ForestParkReview_061026

ForestParkReview.com Vol. 109, No. 23

$1.00

@ForestParkReview

@FP_Review

F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW JUNE 10, 2026

Review w named bestt small weeklyy in Illinoiss PAGE 6

Reiger Park restrooms close after multiple vandalism incidents The Park District of Forest Park shuttered restrooms for the foreseeable future until a solution is found

PRIDE!

By EMMA BRADFORD Intern Reporter

The Reiger Park restrooms will be closed until further notice due to multiple reports of vandalism within two weeks, according to a Park District of Forest Park Facebook post made Wednesday.

In the two years since its construction, Jackie Iovinelli, the park district’s executive director, said there had never been an incident at those restrooms. But there were

SPECIAL SECTION, PAGE B1

TODD BANNOR

See REIGER PARK on page 7

Drag queen Britney Taylor performs at Forest Park Pride Fest on June 5.

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

A look back in time: Forest Park’s Amusement Park

Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PAGE 18

IN Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 THIS ISSUE Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Alan Brouilette: Dressing the part PAGE 16

2

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

WEDNESDAY

Join us for a community conversation and Q&A session about what this means for the future of journalism in our neighborhoods with Max Reinsdorf, General Manager NEWSWELL Chicago Carolyn Newberry Schwartz, Oak Parker and NEWSWELL Chicago Events Committee Chair, Steve Edwards, former journalist, Oak Parker and GCM Board Member With a forward from Wednesday Journal founder Dan Haley

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

3

Forest Park approves billboard in Concordia Cemetery And places a half-year moratorium on new billboards

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

There will be a new billboard going up in Concordia Cemetery and a moratorium on any additional billboards in the village for 180 days.

The decisions came at the May 26 council meeting, when commissioners unanimously approved three agenda items that would allow for a two-sided LED billboard in the southwest corner of Concordia Cemetery.

They also passed an ordinance saying the village would not approve new billboards for 180 days.

“With the approval of this last billboard, there seems to be limited future areas in the village,” Commissioner Jessica Voogd said before voting in support of the moratorium. “I think there’s a substantial government interest to limit them going forward, so I fully support this and I hope that we identify a reasonable way to put those limitations in place.”

Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said he agreed with Voogd. So did Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin, who said she supported the billboard in Concordia because it would help the cemetery financially.

“I supported this particular billboard because there was an interest and the ability to invest and possibility of taking care of the cemetery,” Melin-Rogovin said. Concordia Cemetery is a nonprofit that hopes the billboard will help finance future maintenance on the grounds. “But overall, I do hear residents’ concerns about the number

of billboards and their impact on the town, and I do share the same concern about the government interest in finding a way to limit billboards going forward.”

According to the meeting agenda, the 180-day moratorium allows the village time to evaluate the number of current billboards in Forest Park and the regulatory framework to approve a billboard, preventing premature approvals that could conflict with forthcoming policy decisions.

In the agenda, Village Administrator Entler said she’d work with Steve Glinke, who’s head of the building department, and the new village planner — who was also approved at the May 26 council meeting — to “put in place a plan that protects our community character and ensures future zoning amendments are comprehensive and consistent with village goals.”

The Planning and Zoning Commission re-voted on the billboard last month — since the commission legally needed to vote on three separate items during a March meeting, but only voted on one.

They recommended the village council do the same.

Just like the Planning and Zoning Commission, the village council approved the following: A conditional use permit that allows the billboard in the residentially zoned cemetery, since billboards are only allowed in industrial districts; A plat of subdivision makes it so a small portion on the west side of the cemetery is rezoned and not all of it; and a map amendment that reflects those changes.

Keep local news in Forest Park!

Donate today at ForestParkReview.com

ADOBE STOCK

New village planner Also at the May 26 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved an agreement between the village and its new planner. Pete Losue of Teska Associates will provide professional planning and technical consulting services to the village, including support for planning initiatives involving zoning and longterm development.

According to Entler, she and Glinke interviewed four planning firms for the position.

“Engaging experienced planning consultants strengthens the village’s ability to make informed policy decisions and advance strategic planning objectives, and I strongly believe Pete and his colleagues will be able to provide support for current planning and zoning projects but also future comprehensive planning,” Entler said in the meeting agenda.

“I’ve heard great things about you and your firm from director Glinke and from the village administrator,” Commissioner Maria Maxham said to Losue at the meeting. “And director Glinke in particular is sometimes hard to impress, so the fact that he was really excited that you’re going to be working with us says a lot to me.”

Voogd asked whether zoning updates

and comprehensive plan updates would be inside the scope of services Teska provides.

“I just wanted to go on the record and say that larger-scale projects, like updating a comp plan or large-scale zoning changes, would be a separate contract that is particularly outlining the scope of work on that project and deliverables and set costs, etc,” Voogd said.

“This agency clearly has the capabilities to do lots of different things that we need,” MelinRogovin agreed, “but we would have to execute separate agreements, which is great to have that capacity.”

The new planner was hired nearly two months after Forest Park’s last planner, Muse, quit working for the village. After 8 years under contract with the village, Muse cited the stall in multiple projects as the reason for its departure.

“Efforts including the comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance amendments, and the Altenheim redevelopment all stalled out, so there isn’t planning for us to do,” Courtney Kashima, founding principal at Muse, previously told the Review. “We are an urban planning firm and therefore want to help communities plan.”

4

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

The legacy of Forest Park’s Heritage Chef Sieger Bayer competes on ‘Top Chef,’ season 23

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter

Once again, Forest Park has a connection to TV’s Top Chef. When Chef Sieger Bayer left The Heritage restaurant in Forest Park in 2019, he didn’t know his trajectory would include season 23 of the show. This spring he competed through to the final third on the competition show.

Bayer grew up mostly in Lake Zurich.

When he was contemplating what to do after high school, nothing caught his imagination. He considered being a jeweler, going into business law.

“My mom was like, ‘Well, why don’t you just go to culinary school? You love cooking at home,’” he said. “And I was like, ‘Well, sure.’”

He graduated from Kendall College and worked all over the city, then internationally.

After running several places, friends Mischa and Jacob DeHart suggested opening a spot together in Forest Park. That became The

Heritage at 7403 Madison St. (now NRebozo).

“The Heritage utilized all of the relationships and partnerships that I built as a cook, a sous, an executive sous, a chef de cuisine, an executive chef,” Bayer said. “The point was to have something super approachable, very seasonal. The goal was to bring all those farmers, makers, wine folks to Forest Park to give something you would find in Bucktown or a Wicker Park. A lot of people thought of us as a special occasion restaurant, but for us, we were pricing it so you could go there fairly regularly.”

After The Heritage, Bayer worked as chef du cuisine at The Publican. Fast forward a few more years and Bayer is currently co-owner of bar Berria in Logan Square. More on that later but first let’s talk about Top Chef.

“The want to go on Top Chef was always the belief that it was the pinnacle for culinary cooking shows,” he said. Though he’d appeared on Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay those were one-day commitments. “I didn’t

PROVIDED

Emily Abram and Sieger Bayer of bar Berria

PAUL CHENEY/BRAVO

Chef Sieger Bayer and ‘Top Chef ’ judges really know what to expect. It’s an experience that I wish I could explain, but unless you’ve lived it, it’s just so hard. You’re put into these crazy challenges with very short amount of time and you need to run through the Rolodex of ideas in your head extremely quickly because sometimes you’ve got 5 or 10 minutes to come up with an idea. Then the next thing you know, they throw you a curve ball.”

Of the 15 initial chefs, Bayer made it to the top five. His exit in episode 12 was fraught.

Let’s just say that he did not go gentle into that good night. Still, he said it was a good experience, and his fellow chefs became close.

“We’re all still good friends and we all text and stuff like that,” he said.

Being on the show can super-charge a chef ’s career, but for now Bayer is sticking with his current creation: bar Berria, a Logan Square pop-up that serves on the weekends.

“Bar Berria is a complete and utter creative outlet,” he said. “We change menus up pretty much every weekend. We have 24 seats.

There’s three employees, myself and two folks that were actually with me at the Heritage. We’re serving the food, we talk about the food after dinner, we’re able to hang out with guests and build a community.”

Along with his partner, Emily Abram, his

aim for the past two years has been to “do weird things” not necessarily optimize moneymaking, according to Bayer.

“We have a full lot in Logan Square where we have raised bed gardens,” he said. “A lot of that turns into fermented and preserved products that we use throughout the year.

Then we have chickens. They lay eggs for us, not enough to support a full restaurant, but we open up the coop and they’re able to run through the gardens and they take care of our bugs.”

Reservations are made through Tock. It’s BYOB, but with each menu the team gives wine suggestions.

“I’ve always wanted to make bar Berria something that’s approachable and fun and an escape from everything else,” Bayer said.

“I’ve gotten more joy from it than I’ve had from most things in my career. If someone wants to come and talk to me about investing and partnering and stuff like that, I’d love to hear it, but bar Berria is a unicorn situation that every chef wishes they had. Right now, I’m so happy.”

Bayer’s target is the human connection uniquely created through eating together.

That’s what he showed on Top Chef, that he is human – and a damn good cook.

