The Week Ahead in Forest Park - and Elsewhere

There's a lot going on in and around Forest Park this week. Here's just a sampling:

Keep up to Date

Forest Park commissioners will debate street lights and other matters when they gather at 7 p.m. Monday at village hall, 517 Des Plaines Ave. Will it get heated? Stay tuned.

LemonAid is Served

For the 11th consecutive year, folks on the 700 block of Bonnie Brae Place in River Forest will put on a block party to help local nonprofits.

began as a fundraiser by neighbors who wanted to do some good after 9/11. Receiving the funding from this year's benefit is , the Oak Park-based resource agency for victims of domestic violence.

The event, which is always held on 9/11, will be from 3 to 6 this Tuesday in the 700 block of Bonnie Brae Place.

Visit a School

Two schools in will have open houses this week. Each starts at 6:30 p.m.

• Sept. 11, Field-Stevenson Elementary School, 925 Beloit Ave.
• Sept. 12, Forest Park Middle School, 925 Beloit Ave.

No Trivial Matter

Gather your friends who have a way of pulling stuff from their brains at a fairly rapid rate and head to the Beacon Pub at 9 p.m. this Wednesday for Trivia Night. Teams of up to six people can participate in this event, which will feature prizes, tough questions, drinks and a random open-mic trivia round.

The pub is at 101 Circle Ave. The event is sponsored by the Forest Park Public Library.

Silence is Golden

Want to escape for awhile from the world of cell phones, tablets, and 3D films? Come back to the days before the talkies and catch a silent movie at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Maze Branch of the Oak Park Public Library, 845 Gunderson Ave.

This week's classic is "Safety Last," a romantic comedy starring the death-defying Harold Lloyd. When a store clerk organizes a contest to climb the outside of a tall building, circumstances force him to make the perilous climb himself. No one did stunts quite like Lloyd. 

The movie is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Maze branch of the Oak Park Public Library at 708-386-4751.

Honor a Pioneer

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's work "Silent Spring." Its publication drew attention to the hazards of DDT and other pesticides and is often credited with sparking the modern environmental movement.

The River Forest Public Library will present part one of a two-part program focusing on Carson's life and legacy. At 7 p.m. Wednesday the library will air a PBS American Experience documentary "Rachel Carson's Silent Spring." A discussion will follow. 

The following week, on Sept. 19, the library will show Part 2 of the program, a recording of environmental leaders reflecting on Carson’s legacy. A discussion will follow. That program also begins at 7 p.m.

The events are free and open to the public.

The library is located at 735 Lathrop Ave. For more information, call 708-366-5205.