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Community Corner

The Week Ahead: July 18 to July 23

A heat wave looms, two public issues on the docket and an orphan stops in Oak Park.

The week ahead will provide some ways to keep alert, stay safe, get involved and have fun.

First and foremost the Chicago area will experience extremely high temperatures. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s and with the humidity, well, we’re talking an outdoor steam bath.

If you don't have access to air conditioning, several places will serve as cooling centers:

Find out what's happening in Oak Park-River Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • , 520 Maple Ave., 383-5673.
  • , 3 Erie Court, 383-6200.
  • , 123 Lombard Ave., 8:30 am to 5 pm.
  • , Main Branch, 834 Lake St., from 9 am to 9 pm.
  • , Maze Branch, 845 Gunderson St., from 10 am to 8 pm
  • , Dole Learning Center, 255 Augusta St., from 10 am to 8 pm.

Free transportation is available by calling the’s non-emergency number, 708-386-3800.

People who are elderly and who have chronic conditions are especially susceptible to this heat so please check on them when the temperature rises.

Find out what's happening in Oak Park-River Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some important safety tips to remember include avoiding strenuous activity and stay inside whenever possible. If you must go out, wear lightweight, light-colored clothing and hats, drink lots of water and take regular breaks.

For more information, click here.

Oak Park’s Historic Preservation Commission will hold the last in a series of public meetings at 7 pm tonight on expanding the boundaries of the  

This session will be in the Veterans Room at the main branch of the , 834 Lake St.

The commission wants to match the local boundaries with the expansion of the National Register Historic District in 2009. The original borders were created when the district was drawn by Oak Park in 1972.

of the issue has been ongoing for several months, and the proposed boundary expansion has been met with praise and skepticism. A recommendation could be developed in August.

The first of two public hearings will be conducted at 7:30 pm tonight in the council chambers at , 123 Madison St., as Oak Park assesses the plan – prioritizing a mix of power sources (think: clean vs. cheap) – the village will have.

The meetings are part of the requirements that resulted from the overwhelming approval in April of a backing Community Choice Aggregation.

The allows Oak Park to bundle power accounts from households and commercial customers and then allow energy companies to bid on them.

Finally, in thinking way ahead, will stage the Tony-award winning musical “Annie” this weekend.  

Performances will be 7:30 p.m. Fri. July 22 & Sat. July 23 and a 3 pm matinee on Sunday July 24 in the school's auditorium.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets for seniors will be $6 on Friday and Saturday and free on Sunday.

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