To Cedric Melton, the best of Oak Park is on display during A Day in Our Village.
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“It may sound corny, but I love seeing the camaraderie,” said Melton, Oak Park’s director of community relations, as he looked around Scoville Park on June 4.
Seeing people smiling, interacting, “just sharing information on the human level” is what Melton relishes during the event, always held on the first Sunday in June.
More than 170 vendors — a record number, according to Melton — filled the park at Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street in Oak Park for the 44th festival. Typically, 12,000 to 15,000 people from all walks of life visit the park during the event, he said.
“It’s really a community commitment,” Melton said.
The festival features booth after booth sharing information and freebies, from community nonprofits and civic organizations to local businesses, religious institutions to political groups, plus live music and food vendors.
“It’s just a clearinghouse of information,” Melton said.
In light of the increase in violence in Chicago in the last few years, “this year, what I really wanted to do was reach out to our neighbors in Austin,” Melton said.
The event featured three organizations from Austin, for the first time in village history. Melton also noted there were a few new political protest-type booths this year, along with a few longstanding ones.
For organizations that aren’t highly visible — like the Oak Park Area Arts Council, which resides in village hall — A Day in Our Village is a key time to connect with the community and remind people of its work, said Kaidrea Stockman with the council.
“It’s fun to be out here and see the community,” Stockman said.
Liz Schacht, member of The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, said vendors appreciate that the event offers an opportunity to advertise and share what’s new with the community.
“Not everybody gets around to see these things,” she said, gesturing to the various booths. “I think you just gain information about what’s happening here in Oak Park.”
A Day in Our Village started in 1973. Melton noted many of the volunteers who work to organize the event participated as children years ago and want to see the festival continue. He thanked the Park District of Oak Park, which allows the festival to occupy Scoville Park and Rehm Park, where children’s activities are held.
As he enjoyed the live music at the festival, Linzy Sizer, who has lived in Oak Park since 1978, said he attends the event each year, along with frequenting other warm-weather favorites like the farmers market and Thursday Night Out events.
“The last 10 or 12 years, I started to try to enjoy the town where I live,” Sizer said with a smile. “It’s a beautiful town.”
Oak Parker Kaye Nevada, who relaxed with her family after walking from booth to booth, said the event provided a nice opportunity to learn more about her community and get a bite to eat at the same time.
“It’s one way to get the community together and for them to introduce what they can offer,” Nevada said.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.