fill its newly created
position of webmaster?
The person in the new full-time position is to maintain the library's
Web site, do strategic planning for the site, work to increase traffic
to the site and increase staff involvement with the Web site.
The webmaster initially will be paid annually between $32,947 and
$40,081, depending on the successful candidate's experience and
education. People interested should send a resume and references to
James Madigan, Assistant Director, Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake
St., Oak Park, Ill., 60301.

-- that BOSS is considering holding two clothing drives this year?
The Blacks Organized for Student Support group at Oak Park and River
Forest High School normally holds in the winter an effort to collect
clothing for people in need and now is considering also holding a
clothing drive in milder weather.

-- that 10 businesses in Oak Park were ticketed last month by police for
selling cigarettes to minors?
A sting coordinated by Oak Park police resulted in charges being made
and tickets issued to the following businesses.
Amoco gas station,  6119 W. North Ave.
Amoco gas station, 801 S. Oak Park Ave.
Clark gas station, 330 Chicago Ave.
Clark gas station, 6129 W. North Ave.
Clark gas station, 427 Madison St.
Indus Petroleum, 100 Chicago Ave.
Oak Park Food Market,  133 S. Oak Park Ave.
Osco Drugs, 6209 W. North Ave.
Walgreens, 916 Madison St.
White Hen Pantry, 23 N. Harlem Ave.

-- that the River Forest village board is considering buying a new fire
truck to replace one purchased in 1980?

-- that Oak Parker Philip Rock, the former Illinois Senate President, is
no longer chairman of the board of Illinois Issues magazine?
Elected to replace Rock as chairman of the public and government affairs
magazine was Michael Bakalis, the former Illinois lieutenant governor
and former president of Triton College, the community college that
serves Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park and other near-west Chicago
suburbs.

-- that the application is now complete and public comment is being
received on the proposal for a German company to expand a dialysis
service facility in Oak Park?
Under the plan, WSKC Dialysis Services Inc. at 101 N. Scoville Ave. in
Oak Park and Fresenius Medical Care AG in Germany would combine to add
22 End Stage Renal Dialysis stations to the 24 stations at West Suburban
Dialysis Center, which is at West Suburban Hospital Medical Center at
Erie and Austin in Oak Park.
Officials estimate that the project would cost $3,416,644, and public
comment can be made to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board in
Springfield, 217-782-3516. The state board is to consider passage of the
plan on either March 1 or March 2.

.-- that a Super Bowl Snack-Off will be held in Forest Park on Sunday,
Jan. 21, a week before the big game?
Only Forest Park residents are allowed to compete in the Snack-Off held
by and at the Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd. After
calling 708-771-7737 to register, contestants should bring a
ready-to-serve hors d'oeuvre or snack and a copy of the recipe to the
center at 2:30 p.m.,. that Sunday. The grand prize winner will win a
Super Bowl party and refreshments for 20 people at Doc Ryan's pub, 7432
Madison St. in Forest Park, and runner-up prizes include a television
and a $100 gift certificate to Ed's Way Food Mart, 846 Beloit Ave. in
Forest Park.

-- that Rev. John McIlwain of Oak Park has retired from the board of
Fillmore Center for Human Services and has been replaced by Republican
State Rep. William O'Connor, whose district is south of Forest Park and
Oak Park.

-- that the following art will be on display in the Student Center
balcony at Oak Park and River Forest High School the rest of this school
year?
Currently and until Jan. 30 work by faculty from River Forest Elementary
District 90 , from Oak Park Elementary District 97 and from OPRF is
being featured; from Jan. 31 to Feb. 22, it's art students from some
OPRF art classes; followed by the following schedule:
Feb. 23 to March 23: digital images and Chinese paintings from two local
artists
April 2 to May 4: work by students of all OPRF art classes
May 7 to June 7: submissions from the high school's annual Frank Lloyd
Wright architectural design student competition

-- that the first baby born in Oak Park this year was Devon Holloway,
who was born at about 4 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2001 at West Suburban Hospital
Medical Center?
The youngster's parents are Marshele and Johnny Ray Holloway of Chicago.