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

H O U S E

5

H I S T O R Y

When St. B’s school expanded in 1953, family moved house down Elgin Avenue Murrays were active parishioners and active villagers

By AMY BINNS-CALVEY and JILL SUMMERS

I

Contributing Reporter

n most cases, it’s the people who move and the houses that stay put, but that’s not the case for one home on Elgin Avenue.

In 1913, the Murray family – John S., 34; Gertrude, 32; Loretta, 6 and John, 3 – moved to 825 Elgin in Forest Park, a home that had been built between 1911 and 1913.

That same year, they increased their family to five with the birth of Clara. Soon, the family members became intertwined with the community, particularly at St. Bernardine’s Church – which was convenient, since they basically lived next door. John was one of the founders of the first church board and Gertrude served on the Altar and Rosary Society. Gertrude also became a member of the Woman’s Club of Forest Park while John worked with village youth groups. John’s occupation was book binder at Sears and Roebuck (presumably on the well-known catalogue).

Loretta made the papers when she attended her friend Dorothy’s 9th birthday party in 1918. The party at 606 Marengo Ave. included singing and dancing. Loretta again graced the paper in a photo of the St.

PROVIDED

The Murrays house at 847 Elgin

Bernardine’s class of 1921.

In 1922, John and Gertrude helped organize races at an “old fashioned” picnic for the Daughters of Isabella (a Catholic women’s group.) The couple arranged contests based on ages five to 20 and even scheduled a race for “married and fat ladies.”

Following in her sister’s footsteps, Clara was seen in a photo of the St. Bernardine’s Class of 1927. Owning a radio was a unique enough occurrence that it was included in the house’s inhabitants’ details on the 1930 census. At that time, John, 50, was still working as a book binder, Gertrude, 48, didn’t have an occupation listed, Loretta, 22, was working in advertising as a stenographer, John Jr. was employed as a bank clerk, Clara was 16 and probably at school, and a new addition to the family, Joseph, was 11 years old.

The Century of Progress World’s Fair in 1933 was a big occurrence in Chicago.

Clara was a member of the queen’s court, attending to the village beauty queen, Miss Florence Blum (also of Elgin Avenue), on Forest Park Day at the Fair.

Clara married Fred Trage in 1937 – the Review called them “one of the most popular couples in the community.” In 1939, John Sr. was reelected to the park board.

A year later, Loretta married Arthur A. Broenen. Arthur worked as a jeweler at CD Peacock on State Street. A couple of years later, they welcomed baby Carol.

At the age of 65, Gertrude died from thyroid cancer. After Gertrude’s passing, Loretta, Arthur and Carol moved into the house with John Sr. In 1953, St. Bernardine planned an addition to the school along with a convent housing 22 sisters. That’s when the house at 825 took a stroll down the block to its current location at 847 Elgin. Reportedly,

St. Bernardine’s owned a plot of land at 847 Elgin and a property exchange was arranged with the family. The house was then lifted off of its foundation and rolled on large dollies down the street.

(Around this time, other houses in Forest Park had to be moved to make way for the Eisenhower.)

The 1954 revision of the Sanborn Fire Map Vol. 32 shows that a change was made to the map -- an editor pasted over the property at 825 and added the building to the lot at 847 (now with an enclosed porch). Further investigation of the map shows that the lot at 821 has two “paste-overs” of its own showing the house changing from a residence to a convent and then later to a vacant lot.

Community activities at the house continued at the new location. In 1958, the Forest Park Infant Welfare Society’s executive board held meetings there, and the Circle Eleven members held a Christmas party “for their husbands.” Like the birthday party 40 years earlier, there was dancing.

John Sr. died at the age of 82 in 1961. He was praised for his work with civic organizations and youth groups. Besides his children, he left behind 12 grandchildren.

The Broenen family remained in the home.

Carol received her nursing degree in 1963 and she continued to live in the house after her parents died (Arthur in 1977, Loretta in 1989). In 1993, she sold the house to the current owner, Catherine Heagarty.

When Catherine wrote to the Review about her home, she was hoping to confirm some of the stories she had heard about it.

She also shared photos of some elements original to the home, many of which can be found in Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogues of the time. (Maybe John Sr. had a discount!) Parts of the basement contain evidence of the move as well as the yellow

AMY BINNSCALVEY

PROVIDED

The house at 825 Elgin and the St. B. parking lot and green color scheme that at least one long-time Forest Parker remembered from the parties held there. Catherine didn’t mention if she is currently hosting any dances there.

Would you like to learn the history of your home? Send in a request to the Forest Park Review and one lucky subscriber will be chosen to have their house researched and featured in the Review. (Houses will be chosen based on the information available for that property.)

If you’d like to work directly with Jill Summers to explore the history of your home, check out previous house histories online at https://www.facebook.com/OrdinaryHousesFB/ and reach out to her at ordinaryhouses@gmail.com.

6

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

Second year running, Review named best small weekly in Illinois One of 44 awards garnered by NEWSWELL Chicago flags

By DAN HALEY

T

Interim Editor

he Forest Park Review was named Illinois’ best small weekly for the second year in a row in the Illinois Press Association’s Best of the Press contest. Winners were announced June 4 at the annual event in East Peoria.

Altogether the Review won 14 editorial awards including a first place in General Excellence and with it the David Kramer Sweepstakes Trophy.

In naming the Review the top small weekly, judges wrote it has “content that suggests the staff knows what key stories and topics to cover for readers. …

All around, a product the staff should be proud of and that readers should value.”

The Review and reporter Jessica Mordacq took first place in the News Series category for its diligent coverage of building code and zoning issues in Forest Park.

Mordacq placed second in government beat reporting.

The Review’s obituary for Dorothy Gillian, local businessperson and community leader, took first place in that category. The story was reported by Mordacq.

For the second year, Mordacq also won the Review an award for agriculture reporting. While the story on Opportunity Knocks and its farm at the Altenheim was a good one, we are certain the Review has never previously been recognized for our ag reporting.

Our annual No Gloves softball section placed first in special sections with the

community guide placing third.

Wednesday Journal, the Review’s sister paper, also won top honors in the advertising and marketing contest. That brought us the Sam Zito Award of Excellence Trophy which basically dwarfs the Kramer trophy.

The Journal and Riverside-Brookfield Landmark each placed third in General Excellence in their circulation categories.

Overall NEWSWELL Chicago’s four flags brought home 44 editorial prizes from the IPA contest.

Max Reinsdorf, general manager of NEWSWELL Chicago, said the strong showing on both the editorial and advertising sections of the IPA contest reflected the hard work and talent of the staff.

“We’re committed to creating strong, independent and always locally focused news for our communities. We have great people, rooted in these neighborhoods. It is gratifying to see that work appreciated at the state level,” he said.

O B I T U A R Y

Patricia Kautz, 84

Worked in the funeral industry Patricia Kay (Pulaski) Julian Kautz, 84, of Forest Park died peacefully at home on May 29, 2026, after a hardfought battle with lung cancer. Born on March 26, 1942 to the late Joseph and Eva (Surges) Pulaski, she grew up in Forest Park, spent her high school years in Melrose Park, and returned to Forest Park upon her first marriage to (the late) Ronald Julian. Together they had one daughter, Paula, who also attended St. Bernardine School and Trinity High School — just as her mother did.

The family was deeply rooted in St. Bernardine Parish life. She remained close friends with her classmates from both schools. Her Trinity friends were known simply as “Club.”

Every summer, she and her family and friends vacationed in St. Germain, Wisconsin, and later Richmond, Minnesota, where she waterskied and taught anyone who wanted to learn.

She was always impeccably dressed from head to toe and her lively conversation enabled her to make friends effortlessly. She served as a Room Mother at St. Bernardine, helped organize the annual Forest Park Oktoberfest, assisted in political campaigns, and so much more.

She managed and helped run Forest Home Cemetery for over 20 years, worked eight years at Zimmerman-Ehringer Funeral Home, and finished her career in the funeral industry at Wilbert Vault Company — all located in Forest Park. She fought to secure insurance coverage for women who were heads

of household through the Cemetery Workers Union, ensuring that women received the same benefits as men.

In the late 1980s, she met William Kautz on a blind date. Bill was a bread man for National Baking who wooed his future bride with his dry sense of humor, his Neil Diamond good looks, and a steady supply of croissants and bakery goods. Bill’s two children, Pamela and Bob, helped beautifully blend their families together.

Patricia is survived by her husband of 35 years, William J. Kautz; her daughter, Paula Julian Peterson (Michael Peterson); her sister, Joann Heil; her stepchildren, Pamela (Kautz) Nickerson and Robert Kautz (Kathy); her grandchildren, Abigail (Peterson) Brezinski (Matthew), Joseph Peterson, Alex Nickerson, Brandon Nickerson (Alissa), Jackie (Nickerson) Anderson (Michael), Julie Nickerson, Madison Kautz, and Joshua Kautz, Matthew, Kayla and Jonathan Dealy; her great-grandchildren, Jacob and Lee Nickerson; and her nephew, James Heil.

Please join us at her memorial service to share your stories and love for Patricia. She loved the color purple, so black is not required at her memorial service.

Visitation will be held on Friday, June 12 from 10 to 11 a.m. at St. Bernardine Catholic Church, 801 Elgin Ave., Forest Park, where Mass will be celebrated at. Interment private.

Arrangements were handled by Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home.

Follow us on Instagram!

Top stories, local government, features, events, dining, art, and sports right at your fingertips!

