Downtown Oak Park | Special Events




	Mark your Calendar!! Downtown Oak Park Events 2008 Thursday Night Out “Shop and Dine” (click for more information) June 5 – August 28 A different festival or celebration every Thursday night. Living the Green Life August 7 Participating Green Organizations: Chicagoland Bike Federation: www.biketraffic.org Citizens Utility Board: www.citizenutilityboard.org Conscious Choice: www.consciouschoice.com Green Home Experts: www.ghexperts.com I-Go Cars: www.igocars.org IL Solar Energy Association: www.illinoissolar.org Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks: www.freshpicks.com Organic Garden Company: www.organicgardenco.com Seven Generations Ahead: www.sevengenerationsahead.org Energy Star: www.energystar.gov Working Bikes: www.workingbikes.org Art Dans la Rue August 14 Downtown Oak Park along with the Oak Park Arts District, Oak Park Art League, and Oak Park Area Arts Council mimic the European lifestyle at the upcoming Thursday Night Out event, Arts dans la Rue (Arts in the street). Be serenaded throughout the evening by French jazz singer Yves Francois, and enjoy live performance art by Intuit Dance. You can also experience glass blowing demonstrations, local artist exhibitions, beading and textile activities as well as free artistic face painting. Over 20 local artists will have their art on display for art enthusiasts to purchase or admire. There will be entertainment for all ages. Wright Ride August 17, 6am to 3pm, On Marion St. between Lake St. and North Blvd. www.oakparkcycleclub.org/wrightride/ The ride is not a race, rather a leisure ride taken at the rider’s own pace. The ride consists of 4 routes and in its longest routes, takes riders through 14 communities in Western Cook and Eastern DuPage Counties. All routes feature architecturally significant landmarks, sites or homes. Riders will receive maps and cue sheets, and routes are well-marked. Riders choose from 15, 25, 50 or 62 mile routes. This event is brought to you by the The Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Oak Park Cycle Club. www.visitoakpark.com Craft Brewer's Showcase – A Micro-Brew and Food Tasting To Benefit Seven Generations Ahead August 23, 3–7pm, Marion St. Closed The Oak Park Microbrew Review, co-produced by the Downtown Oak Park Association and Seven Generations Ahead, features tastings of 50 craft beers from 15 local microbreweries from across Illinois and the Midwest, celebrating the microbrews of the most skilled craft brew masters in the region. Oak Park restaurateurs will show off samples of their finest dishes, incorporating sustainable and organic food from local farmers serving the Oak Park Farmers’ Market. Attendees will select their favorite craft beers, food samplings, and beer-food pairings, and winners within each category will be recognized at the event. This unique celebration will feature a celebrity dunk tank, roving musicians, and will model sustainable best practices through its Zero Waste component. General admission is $35. The event will provide an opportunity for Oak Parkers and Chicagoland microbrew enthusiasts to experience the magnificent new Marion Street shopping area, while enjoying great craft beers and local Oak Park food samplings. All proceeds will benefit the work of Seven Generations Ahead, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization based in Oak Park whose mission is to promote the development of ecologically sustainable and healthy communities. Purchase Tickets now at www.greentownconference.com OakToberfest (click for more information) September 19–20 Music, Micro-brews and great food. I Do, Doggone It! Downtown Oak Park attempts to break the Guinness World Record for largest mass dog wedding! The current record is 178 doggy marriages. Speed dating will be available for unattached dogs. Check out and keep updated with the “I Do, Doggone It!” blog. www.dogwedding.info WinterFest (click for more information) December 6 A celebration of holidays around the world.