India Beckons Movie Goers to Forest Park

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to be shown Jan. 10 at Howard Mohr Community Center.

A trip to India is planned for next week, and you won't even need a passport to get there. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, last year's big hit about the adventures of a group of Brits who outsource their retirement to India, will be shown at 1 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd. Admission is free and popcorn will be served. Enticed by ads for the newly-restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, the group arrives to find a run-down palace instead. But while their new digs are less luxurious than imagined, they are transformed by the experiences they share and discover that life and love can begin anew. The film stars some greats of British cinema including Judi Dench, Maggie …

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The Week Ahead

Tarzan Speaks: The Week Ahead

The Wiz, health screenings and more this week.

The area will be busy this week. Here's but a sample of what lies ahead. Today is the deadline to take High School District 200's Strategic Planning survey. If you can't find your survey access code or want to take a paper survey, contact strategicplanning@oprfhs.org or call 708-434-3511. Results will be shared at a steering committee meeting on Dec. 3. Lifelong River Forester Jim Dooley, of the Dooley Brothers Band, will join the River Forest Public Library for Local Celebrity Story Time, at 4 p.m., Nov. 13, at the library, 735 Lathrop Ave. Jim will read some of his favorite stories and bring his guitar along for songs and merriment. Stories are best suited for elementary school students, ages 5 and up (If you look at the photos of the …

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Area Girl Scouts Pitch in to Help Area Food Pantries

Girls fanned out over three communities to collect goods, raise awareness about hunger.

Area youngsters might have taken Saturday to play soccer, do their homework or run errands with the folks. But many - young girls all - harnessed their energy and brought in untold hundreds of non-perishable food items to benefit food pantries in their communities. This year's annual Girl Scout food drive resulted in an estimated 21,000 pounds of food and more than $300 in donations for the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry in Oak Park.  About 400 girls, plus 40 troop leaders and parents picked up food at 17,000 homes in the area, said Lisa Files, who coordinated this year's food drive. The girls did a pretty fantastic job, said Paula Berg, the manager of the Pantry, which monthly serves an average of 1,500 families. Berg noted the …

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Girl Scouts to Lead One-Day Drive for Local Food Pantries

Girls in Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest to be out in force on Oct. 27.

Girl power will be unharnessed Saturday Oct. 27 as scouts from all over the area will be taking part in a massive one-day drive benefitting area food pantries. As many as 500 girls of all ages from Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest will be collecting bags from front stoops and porches and taking them to pantries in Oak Park and Forest Park where goods will be sorted. The effort, which has taken place for at least 15 years, has become one of the largest one-day food drives in the area, organizers said.   “We are looking for anything – from nonperishable food to cleaning products and toiletries. We are so appreciative of what people do,” said Paula Berg, the manager at the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry. The pantry is in the basement…

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The Week Ahead

Stories in Your PJs and More: The Week Ahead

Rachel Carson's legacy, free film series held, dancing and more happening around town this week.

Loads are happening this week in Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest. Here's just a smidgen. Get breaking news alerts and follow us on Facebook for more news: Legacy of an Environmental Pioneer Learn about the successes, spiritual ground and courage of Rachel Carson during a program at 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Assn., 178 Forest Ave., in Oak Park. Local resident Peggy McGrath will discuss Carson and her book "Silent Spring," the seminal book on the environment. Carson's masterpiece, which was published 50 years ago, was the impetus for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air and Water acts and other efforts. The program starts at 1 pm; tea follows the program. Suggested …

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The Week Ahead in Oak Park and Forest Park

Want to get involved, catch up with pals or learn, Patch has a few suggestions in and around Forest Park this week.

Arts and crafts, card and board games and camaraderie will be on deck when the Forest Park Senior Citizens Club gathers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park. Need to get there? Call the center, 708-771-7737. Seniors from other communities are welcome. If you would like to get a refresher behind the wheel course instead, AARP will be sponsoring a two-day, eight-hour driving class at the medical office building of Rush Oak Park Hospital. The course is designed specifically to meet the needs of older drivers. The course will meet from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18 and on Wednesday, Sept. 19 in Room 2000 at 610 S. Maple Ave. in Oak Park. Registration is required; you must …

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Road Trips for Forest Park Seniors this Month

The serenity of the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford on Sept. 12 and the high-spirits of "Grease" in Aurora a week later.

Forest Park seniors will hit the road this month, taking field trips north and west to the catch sights and experience the 50s. It'll be a full day on Wednesday, Sept. 12, as a bus will head up to Rockford for a guided tour through the Anderson Japanese Gardens. An acclaimed 14 acres set in an authentic 16th century landscape, the gardens provide a place of peace and beauty and are not to be missed.  Keeping in line with the culture of the day, lunch will be at J.M.K. Nippon Japanese Restaurant in Rockford. There will be Asian seabass, sesame chicken, salmon steak and sukiyaki marinated steak. Urbanspoon gave this establishment a huge thumbs-up. Edwards Apple Orchard in Poplar Grove will be the last stop of the day, where travelers can …

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