Closing to be soon on Oak Park village hall 
purchase of Downtown Oak Park building

By ERIC LINDEN

Did you know ...?

-- that closing is scheduled for Jan. 31 on Oak Park village
government's purchase of the commercial building at 1121-23 Lake St. in
Downtown Oak Park?
The village board recently voted unanimously to buy the building for
$582,750. Currently renting space in the building are The Phone Stop
retail store and the Jasman Jewelry and wig shop. No village hall plans
for the property have been announced.

-- that the pesky vacancy on the northeast corner of Madison Street and
Ridgeland Avenue in Oak Park soon is to be filled with an eatery
specializing in pizza by the slice and sandwiches?
Nick's Pizzeria II is to operate soon at 330 Madison St., which was last
occupied more than a year ago by Thai Taste, another restaurant. The new
restaurant is to offer pizza slices, sandwiches, meal delivery and
catering.
Pizza Palazzo, a full service pizzeria and restaurant, operates one-half
block to the east at 314 Madison St.

-- that Oak Park police are predicting that crime will drop about 4
percent in Oak Park during 2000, compared to 1999?
At least that's the estimate from Officer Dave Jacobson, the community
beat officer for Zone 6, which is the area in Oak Park bounded by Austin
Boulevard, the Eisenhower Expressway, Ridgeland Avenue and Madison
Street. The 4-percent drop also is to take place for Zone 6, where, in
addition, there was only one business burglary in 1999 but eight in the
year 2000.

-- that Oak Park and River Forest High School has posted on its Web site
the following "2000-2001 Profile"?
That means OPRF is or has:
* A single-building district
* 2,829 students
* 209 faculty, 82 percent with MA degrees
* Average ACT score of 23.6
* Average SAT score of 1,186
* 345 participants in AP exams--86 percent of whom scored 3s, 4s and 5s
* 26 National Merit Semifinalists
* College-sending rate of 90 percent
* 43 student clubs and/or activities
* 27 interscholastic sports teams
* $18.5 million for facilities master plan/site development
* Recognized in School Match "What Parents Want"
* A 128-Year Tradition of Excellence
* A school motto of "Those Things That Are Best"

-- that residents in 30 River Forest homes have been warned that they
violate local law by not shoveling the sidewalks in front of their
homes?
Warnings only have been given in part because of the holiday season, but
the local shoveling ordinance does call for fines of up to $500.

-- that Oak Park once considered passing a quota on the number of black
residents in the village?
Here's the story as told by Scott Cummings in his 1998 book, "Left
Behind in Rosedale ... Race Relations and the Collapse of Community
Institutions."
"Oak Park initially experimented with the establishment of a
controversial racial quota system in response to widespread fear that
once a hypothetical tipping point was reached, an irreversible process
of white flight would soon follow. Although the quota policy was
narrowly defeated and never implemented, it did elevate community
discourse over the best way to manage racial transition and change, and
it promoted other more positive solutions to the emerging social
crisis."

-- that speaking of Cummings, Sandra Wilcoxon wanted to make a
correction in our item on her book about her late
great-great-grandfather, Fred Cummings?
Contrary to the quote related by Wilcoxon about Cholera-infested family
and livestock, it was actually the boat Cummings rode on up the
Mississippi that was cholera-infested.
As a reminder, Wilcoxon will have copies of her book. "Harvest Journal
... The Memoirs of a Minnesota Farmer," and will read from it on Monday,
Jan. 8 during the open mic session at Healy's Westside pub at 7217
Madison St. in Forest Park. And also the "Harvest Journal" ranking on
Amazon.com has broken a million and is moving up the chart.

