Oak Park is fortunate to have two weekly outdoor and family-friendly music events this summer: Concerts in the Park and Thursday Night Out.
Concerts in the Park, organized by the Park District of Oak Park and sponsored by various local establishments, takes place on Sunday nights at Scoville Park (Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue) from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
On a recent hot Sunday, the park was full of lawn chairs and blankets. Children were doing cartwheels near an older gentleman using a walker. There were singles and couples, joined by several well-behaved dogs, listening to and dancing to a salsa band. Sunday concerts will take place through Sunday, Aug. 24. At the final concert of the season, The Heartwreckers, a Tom Petty cover band, will perform. As a longtime Tom Petty fan, I’m looking forward to hearing that band and also feel sad that the season will come to an end. For information on performers each week, readers can go to www.pdop.org.
While there are no food vendors in the park, concertgoers can buy ice cream and bubble tea from several food trucks parked on Lake Street or buy ice cream across the street at Courageous Cones. No alcohol or smoking is permitted in Scoville Park.
Another outdoor summer event is Thursday Night Out. Each Thursday, Marion Street is closed to car traffic between Lake Street and North Boulevard. The street is filled with people of all ages, from babies to older adults, in addition to well-behaved dogs on leashes. There are often two sets of music, the first set from 5 to 7 p.m. and the second from 7 to 9 p.m. The music ranges from rock to folk, blues, reggae, Latin and country. A schedule of the musical acts can be found at https://thursdaynightout.com/music.
Children’s activities like balloon-making and art & crafts are available. Especially if the weather is hot, younger kids frolic in the fountain.
A variety of food and drink options can be found at Thursday Night Out. The first is a four-ticket dine-around booklet for $25, featuring specials from local restaurants and stores. Another option is to order food directly from an area restaurant and bring it back to your table. I often call and order while I’m listening to the music instead of waiting for the food to be prepared at the restaurant. You can also get takeout from Q-BBQ or Kyuramen and sit at their outside tables. Some concertgoers bring food from home or other restaurants.
During Thursday Night Out, Marion Street is filled with round tables and chairs. I have found that many of the tables are occupied unless you arrive near the beginning of the evening. I’ve enjoyed sitting at tables with people I know and people I don’t; however I often bring my own lawn chair. This allows me to move to different locations and get to Thursday Night Out later in the evening and still get a seat.
Joy Aaronson is an Oak Park resident who writes about her favorite things in the village. Previously, she contributed to Chicago Parent and wrote the Kids’ World column for the former Logan Square Free Press.
