Tale as old as time
North Riverside Players present their spring musical “Beauty and the Beast” May 3-5 and May 9-11 in the gymnasium of the North Riverside Village Commons, 2401 Desplaines Ave.
Follow the exploits of Belle, a young woman yearning for more than her provincial life, and Beast, a young prince trapped under an enchantress’ spell.
Show times are May 3, 4, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. and May 4, 5 and 11 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for senior citizens, $16 for students and $15 for children under 12 and can be obtained online at NRPlayers.com or by calling 708-512-7015.
Secrets from Very Old Trees
The Frederick Law Olmsted Society, Riverside Public Library and the Riverside Landscape Advisory Commission present “Secrets from Very Old Trees” on Thursday, May 2 at 7 p.m. in the Great Room of the Riverside Library, 1 Burling Road.
Dr. M. Ross Alexander of Midwest Dendro and Dr. Christine Rollinson of the Morton Arboretum will describe their wide-ranging study of trees and how climate change may be reflected in their growth.
The winner of the “How Old Is That Oak” contest will also be announced.
RBHS Day of Service
Join hundreds of students, teachers and community members during the annual Riverside-Brookfield High School Day of Service on Saturday, May 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at three worksites throughout the area.
The school partners with the villages of Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield and the Cook County Forest Preserve District to clean up forested areas and clear them of invasive species, plants flowers, spread mulch and paint.
The best time to visit worksites will be between 9 a.m. and noon, when students and leaders are sure to be there.
Worksites include Riverside Scout Cabin/Indian Gardens (417 Fairbank Road in Riverside), Zoo Woos (northeast corner of First and Forest avenues in Riverside) and Kiwanis Park (8200 Brookfield Ave. in Brookfield).
New exhibits at Riverside Arts Center
Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St., kicks off three new exhibits beginning May 5, with an opening reception that afternoon from 3 to 6 p.m.
In the Freeark Gallery will be “Sound Textures for Intimacies of Space” featuring work by Monica Rezman and Beth Bradfish. The FlexSpace Gallery hosts “Passing hours, space in between: I am breathing you air,” an installation by artist Yoonshin Park. The outdoor sculpture gallery presents “stay outcome in stay in come out,” featuring the work of Jordan Martins.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public.
May the 4th Be With You
Calling all Star Wars fans! On Saturday, May 4 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. come to the lower-level recreation room of the Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Ave., which will be transformed into the Mos Eisley Cantina, known for its drinks (juice and water), hot tunes and occasional outbreaks of shocking extraterrestrial good times.
Come dressed to impress in your Star Wars gear. Event includes themed food, games, lightsaber training and costume prizes. Pre-registration required at rectrac.brookfieldil.gov. Call 708-485-1527 with questions.
Lux Cantorum in Riverside
Lux Cantorum, Chicago’s premier sacred choral music ensemble presents “Choral Mosaic,” featuring Thai Buddhist chants, African-American spirituals and works commissioned for royalty, both modern and bygone, on Sunday, May 5 at 4 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, 250 Woodside Road in Riverside.
Tickets are $15 in advance at LuxCantorum.org and $20 at the door.
And more
• Brookfield-Riverside Rotary Club invites community members to attend its membership event on May 8 at 6 p.m. in the party room at Sebastian’s Ale & Whiskey House, 8900 Fairview Ave. in Brookfield. Learn about and get involved with the local chapter of this international service club. Free appetizers. Contact club president Chuck Ezell at jaezell@msn.com with questions.
• Lyons Township High School’s Eurythmics Dance Company hosts a Kids Day of Dance for first- thru eighth-graders on May 4 from noon to 5 p.m. at the North Campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave. in LaGrange. Work with dance company members and get a sneak preview of the company’s performance of “Ignite.” Cost is $55. Register online at www.lths.net, click Webstore, then Activities, then Eurythmics.
• The Frederick Law Olmsted Society and village of Riverside will hold a Landscape Workday on May 4 from 9 a.m. to noon at Indian Gardens and Patriots Park. Come for as long as you like. Supervised children welcome. Bring work gloves and a water bottle. All other supplies and snacks provided. Look for the public works dump truck.
• Hitzeman Funeral Home, 9445 31st St. in Brookfield, will host the next of its monthly grief support gatherings on May 14 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The theme of the gathering will be managing grief. Seats are limited. RSVP by May 10 to info@hitzemanfuneral.com or call 708-485-2000.
• Lyons Township High school paraprofessional Mary Ann Rivera is collecting school supplies for those impacted by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico throughout the month of May. Supplies (crayons, markers, pens, pencils, glue sticks, notebooks, folders, scissors, erasers and index cards) can be dropped off at the main office of either campus. Monetary donations are welcome at paypal.me/Maryann26. Email mrivera@lths.net for more info.
• North Riverside Parks and Rec offers a Parent Escape Night on May 4. Schedule a dinner date, pencil in time with friends, go shopping or just take a nap. Drop off your kids ages 2-11 for activities of all sorts. Dinner for kids provided. $15 for the first child, $10 each additional. Call 708-442-5515.
• Compassion Factory Art Gallery and Studio, 9210 Broadway Ave. in Brookfield, presents, “Exposed Nature,” featuring work by artists Bill Kalnes and Farida Korobova through May 4. Closing reception on May 3 from 7-10 p.m. Free. Hours are Thursdays from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., hosts a Senior Drop-in on May 3 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Meeting Room. Play cards and socialize every Friday.
Senior Services continues its Wednesday Movie Matinee on May 8 at 2 p.m. with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece “Vertigo” starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. Drop-in only.
Adult Services invites you to a Café y Conversacion/Conversation Cafe on May 4 at 10:30 a.m. Come learn, teach and converse in both languages; Crafternoons: Learn to Crochet on May 4 at 1:30 p.m.; and Tai Chi on May 6 at 6:30 p.m. To register call 708-447-0869.
For kids, there’s Lapsit Storytime (toddlers thru 5) on May 2 at 10:30 a.m.; DIY Craft Hour (grades 2+) on May 3 at 4 p.m.; Love2Read (grades K-1) on May 4 at 2 p.m.; Messy Mornings for Munchkins (ages 2-5) on May 7 at 10:30 a.m.; Pajama Storytime (all ages with adult) on May 7 at 6:30 p.m.; Bilingual Storytime (ages 2-5) on May 8 at 10:30 a.m.
• Aging Care Connections hosts a free Memory Café program through September on the second Friday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Young at Heart Adult Day Services Center, 6504 Joliet Road in Countryside and the third Tuesday of each month at Salerno’s Pizzeria & Sports Bar, 9301 W. 63rd St. in Hodgkins. Call 708-354-1323 for more information.
• The Brookfield Elks Lodge, 9022 31st St., hosts bingo every Monday night. Doors open at 5 p.m. and games start at 7 p.m. minimum cash payout of $2,275 a night, plus pull tabs, lightning, tic-tac and raffles.