-- that Edward Solan finished 28th in the Frank Lloyd Wright 10K run
held on Oct. 10, 1999 but didn't compete in 2000 because he was working
at a job in New York?
Solan, who formerly was on the board of the Oak Park Residence
Corporation and was an elected park board commissioner in Oak Park, last
spring took a job as senior vice president with the New York City
Housing Development Corporation. Now, he's reportedly coming back to Oak
Park as the latest executive director of the Residence Corporation and
Oak Park Housing Authority, the joint agencies that own, rehab and
manage multifamily and commercial properties in the village.
Solan replaces Frank Muriello, the former executive director who took
over when he replacement, Thaddeus Bryski, left the agency under
circumstance that never have been discussed publicly.

-- that, speaking of the Residence Corporation, Lamont Change of Oak
Park, Senior Vice President of LaSalle Bank N.A. in Chicago, has joined
the board of that Oak Park agency?
In the post at the bank, Change oversees the strategic objectives and
reporting requirements for compliance with the Community Reinvestment
Act. He joined LaSalle Bank N.A. in February 1986 as Assistant Vice
President of commercial lending and previously managed LaSalle Bank’s
Small Business Lending Division.
And among other things, Change also is a Business Advisory Council
Member for the University of Illinois at Chicago Business College, an
Advisory Council Member for the Chicago Chapter of the United Negro
College Fund, an Advisory Council Member for the Urban Bankers Forum of
Chicago and a Board Member of the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce.

-- that Drs. Elliot Kroger and Marvin Tiesenga of West Suburban Hospital
Medical Center in Oak Park were named in the January issue of Chicago
Magazine as among "Chicago's Top Doctors"?
Kroger's specialty is general internal medicine, which Tiesenga's is
surgery.

-- that Jay Kreuzer starts on Monday, Jan. 15 as the new president and
CEO of West Sub?

-- that the Lake Theatre in Oak Park is pictured in the January/February
issue of Home and Away, the magazine of the AAA-Chicago Motor Club?
The picture of the exterior of the Lake, 1022 Lake St., accompanies a
short article about Classic Cinemas, the 17-theater chain that owns the
Lake.

-- that Michael A. Manzo, the president of the Proviso High School
District 209 board, has an insurance sales office at 7369 W. North Ave.
in River Forest?
Manzo, a Melrose Park resident, heads the school board that sets policy
for Proviso East, the public high school that Forest Park residents
attend. Manzo also is a candidate for election in April to be mayor of
Forest Park. Manzo is running against incumbent Ron Serpico and Barbara
Jasinski.
And Manzo's on a ticket that includes as the village clerk candidate
fellow Melrose Parker Pat Naples, who in the 1970s and 1980s served a
bunch of controversy-filled years as an elected trustee at Triton
College, the community college serving Oak Park, River Forest, Forest
Park and other near-west Chicago suburbs. The Manzo-Naples ticket is the
Election 2001 Unity Party.

-- that Manzo will be honored on Feb. 17 at a ceremony to be held by the
Napoletano Club in Oak Park?
The club will celebrate its 67th anniversary that Saturday night at Mar
Lac Banquets in Oak Park.

-- that Les Beaux business in Oak Park is for sale for $225,000?
The upscale French import shop is at 133 N. Oak Park Ave.

-- that also for sale is the office building at 1118 Westgate St. in
Downtown Oak Park?

-- that FitzGerald's, the famous nightclub on Roosevelt in Berwyn across
from Oak Park, will hold shows celebrating its 20th anniversary in
business on Jan. 26 and 27?
Performing at the club, 6615 W. Roosevelt Road, will be the Marcia Ball
Band with guest Tracy Nelson.

-- that Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest at 1001 Lake St. in Oak
Park is now reporting assets of $82 million on hand at the end of 2000?

-- that Loretta Daly is now scheduled to leave her post as executive
director of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 31?
With a stated desire to pursue other interests, Daly originally had said
she would leave the chamber job at the end of 2000. No replacement has
been named, but a search committee of the chamber board continues to
work to find a replacement.

