Community Briefs

Community members can help raise funds for the Oak Lawn Community Library Foundation by dining at Francesca’s on 95th, 6248 W. 95th St., in Oak Lawn, on Monday, Feb. 8. Participants are asked to tell their server that they are participating in the Eat & Earn fundraiser, and 15 percent of their dinner bill, excluding tax and tip, will be donated to the Oak Lawn Community Library Foundation. For information, call (708) 422-4990 or visit miafrancesca.com.

The Lupus Foundation of America-Illinois Chapter will hold a 50/50 raffle. The winner of the raffle will be pulled on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Tickets are firstcome, first-served through Monday, Feb. 15. Only 200 tickets will be sold at $100 per ticket. The maximum winning amount is $10,000. Tickets can be purchased individually or in groups. For more information and to purchase raffle tickets, call Sarah Chambers, (312) 542-0002 or e-mail sarah@lupusil.org.

Offered by the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Public Library, Law at the Library is a free monthly lecture series focusing on hot and timely legal topics. Law at the Library will provide Chicagoans with the opportunity to listen to an experienced legal professional, ask general questions and check out materials on a variety of legal topics. All Chicago Public Library locations serve as community centers providing access to books, databases and journals that will help Chicagoans learn more about legal issues. Registration is not required. Upcoming Law at the Library seminars will be held on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 2 p.m., at Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St., (312) 747-6921; and Monday, Feb. 22, at 12:15 p.m., at Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St., (312) 747-4300.

The Beverly Improvement Association (BIA), in connection with 19th Ward Ald. Ginger Rugai and the Cook County Forest Preserve District, invites residents to enjoy cross-country skiing in the Dan Ryan Woods on Sunday afternoons when there is sufficient snow to ski, about four inches on the ground. BIA has arranged to meet at 1 p.m. at Beverly Bike and Ski, 9121 S. Western Ave. There is no charge for the event. Those who do not want to ski can come and walk the woods and see what a treasure that the Beverly neighborhood has in its own backyard. Then go back to Beverly Bike and Ski for a cup of hot chocolate. People can rent cross-country skis, boots and poles from Beverly Bike and Ski for $15 for the day and $25 for the weekend. They also have snowshoes available at the same prices. Neighbors, although not certified as instructors, will be able to show newcomers how easy cross-country skiing is. Call Paul Weise, owner of Beverly Bike and Ski, at (773) 238-5704, to ensure that new cross country skiers have someone to go with them.

The La Leche League of Beverly will hold a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 10 a.m., in the east meeting room of the St. Barnabas convent, 10161 S. Longwood Drive. All breastfeeding mothers, mothers-to-be and their children are welcome to attend the free meeting. La Leche League is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed. For information, call Camille, (773) 454-1318 or visit llli.org.

The next Hamfesters Radio Club meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5, at the Crestwood Community Center, 14025 S. Kostner Ave., in Crestwood. The highlight of the meeting will be the annual white elephant sale, a fun recycling event where hams bring equipment they no longer need and shop for items they might want or need. Refreshments will be served. Hamfesters Radio Club, serving Chicagoland for 75 years, also conducts volunteer examiner testing for those wishing to get their ham tickets, and for radio amateurs wishing to upgrade to higher classes of licenses. Testing begins at 9 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month at Oak Forest High School.

A meeting for people to discuss political issues will be held Monday, Feb. 8, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., at Panera Bread, 2314 W. 95th St. This forum is an opportunity for participation, rather than just coming to listen to someone speak. The program will run from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. with time for informal exchange and more lively discussion before and after. It’s a networking opportunity, too. Participants are asked to bring business cards and brochures.

Community members are asked to donate gently used prom and bridesmaid dresses to Moraine Valley Community College’s Dream Come True Project. The dresses will be given away free of charge to local high school girls on Saturday, March 27, from 8 to 11 a.m., in the Fine and Performing Arts Center’s atrium, 9000 W. College Pkwy, in Palos Hills. Dresses of all styles and sizes that are in good condition will be accepted. Shoes, purses, jewelry and other accessories also will be accepted. Donations can be brought to the Multicultural Student Affairs Department in room 201I, on the second floor of building S, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. For information, call (708) 974-5475.

The Beverly Theatre Guild, a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, will hold open auditions for “Deathtrap,” written by Ira Levin. No appointment is necessary. Auditions will be held on Sunday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m., and Monday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. Call backs (if needed) will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. Auditions will be held at Salem United Church of Christ, 9717 S. Kostner Ave., in Oak Lawn. Auditions will consist of readings from the script and/or, if desired, prepared monologue (three minutes or less). Participants are asked to bring headshot and resume, if available. For more information, call (773) 284- 8497, e-mail beverlytheatreguild@juno.com or visit beverlytheatreguild.org. All performances will be held at the Baer Theater at Morgan Park Academy Arts Center, 2153 W. 111th St. Performance dates will be Friday, April 30, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 1, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 2, at 2 p.m.

Blue Moon Coffeehouse, 1742 W. 99th St., will host the Reading on Walden Political Discussion Group on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m.; the Foreign Language Round Tables on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m.; and Psychic Evolution with Aria Norman on Thursday, Feb. 4, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. For more information, call (773) 840-3618.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust is seeking volunteers to assist at both Wright’s Robie House in Hyde Park and the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park. A two-week spring volunteer training session at Robie House will begin Feb. 23 and March 9 at the home and studio. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the Preservation Trust before the two-week training begins. Volunteers enjoy membership benefits, invitations to exclusive events such as excursions to art and architectural attractions and exclusive educational opportunities like architectural-based lectures, a monthly newsletter and discounts in the museum shops. Wright’s Robie House and the Home and Studio offer docents a fascinating and rewarding environment where they can develop new skills and create great new friendships.Interested parties are encouraged to contact the trust by Monday, Feb. 15, for pre-course materials. For information about the Trust, the museums and volunteer opportunities call (708) 725-3818 or visit gowright.org.

The Mt. Greenwood Garden Club will offer bus transportation and show tickets for the annual Flower and Garden Show 2010. The bus will leave on Tuesday, March 9, from Mt. Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111th St., at 10 a.m., and will return at 3:30 p.m. The cost is $25 per person. The next meeting of the club will be held on Thursday, Feb. 11, at the Mt. Greenwood branch library, 11010 S. Kedzie Ave., at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call Kim or Marianne, (773) 779-8439.

The Ridge Art Association will host a demonstration in acrylics by Robert Pennor, of Bolingbrook, on Sunday, Feb. 14, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Ridge Park field house, 9625 S. Longwood Drive. Admission is $3. Refreshments will be served. The artist is inspired by two worlds, the natural and the manmade. He paints landscapes and cityscapes. For more information, call Lois Martin, (708) 460-2259.

This is part of the February 3, 2010 online edition of The Beverly Review.

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