@forestparkreview @austinweeklynews

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

FILE PHOTO

REIGER PARK

Vandalized restrooms from page 1 three separate instances of vandalism last month, causing damage to the toilets and forcing the park district to lock the doors.

The first of three events occurred on May 29 when authorities responded to a complaint regarding a vandalized toilet in the park restrooms. Upon arrival, officers observed a large landscaping rock inside one of the toilets and recognized its shattered pieces on the ground next to it.

Iovinelli said a similar incident occurred about a week later with a landscaping rock and a broken toilet, which forced the park district to lock one of the two restrooms.

However, when they returned the next morning, someone forced an excessive amount of toilet paper into the toilet, causing it to overflow.

“That was our ‘all right, we need to take a break,’” Iovinelli said.

After the initial event, Iovinelli said they were able to submit footage they had collected from the cameras set up pointed at the entrance of the restrooms.

The first hearing for the restroom vandalisms will be on Wednesday, Iovinelli added.

In the meantime, the park district will try to implement and rely more on a neighborhood watch. Iovinelli said they are hoping that if they see something, they say something.

“As long as the neighbors see something, we will immediately do something about it,” Iovinelli said. “But until we can get our heads wrapped around continuing to repair this repetitive action, we just have to take a break.”

While the park district will remain reliant on this foreseen closure to prevent future vandalism, Iovinelli said for the scheduled hearing, “Hopefully maybe that will make some changes too.”

As a public park, the last thing the park district wants to do is put restrictions on an open place for people to gather, Iovenelli added.

“This is a beautiful park we built for the neighborhood that we’re hoping we can get the bathrooms back open and we can get back to normal day-to-day play over there,” Iovenelli said.

In May 2024, the renovated park at 1526 Circle Ave. reopened after a multi-year effort to secure funding and construction, following the transfer of four pocket parks from the Village of Forest Park to the Park District of Forest Park through a 99-year lease at $1 per year.

Included in the renovation, and with design input from the community, are a water feature, gaga ball pit, sand area, tables with checkerboards and the restrooms.

Forest Park School District #91 is seeking applications for a vacant position on the Board of Education. An individual will be appointed to fill the vacant position until the April 2027 elections are held.

Interested persons should submit a letter expressing interest and/or a resume via email to traglin@fpsd91.org no later than Friday, June 19, 2026.

Following a review of the submitted materials, the Board will schedule interviews with selected candidates. Not all candidates for the Board vacancy will be interviewed. If you have any questions concerning the role of the Board of Education and the responsibilities of a Board member, please contact Steven Rummel, President of the Board of Education at srummel@fpsd91.org.

7

8 Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

S P O N S O R E D

C O N T E N T

In the garden of eatin’ Pompei restaurant serves up their first summer in Elmwood Park

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

W

RISÉ SANDERSWEIR

Manager Lucian DiPofi with eggplant strudel

Eats Reporter

hen Pompei opened a new location in Elmwood Park last September at 22 W. Conti Parkway, it was a perfect match. Pompei has been a Taylor Street mainstay for decades and Elmwood Park appreciates good Italian food. Ten months in, the fast casual restaurant is thriving.

Lucian DiPofi is the manager and grandson of the originator, Ralph Davino.

For DiPofi, this was his first foray into being in charge of a location.

“Learning curve for sure,” DiPofi said.

“I’ve worked at the Taylor Street restaurant for years, but there things have been absolutely, absolutely steady for 26 years.”

His goal in Elmwood Park was to finetune the experience to fit the needs of local diners.

“We don’t have the identical menus now.

It’s a bigger dinner crowd out here, so we

PROVIDED

Peach burrata salad

added lemon chicken, more salad. We sell a lot of eggplant,” he said. “Out here it’s like I’m ordering more than ever before. It’s one of our most beloved meals eggplant with pasta, in a strudel or on a sandwich. People who are eggplant lovers come in and they say it’s the best eggplant they’ve had.”

The extensive menu offers up 10 housemade pasta options, six with imported pasta, three kinds of ravioli, along with weekly and daily specials. There are 11 salads to choose from and four types of pizza crust with 11 topping combo options, as well as a build-your-own slice. Strudels are a Pompei specialty. For the uninitiated: these are

PROVIDED

Saturday pasta special – lobster ravioli

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026 9

S P O N S O R E D

C O N T E N T

Pompei Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Pompei in Elmwood Park savory delights such as the so-called Poor Boy filled with ham, salami capicola, tomatoes and cheese wrapped in dough and baked until crispy. There are 10 varieties on the menu with the addition of a rotating special flavor.

This summer two dishes are here to savor the season. The first is a peach and burrata salad. Those are nestled on a bed of field green, sprinkled with pistachios and sunflower seeds.

“Then a balsamic glaze over the top,” DiPofi said. “It’s a very bright, vibrant salad, fresh peaches mixed with the burrata and then the tanginess from the vinegar. It’s one of my favorite salads.”

The second is lobster ravioli, which will be the Saturday pasta special through the warm months. It’s topped with a tomato cream sauce and garnished with red peppers and seasoned breadcrumbs.

At lunch time, you can walk through the order line and have your meal within minutes.

“My grandfather likes to say he was a pioneer of fast casual.” DiPofi said.

Choose from the wide display of savory strudels, sandwiches, soups and pizza by the slice, then you pay and sit down. Your selection is warmed and brought to your table.

“One of the biggest selling slices is a sun-dried ricotta slice,” he said. “It is a tomato pesto. We take dried tomatoes, blend them with olive oil, with basil, little parsley, bunch of garlic, and then a little bit of Parmesan cheese. It’s nut free. It’s on our thicker style crust. It’s like a double dough that we let rise a little more. And we put

mozzarella cheese and then dollops of our seasoned ricotta.”

While the restaurant doesn’t have a full bar, they do have four beers to choose from: Peroni, Coors Light, Sam Adam’s seasonal beers and Cruz Blanca. Red wines (chianti, pinot noir, merlot), sparkling rosé, and whites (chardonnay, pinot grigio) are offered by the bottle or by the glass. And there is a long list of cocktails in cans, including THC- infused options.

Don’t. Miss. Dessert.

“We hand make all of our desserts, from our biscotti to our lemonade crescent cookies, all the way through to our tiramisu, chocolate cake, brownies,” he said. “Our cheesecake, it’s one of my favorites. I’m not biased at all though.”

Catering is also part of the restaurant offerings.

“We offer great things like bite-sized strudels, pizzas. Our quality is great and our consistency is on point as well. Delivering for your catering needs is one of our special things,” he said.

Building out a new location is aways a leap of faith, but according to DiPofi the risk has been more than worth the reward.

“Being invited into the community like this has been nothing short of amazing,” he said. “We love our customers so much.

It’s like family. Come, sit down, enjoy.”

Get your own plateful: 22 W. Conti Parkway, Elmwood Park • pompeiusa.com Hours: Sunday – Tuesday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Wednesday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

New Location!

1531 W Taylor St Chicago 312-421-5179

22 W Conti Parkway Elmwood Park 708-708-5179

Dine In • Carry Out • Delivery Gift Certificates • Catering • Private Party Rooms View menus at pompeiusa.com

Keep up with Elmwood Park Eats

on OakPark.com

10

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

O U R

Q U I E T E S T

N E I G H B O R S

With Schlitz’s passing, recalling the Uihlein who made it famous Brown bottles and Schlitz tied houses were his innovations

By AMY BINNS-CALVEY Contributing Reporter

The branding that made Schlitz famous. …

With the sad news that Schlitz beer will no longer be produced after a 177-yearrun, many Chicagoans are scrambling for their last call before the “Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous” disappears.

What most folks don’t know is that Schlitz’s popularity is thanks in large part to Edward G. Uihlein, who is buried in Forest Home Cemetery. Two of the innovations we can thank Edward for were using brown glass for bottling (to keep the beer from being “light struck” and turning “skunky”) and the establishment of branded bars, or “tied houses.” Tied houses were bars or taverns owned by a brewing company where only that brand of beer was sold. It is an old idea going all the way back to the 18th century in England.

Here in Chicago, there are many remaining buildings that once housed tied houses. They are easy to spot because of their unique architecture, meant to give the establishments a classy, respectable look. There are characteristic elements like detailed masonry, elegant arches, intricate woodwork, copper elements, turrets, and stained glass windows with logos. Schlitz-tied bars quite often had the belted globe logo carved in stone embedded in the building’s façade. Perhaps the best known of these remaining tied houses is Shubas on Southport in Chicago.

It was Uihlein’s uncle who started brewing beer in Milwaukee and built a company that ended up becoming the Joseph Schlitz Brewery. Edward came to the U.S. in 1864, first working in manufacturing, but eventually became employed by his uncle in 1872 after the Chicago Fire, when Schlitz beer was sent to Chicago to help quench the thirst of the city’s denizens.

The Uihlein family was close-knit, (Edward and his brother Charles married sisters.) In 1875, when their uncle Joseph died in a shipwreck, Edward and three of his brothers inherited the company, turning it into the largest U.S. brewery

by 1902. Edward was vice president and responsible for building 57 Schlitz tied houses in Chicago from 1897 to 1905.

These establishments were often located in industrial areas, built on corner lots, usually in the Queen Anne style of architecture.

Beer ran (or rather flowed) in the family. In 1895, one of Edward’s niece’s married into the Pabst family. (The Pabst Company would later purchase Schlitz in 1999.)

