Busy, busy Brookfield
You won’t be able to say there’s nothing to do in Brookfield on Saturday, May 20. The day starts with Bike Brookfield, a 10K village-wide bike ride that also features a Kids Bike Rodeo and Kids Fun Ride from 9 a.m. to noon. After the rides, there will be an after party in Kiwanis Park with music and refreshments. Register online at www.brookfieldil.gov/bike-brookfield-registration.
Then head over to Eight Corners from 5 to 11 p.m. for the Brookfield Chamber of Commerce’s annual Street Dance. Eat, drink and dance in the 9200 block of Broadway Avenue to the music of DJ Toby Rhodes. There will be group dance lessons, face painting, a balloon artist, a juggling/balance act show and contests with prize giveaways.
Are you ready to rumble?
The village of Brookfield and A Sound Education host the 12th Annual Battle of the Bands from noon to 6 p.m. at the Kiwanis Park band shell, 8820 Brookfield Ave., on Sunday, May 21.
Ten bands will compete for prizes and the opportunity to move on to regional and state competitions. In addition to the music, food and drinks will be available for purchase along with free raffles for prizes including a fender electric guitar courtesy of A Sound Education.
Boys Scout troop turns 100
Boy Scout Troop 24 will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a special event at the troop’s headquarters at Riverside Presbyterian Church, 116 Barrypoint Road, on Saturday, May 20 at 5 p.m.
All present and former scouts and scout leaders, family and community members are invited to the event, which will feature historical re-enactments and skits, a catered dinner and desserts and optional campfire and campout at the Scout Cabin.
To register to attend the dinner and for more information, visit online at www.troop24riverside.com.
Now hear this!
Join the Riverside Township Radio Players on Friday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Riverside Town Hall auditorium, 27 Riverside Road, when the troupe recreates two shows from the Golden Age of Radio, including “Panama Hat” from The Adventures of Philip Marlow and “My Favorite Wife” from Screen Directors’ Playhouse.
Admission is free. For more info visit www.riversidetownshipradioplayers.com or call 708-442-8810.
New exhibits at Riverside Arts Center
Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St., opens two new exhibits this weekend, with an opening reception on Sunday, March 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. to meet with both artists.
In the Freeark Gallery, you can see the work of Oak Park artist Anna Kunz and her exhibit “Physical Sunshine.” Her paintings are “flowing plains of fabric that transform rooms.”
Over in the FlexSpace gallery, take in a solo exhibition of photographs by Laura Husar Garcia. The show, titled “Wishes,” features photos of patterns made from stones cast into water and the work “stems from a blend of melancholy and yearning, focusing on the past, present and future.”
Both shows run through June 24. Admission is free. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.
And more
• Riverside United Methodist Church, 82 Woodside Road, hosts a gospel music concert featuring the Chicago Southern District Voices on May 21 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets at the door are $10. Light refreshments afterwards. Call 708-447-1760 for more info.
• Riverside Public Library invites students to study for final exams in its Exam Cram Study Space in the Public Meeting Room on May 20 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.), May 21 (1-5 p.m.), May 22 and 23 (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.). High school students only.
The library will screen the classic film The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn on May 19 at 7 p.m. in the Great Room.
Then on May 23 at 7 p.m. in the Great Room, Megan Wells and Scott Jones present “A Hamilton Affair,” enacting scenes from the life of Alexander Hamilton and rounding out the evening with a discussion of the Broadway musical.
• Brookfield Public Library, 3609 Grand Blvd., hosts an art exhibit featuring the work of Robin Monique Rios, Chicago native and founder and director of 4Art Inc., through June. For more information visit www.brookfieldlibrary.info.
• North Riverside Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., hosts a talk by MLB umpire, pilot and author Dick Cavenaugh on May 17 at 6:30 p.m. as part of Aging Well Month. Free. Sign up by calling 708-447-0869 or online at www.northriversidelibrary.org/events.
Also at the library, Messy Mornings for Munchkins (ages 2+) on May 23 at 10:30 a.m.; Lapsit Storytime (babies and toddlers) on May 18 at 10:30 a.m.; and RBHS Finals Survival Kits May 21-23 for all North Riverside high school students with student ID. Available at the lower-=level Help Desk.
• The LeaderShop hosts a Beer and Wine Tasting Fundraiser at Vino e Birra, 18 W. Burlington Ave. in LaGrange, on May 18 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The cost is $25. Register at theleadershop.org or by calling 708-579-5898.
• The King’s Chorale of LaGrange Bible Church, 850 S. 7th Ave. in LaGrange, present their spring concert on May 21 at 9 a.m. The public is invited.
• Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 203 S. Kensington Ave., LaGrange, presents Bella Voce performing Monteverdi’s Missa in Illo Tempore and a program of Bach, Franck and Elgar on the church’s pipe organ by George Tarasuk on May 21 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 ($15 students). Proceeds benefit the church’s pipe organ project.
