The third annual Earth Fest in Oak Park brought together businesses, organizations and residents in and around Oak Park. Those who attended learned more about composting, recycling and other ways to make their lives a little greener.

Rance Clouser has taken on a new role. A year ago Clouser was just stepping down after serving a term on the District 97 Oak Park elementary school board. But this spring he’s showing his acting chops -- alongside his daughter Dana -- in a community theater production of Thornton Wilder's “The Matchmaker.”

The Julian-Brooks vex robotics alliance is preparing for their trip to Omaha next weekend where they'll compete against the best middle school robotics teams in the country. The three teams from Oak Park's two middle schools improbably won against the high school teams in the regional championships. Through the support of the Oak Park Education Fund and many volunteers, the team is ready to bring home the title.

Priests and pastors from Oak Park and River Forest took to the streets on Ash Wednesday to offer ashes marking the beginning of Lent. The Rev. Shawn M. Schreiner, who brought the idea to Oak Park from the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, stood on the Harlem Green Line platform early Wednesday morning.

Wednesday Journal is doing our annual Design an Ad contest. So we sent out our own Marc Stopeck - print advertising manager and editorial cartoonist - to walk some of Oak Park's budding young artists through the design process.