In 1913 and 1914, two of Edward’s daughters married into the Seipp family, of the Conrad Seipp Brewing Company.

Besides being a successful brewer, Edward was passionately interested in plants. He worked on city parks as a member of the West Chicago Park Commission (before there was a Chicago Park District.) He also traveled the world bringing back exotic plants and flowers.

He provided most of the foliage for the 1933 Columbian Exposition and was president of the Chicago Horticultural Society before it was the Chicago Botanic Garden. He was known for starting popular orchid exhibits. He was also a philanthropist and active at the Chicago Historical Society and various German American organizations.

His life was not without controversy.

In 1908, Edward and the company were sued for $10,000 by a wife who said that she had been deprived of the support of her husband because he “frequently became intoxicated in saloons operated by the defendants.”

The family lived in the part of Wicker Park known as “Beer Baron’s Row.” In 1913, when Edward’s wife of 37 years was ill and at the end of her life, he wanted to cover the street with “tan bark”

to reduce any disturbing noises from reaching his wife.

Neighbors instead agreed to block all street traffic passing the residence on South Ewing Place. The couple had six children, five of whom lived to adulthood.

News of Edward’s death made front page news in 1921.

He was referred to as one of the “Milwaukee brewer quintet.” (A fifth brother also worked at the brewery but wasn’t in management.) It was said that his estate was worth $100,000,000. If you can get your hands on one, raise a glass of Schlitz to Edward and the end of an era.

References: Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Chronicle, Chicago Examiner, National Park Service, Chicagodetours. com, CBS News, Findagrave.com, Grokipedia, worldsfairchicago1893.com.

AMY BINNSCALVEY

PROVIDED

Schlitz logo from its tied house days in Chicago

PROVIDED

Monument marks the grave of Edward Uihlein in Forest Home Cemetery.

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

C R I M E

Sex worker assaulted at Thornton’s gas station

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

On June 4, police were dispatched to Thornton’s on Harlem Avenue, where a woman said she was sexually assaulted in the alley behind the gas station. The woman told police she was a prostitute and was approached by a man and got in his car. She said the man pulled down his pants and started driving erratically, and when she tried to jump out of the car multiple times, the man threatened her life. He stole $30 from her before she got out of the car and called police from the gas station. She said she didn’t want to sign complaints against the offender.

Assisting police Just before 9:45 p.m. on May 31, Forest Park police heard on their radio that there were shots fired near Harrison Street and Austin Blvd. and a request for emergency assistance. Forest Park police arrived on the scene and helped with traffic control in the area. That evening, an officer from the Oak Park Police Department fatally shot a man during a traffic stop.

Aggravated unlawful use of weapon The evening of May 30, police were dispatched to the 1300 block of Des Plaines for a domestic battery with an offending vehicle fleeing on Roosevelt. Police pulled over the car in the 7100 block of Roosevelt and asked the driver to exit the car. According to police, there were two juveniles in the back seat and a semi-automatic pistol in the driver’s door. The driver was detained and told police that there was a physical altercation inside the vehicle on Des Plaines between him and his girlfriend, who accused him of infidelity. He later told police that he pushed his girlfriend’s head into the dashboard several times while driving. His girlfriend got out of the car to retrieve one of the passengers who got out of the car, and he drove away. Police reported that the man had small bleeding cuts on his face and arms, but he declined medical attention. The man was charged with domestic battery and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

11

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

CONCRETE

CONCRETE

Criminal damage to property Police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Circle on May 29 after a man called to complain about a vandalized toilet at Rieger Park. According to the man, one of his sons went to the bathroom and found a large rock in the toilet. According to police, the man’s other son was recently cited for a separate incident at Rieger Park regarding a vandalized toilet. Police said they’re working with the park district to acquire video footage around the time that the toilet was broken. No one was charged at the time of the report.

Attempt to disarm officer While conducting a premise check June 1, police saw a man sitting on a bench at the CTA Blue Line terminus in Forest Park. Police reported that he was sitting in front of a “no loitering” sign and had received previous trespass warnings for the location. Police told the man to leave the station, and the man said he was waiting for a bus but didn’t say where to. According to police, the man smelled of cannabis and got up to board a bus on the north end of the terminal but was denied entry. Police asked the man if he had cannabis on him, and he said he did.

Police searched him and his bag and found cannabis and suspect cocaine on him, then asked the man to put his hands behind his back. The man pulled away from police and, when they tried to handcuff him, attempted to pull away and run. Police kept a grip on the man, who grabbed an officer by the vest and pulled on his taser, resulting in the officer striking the man’s face three times and forcing him to the ground.

He was charged with attempting to disarm a police officer, possession of cannabis and controlled substance, battery and two counts of resisting an officer.

These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated May 29 - June 4 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • RESIDENTIAL

708.442.7720

DRIVEWAYS • FOUNDATIONS • PATIOS • STEPS CURB/GUTTERS • SIDEWALKS • SNOW PLOWING STAMPED, COLORED & AGGREGATE CONCRETE • FREE ESTIMATES • LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED

ELECTRICAL

ELECTRICAL

A&A ELECTRIC

Ceiling Fans Let an American Veteran do your work Installed We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors • Home Re-wiring • New Plugs & Switches Added • New circuit breaker boxes • Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp • Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential • Commercial • Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. • Bonded • Ins. • Low Rates • Free Est.

708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area

FLOORS

HANDYMAN

KLIS FLOORING INC.

Mike’s Home Repair

New hardwood flooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-finishing, staining. Low prices, insured.

Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com

MOVING

Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

708-296-2060 MOVING

K MOVERS

Call for the BEST Moving Prices • Serving all of Chicagoland & Suburbs. $150/hour - 3 hour minimum.

Call: 901-640-5919

Thinking about a career in local government?

Community • Connection Service • Respect

The Village of Oak Park has job opportunities available.

Please visit www.oak-park.us or scan the QR code

12

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

A

T

L O O K

B A C K

I N

L E T T E R S

T I M E

T H E

E D I T O R

Soccer on a hill, a slippery slope

Shoot the Chute and Leap the Dips

he Forest Park Amusement Park operated in Forest Park from 1907 to about 1922 and was located near presentday Desplaines Avenue and the Eisenhower Expressway. The park featured the “Giant Safety Coaster,” “Leap the Dips,” “Shoot the Chute,” games and other attractions.

This is an excerpt from the June 18, 1918 Forest Leaves: Forest Park’s multitude of attractions, its cool shade and refreshing vistas of sparkling beauty, combined with an atmosphere of welcome which pervades every inch of the grounds from gate to the most insignificant concession, are proving to be irresistible magnets to the people of Chicago and its nearer suburbs and the park is well on the way to what promises to be the most successful season it has ever enjoyed.

The cool nights of the early portion of the season, while they have had a deterrent effect upon the attendance,

T O

have not, as in other seasons, left the big west side amusement ground with a deserted appearance. This is due, the management believes, to its foresight in providing many indoor amusements this season in addition to the usual out-of-door rides and games.

There is plenty of amusement to be found on the coolest and stormiest of afternoons or evenings in the ballroom, the Gump House, the grill room, and other enclosed places while, on more pleasant days, windows and collapsible walls make these attractions pleasantly cool and restful.

The children’s days continue to prove most popular with the youngsters and their mothers. Many are taking advantage of the opportunity of spending an afternoon in the park, meeting husband and father there for dinner, either from a lunch basket or at one of the dining rooms, and then a few hours of the park’s night attractions.

Jill Wagner

Have you ever watched kids play soccer on a hill? The ball rolls down a lot.

Have you ever played soccer in tall grass, the ball covered in grass clippings? The game looks a lot different than the fast pace of a game on turf.

Have you ever asked elderly grandparents to trudge up a hill to watch their grandkids play? It’s a whole lot more complicated than walking on a flat field.

And yet, that’s exactly what our Forest Park kids were asked to do in their youth soccer season that just ended. Instead of being able to play on the turf soccer field at Veterans Park, where soccer games have been played for years, the youngest kids were relegated to playing at the top of the hill behind the Roos building.

The reason for the shift was a last-minute rate hike from our Park District that increased the hourly rate of field use four-fold. It was done after parents had already registered their kids for the spring soccer season with Forest Park Youth Soccer Association. The drastic increase wasn’t phased in – it was immediate. After repeated requests about the process to raise rates and whether a vote by the park board is required for rate increases, there isn’t a clear answer. After repeated requests for information about fee structures and definitions of different types of affiliate groups that use Park District facilities, nothing has been provided. After Forest Park residents attended multiple recent board meetings to raise the issue, the topic of soccer field use isn’t included on the meeting agenda. And at the most recent board meeting, parents who came to offer public comment could barely stand up in time to make their statement before the Chair was trying to move on to the next item on the agenda.

Soccer is literally the only league I can register my two school-age kids for in Forest Park. My family pays non-resident or club fees for T-ball, baseball/softball, flag football and basketball leagues that are not offered in our town. Soccer is also not offered by the Park District, but the Forest Park Youth Soccer Association, which has offered its affordable, volunteer-led league in town for years catering predominantly to Forest Park families.

Our Park District has many great facilities, but it increasingly seems like they cater more to adults – brand new softball fields where no kids leagues are offered, beautiful pickleball and tennis courts mainly used by adults, and a pool that offers adult swim every weeknight at 5:15 p.m., right when working parents could bring their kids for a swim.

