Community Corner

Sugar Beet Co-op to Host Winter Farmer's Market, Events to Honor MLK Jr. in Oak Park

Also this weekend is the community ribbon cutting at Concordia University Chicago's new Center for Literacy.

Sugar Beet, Faith in Place Host Winter Farmer's Market
9 a.m. Join the Sugar Beet Co-op and Faith in Place for a Winter Market at Unity Temple! There will be cheese, meat and poultry, soap, syrup, honey, wool, raw fibers, vinegars, dried fruits, milled flours, sauces and salsas, preserves, cider, and fresh produce as available - all produced within a 250 mile radius of Chicago.

Events to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Oak Park:

35th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Assembly at OPRFHS

This Friday’s 35th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Assembly will be  unique compared to years past. Instead of a single winner, four students will present excerpts from their top-ranked entries in the 30th annual student oratorical contest. The winners will present together while seated onstage on couches, to create a conversational feel.

A record 59 students submitted entries in the contest, for which the theme was “What Would You March For?” The four winners are:

  • Cassandra Bey, “I March For The Children”
  • Matt Lee,  “Profiling In America”
  • Tabrielle Matthews, “Equal Rights”   
  • Helen Susman, “I’d March  For Women’s Rights”

This is the third consecutive year the high school has partnered with The Oak Park Regional Housing Center to sponsor the contest as a way of highlighting the community’s history and role in promoting diversity. The Housing Center’s Rob Braymaier is sponsoring the prize of $350, which will be split among the four winners.

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

The presentation of the winning essay is always a highlight of the annual assembly, which asks students and staff to reflect on Dr. King’s life, teachings, and legacy. This year’s assembly also will feature Rev. Rashaad Saffo of Maywood’s United Faith Missionary Baptist Church, reading from Dr. King’s last speech before his death, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” In addition, the OPRF Gospel Choir will perform. 

The assembly will be held twice on Fri., Jan. 17, during back-to-back periods at 8:45 a.m. and 9:40 a.m.

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

Monday Night Concert Series: The Jeremy Kahn Trio at the Oak Park Arms
The Monday Night Concert Series continues with the Jeremy Kahn Trio at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20,at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. In celebration of Martin Luther King Day, the Jeremy Kahn Trio will present a musical tribute titled “Playing the Duke to honor a King.” 

Timeless Ellington classics will be performed by Jeremy Kahn, Eric Hochberg and Eric Schneider. Kahn will play the piano, Hochberg will play the bass and Schneider will play the saxophone. 

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay - a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information call 708-386-4040 or visit http://www.oakparkarms.com

Chicago: Emancipation to Inauguration (River Forest Reads)

"Going to Chicago!" were the words composed, sung, and lived by African Americans during the Great Migration. From share-cropper to share-holder and from the shotgun shack to the White House, our town's Black Experience is vast, rich, and inspiring.

Join musician/historian Clarence Goodman as he takes us on a virtual tour of Chicago and its pivotal role in Black History and come help us kick off our first River Forest Reads community reading program!


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