Oak Lawn musicians team with peers from California
Late last month, students in Oak Lawn Community High School’s commercial music department gathered with their counterparts from Huntington Beach High School in California to perform and present at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Festival in Chicago, an event usually reserved for traditional band and Orchestra directors.
The group was able to visit Oak Lawn as part of their trip to Chicago. The OLCHS event was organized by Oak Lawn director Bob Habersat and Huntington Beach Director Danielle Collins through their mutual connections at Yamaha.
The students from Huntington Beach participated in a performance exchange with the OLCHS’s pop music ensemble in the program’s new rehearsal space. Each group had a chance to perform and jam together as a big group at the end of the event, expanding their cooperative and collaboration skills.
OLCHS’s commercial music ensembles will present at the Illinois Music Education Conference at the end of January and the school will host the state’s first ever Commercial Music Festival in May.
Will County residents win outdoor challenge
The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s inaugural Take It Outside Challenge ended Dec. 31 with multiple participants in a tie for first place.
Winners completed all 501 nature-themed missions throughout the year by using a free app to earn points and climb the leader board. Missions included trivia questions, check-ins within the preserves, selfies with specific backgrounds and hunts for various nature elements such as flowing water, boulders, moss, multitrunked trees, and creatures, ranging from woolly bear caterpillars to live raccoons.
The challenge ended with a 12-way tie for first place. One first-place finisher was not eligible to win because he is a District employee, and two others are married and per the rules, only get one share of the prize. So, the $900 in total prize money is being split 10 ways. Take It Outside Challenge winners were Mike Slowik of Bolingbrook, Heather Linko of Crest Hill, Joanne Nott of Plainfield, Matthew Jaeger of Crest Hill, Nick and Stacey Scholtes of Shorewood, Linda and Ross Neumann of Manhattan, Amy and Zoey Bartling of Monee, Kathy Figuieras of Elwood, Ulises and Martha Coronel of Chicago, and Melissa Warren of Homer Glen.
More than 1,200 people participated in the challenge, according to district officials. They said stories poured in all year about how the missions were getting people to walk more than they had in years, lose weight, discover Will County’s preserves, kayak for the first time, spend quality time with family, feel better mentally and physically and make new friends.
Officials said a 2024 challenge will be launched later in January. Information is at ReconnectWithNature.org.
$2 million remodel set for Oak Lawn rec center
The Oak Lawn Park District is set to receive $2.1 million in state funding to remodel the Memorial Park Recreation Center, a project planned to include converting smaller rooms, such as locker rooms, shower facilities and storage areas, into larger multipurpose rooms and new restrooms. The entry vestibule will be changed to a lobby and reception area.
“We’ve had great success this past year with getting grants to offset the cost to the taxpayer for some exciting, high-profile projects,” said Tom Hartwig, Oak Lawn Park District executive director. “This added space allows us to expand our program offerings and utilize a space that has sat dormant for years.”
The funding comes from the Park and Recreational Facility Construction grant program, which is part of the Rebuild Illinois capital improvement program. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources administers the program.
FEMA assistance deadline approaching
Cook County homeowners and renters with uninsured or under insured losses from the severe storms and flooding Sept. 17-18 have until Feb. 9 to apply for assistance. The application deadline was recently extended by three weeks to allow more time for affected residents to apply. More than $31 million in FEMA assistance has already been approved.
FEMA’s assistance programs are designed to help with basic, critical needs such as a safe, sanitary and accessible place to live. Assistance includes rental assistance, lodging expenses reimbursement, and home repair and replacement assistance. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid and FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.
People can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA mobile app, call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 or visit a Disaster Recovery Center. Center locations and current hours are at FEMA.gov/DRC. More information about Cook County’s recovery is at www.fema.gov/disaster/4749.
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