The soccer field issue is frustrating and begs a bigger question about Park District leadership, losing the plot our neighboring communities seem to understand clearly.

Our kids need safe spaces to play, socialize and develop their skills. Saturday soccer has been a place for families to come together for years – in addition to the physical benefits, it builds the community that we all so desperately need at this time.

The consequences of raising fees without a clear process, guidelines and procedures put a longstanding youth program in jeopardy, which really shortchanges our kids.

Megan Reid

Forest Park

Follow us on Instagram!

Top stories, local government, features, events, dining, art, and sports right at your fingertips!

Shoot the Chute was a popular ride at the Forest Park Amusement Park, which opened in 1908 and ran for about 14 years.

@forestparkreview @austinweeklynews

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

13

OPINION General Manager Max Reinsdorf Staff Reporter Jessica Mordacq Senior Audience Manager Stacy Coleman Contributing Editor Donna Greene Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, Robert J. Lifka Columnists Alan Brouilette, Tom Holmes Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial & Digital Design Lead Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls Marketing & Advertising Associate Emma Cullnan Legal Notices Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Operations Associate Susan Babin Social Media and Digital Coordinator Maribel Barrera Senior Advisor Dan Haley HOW TO REACH US ADDRESS: PO Box 6670, River Forest, IL 60305 PHONE: (708) 366-0600 EMAIL: dhaley@newswellchicago.org CIRCULATION: Jill@oakpark.com ONLINE: ForestParkReview.com Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Forest Park Review, PO Box 6670, River Forest, IL 60305.

Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS No 0205-160) In-county subscriptions: $48 per year. $88 for two years, $118 for three years.

Out-of-county subscriptions: $82 per year.

Forest Park Review is published digitally and in print by NEWSWELL © 2026 NEWSWELL

L

Dressing the part

ike many middleaged men, I had reached what I believed was a stable and sustainable relationship with formal clothing. I owned a bunch of jackets in colors that you wouldn’t see on a congressman. Most still buttoned. I haven’t worn a necktie that wasn’t rented since 1998. I have pants that go with the jackets. I was equipped to go to court or a wedding or a wake — the three suit occasions.

As far as I was concerned, the situation was under control.

Then life intervened.

A new role. A bigger stage. More rooms with (self-)important people in them. More occasions where showing up looking like I had just wandered in from a Cubs game might not be the optimal strategy.

At some point I was forced to confront a truth that has always irritated me: Costumes matter.

Not because they should. Because they do.

Every show has a costume department.

The guy directing a construction crew wears one costume. The trial lawyer wears another. The professor, the plumber, the senator, the chef — all costumes.

We pretend otherwise because Americans like to believe we’re rugged individualists who cannot be judged by appearances.

This is nonsense.

Human beings have been sizing each oth-

er up based on clothing since the first caveman looked at another caveman and thought, “Interesting. Bearskin. She’s management material.”

So there I was, at an age when I had hoped formal clothes would be less important rather than more, voluntarily shopping for a suit.

The first surprise was discovering that the suit-buying world is populated by enthusiasts.

Every hobby has these people. There are bourbon people.

Fountain pen people. Audiophile people. There are undoubtedly competitive mulch people. And there are suit people.

Suit people can discuss shoulder construction for hours.

They use terms like “drape” and “suppression” and “soft tailoring” with the calm confidence of cardiac surgeons.

At one point I found myself listening to an explanation of Neapolitan tailoring and realized I had no idea whether I was buying clothing or being recruited into the European aristocracy.

The second surprise was discovering that the more expensive a suit becomes, the less finished it apparently is.

You buy it.

Then you take it to a tailor.

The tailor studies you thoughtfully.

Pins things.

Pulls things.

Folds things.

Eventually he informs you that your left shoulder is lower than your right shoulder.

ALAN BROUILETTE

This is apparently obvious to everyone except the person who has been living inside the shoulders for half a century, and yet there is something oddly reassuring about it.

Because beneath all the jargon and obsessive detail lies a simple idea.

The suit isn’t really about the suit.

It’s about signaling.

The promotion happened. The responsibility is real. The role changed.

The suit is simply a visible acknowledgment of that fact.

It’s a uniform.

I resisted this idea for years because it felt inauthentic, as though dressing differently somehow meant pretending to be someone else.

What I’ve gradually realized is almost the opposite.

The costume doesn’t create the role.

The role creates the costume.

Nobody mistakes me for an executive because I’m wearing a suit. They mistake me for an executive because I’m sitting in the executive meeting. The suit is the costume for the play.

And if I’m being honest, there was something unexpectedly satisfying about putting it on for the first time.

Not because I suddenly looked important.

Because it reminded me that life still changes.

The show goes on. New acts begin. New characters enter.

And every now and then, whether we like it or not, the costume department calls and lets us know we’ve been recast.

14 Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026 HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI • Deadline: Monday at 5 p.m.

Let the sun shine in...

Your right to know...In print • Online

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice:

Your right to know...

In print • Online

Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year OakPark.com•RBLandmark.com ForestParkReview.com AustinWeeklyNews.com PublicNoticeIllinois.com

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION Plaintiff, -v.JACQUELINE DESHANA GILES, DEBRINA TARINA RANSON, RICKY R GILES, HELEN GILES, OSCAR GILES, NAPOLEON GILES, JR, CHERYL GILES, VICTOR GILES, RODNEY GILES, PATRICIA GILES, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF NAPOLEAN GILES, DECEASED, DAMON RITENHOUSE, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE ESTATE OF NAPOLEON GILES, DECEASED, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 2022 CH 04195 1916 S 17TH AVE MAYWOOD, IL 60153 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on November 21, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 8, 2026, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1916 S 17TH AVE , MAYWOOD, IL 60153 Property Index No. 15-15-315023-0000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

The judgment amount was $179,796.99.

Sale terms: If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation.

No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in ‘’AS IS’’ condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser

of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact CHAD LEWIS, ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 6400 SHAFER CT, STE 325, ROSEMONT, IL, 60018 (561) 241-6901. Please refer to file number 22-022095.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc. com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CHAD LEWIS ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC 6400 SHAFER CT, STE 325 ROSEMONT IL, 60018 561-241-6901 E-Mail: ILMAIL@RASLG.COM Attorney File No. 22-022095 Attorney ARDC No. 6306439 Attorney Code. 65582 Case Number: 2022 CH 04195 TJSC#: 45-3024 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2022 CH 04195 I3288496 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FREDDIE MAC SEASONED CREDIT RISK TRANSFER TRUST, SERIES 2024-1 Plaintiff vs.

UNKNOWN HEIRS OF TONY MORTON A/K/A TONY A. MORTON A/K/A TONY ANTHONY MORTON, JACQUELINE L. MORTON A/K/A JACQUELINE MORTON, AMERICAN FIRST C.U., TRUIST BANK SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO SUNTRUST BANK, JAMAL MORTON A/K/A JAMEL MORTON, JAZMIN MORTON, AMIR MOHABBAT AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendant 25 CH 8659

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

CALENDAR 58 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on July 20, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-16-116-114-0000.

Commonly known as 1024 PARK PLACE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104.

The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a common interest community unit, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection(g-1) of Section 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds.

The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding.

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 2501123 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3288697

by subsection(g-1) of Section 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds.

The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Suite 1250, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 25-009967 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3287500

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC Plaintiff vs.

JAMES WARREN; DAMON RITENHOUSE AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR ROOSEVELT MCGEE, DECEASED, RUTH MCGEE DECEASED, RUTH WILLIAMS RAGGS, DECEASED; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF ROOSEVELT MCGEE, DECEASED; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/ OR LEGATEES OF RUTH MCGEE, DECEASED; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF RUTH WILLIAMS RAGGS, DECEASED; SERVICE FINANCE CO., LLC; CAPE COD FIVE CENTS SAVINGS BANK; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendant 24 CH 5079 CALENDAR 62 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on July 7, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-09-111-011-0000.

Commonly known as 249 Marshall St., Bellwood, IL 60104.

The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection(g-1) of Section 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds.

The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Lender Legal PLLC, 1800 Pembrook Drive, Suite 250, Orlando, Florida 32810. 407730-4644. LLS12998-IL INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3287900

with the bidding window opening on 6/29/2026 at 10:00 AM CDT and closing on July 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM subject to extension, and will sell at public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate.

Commonly known as 11034 WESTMINSTER DR, WESTCHESTER, IL 60154 Property Index No. 15-29-321-0110000 The real estate is improved with a Residential Property. The judgment amount was $289,820.64 Sale Terms: Full Sale Terms are available on the property page at www.auction.com by entering 11034 WESTMINSTER DR into the search bar. If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, the winning bidder must pay the full bid amount within twenty-four (24) hours of the auction’s end. All payments must be certified funds.

No third-party checks will be accepted. All bidders will need to register at www.auction.com prior to placing a bid. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a certificate of sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property, prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by the Condominium property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9 (g)(l) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by the Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, contact Plaintiffs attorney: CODILIS & ASSOCIATES PC (630) 794-5300 please refer to file number 14-25-03459. Auction.com, LLC 100 N LaSalle St., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60602 - 872-225-4985 You can also visit www.auction.com. Attorney File No. 14-25-03459 Case Number: 2025CH05953 NOTE: PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT, YOU ARE ADVISED THAT PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY IS DEEMED TO BE A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. I3288081

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, not in its individual capacity but solely as Owner Trustee of CSMC 2017-RPL2 Trust Plaintiff vs.

