VBS in Palos Heights draws hundreds
More than 200 children in preschool through fifth grade and 120 volunteers came together during a recent weeklong Vacation Bible School program at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Palos Heights.
Stations included opening worship, Moose Ridge Music, Wild Bible Adventures, Glacier Games, Tundra Treats & Pretzel, Compass Crafts and Sticky Scripture. As part of the week, families participated in the VBS mission project, which brought in more than 500 nonperishable food items for the Palos Food Pantry.
Walking tour of murals aids Flossmoor Veterans’ Memorial
Homewood’s collection of murals by Richard Haas will be featured during a walking tour that benefits the Flossmoor Veterans’ Memorial. The 2.5-mile tour is from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 10, starting at Martin Square at Martine Avenue and Ridge Road and ending at the Homewood Veterans’ Memorial on Harwood Avenue and Olive Road.
Flossmoor Veterans’ memorial member Kristine Condon, who wrote “richard Haas Murals iN Homewood, Illinois” and a 2022 Illinois State Historical Society Superior Achievement Award recipient, will lead the tour. Participants stop at each of the 15 murals and will get a quick history lesson on other businesses and sites along the route.
Refreshments will be provided at the start of the tour and at the midpoint. No public restrooms are available. Walkers receive a tour map and must sign a liability waiver at registration. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $10 for children 6 to 12 years old. Register at flossmoorvets.square.site.
Proceeds will help build a veterans’ wall of honor in Flossmoor. In March, the group reached its goal of $150,000. The memorial will be built on a 9,500-square-foot plot north of Flossmoor Road and east of the Metra/CN railroad tracks.
Orland library gains $3,500 donation from Friends
The Friends of the Orland Park Public Library recently gave a $3,500 check to Assistant Library Director Anthony Andros and LIbrary Director Mary Adamowski to support the library’s mission to provide resources and programs to the community.
The money will help fund events such as children’s storytimes, books discussions and hands-on learning.
Community members are invited to support the nonprofit organization by donating gently used books to Recycled reads. Items can be bought during regular library hours.
Volunteers also are sought to help restock Recycled Reads. A membership to Friends of the Library costs $5 per year. To learn more, visit https://www.orlandparklibrary.org/about-us/friends-of-the-library/ or call 708-428-5100.
Tinley Park resident earns spot in Arabic language program
Studying Arabic language and culture is a little easier for Tinley Park resident Mikala Marcussen-Abuharb, Elmhurst University’s first student to be accepted into the Critical Language Scholarship program.
After finishing the program, Marcussen-Abuharb becomes a priority candidate for the CLS program in Jordan the summer after her senior year at Elmhurst. She’ll be a junior this fall.
The U.S. Department of State offers the fully funded summer program for undergraduate and graduate students to learn languages that offer “strategic importance to the United States’ national security, economic prosperity, and engagement with the world,” according to a university news release. Its acceptance rate of less than 10% makes it the most competitive foreign language scholarship program in the country.
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She is one of 20 students who will learn one academic year of university-level work in the eight-week program, which started June 16. She’ll also work with a private language instructor.
Marcussen-Abuharb served the U.S. Navy for six years as a machinist’s mate second class stationed in South Asia and the Middle East after high school. Her husband, a native Arabic speaker from Jordan, sparked her interest in the language.
“We live in a predominantly Arabic-speaking area of Tinley Park, and I have witnessed the inequities in health care access created by language and cultural barriers,” she said via the release. “My goal is to become a dentist for the Arabic-speaking population, to bridge this gap. I also seek fluency, to converse and better understand the culture of my new family in Jordan.”
St. Gerald in Oak Lawn hosts carnival this weekend
St. Gerald Holy Name Society presents its summer carnival through Aug. 10 at the Catholic church, 9310 S. 55th St., Oak Lawn.
Traditional carnival rides and food will be available, as well as live music and a beer garden.
Bingo hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 8 and 9 and 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 10. Beer garden hours are 5 p.m. to midnight Aug. 8, 1 p.m. to midnight Aug. 9 and 1 to 10 p.m. Aug. 9.
Enjoy live music from 7 to 11 p.m. Aug. 8, 4 to 7 and 8 to 11 p.m. Aug. 9 and noon to 2 p.m., 3 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 10.
Carnival rides are offered from 5 to 11 p.m. Aug. 8, 1 to 11 p.m. Aug. 9 and 1 to 10 p.m. Aug. 10. Mega passes are available for $100; buy online with credit or on-site with cash. For details call 708-422-0234.
New Orleans North Festival moves to Slammers stadium
The annual New Orleans North Music Festival comes to the Joliet Slammers Stadium from 5 to 11 p.m. Aug. 15.
The event, presented by Harrah’s Joliet, celebrates the traditions of New Orleans culture. Attendees will experience the sounds, sights and aromas of the French Quarter via beer tents, multiple bands in four areas, food and street entertainment, a hookah alley and local art.
Attendees must be 21 or older. Advance general admission costs $10 plus a $2.51 fee; day of tickets cost $20 plus a $3.18 fee. Unlimited access passes, which include a rooftop experience, cost $30 with a $3.85 fee.
Tickets and information are online at jolietchamber.com/new-orleans-north/.
Car wash teams up with Spartans team for outing
The annual Oak Lawn Community High School Spartans Football Golf Outing got a boost from Encore Car Wash in Oak Lawn, which participated and donated a Chicago Blackhawks package.
The golf outing, held at George W. Dunne National Golf Course in Oak Forest, is a key fundraiser for the football team.
Sandburg classmates invited to mark 50th reunion
Sandburg’s class of 1975 seeks classmates for its 50th reunion, set for 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 22 at Silver Lakes Country Club in Orland Park, 14700 S. 82nd Ave.
RSVP for the reunion by calling 708-297-1252.
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