-- that planning for the River Forest memorial Day Parade already has
begun?
The village has held the annual parade since 1935, and the 2001 edition
will be on May 28 beginning at 11 a.m., whatever the weather. Any
citizen can march in the parade, and businesses and organizations
wishing to participate in this year's parade should contact the River
Forest Park District, either by e-mail at info@rfpd.com or by telephone
at 708-366-6660 for more details. Commercial entries in the parade are
encouraged to donate $100 to help cover the costs of the parade, which
is being organized by the various department of the River Forest village
government; the River Forest Service Club, a civic welfare organization;
the River Forest Park District; and River Forest Youth
Baseball/Softball.
Business benefactors include Corus Bank, 7727 W. Lake St. in River
Forest; TCF National Bank Illinois, 800 N. Harlem Ave. in River Forest;
St. Paul Federal Bank for Savings, 6700 W. North Ave. in Chicago across
from Oak Park; LaSalle Bank, FSB, which has a branch at 7601 W. North
Ave.; and Citibank, which has a branch at 7221 W. Lake St. in the River
Forest Town Center.

Did you know that it's the holiday season?

By ERIC LINDEN

Did you know ...?

-- that it's the holiday season in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest
Park?

-- that Fellowship Christian Church of Oak Park will hold a New Year's
Eve Service staring at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31?
The Praise Singers at the church, 1106-1110 Madison St., will perform
and, according to senior Pastor Rev. Dr. M. Randolph Thompson, there
also will be "a special word from the Lord our God as He leads us into
another year of challenges and blessings."
Fellowship's normal Sunday worship will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 31.

-- that the Christmas trees sold at 1117 Chicago Ave. in Oak Park come
from Sandhill Tree Farm, which is north of Madison, Wis.?

-- that a New Year's Eve celebration will be held in Historic Pleasant
Home, which is at 217 S. Home Ave. in Mills Park in Oak Park?

-- that it's not Christmas yet, but the village halls in Oak Park and
River Forest already have announced their collections for holiday trees?

In Oak Park, holiday trees will be collected during the weeks of Jan. 8
and 15 on the residents' regular days for refuse pickup. The trees
should be placed in the regular recycling area.
In River Forest, pickup of trees will continue through the end of
January, and the trees can be left on the parkway at the front curb for
pickup by village crews.
In both villages, all decorations should be removed from the trees
before pickup, and the trees should NOT be put in plastic bags. More
information is available from either the Oak Park village government's
Public Works Department at 358-5700 or River Forest village hall at
366-8500.

-- that the Oak Park Ski Club held a Christmas Party on Dec. 19 at the
Park Ridge VFW?

-- that the Community Kwanzaa on Dec. 30 at Cornerstore Church in Oak
Park is sponsored by Cornerstone, 171 N. Cuyler Ave.; Project Unity, the
Oak Park group that seeks to boost relations between black and white
residents; and the Oak Park Area Arts Council, which works to promote
the arts and artists in Oak Park, Forest Park and some surrounding
communities?
The events at Cornerstone will start with family activities and a social
hour from 3 to 4 p.m. that Saturday, will feature a Kwanzaa program from
4 to 5 p.m. and a feast from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Clean-up is to take place
from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
Kwanzaa is an African American event that borrows from an African
festival and "the bounty of the harvest season." Last year's third
annual event in Oak Park drew some 200 people.

-- that the Village of Forest Park will host a Winter Carnival on New
Year's Eve on Madison Street between Circle and Des Plaines avenues?
The party starts at 8 p.m. and will offer, among other things,
complimentary champagne at midnight.

-- that West Suburban Temple Har Zion, 1040 N. Harlem Ave. in River
Forest, will be open for activities on Christmas Day from 9:30 to 11:30
a.m.?

-- that Realtors in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park are not
conducting their normal Sunday open houses of homes for sale this Sunday
because it's Christmas Eve?

-- that Christmas Cherub, a company in the United Kingdom that
encourages traveling, is recommending an Oak Park site as a place to
visit in the United States during these December holidays?
"Why not spend Christmas in the snow--where Christmas should be spent?"
Christmas Cherub asks potential customers. Besides places in France,
Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe, the company also says,
"Alternatively if you want something further across the water, try
America. No, not Florida--Chicago. We know of a fab place to visit. Oak
Park near Chicago."
Rather than the usual tourist suspects in Oak Park, Christmas Cherub
recommends the Coach House, the new Oak Park inn that we told you about
on Dec. 5. The house was designed by Daniel Burnham, the planner who
helped rebuild Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire, and was remodeled
by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1896.