Citizens Bank, National Association FKA RBS Citizens, N.A.; Unknown Owners and Non¬≠Record Claimants; Kimetra Courtney; Rolando Ivory; Unknown Heirs and Legatees of Florence M. Ivory, deceased; Thomas Quinn, as Special Representative of Florence M. Ivory, deceased Defendant 25 CH 6934 CALENDAR 59 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on July 1, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-08-208-012-0000.

Commonly known as 50 ENGLEWOOD AVENUE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104.

The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC Plaintiff vs.

JAMES M. AUBERTIN; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendant 25 CH 8176 CALENDAR NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on June 30, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-16-304-032-0000.

Commonly known as 708 NEWCASTLE AVE., WESTCHESTER, IL 60154.

The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection(g-1) of Section 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds.

The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 13010 Morris Road, Suite 450, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004. (708) 668-4410 ext. 52109. 25-323042 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3287521

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION Rocket Mortgage, LLC f/k/a Quicken Loans, LLC f/k/a Quicken Loans Inc. Plaintiff, -v.Alfia Caldwell; Westchester Place Homeowner’s Association; Unknown Owners and Nonrecord Claimants Defendants.

2025CH05953 11034 WESTMINSTER DR, WESTCHESTER, IL 60154 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on 3/24/2026, an agent of Auction. com, LLC will conduct the Online Only auction at www.auction.com,

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

MEMORY CARE

SHELTERED CARE

SKILLED NURSING

RESPITE CARE

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A., NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR NRPL 2024-RPL2 TRUST Plaintiff vs.

ANTOINETTE WESTBROOKS; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendant 25 CH 9736 CALENDAR 56 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on July 13, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-09-206-020-0000.

Commonly known as 208 28th Ave., Bellwood, IL 60104.

The real estate is: single family residence.

If the subject mortgaged real estate is a common interest community unit, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection(g-1) of Section 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds.

No refunds. The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Diaz Anselmo & Associates P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Suite 120, Naperville, IL 60563. (630) 453-6960.

1496-222157 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3288287

One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 324 50TH AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104 Property Index No. 15-08-117-028-0000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in ‘’AS IS’’ condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-24-03685 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2024CH06106 TJSC#: 46-823 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2024CH06106 I3288194

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK S/B/M TO TCF NATIONAL BANK Plaintiff, -v.SHONTE BURGIE A/K/A SHONTA BURGIE, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF YVONNE PERRY GIPSON, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, TODD BURGIE, SHAWN BURGIE, STATE OF ILLINOIS - DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, TODD BURGIE, AS INDEPENDENT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF YVONNE PERRY-GIPSON Defendants 2024CH06106 324 50TH AVE BELLWOOD, IL 60104 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 2, 2026, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 6, 2026, at The Judicial Sales Corporation,

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

You can relax knowing we care.

Receive $500 off sheltered care & memory care every month for 12 months.

Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know...

In print • Online

Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year OakPark.com RBLandmark.com ForestParkReview.com AustinWeeklyNews.com PublicNoticeIllinois.com

Call us at 708-447-5092 to learn more about sheltered care and memory care at Caledonia Senior Living.

CaledoniaSeniorLiving.org

15

16

Forest Park Review, June 10, 2026

Events

Submit events and see full calendar at forestparkreview.com/events

% & % ' ( ) *

!"#$%%&$'""" ( ) * + ,- + ."" - ."" / 01 23 - !"#$%%&$'"""

3 /

+ 3 3 3 / ( ? - 6 / ( 3 ) 3 - / ( &@ : $ ) ) 6 > 1 A > 3 8&%. - 1 A 2 3 A 3 (- !"#$%#&$'9.!

) A 3 > 3 - !8& > + - 2 3 (- !"#$8''$& "&

4 3 # ' &. 5 -

' # % & ,

3 ( / - +- 3 ( 6 7 ( ) ( + : $ ) ) 6 > 1 A > 3 - 8&%. 1 A 2 3 A 3 (- !"#$ %#&$'9.!

' - . . . /

: 7 - ( - + ++ 3 / 7 ( ( - '.& < A 2 + (

0 . $ # 2 / 1 7 ++ ( 3 ) - 3 ( / ) ) / - - < A - 8"" 5 / - ( ( 2 ( A + (

! ! " # $

: : ; 3 3 /

< + + ( 3 / = - .%- " ' < + + - 9 % > 2( !"#$8#'$#"8'

1 C (- - + 3 ( ) + ( : $ ) ) ) / > 1 A > 3 8&%. - 1 A 2 3 A 3 (- !"#$%#&$'9.!

% 6 &. $ ' 7 ! + .9 ( ( # ; ) 3 ; ) - ## " 1 A - 1 A + 23 A ( - !"#$%#&$.%%%

" ' 8 - -

&

0 3 + + +

. /

7 ! + ) ( ! + . E 3 1 0 / - 7 ( 0 ) F& (( 0 - ."." C2 + (

0 . & ) & # 1 (

+

) 6 0 3 ( 3 0 B ( + + ) > 3 3 > 3 - !8& > + - 2 3 (- !"#$8''$& "&

. -

9 + ; $D+ = + 3 A/ - ) - 3 ( ( ( = 3- .. # > 2 + = - !"#$''&$!&89

0 4 5 / + ) + ) 6 0 - ( ) - ) * 7 ( * ..89 + - ..89 + + 2 (!"#$8#8$# ..

. &. + 0 - (- 0 / 5 ( / ( - ( 4 ) ) - ."." > 2 ) ) +

%:%' % # ; / < < 9 $+ - G: > H H ) IG$ / + ) ( J / 6 1 1 3- !8.' 3 3 32( - !!8$9.'$ &&'&

+ 3 ( C/ 37 ( 0 + 3 + 3

June 10, 2026

B1

2026 2026

Drag queen Riley performs at Out in the Burbs Pride celebration in downtown Oak Park on June 7, 2025.

PHOTO BY TODD BANNOR

B2

June 10, 2026

PRIDE 2026

Left to right: Left to right: Left to right: My Hanh La, Senior Universal Banker My HanhIsbeth La, Senior Universal Banker Saravia, Assistant Branch Manager My Hanh La, Senior Universal Banker DeniseIsbeth Warren, Branch Manager Isbeth Saravia, Assistant Branch Manager Saravia, Assistant Branch Manager Susie Goldschmidt, Market President Denise Warren, Branch Manager Denise Warren, Branch Manager Susie Goldschmidt, Market President Susie Goldschmidt, Market President

Committed to Oak Park Committed to Oak Park Committed to Oak Park and River Forest. and River Forest. and River Forest.

Whether you’re celebrating at a local Pride event or simply spending time in your Whethercommunity, you’re celebrating at ayou local Pride be event spending yourthat celebrates we believe should ableortosimply do your banking time with ainteam Whether you’re celebrating at a local Pride event or simply spending time in your youwe for believe who you are.

At Byline, we are proud stand alongside thethat LGBTQ+ community community, you should be able to do yourto banking with a team celebrates community, we believe you should be able to do your banking with a team that celebrates andyou are committed to we fostering Culture, Opportunity & Belonging—for our employees, you for who are. At Byline, are proud to stand alongside the LGBTQ+ community you for who you are.Culture, Atalike.

Byline, we are proud to stand alongside thewe LGBTQ+ customers, and neighbors Through our Employee Resource Groups, create community space and are committed to fostering Opportunity & Belonging—for our employees, and are committed to fostering Culture, Opportunity & Belonging—for our employees, for and connection, advocacy, and authentic expression, ensuring every can bring customers, neighbors alike. Through our Employee Resource Groups, weemployee create space customers, and neighbors alike.

Through our Employee Resource Groups, we create their full self to work.

We’re honored to support and uplift the communities we serve, and space for connection, advocacy, and authentic expression, ensuring every employee can bring for connection, advocacy, and authentic expression, ensuring every employee can bring we remain dedicated to building a moreand inclusive future—together. their full self to work.

We’re honored to support uplift the communities we serve, and their full self to work. aWe’re support and uplift the communities we serve, and we remain toabout building morehonored inclusiveto future—together.

Todedicated learn more our commitment, visit bylinebank.com/oprf

we remain dedicated to building a more inclusive future—together.

To learn more about our commitment, visit bylinebank.com/oprf To learn more about our commitment, visit bylinebank.com/oprf

©2026 Byline Bank. Member FDIC.

©2026 Byline Bank. Member FDIC.

©2026 Byline Bank. Member FDIC.

PRIDE 2026

June 10, 2026

B3

TaskForce launches free LGBTQ+ therapy program on West Side

Bilingual, barrier-free mental health services aim to expand culturally competent care for LGBTQ+ youth, adults, and families

By HECTOR CERVANTES

A

Contributing Reporter

fter hearing repeated requests from LGBTQ+ youth for an onsite therapist they could trust, TaskForce Prevention & Community Services, 9 N. Cicero Ave., has launched a free, bilingual therapy program on Chicago’s West Side, expanding access to mental health care for LGBTQ+ youth, adults, couples and families who often face financial, cultural and systemic barriers to treatment.

