A few months ago, I blogged about a new spa scheduled to open on Lake Street called SpaO. I normally venture to Oak Brook to see my trusted eye brow lady at Nordstrom, but I was short on time so I decided to give SpaO a try. I've gone to other salons in Oak Park that shall not be named to get my brows done but the result was always underwhelming at best so I had fairly low expectations.

Overall, I would give my SpaO experience…

A few weeks ago, I blogged about a new burger joint coming to North Avenue. It's called The Burger Boss and it's owned by the same people as Cucina Paradiso. I'm really hoping that it will be as good as it sounds. I just found out they will be opening on April 4. Here's the press release and a photo from their Facebook page:

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On Thursday, March 31, Saturday, April 2, and Thursday, April 7, if you buy a full price ticket ($25) to Oak Park Festival Theatre's production of Brian Friel's Faith Healer, the theatre will donate $5 to the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry. Any patron who buys a full price ticket and mentions…

Diversity is always a hot topic in Oak Park. It's one of the reasons we chose to make the Village our home and it's one of those topics that tends to make for interesting conversation. Well, this morning I received a press release announcing the a program that encourages Oak Parkers to take their discussions about diversity a step further:

The citizen volunteers of the Village's Community Relations Commission are seeking Oak Parkers willing to open their homes to residents…

I didn't realize that Earth Hour is takes place this weekend. I know that some restaurants do candlelight dinners and stuff so I wanted to ask what your plans were for Earth Hour and if anyone know of any Earth Hour happenings around Oak Park. Here's the info from the Village email update:

Oak Parkers are invited to turn off their lights for one hour beginning at 8:30 p.m., Sat., March 26, to stand up, take responsibility for and get involved in working toward a…

This information came out yesterday about Tax Increment Financing:

Video delves into Tax Increment Financing

A new video produced by the Village offers an overview of the history of Oak Park’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) districts, which created a powerful economic development tool for improving infrastructure and spurring private investments. The video is…

Today was the first day I walked around in downtown Oak Park for a while since Ive been hibernating for the winter. 

I didn't realize Cosi had already closed to make way for Johnny Rockets and that construction was underway on the new Asian restaurant on Marion Street. It's nice to see more new…

The latest news, information and tools to help your condo or townhome association are now available online from the Village’s Housing Programs Division. The blog, Oak Park Condo Corner (oakparkcondocorner.wordpress.com), plans to run weekly updates on what’s going on in the Village’s condo community, detail information on upcoming housing programs, and much more.

Check out the blog, post your comments and questions and…

After 8+ years in Oak Park, the K9 Cookie Company is not renewing its lease at 171 South Oak Park Avenue when it expires on 30th April 2011.....

Therefore there is a big SALE of stock, furniture and fixtures...   Most items (except dog food)  will have 20% off with some having even higher…

While I don't have the pleasure of living in the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, I thought this news from the Village might be of interest to those of you who do:

 

Following a successful effort to expand the National Register district boundaries of the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic…

The referendum for D97 Schools has got me tangled with mixed emotions.

Of course I want to support the teachers and all the specialized instruction which they are threatening to cut in grave numbers-I am a former teacher (not in Oak Park) and feel for each and every one of them.

On the other hand I am convinced we pay more than enough in taxes already to support them and I feel the administration needs to take pay cuts to honor…

Ellen Pimentel from the Beye School PTO sent me an e-mail about an upcoming event called Wellapalooza. It sounds great.

Here's what she wrote in her message:

We are putting on a community wellness fair, with presenters representing many local businesses, professionals, and…

Aripo's was featured today on Steve Dolinski's segment, The Hungry Hound. Just in case you missed it, below we are attaching the link to the ABC7 where you will find the video feauting our restaurant.

Aripo's Hungry Hound Feature

If you have ever posted a listing on Craigs List you have seen some pretty awful ads for services.  Yet you can get your name out there.  I have gotten several leads there.

However a more effective way to use Craigslist.com is to start with Thumbtack.com  This is an excellent free (or low cost) web listing service.  They got me posted very high on Google searches for science tutors in Chicago.  I was amazed to be called by a stranger who sought tutoring from me because, "you…

For those of you yearning for the start of the Oak Park Farmers' Market, you might want to check out the winter farmers' market at the United Methodist Church on Euclid on March 12 from 9:00 to 1:00.  We attended the previous one at St. Giles and picked up some nice goodies!

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