-- that the River Forest village board in the 1970s once had to grant
permission for the former Wieboldt's department store to open for
business on Sundays?
Wieboldt's was at the southwest corner of Harlem Avenue and Lake Street
until the company went out of business and the building was sold and
demolished to make way for the River Forest Town Center development that
is now on the site. But almost three decades ago, River Forest had a
so-called "Sunday closing law" that forbid business from being conducted
on the Christian day of worship. At the request of Wieboldt's officials,
the village board voted 4-2 to suspend the Sunday law.

-- that St. Giles Church at 1045 N. Columbian  Ave. in Oak Park on New
Year's Eve will hold an  Ecumenical Service at 11:30 p.m.?

-- that the River Forest Park District let kids decorate the tree in
Memorial Park for the holidays?
Memorial Park is plat of land on Lake Street east of Lathrop Avenue, and
the tree got decorated this way. The park district gave out holiday
decorating kits to local kids who gave a non-perishable food item for
donation to the Oak Park-River Forest Community of Congregations Hunger
Task Force Food Pantry.
With the kits, the kids could make a tree ornament that was placed on
the tree.

-- that there's at least one bit of non-holiday news?
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley on Dec. 21 yesterday named new
commissioners to head four City Hall departments, and they included
David K. Hanson as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with
Disabilities. Hanson, 37, for the last few years has directed the
office's Architectural Services Unit, and before that he worked for the
Progress Center for Independent Living, a disabled rights organization
that was then in Oak Park and now is in Forest Park.
Hanson's appointment and the others made by Daley this week require
confirmation by the City Council.

Dec. 18, 2000

Blues event hopes to cheer up
fire-damaged Animal Care League

By ERIC LINDEN

Did you know ...?

-- that the Animal Care League of Oak Park will hold a "Fire Relief
Blues Benefit" on Jan. 19, 2001 featuring  the Joanna Connor Blues Band,
with an appearance also by bluesman Buzz Kilman from WCKG-FM radio?
The Animal Care League's Oak Park building was hit by a serious fire on
Nov. 7. While damage was between $90,000 and $100,000 to the
organization's building at 1013 Garfield St., no people or animals were
hurt. The Care League's building will be closed until further notice.
The "Fire Relief Blues Benefit" is on for 9 p.m. that Sunday in January
at Harlem Lounge, 3701 S. Harlem Ave. in Berwyn. Tickets are $15.
Also in the meantime, Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest has set up
a Fire Relief Fund for the Animal Care League. Checks payable to that
fund can be sent the Animal Care League Fire Relief Fund at Community
Bank of Oak Park River Forest, 1001 Lake St., Oak Park, Ill., 60301.

-- that the school board of River Forest Elementary School District 90
recently authorized the sale of $5.08 million of bonds for life safety
and fire prevention projects and for working cash purposes?

-- that the future of Tasty Dog, the popular Oak Park restaurant at 701
Lake St., is up for grabs?
At least some of the proposals for new development on the parking lot
south and west of Tasty Dog call for demolition of the restaurant and
including the property in a new development. The Oak Park village board
has to vote on whether to accept one of the development proposals.

-- that Oak Park Festival Theatre's third annual "Evening at the
Warrington Opera House" will be held on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001?
On that Sunday, the Chicago Opera Artists will perform light operatic
and theater works during a four-course dinner at Mar Lac Banquets, 104
S. Marion St. in Oak Park. Festivities start with a cash and hors
d'oeurves at 5:30 p.m.

-- that Kirk Eye Center in River Forest, which is run by a long-time
River Forest family, now has another location in west suburban
Naperville?

-- that the public schools in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park
will be on winter/holiday recess from the end of classes on Friday, Dec.
22 until classes resume on Monday, Jan. 8, 2001?