Mental health services will be led by Annette N. Sandoval, MA, LPC, CADC, a bilingual English and Spanish speaking therapist with extensive experience supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals and other marginalized communities.

The initiative was inspired by feedback from LGBTQ+ youth and community members served by the TaskForce organization, said Reyna Ortiz, the organization’s program director. Ortiz said participants repeatedly voiced a need for on-site therapy services, prompting the nonprofit to expand access to free mental health care on the West Side.

“The medical system is complicated. We all know that. If someone doesn’t have adequate insurance or the ability to navigate health care and depending on the identity, to be a young trans youth navigating particular spaces, not feeling comfortable within the space, we made sure that once we acquired the partnership that it was going to be a low barrier. Doesn’t matter if they have health insurance or not,” Ortiz said.

When asked why the launch of the LGBTQ+ affirming therapy program is especially meaningful during Pride Month and what message Ortiz hopes it sends to LGBTQ+ youth, young adults and adults on the West Side, Ortiz said Pride Month is about understanding the history of the LGBTQ+ community.

“People like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson — trans women who helped lead the movement against the way society views transgender people, and LGBTQIA+ people

PROVIDED

TaskForce program director Reyna Ortiz, engaging with the students. more broadly, particularly Black, Latina, and Indigenous trans women played a vital role in that history. We wanted to begin Pride Month with a focus not only on celebration but also on healing,” Ortiz said.

“Our youth are still facing a tremendous number of social challenges. Pride is about celebration, but when the festivities are over, we still have to confront the realities that many LGBTQ+ people experience every day,” Ortiz said.

When it comes to receiving the therapy, participants can simply request an appointment and be connected with the therapist based on availability. While staff can assist individuals in obtaining health insurance for their broader medical needs, lack of in-

surance or being underinsured does not prevent anyone from receiving mental health services through the program.

“We heard from our participants that they wanted to build a relationship with their therapist. They wanted to see them around TaskForce and feel that they were part of our agency. We also serve a large population of trans youth, so we were looking for a therapist who is trans-identified. Finding a therapist who is a woman of color, a Latina, a licensed clinician and someone interested in working with our population was important to us,” Ortiz said.

The organization intentionally staffs its programs with Black and Brown LGBTQ+ individuals, allowing participants to see

themselves reflected in those providing resources and support. Leaders said this community-centered approach ensures that people with lived experience can build meaningful connections with youth and help guide them through the challenges and issues affecting their lives.

“Our youth are dealing with a tremendous amount of challenges. On our end as providers, we’re offering barrier-free therapy led by a trans woman of color. They’re going to have meaningful conversations about how we heal from trauma, how we understand the things that have been attacking us as trans people in society, and how we can learn from those experiences while beginning the healing process,” Ortiz said.

B4

June 10, 2026

PRIDE 2026

OPALGA+ remakes identity as Out With Purpose branding

Some pushback on name change but new signs of growth, say leaders

By ETHAN TUCKER

T OUT WITH PURPOSE/FACEBOOK

JUNE 11

Contributing Reporter

he Oak Park area’s pioneering local lesbian and gay association, OPALGA+, has sparked conversation within its community as the organization moves in the direction of rebranding. OPALGA+ has long been known for welcoming members of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, hosting monthly potlucks in members’ homes along with its

scholarship program and advocacy efforts.

For decades, the organization existed under names explicitly centered around lesbian and gay community members, giving many people a safe space to gather and connect. But as language, identity and allyship have evolved, some members began asking whether the organization’s name still reflected the broader community they wanted to represent.

The organization is now rebranding into “Out With Purpose,” with the intention of encouraging more people, including those who are not LGBTQ+, to feel welcomed into the community. For many members, the rebrand is not about abandoning history, but widening the circle and ensuring the organization remains welcoming and

4TH ANNUAL

NIGHT 5 TO 9 PM MARION ST.

June 10, 2026

PRIDE 2026 relevant for future generations.

“There has been some pushback from our members,” said Cas Scaman, co-chair of OPALGA. “Change is always going to be a little bit difficult, but we’ve felt a lot of support from a lot of our original and new members.”

Some longtime members had emotional attachments to the original name and expressed concerns about OPALGA turning into something that no longer aligns with the organization’s more than 35 years of identity and history.

“We’ve changed a lot just in the past few years,” said Scaman, “and we’re really trying to make sure that we’re becoming even more inclusive, but we don’t want to become something that’s unrecognizable.”

Leaders of the organization said they are looking to create solidarity across identities, while making people who may have previously felt excluded by the older terminology feel welcomed.

They also noted that some people were unsure whether they would fit directly into the organization’s model. With the changes in openness, OPALGA has already started seeing a positive response and an increase in new members.

“People are becoming members or starting to come to events for the first time because they feel more welcome with the new name,” Scaman said.

Co-chair Lynn Griffith said the rebrand is in-

tended to better reflect the broad spectrum of identities represented within today’s LGBTQ+ community.

“It only becomes a community when you actually know people in real life, when you actually connect with them, care about them and help them through things.” Griffith said.

Alongside its transition into “Out With Purpose,” the organization also plans to maintain its scholarship program. The program started in 2014 and has awarded $348,000 to students. Most recently, the organization voted to award $65,000 in scholarships to 13 students through $5,000 awards. The scholarships support students attending trade schools, two-year colleges, and fouryear universities, and are open to allies as well as LGBTQ+ students.

Leaders said the scholarship program reflects the organization’s broader goal of investing in future generations while maintaining the sense of community that has defined the group for decades. In addition to scholarship recipients, the organization includes members ranging from teenagers to individuals in their 80s and 90s, including some founding members who remain active today.

“Our mission is pretty simple,” Scaman said.

“We want to build connections and community among LGBTQIA+ individuals and their allies.”

SSUUPPEERRBB SS T R SS TA AR

SSUUPP SARS SEEURRPBBE SRTBAARR SST SEASON-ENDING CONCERT U P E R B S TAR S SEASON-ENDING CONCERT SEASON-ENDING CONCERT SEASON-ENDING CONCERT CONCERT SEASON-ENDING SEASON-ENDING CONCERT

SEASON-ENDING CONCERT

MIO NAKAMURA MIO NAKAMURA MIO NAKA NAKAMURA K MURA KA R RA

NIKKI CHOOI NIKKI CHOOI NIKKI CHOOI Violin Violin

Sawa’s Old Warsaw Authentic Polish-American Smorgasbord

Restaurant • Lounge • Banquets • Dine In • Carry Out • Catering & Delivery

www.SawasOldWarsaw.com

JAY FRIEDMAN FRIEDMAN JAY

Conductor C Co nducto t Conductor to rConductor

MIO MIO NAKAMURA NAKAMURA

JAY JAY FRIEDMAN FRIEDMAN

MIO NAKAMURA NIKKI CHOOI SUNDAY, JUNE14, 14, 2026 2026 atat4:00 PMPM SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2026 SUNDAY, JUNE 4:00 PM Piano Piano

Violin Violin

OUT WITH PURPOSE/FACEBOOK

JAY A FRIEDMAN AY

Piano Piano Piano Pia i no ia

Violin V Vi oli ln li

NIKKI NIKKI CHOOI CHOOI

Conductor Conductor

JAY FRIEDMAN

Piano

Conductor

Pre-Concert Conversation at 3:00 PM | Freeat reception concert SUNDAY, JUNE 14,PM 2026 4:00after PM Pre-Concert Conversation 3:00 PM Free reception after Pre-Concert Conversation atat3:00 || Free reception after concert concert SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2026 4:00 PM Pre-Concert Conversation at 3:00 PM | Free reception after concert P R O G R A M Pre-Concert Conversation at 3:00 PM | Free reception after at concert MIO NAKAMURA JAY FRIEDMAN Violin

OI

PROGRAM

PConductor RConversation O G R AA at M Pre-Concert SUK Pohádka P R- O G R(Fairytale) M 3:00 PM | Free reception after concert PROGRAM

Piano

BRUCH - Violin Concerto No. 1 SUK--Pohádka Pohádka (Fairytale) SUK (Fairytale)

PROGRAM SUK Pohádka Chooi,(Fairytale) soloist SUK - Nikki Pohádka (Fairytale) BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 11 BRUCH ---Violin Concerto No. BRUCH Concerto No. ALEX GROESCH GROESCH - Piano Concerto No. 1 (World BRUCH - Violin Violin Concerto No. 11 Premiere) Nikki Chooi, soloist SUK - Pohádka (Fairytale) cert Conversation at 3:00 PM | Composer Free reception after concert Nikki Chooi, soloist Mio Nakamura, soloist Nikki Chooi, soloist Nikki Chooi, soloist

UNDAY, JUNE 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM ALEX GROESCH

BRUCH Violin Concerto GROESCH - Piano Concerto No. 1- (World Premiere)No. 1

ALEX GROESCH Concerto No. 11 1(World concert isGROESCH underwritten byPiano S/OP&RF violinist Dr. Marylou Witz Premiere) and Emerging Artists Chicago GROESCH GROESCH - Piano Concerto No. (World Premiere) ALEX GROESCH GROESCH Piano Concerto No. (World Premiere) P RALEX O Composer G RComposer AThisM Composer Nikki Chooi, soloist Mio Nakamura, soloist

