The Tale of the Tombstones turns 20
You won’t get very far traveling through Forest Park without running into one of several cemeteries that dot the village. We’ve often heard that Forest Park has more dead “residents” than living ones. If you ask The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, the deceased have better stories than the living too. That may be the reason behind the inception of the annual Tale of the Tombstones Cemetery Walk, now in its 20th year, but who needs a reason to gawk at gravestones for two hours?
Two hours gets you a guided tour by several costumed characters portraying the fascinating people buried in Forest Home Cemetery, 863 S. Des Plaines in Forest Park. Tours leave every 10 minutes from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. this Sunday, Oct 16. Tickets are 5 for non-members and 0 for members of the Historical Society. For more information, visit www.oprfhistory.org.
Turning green this Halloween
Downtown Oak Park embraces an eco-friendly theme for this year’s Halloween celebration on Saturday, Oct. 15. Hey, that’s great! We’ve got a whole lot of candy leftover from last year that we’re happy to recycle.
As the name of the event suggests, Green Halloween focuses on a more sustainable approach to tricks and treats. The festivities start at 10 a.m. with a green pumpkin trail at Grace Episcopal Church, 924 Lake St. Kids can pick up a trail map and collect stamps and treats along the trail. Green Halloween continues throughout the day with a costume swap event at Sugarcup Trading, 110 N. Marion St., where used Halloween costumes can be shared with others. More activities include a storytime at Oak Park Public Library and designing Prairie Style haunted houses at Unity Temple.
For a complete list of events and details, visit www.downtownoakpark.net.
Oak Park Festival Theatre performs a Tennessee Williams’ classic
Everyone is familiar with Tennessee Williams’ first big hit, The Glass Menagerie, either through begrudgingly reading the play in high school or watching the 1950 film version while your girlfriend sobs over chocolate-covered cherries.
Now that we’re a little older, and more perceptive towards Williams’ wit, we can appreciate Oak Park Festival Theatre’s revival of this classic tale. According to Doug Deuchler’s recent Wednesday Journal review of Festival Theatre’s rendition, we can rest assured knowing that this beloved play is in the hands of the right cast.
The Glass Menagerie runs through Nov. 13 at the Madison Street Theatre, 1010 W. Madison St., with performances this weekend on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. For ticket information, visit oakparkfestival.com.
