Morton Arboretum offers live music
Morton Arboretum opens its doors this summer for Arbor Evenings from 5:15 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 20 at 4100 Rt. 53, Lisle.
Attendees can listen to live music while relaxing outside on picturesque Frost Hill while lounging on blankets or chairs they bring to the event. Sealed nonalcoholic beverages and outside food are welcome. Cocktails, beer, wine, water and other beverages will be sold, and food trucks will be available.
Tickets cost $15 for adults 13 and older, $5 for children 4 to 12 years old and free for children 3 and younger. Tickets or information are at mortonarb.org or 630-968-0074.
La Grange library heads up school supply drive
La Grange Public Library staff and officials want to give a helping hand next month to families that need school supplies.
To that end, a collection drive is planned until Aug. 3, with drop-off locations at the library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave., La Grange; First United Methodist Church of La Grange, 100 W. Cossitt Ave., La Grange; First Congregational Church of Western Springs, 1106 Chestnut Ave., Western Springs; First Congregational Church of La Grange, 100 Sixth Ave., La Grange.
The items will be given out 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 6 at the La Grange Park District Recreation Center, 536 East Ave., to anyone in La Grange and the surrounding area who need them.
Supplies include everything from backpacks and lunchboxes to pencils, highlighters, colored pencils, glue sticks, rulers, notebooks to USB flash drives, calculators, and disinfectant wipes and paper towels. A complete list is available at the library’s website or by calling 708-215-3200.
Annual Strike a Chord concert set for Aug. 2
The seventh annual Strike a Chord benefit in memory of Hayden C. Miles takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 2 at Countryside Park, between 59th and 61st streets.
Performers include Roswell, Spingo, Silver Dollar and J3 Experience.
The concert is free, but donations will be accepted for Merit School of Music, which aims to remove barriers to high-quality music education to allow all children to experience how music can affect them.
Hayden, a Lyons Township High School student, died in March 2018, and the first concert was held in August 2019. He participated in marching band, pep band, jazz band, pit orchestra and concert band, as well as Boy Scouts and archery.
As always, money raised will go to a music-related charity.
BEDS Plus gets boost from cross-country team
The cross-country team at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park will join the Crosstown Classic Run for a Cause, a student-led event that raises money for BEDS Plus, a nonprofit organization based in La Grange that works to end homelessness in the southwest suburbs.
The event stepped off at 3 p.m. July 26 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, continued along the lakefront path and finished at Rate Field. Runners planned to wear either a Chicago Cubs or a Chicago White Sox jersey, depending on which team brought in the most money before the race.
This is the team’s second year to join the run, inspired by then-junior Jackson Canellis who issued a summer challenge to the team last year, raising $10,000. “I saw a way to turn something I love into real impact,” he said via a news release. “This year we’re scaling it up with a goal to help even more families and kids get back on their feet.”
BEDS Plus, based at 9601 Ogden Ave., offers emergency shelter, meals, housing and case management to families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Last year it served more than 5,000 individuals in 3,320 households. To donate, visit beds-plus.org/crosstown-classic-run-for-a-cause or call 708-354-0858.
Triton College‘s Phi Theta Kappa earns conference award
The Chi Zeta Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Triton College in River Grove was again recognized again as a five-star chapter and honored for Outstanding Chapter Advisor Team at the 2025 Illinois Regional Conference and Honors Institute of Phi Theta Kappa in Champaign.
To be recognized as a five-star chapter means members must follow a Five State Chapter Plan that outlines essentials for creating a chapter organized into five “stars” which are Lead, Network, Engage, Reach and Discover.
Phi Theta Kappa supports high-achieving students through scholarships, professional development, and opportunities to invest in their community. Members of Triton’s chapter must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Certificate-seeking students must have completed six college-level credit hours and degree-seeking students must have finished 12 before the current semester.
Free concerts set in Darien
The City of Darien continues its free summer concert series with Ocean’s Rat Pack on July 31 and The Stingrays on Aug. 28.
The concerts take place 6 to 9 p.m. at Westwood Park, 75th Street and Fairview Avenue.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Attendees should plan to bring a favorite lawn chair or blanket to sit on and canned goods to donate to the local food pantry. Call 630-852-5000.
Take ACT practice test at Hinsdale library
Students are invited to prepare for the upcoming ACT examinations by taking a practice exam from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Hinsdale Public Library, 20 E. Maple St., Hinsdale.
The library will proctor the practice test and provide results quickly. Register online at hinsdalelibrary.info or call 630-986-1976.
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