Treasure or Trash? Oak Park, River Forest Historical Society Hosts Appraisal Event

Want to know what the jewelry your grandmother left you is worth? Head over to the Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park on Feb. 9 and get it appraised.

Sitting in your living room right now could be a treasure of unknown worth. It might be an antique lamp passed down from an older family member, or it could be a neat item you found hunting in the area's dusty antique shops. Either way, don't you want to know what it's worth? We all hope to find that our personal treasures are treasures in their own right. Now, with the help of the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, you can find out. The society hosts its annual appraisal event on Feb. 9 located at the Nineteenth Century Club, 178 Forest Ave. in Oak Park. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and parking will be available in the garage adjacent to the club. Admission to the event, which is open to the public, will cost $5…

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The Picky Peasant

Trunk Show Proceeds Bring Art to Children's Hospital

The Little Bits Workshop goes on the road to Children's Hospital in Maywood.

In 2001, a trip to Kaluga, Russia lit a flame that has never gone out. My husband and I worked with a team who taught art and sports to under privileged kids in a small village three hours southeast of Moscow. Tie-dye projects and making jewelry brought delight beyond words to over 125 children that week in late summer. When we returned home, I vowed to do something similar here in the Oak Park area. On February 15, 2010 that dream came true when the doors of The Little Bits Workshop opened. Last Friday, another dream came true: bringing meaningful craft to children with long-term and terminal illness at Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.  My business partner Rose DeBoer and I worked with …

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