Pick Oak Park

In Oak Park all buildings over 10,000 square feet are required to benchmark their energy and water usage. This helps building owners understand building performance and identify opportunities to save operating costs. Property owners and managers can get hands-on assistance with data entry and troubleshoot any data issues at an upcoming benchmarking workshop from 4 – 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Oak Park Public Library Maze Branch, 845 Gunderson Ave. Get more information and register at www.oak-park.us/building-benchmarking.

The Village's successful Commercial Façade Improvement Program (C-FIP) assists local commercial business or property owners with improvements like new signage, awnings, lighting, windows, doors and tuckpointing. A recent grant recipient is Bead In Hand, located at 145 Harrison St. New windows and a door were installed at the business with the assistance of the Village’s C-FIP grant program. For more information about the program, contact Cameron Davis at 708.358.5421 or [email protected].

In preparation for the Renew the Avenue streetscape project in 2025, we are highlighting a few of the amazing businesses who call Oak Park Avenue home.

Meet SelleriaVeneta!

Moses Valdez loves Oak Park and the Hemingway District Oak Park —and meeting people. The co-owner of Selleria Veneta, a boutique dedicated to Italian handmade clothing, handbags and jewelry, grew up in Oak Park as one of eight kids. With his business partner Cecilia Romanucci, Moses curates moderately priced fashion made by hand with the environment in mind. In addition to Selleria Veneta (139 N. Oak Park Avenue), Moses brings his energy to the recently invigorated Hemingway District Association as president of the organization. Where Selleria Veneta showcases the spirit of Italian fashion, Moses encapsulates the spirit of Oak Park. More about Selleria Veneta is at www.selleriaveneta.com. Learn more about Renew the Avenue at www.renewtheavenue.com.

Be sure to support the businesses of the Hemingway District as we prepare to Renew the Avenue in 2025!

Join the Hemingway District Oak Park and the Collaboration for Early Childhood for the Fall Family Fun events scheduled on Saturday, Oct. 26. A costume parade, early childhood resource fair and treats on "the Avenue" are just some of the fun events planned. Line up for the costume parade at 9:45 a.m. near the entrance of the main library! Go to https://shorturl.at/njY4C for more information.

Don’t miss a day of spooky fun at the Harvest on Harrison! The Oak Park Arts District Business Association will be hosting its annual Harvest on Harrison event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. Activities will include an artist vendor fair, costume contest and trick-or-treating at businesses in the district on Harrison Street. More info is at https://shorturl.at/FdaYv

The final Oak Park Farmers' Market is this Saturday with stone soup served to customers as a way of saying thank you for their patronage. Made from ingredients donated by Market vendors, the soup will be ladled up free of charge from about 9 a.m. until the pot is empty. Read the European folk tale that is the inspiration for serving stone soup at the last market of the season at www.oak-park.us/stonesoup. More information, and an online Market feedback survey, is at www.oak-park.us/farmersmarket. Thanks to all who supported the Market this season!

Oak Park residents and business owners whose properties sustained damage during severe weather events from July 13-16 could be eligible for federal funding to help in recovering from the storms. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is working with emergency management officials throughout Cook County to get the word out about options available for applying for assistance. Business owners can apply online at www.disasterassistance.gov, in person at one of FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Centers, via the FEMA app or by calling 800.621.3362. More information is at www.oak-park.us/disasterrecovery24.

Join Wonder Works, A Children's Museum in Oak Park in your most adorable costumes for their Wondereen and Boo Celebration from Oct. 24 – 31! The museum will be decorated for Halloween fun and will have a special themed scavenger hunt. There will be costume parades, spooky story time, and Halloween activities in the art room. And if you’d prefer to wait until you get to Wonder Works to dress up… they'll have plenty of costumes for you to choose from! Parent costumes are encouraged! Wondereen and Boo Celebration is included in regular Wonder Works admission. No special ticket required. More info is at www.wonder-works.org/2024-wondereen-weekend/

The Village’s Energy and Water Benchmarking ordinance requires that all buildings over 10,000 square feet report their annual energy and water usage through the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The Village is hosting a series of upcoming workshops to assist property owners and managers in reporting their annual energy and water consumption. The initial workshops are being held virtually Oct. 22 and 23 followed by in-person sessions Nov. 4 and Nov. 7. Find more information about benchmarking, the upcoming workshops and how to register at www.oak-park.us/building-benchmarking.

