THE WEEK >
Meetings
Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education will meet at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, in Normandy Villa, 41 E. Elmwood Drive, Chicago Heights.
- Find the agenda here.
- Highlights: The board plans to meet in closed session for approximately an hour at the beginning of the meeting to discuss the appointment of a board member to fill an open seat. The board subsequently will vote on the appointment in open session. The board will hear a presentation on the 2023-24 budget. The board is expected to vote on the budget after a public hearing at the Sept. 11 meeting. The proposed budget currently has an operating deficit of $1.7 million and a total deficit, including construction, of $2.7 million.
Flossmoor Community Relations Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at village hall, 2800 Flossmoor Road.
- Find the agenda here.
Notices
Free trees
Flossmoor residents can request a free tree for their parkway for this year’s fall planting via an online form that is open through Sept. 15. Trees are planted by the Public Works Department, Green Commission and village volunteers. Choose from more than 10 species of trees.
You Matter 2 fall registration open
Registration is open for You Matter 2 fall programs. The youth leadership and empowerment programs cost $125 and are open to middle and high school students in the South Suburban area.
Fall conservation internship registration open
The Homewood Science Center Conservation Ecology Internship led by Chicago Public School science educator Nicole Fuller is for area middle school students. Interns will meet outdoors at Homewood’s Izaak Walton Preserve on Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 14 and Oct. 21 and then conduct community outreach at Walk Walton on Sunday, Oct. 22. The registration deadline is Sept. 15.
Related stories:
- Ecology interns design, plant pollinator garden (June 20, 2019)
- Conservation interns learn ‘STEMpathy’ and the network of oak woodland species (June 6, 2022)
Cancer Support Center golf outing fundraiser
Registration is open for the 32nd annual Cancer Support Center golf outing at Idlewild Country Club in Flossmoor on Sept. 11.
Friends of the Flossmoor Library fundraiser
The Friends of the Flossmoor Library is hosting a drawing for a chance to win a utility wagon filled with books, DVDs, Flossmoor Library swag and more. Tickets are $5 and are available for purchase at the services desk. Cash only. The drawing will take place on Monday, Sept. 11.
Foundation 153 Fund Run is back
Registration is open for the Foundation 153 Fund Run on Sept. 17 to support education at District 153.
Irons Oaks Foundation fall mum sale
The annual mum sale continues until 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11. There will be five colors available again this year (yellow, red, orange, pink/purple, and white). Pick up is from 2 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, at the Irons Oaks Vollmer Road parking lot. Optional delivery for $25.
Stuff to do
Justice40: Southland Cook County Environmental Equity Forum
Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller will moderate a forum from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at the South Holland Community Center, 501 E. 170th St. in South Holland. Register here for Justice40: Southland Cook County Environmental Equity Forum, which aims to address environmental disparities and promote equitable solutions in the Southland area.
HPL: What Every Woman Needs to Know About Breast Cancer
Homewood Public Library will host a discussion on breast cancer given by Dr. Ameila Jeyapalan from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, in the meeting room. Register here.
Community bike rides
The last Choo-Choo Ride of the season will be Tuesday, Aug. 29. Cyclists meet at GoodSpeed Cycle, 2125 183rd St. in Homewood at 6:30 p.m. It’s an easy-paced, family-friendly ride through H-F neighborhoods. Barb and Dan Lawler’s Road Ride starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at GoodSpeed. It’s a 25-mile fitness ride. The Off-Leash ride is a 9-mile ride at about 9 to 10 mph that starts at GoodSpeed at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and lasts about an hour.
H-F High Salute to Service football game
Homewood-Flossmoor High School invites all veterans and active duty service people to register on this form to attend the Salute to Service game free on Saturday, Sept. 2. RSVP by Sept. 1. The game between the H-F Vikings and the Marian Catholic High School Spartans will begin at 1 p.m. The H-F Athletics Department will be selling camouflage hats and sling bags. Proceeds will benefit the Flossmoor Veterans Wall of Honor. Participants will be welcomed onto the field during half-time to honor the branches of the military. Note: Spectators must purchase a ticket in advance on GoFan. Tickets will not be sold at the gate.
Fitness in the Park
Meet on Wednesday, Aug. 30, from 6 to 6:45 p.m. in Homewood Estates Park, 18200 California Ave., for a free fitness class, Yoga with Karen. Arrive 10-15 minutes early to select your spot and sign a waiver. Take advantage of the many benefits of having your workout outdoors, including fresh air and natural light which boosts energy for the mind and body. This program is open to persons 13 and older. Those younger than 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
Pedal and Pulse
H-F Park District hosts a 30-minute real-life bike ride experience that includes a 30-minute Barre workout offering a full body routine incorporating strength and stretch. The session is for adults 18 and older from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the H-F Racquet and Fitness Center, 2920 183rd St. in Homewood Thursday, Aug. 31. The fee is $5 for residents, $6 for non-residents. Click here to register.
< THE WEEK
Big day coming in Flossmoor: Flossmoor’s Hidden Gem Half Marathon gears up for its 4th edition | Day-long Flossmoor Fest set for Sept. 9.
Changes coming for emergency services: E-COM dispatch service to merge, expand, relocate.
New florist in town: Ribbon cutting marks official opening of AJ Blooms Floral Boutique in Homewood.
New restaurant in town: African Food Factory and Grill opens on Dixie Highway.
Proposed South Suburban Airport progress: Region’s leaders celebrate progress on airport project.
Projected budget surplus: District 233’s proposed $73.5 million budget is balanced.
Find Homewood’s beautiful landscaping: Homewood Beautification Awards go to outstanding home, business properties.
DEMOCRACY WATCH
Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The anniversary march on Saturday, Aug. 26, was not nearly as large as the original, which attracted about a quarter of a million people.
NPR’s story on the anniversary event quoted Arndrea Waters King, the daughter-in-law of Martin Luther King Jr., whose iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 is credited with serving as a catalyst for important civil rights legislation that was passed in the next several years.
“We are here to liberate the soul of the nation, the soul of democracy from those forces who would have us all go backwards and perish rather than go forward as sisters and brothers,” Arndrea Waters King said.
Reading history is often a humbling experience, at least for me. I regularly discover how little I know. For instance, I didn’t realize until this week that only two women spoke at the March on Washington, and only one, Daisy Bates, was on the official program (the other was singer Josephine Baker).
Bates was the key player in the desegregation of Little Rock, Arkansas, schools in 1957. She and her husband, L.C. Bates, ran Arkansas State Press and were instrumental in initiating the lawsuit that led to the desegregation order, and Daisy helped select the students who would become known as the Little Rock Nine, the first Black students to attend classes at Central High School.
Here’s a transcript of her remarks at the 1963 march:
“Mister Randolph, friends. The women of this country, Mister Randolph pledged to you, to Martin Luther King, Roy Wilkins, and all of you, fighting for civil liberties, that we will join hands with you, as women of this country. Rosa Greg, Vice President. Dorothy Height, the National Council of Negro Women. The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Methodist church women. All the women pledge that we will join hands with you, we will kneel in, we will sit in until we can eat at any counter in the United States. We will walk until we are free, until we can walk to any school and take our children to any school in the United States.”
I haven’t seen a full list of the speakers at the anniversary event, but news reports say it was more diverse by gender, race and issues raised than the original.
Quote of the Week
“Studying history will sometimes make you uncomfortable.
Studying history will sometimes make you feel deeply upset.
Studying history will sometimes make you feel extremely angry.
If studying history always makes you feel proud and happy, you probably aren’t studying history.”
Librarianshipwreck post Sept. 17, 2020 on X (formerly Twitter)