The Farmers’ Market and Sculpture Walk are back this weekend. District Kitchen & Tap just opened in the Arts District and they have outdoor seating. Thursday Night Out begins next week. Scoville Park’s Summer Concert Series is right around the corner. It’s really starting to feel like summer around here and I couldn’t be happier to be back.
To catch you up, I recently took a trip to Prague & Istanbul. When I left, the trees here were bare, temperatures were consistently in the low 50s, and it seemed as though summer was never going to come. When I landed at O’Hare a few days ago, I was happy to learn that my sweatshirt was better off kept in my bag.
In my first weekend back home, I’m looking forward to participating in some summertime activities. If you’re reading this article, odds are you are too. Let’s have a look at some of our options…
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What’s Blooming on Harrison
Get in the spirit of summer with Oak Park’s annual What’s Blooming on Harrison Festival on Friday and Saturday. The celebration begins Friday with a special edition of the Third Friday Gallery Walk, where Oak Parkers are encouraged to stop in to the galleries on Harrison Street from 6-10 p.m. On Saturday, Harrison Street will be blocked off from Cuyler to Humphrey for a block party fit with live music, beer garden, children’s carnival, and more.
Farmers’ Market
Now in its 43rd year, the Oak Park Farmers’ Market opens for the season on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Items for sale include locally grown produce, flowers, bedding plants, honey, cheese, frozen meat, bread, and doughnuts. Cash is the preferred method of payment but credit and debit are available depending on the vendor. The Farmers’ Market is located in the Pilgrim Congregational Church parking lot, 460 Lake Street.
Sculpture Walk
Now in its 7th year, the Oak Park Sculpture Walk returns Saturday in the Southtown Business District on Oak Park Avenue between Lexington and Van Buren. The Sculpture Walk is a free, self-guided tour of various art pieces located right on the street. Visitors are welcome to download a free app called Otocast to access information about the sculptures and hear descriptions of the work dictated by the artists themselves.
Restaurant Spotlight – District Kitchen & Tap
Oak Park’s newest restaurant opened yesterday, creating quite a buzz around the Village, specifically in the Arts District. If you want to be one of the first of your group of friends to try District Kitchen & Tap (DKT), stop in over the weekend to try their wood-fired pizza and sandwiches, or relax on the patio with a cocktail or beer. DKT is located at 220 Harrison Street in the Oak Park Arts District.
Family Archery at Maple Park
The Park District of Oak Park is hosting a family archery even on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Maple Park, 1105 S. Maple Avenue. This activity will offer instruction and practice for the sport of archery for people of all ages and experience levels. To register, visit pdop.org.
Thrift Shopping Sale at Economy Shop
In case you didn’t already know, Economy Shop Oak Park is a local thrift store gem located in a Victorian-style house that only opens on special days. Lucky for us, this Saturday is one of those days called Happy Day of Awesomeness, where shoppers can peruse 15 different departments on three floors to find all kinds of vintage goods. Economy Shop is located at 103 S. Grove, Oak Park. The event is open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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If you have events planned that you would like to be included in articles like this in the future, please email your event info to aroundoakpark@gmail.com so we can get the word out!
