An acclaimed local author will speak in River Forest later this month during a week-long series of events geared toward senior citizens.
Elizabeth Berg, who has written more than 25 books and resides in Oak Park, will speak as part of the seventh annual Celebrating Seniors week, which runs May 18-25.
Several of the week’s events, such as that with Berg, are cosponsored by the River Forest Public Library and the River Forest Township; organizations in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park collaborate to plan the week’s free programming.
“It’s a cool concept,” said Carla Sloan, supervisor of River Forest Township. “We’ve been at the forefront of this Celebrating Seniors movement, really, on a national level.”
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Mary Kay Stiff, the library’s adult services manager, said the event with Berg will be held from 2-3 p.m. May 21 at the Roosevelt Middle School auditorium to accommodate a potentially sizable crowd. Last year’s event with author Jane Hamilton drew a large number of people, she added.
“We just did that because we thought we’d have the ability to get more people in,” Stiff said.
Berg, whose titles have always been popular with River Forest patrons, is a prolific writer with a “gentle yet literary kind of voice,” Stiff said.
“It’s always really special when an author people know and love from their books speaks in person,” Stiff said, because the opportunity to interact with the writer is unique.
Berg — whose new book, “The Story of Arthur Truluv,” will be out in July — will sign books at the library following her talk. Book Table will have copies of Berg’s books available for purchase.
Celebrating Seniors week features a litany of events geared toward older adults, Sloan said, like the Secretary of State’s Rules of the Road refresher course, license renewal and eye exams. Other events include an informational session on advanced directives for later life planning, a movement and memory class and a discussion with River Forest Police on identity theft and fraud scams that target seniors.
“You’ll see that each one of those [events] pretty much fits into lifelong learning or health and well-being,” Sloan said of the week’s lineup, since those are the areas the township focuses on.
Jim Flanagan, chairman of the Oak Park and River Forest Townships Senior Services Committee and chairman of the Celebrating Seniors coalition, said the close to 50 events offered are open to anyone. The programming aims, in part, to showcase the local organizations that assist seniors all year long, he added.
“There’s really something for everybody,” Flanagan said.
Stiff said other library-hosted events for the week include an intimate jazz concert with the Terry Sullivan Trio after-hours, a local architectural expert speaking about historic River Forest homes, and a Books ‘n Bagels discussion on summer reads.
“People really enjoyed that and had a good time,” Stiff said of last year’s Books ‘n Bagels event. “I’m hoping for the same thing this year.”
Other than the Celebrating Seniors luncheon, all events are free. For the full schedule of events during Celebrating Seniors week, visit www.celebratingseniors.net.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.