Save the Date! The Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society’s Holiday Housewalk & Market is December 6 & 7. Early bird tickets are on sale now for $65. Tickets prices go up on November 1. Tour six beautiful homes and get a head start on holiday shopping at the market. All proceeds help fulfill the organization’s mission to offer high quality, comprehensive medical, dental, behavioral health and social service support to underserved, low-income children from infancy to age 21. For more information, and to purchase tickets, go to www.oprfiws.org/holiday-housewalk

South Town’s 3rd annual Fall Fest was last Saturday and it was filled with art, food, activities and more! Here’s a look back at the fun outdoor street fest held on Van Buren Street. Special thanks to the organizers, including Stern Glass Works, for coordinating such a great community event.

Oak Park business owners can register now for upcoming Downtown Oak Park Business Academy’s seminars on tips for marketing success. Two additional seminars, taught by Triton College representatives, will be held. From 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 14 at the Lake Theatre, the focus will be on website best practices. From 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 28 at the Oak Park Library, the seminar will focus on social media strategies. Learn more and register online at https://shorturl.at/y8zrg. Space is limited and registration is required. The seminars are free for Downtown Oak Park members, the cost for non-members is $10 per seminar.

The Village is hosting a Town Hall meeting to discuss the development of its five-year Consolidated Plan from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 in Room 101 at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. Any resident or community stakeholder interested in helping to shape how the Village uses federal funds to assist low- and moderate-income persons, including individuals experiencing homelessness, is invited to attend or to complete an online survey at www.engageoakpark.com/consolidated-plan. A crucial aspect of this plan is citizen input, opinions, and suggestions, as they play a significant role in shaping policies and strategies related to housing development. More information is at www.oak-park.us/consolidatedplan.

South Town’s 3rd annual Fall Fest is on Saturday, Oct. 5 from noon to 4 p.m. This free, family-friendly event is filled with activities for all ages, including a pet costume parade, food and drink, arts & crafts, music and more… Head on over to Van Buren Street (between Oak Park and Grove avenues) for all the fun! Check out www.sternglassworks.com/fallfest for more details.

A sweet (and savory) collaboration!

Please consider supporting us during Halloween. 🙏 This is normally a very slooooow period for us, so we've teamed up with The Happy Apple Pie Shop to make Halloween night easy and delicious, while supporting two local businesses.

Place an order for Trick-or-Treat candy ($15-17 = 2lbs; 3 varieties, including an allergy-friendly mix) and you can add a Pot Pie for dinner for $38. We will HAND DELIVER both the candy and the pie to you on Oct 29 & 30 (OP, RF, FP only) or you can do local pick up at our store in Hemingway District Oak Park

https://www.candycopia.com/collections/local-halloween-special

The Village of Oak Park has issued 76 new business licenses so far this year. Businesses like Schoolhouse Kitchen + Studio - Oak Park, located at 1011 Madison St. Visit www.iloveschoolhouse.com to learn more about this premiere cooking school for kids and families in the Madison Street District! A full list of newly licensed businesses is updated monthly at www.pickoakpark.com/newbusiness.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month today at Oak Park’s ¡Viva! Festival! The fun is happening rain or shine from noon to 3 p.m. on the south lawn at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. The event features food trucks, live entertainment, vendors, pinatas, face painters, activities for kids and more. A large tent will be in place for watching the live performances in case it rains. For more information, visit www.oak-park.us/HispanicHeritage.

The Oak Park Sculpture Walk is in full swing with about a dozen sculptures on display as part of an outdoor exhibit in the Downtown Oak Park business district in the vicinity of Lake Street and Marion Street. This year’s Sculpture Walk will be on display until spring 2025 and features the work of artists from throughout the Midwest. The sculptures were chosen through a juried competition and vary in materials. The Sculpture Walk is organized by the Oak Park Area Arts Council. More information about the Sculpture Walk is available on the Downtown Oak Park website at https://shorturl.at/IPSS3 or by downloading the free Otocast app to access information about the sculptures and hear descriptions of the work by the artists.