Oaktoberfest: Part 1 brought families to Flossmoor Park on Saturday, Sept. 28, for a celebration of the mighty oak and its beauty throughout Flossmoor’s neighborhoods.
Organizations found different ways to help mark Oaktoberfest, whether it was sharing information about composting or animal habitat or helping kids learn about the environment.
Oaktoberfest was part of Flossmoor’s ongoing celebration marking its 100th anniversary. The Flossmoor Green Commission gave away 100 oak tree starters as part of the celebration.
Ingrid Van Drongelen of Flossmoor was delighted to have received one of the plants.
“There’s always space for another tree, in my opinion,” she said. “I just put them in the ground and the first year I give them a lot of water if necessary and then they just grow. If I don’t want them to be really high, I just clip them every two years and they grow more like a hedge instead of a tall tree.” The height matters to Van Drongelen because she doesn’t want trees tangled into electrical wires.
Trinity Pierce manned a booth for the Chicago Region Tree Commission.
“We’re all about inspiring people to value trees, increasing our tree canopy and reducing risks to trees and enhancing our oak systems,” she said.
Pierce emphasized that the mighty oak is part of our heritage.
“The oak/hickory ecosystems were here before us. Oaks are incredible keystone species and provide so much for other wildlife in our habitat.”
Several organizations gave kids the chance to show off their art skills. At the Thorn Creek Audubon Society table, little crocheted bird nests were ready for decorating. The Flossmoor Green Commission gave kids a chance to decorate the paper wrapped around oak starters that would be the centerpieces for the Oaktoberfest: Part 2 event later in the day.
You Matter 2 invited kids to color on the paper laid around its booth, and the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District had a game toss and other activities. At the Homewood Science Center booth, native plants were for sale, and kids used watercolors to decorate paper oaks that would decorate tree branches.
Centennial events in Flossmoor are sponsored by Eyes on Sterling, Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, the Law Office of Kathleen Field Orr, UChicago Medicine, Meijer, Prairie State College, Bank Financial, Bloom Township, The Center for Dental Excellence, Comcast, Flossmoor Animal Hospital, Foundation for the Preservation of Flossmoor History, Governors State University, Leland Grove Law LLC, Nicor Gas, Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan and Clerk Sugar Al-Amin, Southland Smiles and Sutton Ford.
Correction: When first posted, the headline for this story was missing an “a” in the event’s name. Oaktoberfest is correct.