-- that according ot the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, the
three villages' initial responses to the 2000 U.S. census have been
below the target?

Here's NIPC's report on the three local villages.
Community   Initial response   Target response
Forest Park        67 Percent          72 percent
Oak Park           72 percent           77 percent
River Forest       72 percent           88 percent

-- that a sign on the commercial space at 330 Madison St. in Oak
Park--the northeast corner of Madison Street and Ridgeland Avenue--says
it's been leased and that now we'll wait to see if it's retail or a
restaurant or an office?

-- that the vacant commercial building at 7626 W. Madison St. in Forest
Park is for sale at $350,000?

-- that the vacant commercial building at 6820 W. Roosevelt Road in Oak
Park has been sold for $530,000?

-- that Foley-Rice Cadillac-Oldsmobile in Oak Park soon will lose the
Oldsmobile part of the dealership?
The Oldsmobile line is being phased out by General Motors throughout the
country. But the Oak Park dealership, which has its main showroom at 711
Madison St. and has other properties on Madison Street in Oak Park,
still will remain open at least as a Cadillac dealership.

-- that the Elm Shop, the gift store at 1132 Chicago Ave. in Oak Park,
has lost its lease and will be closing on Jan. 31, 2001 and that the
building--which also includes Marks Travel at 1134 Chicago Ave.--is for
sale?

-- that Mary Ruth Coffey, who took over recently as executive director
of Sarah's Inn, graduated first in her class from John Marshall Law
School and is also a certified domestic violence counselor?

-- that Elizabeth Cheney--famous for being the namesake of the Cheney
Mansion in Oak Park, worked for more than 12 years in the book
department of the Carson Pirie Scott store in downtown Chicago, even
after she moved into the Cheney Mansion at 220 N. Euclid Ave. to care
for her widowed Aunt Mary?

-- that the Historical Society of Oak Park & River Forest next year will
offer a new exhibit called "Roots of Oak Park," which will recall the
community's early days leading up to Oak Park's founding in 1902?

-- that the Elvira Rubinstein Room, the community room of the Oak Park
Conservatory Center, is now open for rentals?
The room, named after the founder of the Friends of the Oak Park
Conservatory, is in the center, 615 Garfield St., and has a full-sized
kitchen and seating accommodations for about 50 people that can be
expanded.

-- that the Oak Park township board has set salaries for officials who
will be elected to new terms next April?
As required by law, the following annual salaries for 2001--with annual
raises based on the consumer price index for the greater Chicago
area--have been set for the following positions in the term running from
2001 to 2005:
* The supervisor, the chief executive officer of township government,
$36,228
* The town clerk, the secretariat of township government, $12,073
* The township assessor, who provides property tax information and
assistance for residents and property owners, $18,109
* The four trustees, who join with the supervisor in setting township
policy, $3,393 each

Part of Austin Boulevard closed 
due to construction

By ERIC LINDEN

Did you know ...?

-- that work has begun on the reconstruction of Austin Boulevard, which
borders Oak Park and Chicago's Austin community?
The roadway as of now is closed to southbound traffic between Chicago
Avenue and Lake Street. Southbound Oak Park motorists are encouraged to
detour westbound on Chicago Avenue to Ridgeland Avenue and then proceed
south again.
The work is part of a project in which the City of Chicago and the Oak
Park village government are sharing costs of redoing Austin Boulevard
from North Avenue to Roosevelt Road. Closing stretches of Austin
Boulevard will be staggered during the construction.

-- that River Forest had 34 leaf fires during November, which is lower
than normal for that month?
A tradition of sorts in the village has been for young people to set
fire to leaves raked into the streets waiting for pickup by Public Works
Department crews. Officials said the lower number of fires this November
could be credited either to wet weather, quick pickup by public works
crews or some combination of both.

