🌱 Trailside Museum To Celebrate 90 Years + Free Gas In Oak Park

Georgi Presecky
Updated ·3 min read

Happy Friday, Oak Park and River Forest! Thanks for staying up to date on the neighborhood headlines.

First, today's weather: Rain and a t-storm; cooler. High: 58 Low: 57.

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Here are the top 5 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. The Oak Park Department of Health reported 175 new cases of COVID-19 this week. Cases are up more than 71 percent from last week and nearly 200 percent from 30 days ago. (VOP)

2. The River Forest Police Department is applying to be part of Georgetown University’s ABLE Project. The training initiative aims to “create a law enforcement culture that supports peer intervention in high-stress, high-stakes decision settings.” River Forest would be the first agency in Illinois to get certified. (Wednesday Journal)

3. Two nearby gas stations will take part in Willie Wilson’s third Cook County gas giveaway tomorrow. Free fuel will be pumped at the Shell on North Avenue in Oak Park and the Super Save in Maywood, along with more than 30 other county locations. (Patch)

4. The Hal Tyrrell Trailside Museum of Natural History will celebrate its 90th anniversary at its upcoming spring festival on May 1. “This museum was the first of its kind in the Midwest and one of the first of its kind in the country,” Assistant Director Irene Flebbe told Pioneer Press. (Paid source: Forest Leaves)

5. Illinois kicked off the state's new tourism campaign "Middle of Everything” this week. Jane Lynch stars in and directs the campaign’s TV ads. Oak Park senator Don Harmon said, "Illinois has so many gems, and that's why the General Assembly has made it a priority in our budgeting to tell that story.” (Cision)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

  • "The Bad Guys" opens at Lake Theatre. (12:15 p.m.)

  • Celebrate Earth Day with the One Earth “Mini” Film Fest. (6:30 p.m.)

  • Chicago Westside Theatre Company presents “David & Bathsheba” at Madison Street Theater. (7:30 p.m.)

  • Pleasant Home hosts a murder mystery party. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • Beyond Hunger is recognizing its helpers in honor of National Volunteer Week. (Beyond Hunger)

  • Oak Park native Barbara Roeder Harris takes the stage tonight in Theater Wit’s production of “Rasheeda Speaking.” (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

  • Local artist Bryan Northup will conduct an Earth Day art event today at his Oak Park home. (Wednesday Journal)

  • The White Sox teamed up with the Cook County Clerk’s office to offer free Sox tickets to the county’s active-duty military and veterans. (Patch)

  • Museum of Science and Industry admission is free for Illinois residents through April 25. (NBC)

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That's all for today, Oak Park and River Forest! Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow for another edition of the Daily.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.

This article originally appeared on the Oak Park-River Forest Patch