Summer concerts
Villa Park Recreation is offering Thursday evening outdoor concert series this summer at Cortesi Veterans Memorial Park, 318 E. Kenilworth. The free August concerts will be held at 6:30 pm; concessions open at 6 pm. Bring your blanket, lawn chairs and appetite out for these great family entertainment nights. The series kicks off Aug. 1 with Good Clean Fun; Bopology performs Aug. 8; The Wayouts Aug. 15, Howard and the White Boys Aug. 22 and the series closes on Aug. 29 with Mason Rivers. For information on the bands performing visit www.invillapark.com or call 630-834-8970.
Family Fun Fest in York Center Aug. 2
Come celebrate summer with the York Center Park District. There will be food, music, games, amusements and much more. Bring friends and family for a celebration that will end with fireworks. Date: Friday, Aug. 2. Time: 5-9 p.m. Admission is free (food is available for purchase). Location: Knolls Park, 1502 S. Meyers Road, Lombard. Visit www.ycpdfun.com or call 630-629-0886, York Center Park District, 1609 S. Luther Ave., Lombard.
Lombard Concert in the Park July 31
Concert in the Park Wednesday, July 31: Billy Croft & the 5-Alarm will be playing in Lilacia Park starting at 6:30 p.m. Billy Croft & the 5-Alarm is a red-hot, smokin’ country band. Bring your chairs, blankets, snacks, and friends and enjoy an evening of fun.
Plum Library programs
“Book Art” Sunday, July 28, at 2 p.m. Learn how to transform old books into beautiful works of art by following simple step-by-step folding instructions. Materials will be provided and all skill levels are welcome.
Registration is required and open to Helen Plum Library cardholders. Call 630-627-0316 or visit helenplum.org to register. “Pop-Up Adventure Play Day!” Sunday, Aug. 4, 1-3 p.m. Join staff on the library’s plaza to celebrate the last day of the Summer Reading Program with an afternoon of creativity and cool treats. Staff will supply loose parts for building like cardboard boxes, tape and paper and Lombard’s Dairy Queen is treating participants to yummy ice cream to cool off. This creative, child-directed play is in collaboration with Pop-Up Adventure Play. Drop-in event for families with children of all ages.
Love Your Neighbor Day accepting applications
The Christian Church of Villa Park, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lombard and other area churches will be working together again this year to host the fifth annual Love Your Neighbor Day on Saturday, Sept. 28. They will be accepting applications through August 10, from homeowners in the Villa Park/Lombard area who are having difficulty keeping up with repairs or work around their homes because of financial or physical limitations and who could benefit from a group of people volunteering at their home for a day. Work to be done may include minor home repairs, clean-up, and yard work. The work will be done by volunteers from area churches and the community. Volunteer sign-up sheets are available now. The number of applicants accepted will depend on the number of volunteers. Homeowner applications and volunteer sign-up sheets can be obtained by sending an e-mail to [email protected], on the CCVP website at www.ccvponline.net, or by leaving a message at 630-833-7262. Information and photos from previous years can be seen on the Love Your Neighbor Day Facebook page. Any questions about Love Your Neighbor Day can be sent to [email protected].
York Center basketball
Spend Thursday nights playing basketball and enjoying some friendly competition at the York Center Park District. Online or phone registration is required as there will be no registration at the door. Register early because the maximum to play each night is 15, and only people who have paid in advance will be allowed to enter the building. Ages: 18 years and up. Dates: Thursdays, through Sept. 26 (No basketball Aug. 1 and 29). Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Fee: $5 per person per night. Location: YCPD Gym, 1609 S. Luther Ave., Lombard, Register by each Thursday by 1 p.m. Visit www.ycpdfun.com or call 630-629-0886.
National S’mores Day event Aug. 9
All Lombard and Villa Park Girl Scouts or interested girls ages 5-18 are invited to participate in a S’mores event Friday, Aug. 9. from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Sheldon Peck Homestead, 355 E. Parkside, Lombard, with a pool party from 7-9 p.m. at Paradise Bay Water Park, 437 E. St. Charles Road, Lombard. There is a $5 entrance fee for the pool party which includes a fun patch. Registration deadline is July 26 to guarantee a fun patch. Drop-ins for both are welcome, and supplies are limited. Contact Ellen Gaynor at 630-390-6528 or [email protected] or visit www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/smores for registration information.
Hear ‘Neil Armstrong’ tell his story July 30
On Tuesday, July 30, at 7 p.m., at the Glen Ellyn Police Station, Community Room, 65 S. Park Blvd., actor Terry Lynch portrays astronaut Neil Armstrong in a program, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first moon walk. Lynch will recount the lead-up to the first moon walk, as well as a series of other “firsts” associated with the mission. The Glen Ellyn Historical Society sponsors this program. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served. Call 630-469-1867 and check the website at http://www.glenellynhistory.org.
Try your hand at archery Aug. 3
Explore the classic sport of archery at a free Archery Open House on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville. Participants will learn about this popular sport and its history and equipment before trying out their skills under the guidance of a certified instructor. The open house will highlight the archery range’s three different sections: beginner, advanced and interactive. Visitors will also be able to talk to representatives from local archery groups. All ages are welcome at the open house, but adults must accompany children under 18. Equipment is provided, and registration is not required. For more information, call Visitor Services at 630-933-7248.
Cullerton job fair seeks businesses
State Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) is recruiting Illinois employers to participate in his seventh annual job fair. Cullerton is partnering with local chambers of commerce and the Illinois Department of Employment Security to host the job fair from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at the Odeum in Villa Park. Veterans seeking jobs will be admitted at 10 a.m. before the event begins for the general public. The event is free and open to the public. First preference will be given to businesses that belong to local chambers of commerce. Job seekers and employer can visit www.SenatorTomCullerton.com to register. Cullerton urges residents and businesses with questions or concerns to call his Villa Park Office at 630-903-6662.
Fall soccer registration
Villa Park Parks and Recreation is holding Priority Registration for the fall soccer season July 29-Aug. 3 both online and in-person at the Iowa Community Center, 338 N. Iowa. The fall season features a seven game season, with games on Saturday mornings beginning Sept. 7. Practice begins the week of Aug. 19 and are held one hour, one day per week for grades Pre4& K, 1 & 2. Teams are co-rec and are determined on a random basis. Grades 5& 6 and 7 & 8 participate in the Mid Suburban Soccer League and play teams from surrounding communities. Games are played in Villa Park and participating communities. The fee during Priority Registration is $52; the fee during Open Registration Aug. 5-10 is $62. Players also need to purchase a game jersey for $17.
Crafty Creations during concerts
Young children and their adults can join the Villa Park Public Library and the Friends of the Villa Park Library at the weekly Concerts at Cortesi Park thus summer to make a fun craft. Crafty Creations @ Concerts at Cortesi will be held on Thursdays, Aug. 1 to Aug. 29 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Cortesi Park, near Kenilworth Ave. and Villa Ave. Registration is not required, but supplies are limited. For more information, visit the library’s website at www.vppl.info or call 630-834-1164.