-- that for the holidays, the Oak Park Main Post Office and the River
Forest branch are offering some extended hours?
The Oak Park Post Office at 901 Lake St. and the River Forest branch at
401 William St. were open today and will be open next Saturday, Dec. 16,
until 4 p.m. and on Sundays, Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

-- that officials at the River Forest District 90 elementary schools are
studying the formation of an education foundation?
The move is being made at the suggestion of the district's Strategic
Planning team. The Oak Park District 97 public schools have an education
foundation, which raises money to support extracurricular academic
programs for students, but Forest Park Elementary District 91 does not.

-- that there's plenty of election news developing before the April,
2001 municipal and school board elections?
Among the developments:
* The Village Manager Association, the Oak Park political group that has
dominated the local elections for about 50 years, plans to announce its
election slate on Sunday, Dec. 10. Of the officials whose terms are
expiring, Village President Barbara Furlong probably will not seek
re-election, while Village Clerk Sandra Sokol and Village Trustees Gus
Kostopulos and Rick Kuner are interested in continuing service--with
Kuner perhaps as village president. Finally, Village Trustee Joanne
Trapani has asked to be slated for village president.
* All the River Forest village board members whose terms are expiring
next April want to run for new terms. That list includes Village
President Frank Paris, Village Clerk Patrick Hosty and Village Trustees
Nancy Dillon, Patrick O'Brien and Dale Rider.
* Education First, the citizens election group that is interested in the
District 97 schools, is accepting until Jan. 15 nominations for those
who wish to run for school board with backing from Education First.
The group on its Web site has this to say about its interests in school
district affairs.
"Education First is looking to make a good thing better in District 97.
Our first goal is to improve the quality of education for all Oak Park
children. Another overarching theme is to what we call our `Open
Communications Initiative.' Through a number of the proposals, Education
First seeks to increase the opportunity for communication and teamwork
between the Board, administrators, parents and teachers. Finally,
Education First supports what we call the
`Diversity by Choice Initiative' to maintain integrated schools in Oak
Park."

-- that according to Education First, it is, as this is posted, 115 days
until the District 97 school board election?

-- that five merchants on Madison Street in Forest Park participated on
Dec. 1 and 2 in Shop for Main Street, an event in which the merchants
shared a percentage of their sales with the Forest Park Main Street
Redevelopment Association?
The promotion partners were:

* Jeanine A. Guncheon Studios, 7316 W. Madison
* Marbuzet, 7600 W. Madison, the new restaurant from
   Chicago chef Jack Jones
* My Sister’s Café, 7445 W. Madison
* R. Quitsch Florist, 7405 W. Madison
* Xpansions Yoga & Art, 7518 W. Madison

-- that the vacancy at 7377 W. Madison St. in Forest Park served as the
Main Street Warming Center during the Madison Street Christmas Walk on
Dec. 1?

-- that the Fire Department in River Grove, which is north and west of
River Forest, has hired the 30 new firefighters it needs to convert from
an all volunteer department to a full-time department?
The department has long had a part-time volunteer staff of 25 that has
worked on a paid-on-call basis. In addition to the new staff, the River
Grove department will continue to have paramedics and also will have
Advanced Life Support capabilities on fire engines.
The new firefighters are now being trained and facilities are being
prepared. Plans call for the new department to take effect Jan. 1, 2001.

-- that the River Forest village board didn't meet for a long time on
Nov. 27?
The board meeting started at 7:30 p.m. that Monday night, and after
completion of its regular business, the board went into a private
executive session at 7:52 p.m. After leaving executive session at 8:30,
the board adjourned the meeting at 8:32 p.m.

-- that Oak Park Hospital is among those owned by the parent company of
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center that have cut off service to
members of United Healthcare of Illinois?
Rush and Oak Park hospitals and a few others in the Chicago area
reportedly did not want to accept a 70-percent increase in the rates
charged for the United Healthcare plan.

-- that on Feb. 28, 2001, Heritage House will take telephone calls from
senior citizens and disabled persons who want to be on a new waiting
list to be able to rent apartments in Heritage House, the federally
subsidized residential building at  201 Lake St. in Oak Park?
Calls will be taken that day only between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at
708-848-1800.