Mio Nakamura, Mio soloist MioNakamura, Nakamura, soloist soloist

Composer

TICKETS CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHAPEL ALEX GROESCH GROESCH Piano Concerto No.Emerging 1 (WorldArtists Premiere) SUK - Pohádka (Fairytale) This concert is is underwritten

by S/OP&RF violinist-Dr. Marylou Witz and Chicago This S/OP&RF violinist Marylou Witz and Emerging Artists Chicago This concert concert is underwritten underwritten by S/OP&RFviolinist violinist Dr. Dr. Marylou Witz and Emerging Artists Chicago $30 through June 13 | $35 atEmerging the door Composer RIVER FOREST This concert is underwritten by by S/OP&RF Dr. Marylou Witz and Artists Chicago Mio Nakamura, soloist BRUCH - Violin Concerto 1 of parking garage exit) Free for students through college (ChapelNo. just west

TICKETS CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHAPEL CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHAPEL TICKETS Nikki Chooi, soloist This concert is underwritten by S/OP&RF violinist Dr. Marylou Witz and Emerging Artists Chicago TICKETS CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHAPEL CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHAPEL TICKETS $30 through June 13 $35 at $30 through June | $35 atdoor the door $30 June 13 ||13 $35 at the the door BUYthrough TICKETS & DONATE $30 through June 13 | college $35college at the door RIVER FOREST Free forfor students through college F (Chapel just west parking garage exit) Free students through Free for students through (Chapel just west ofof parking garage TICKETS CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHAPEL (Chapel just west of parking garage exit) exit) in garage located at ONLINE: Mio Nakamura, soloist Free for students through college (Chapel just1124 west of parking garage exit) N Bonnie Brae Place $30 through June 13 | $35 at the door RIVER FOREST s underwritten by S/OP&RF violinist Dr. Marylou Witz and Emerging Artists Chicago SymphonyOPRF.org Free for students through college exit)TICKETS FREE PARKING & FREE PARKING (Chapel just west of parking garageBUY BUY TICKETS & DONATE DONATE FREE PARKING BUY TICKETS & DONATE TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com | 708-218-2648 in garage Q U Elocated S T I at ONS? ONLINE: in garage located FREE PARKING BUY TICKETS & DONATE ONLINE: in garage located atat TICKETS UNIVERSITY CHAPEL ONLINE: 1124 N Bonnie Brae Place N through Bonnie Place in garage located atBrae SymphonyOPRF.org ONLINE: FREE PARKING BUY TICKETS & DONATE 11241124 N$30 Bonnie Brae Place June 13 | $35 at the door ST SymphonyOPRF.org SymphonyOPRF.org 1124 N Bonnie Place Free forBrae students through in garagecollege located at ONLINE: st of parking garage exit) SymphonyOPRF.org TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com || 708-218-2648 Q S Place TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com 708-218-2648 QU UE ES ST T II O ON N1124 S ??N Bonnie Brae

NG

RIVER FOREST RIVER FOREST RIVER FOREST GROESCH - Piano Concerto No. 1 (World Premiere) FREE PARKING

ed at Brae Place

TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com SymphonyOPRF.org | 708-218-2648 QUESTIONS? | 708-218-2648 Q U E SBUY T ITICKETS O N S ?& DONATE TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com ONLINE:

QUESTIONS?

SymphonyOPRF.org

TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com

|

708-218-2648

B5

$5 FREEEXPIRES PLAY COUPON 6/30/26 Must be 21 or older to game. No purchase necessary. Management reserves all rights. Redeem this coupon to receive $5 Free Play at the awarding establishment. Free Play is offered and provided exclusively by the awarding establishment. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) or text "GAMB" to 833234. Individuals can enroll in the IGB Self-Exclusion Program at all of the IGB offices located at all casinos. Additional information can be found on the Self-Exclusion Page at https://igb.illinois.gov/.

9200 W. Cermak Road • Broadview • 708.343.9040

B6

June 10, 2026

PRIDE 2026

Celebrating Pride and amplifying local voices

FP Library Pride Month programming to honor LGBTQ community through books, artwork

By JACKIE PISANO

T

Contributing Reporter

hroughout Chicagoland, LGBTQ Pride Month is widely celebrated with parades and other types of vibrant performances and large community celebrations.

But at the Forest Park Public Library, staff and patrons are looking forward to commemorating the month on a more intimate, literary-focused scale.

All June, the library will feature a special Teen Pride Virtual Art Gallery, a teenfocused digital display in the Young Adult Lounge.

With artwork submitted by locals, the youthcentric exhibition will highlight personal themes of pride, from identity and resilience to healing and serenity.

“We wanted to encourage self-expression and creativity by providing a safe environment for display and give teens an outlet to share their art with other teens,” said Martha Sullivan, Young Adult Services manager at the library. “Teens can submit digital art, short prose or poetry, or digital photos of 3D media.”

Works, which will be both credited and anonymously displayed, will later be collected to create a print zine that teens can browse in the YA Lounge.

And on Saturday, June 14, Forest Park residents will take center stage at BABS Comedy Club (7316 Madison St.) as they participate in the library’s first-ever Pride Book Buzz from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Designed to celebrate the library’s di-

verse print and digital offerings highlighting LGBTQ themes, sensibilities or creators, the event will feature rapid-fire two- to three-minute-long recommendations, or “buzzes.” Adult Services librarian Dennis Raleigh, who describes themselves as a “queer glam clown,” will serve as emcee for the program.

“Forest Park Public Library is proud to help foster a space that embraces the full spectrum of its residents,” Raleigh said.

“Programs like this serve as an important reminder that no one is alone, and that support, understanding and acceptance can always be found.”

All adults are welcome at the Pride Book Buzz, regardless of whether they are Forest Park residents.

According to Skye Lavin, adult services manager, the library’s collaboration with the comedy club stems from owner Emily Ramirez’s continued support since opening her business two years ago.

“BABS Comedy Club has been a funky and wonderful library partner for many improv workshops,” Lavin said. “She was the first to volunteer to ‘buzz’ about her favorite book by David Sedaris (a prominent figure in LGBTQ literature).”

Lavin says the Book Buzz is an event in which guests will revel in the appreciation of all-things pride and experience appreciation for the library’s many offerings in the genre.

“What makes the act of reading so great is the opportunity to encounter and appreciate the manifold sensibilities within the human experience,” she said. “Reading

deeply supports thinking deeply, and connecting deeply with empathy for others and for ourselves. Reading, thinking and caring are needed for a community to truly flourish and carry on sustainably into the future.”

Overall, Lavin highlights the library’s Pride Month programming as an effort to inspire joy and enrich Forest Park’s deeprooted community spirit and support of

Pride traditions.

“Programs create opportunities for neighbors to become new friends, and feel authentically represented, respected and uplifted by the special sense of belonging alive in Forest Park,” Lavin said. “When we celebrate together, whether as part of the LGBTQ community or as an ally, friend or neighbor, we celebrate the beauty of a united and kind Forest Park.”

June 10, 2026

PRIDE 2026

B7

Proud to serve you in Springfield HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

Assistant Majority Leader Senate President Camille Y. Lilly, 78th District 6937 W. North Ave, Oak Park 708-613-5939 staterepcamilleylilly@gmail.com

Camille Y. Lilly

Don Harmon

Don Harmon, 39th District 6941 W. North Ave, Oak Park 708-848-2002 www.donharmon.org harmon@senatedem.illinois.gov

B8

June 10, 2026

PRIDE 2026

Pride Fest sweeps into Forest Park Village celebrated pride June 5

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Drag queen Britney Taylor performs at Forest Park Pride Fest on June 5.

With Pride colors now refreshed along the medians on Madison Street and Pride banners attached to light poles along the street, Forest Park continues to lean in to celebrating Pride Month in the village.

Friday evening, June 5, the annual celebration returned to Constitution Court on Madison Street. On a lovely early summer evening, locals gathered to watch a variety of joyful drag queens perform, young dancers from Ovation Academy took the stage and local political folks including Mayor Rory Hoskins made remarks. There was he opportunity to make art. And, of course, local vendors provided the food and drink.

PHOTOS BY TODD BANNOR Community members paint signs of LGBTQ support.

Members of Ovation Academy perform a song and dance number.

Mayor Rory Hoskins speaks at the Pride Fest.

A mom and daughter take a selfie.

Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin at the Pride Fest.

PRIDE 2026

Drag queen Angel LeBare speaks at Forest Park Pride Fest.

Drag queen Venezia Sodi performs

Drag queen Fox E. Kim performs

June 10, 2026

B9

B10

June 10, 2026

PRIDE 2026

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! Audition for OPCC!

Style Meets Savings Meets Pride

7040 West North Avenue • 773-889-7500 OPEN: Monday-Thursday 9am – 5:30pm • Friday-Saturday 9am – 5pm Located in the North Ave Business District

Since 1906 Chicagoland’s Oldest Floor Covering Store

Custom Stair Runners & Rugs • Carpet • Hardwood • LVP & LVT

PRIDE 2026

June 10, 2026

Confidence begins with being unapologetically yourself.

This Pride Month, we celebrate individuality, self-expression, and the courage to live authentically. We are proud to provide affirming, inclusive care for every member of our community.

Happy Pride Month from Oak Park Laser and Skin Clinic.

B11

B12

June 10, 2026

PRIDE 2026