Time is running out for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Scholarships for both High School & Elementary School Students!

The Voice of Democracy and Patriots’ Pen Youth Essay deadline is November 1, 2010.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of students participate in the Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition and the Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest, garnering more than $3.4 million in scholarships and incentives.

The VFW Scout of the Year Scholarship deadline is March 1, 2010.

The VFW honors an outstanding scout through the VFW Scout of the Year Scholarship program.

Besides the VFW’s outstanding scholarship programs, Posts and Auxiliaries across the nation work with youth in scouting, sports, ROTC and military cadet programs. By providing leaders, funding, sponsorships and other resources, the VFW and its Auxiliaries encourage millions of America’s young adults to higher ideals and greater personal achievement.

The deadline for the “Patriot’s Pen” essay is November 1^st. and “The Voice of Democracy” for high school students is also November 1^st. Participants should contact Michael J. Ridge, directly @ (708) 805-0320 if they are interested. We will need 2 photo’s of the entrant when turn in their entries.

Information about these scholarship opportunities was distributed to Fenwick High School, Trinity High School and all Berwyn Schools. So far, the Berwyn VFW Post has received a grand total of 3 entries – completely embarrassing!

From Mary Esther Hernández the Executive Director of the Cicero Chamber of Commerce & Industry:

The Cicero Chamber of Commerce and Industry is looking to crown the next 2010 International Houby Queen at its 42^nd Annual Houby Festival that runs from October 1 through the 3, 2010.

To be eligible, a young woman must be between the ages of 16 and 21, be unmarried , be currently enrolled in school or will be in the fall, and either work or reside in Cicero, Berwyn, Lyons, Riverside, North Riverside, Stickney, Brookfield or Oak Park.

This is an opportunity for candidates to earn some scholarship money for school and take part in a great community tradition that will connect them with a strong network of businesses and individuals.

Anyone interested in signing up or in finding out more information can visit the Cicero Chamber of Commerce website at www.cicerochamber.org. Applications are now available online.  For any other questions or information, please contact the Cicero Chamber directly at (708) 863-6000.

The Cicero Chamber of Commerce and Industry is looking to crown the next 2010 International Houby Queen at its 42^nd Annual Houby Festival that runs from October 1 through the 3, 2010.

To be eligible, a young single woman must be between the ages of 16 and 21, be currently enrolled in school or will be in the fall, and either work or reside in Cicero, Berwyn, Lyons, Riverside, North Riverside, Stickney, Brookfield or Oak Park.

This is an opportunity for candidates to earn some scholarship money for school and take part in a great community tradition that will connect them with a strong network of businesses and individuals.

For any other questions or information, please contact the Cicero Chamber directly at (708)863-6000.

April 2010 Visitors’ Edition

Oak Park Architecture Photo Party 2010

Oak Park, Illinois arguably the birth place of the American suburb, and the American suburban house.  World renowned architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and George Maher not only got their start there, but left their indelible marks on the landscape – physically and culturally.  Experience the world renowned architecture of our town, which is just a scant eight miles / twelve kilometers from another equally world renowned and architecturally significant place,the Chicago Loop.

And besides – Oak Park has lots of great restaurants , stores, hotels, cozy bed & breakfasts and cultural attractions to discover and enjoy once you’ve completed the Oak Park Architecture Photo Party.

Instructions:

By walking along public sidewalks and right-of-ways contained within the shaded area of the Scavenger Hunt Map (below), locate these architectural features and details, noting their location.

Oak Park is a living museum containing many private homes that just happen to be world renowned masterpieces.  At no point were any private residences, or even any private property harmed in the production of the Oak Park Architecture Photo Party.  Please respect the homeowners privacy and remain on the public sidewalks for the hunt.

April 2010 Oak Park Architecture Photo Party is a production of:

• American Institute of Architects / Illinois Council
• Oak Park Architectural League

This edition has been made possible by:

• The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust
• Visit Oak Park
• Architecture Adventure / Oak Park Education Foundation
• Oak Park – River Forest Historical Foundation
• www.3Planets.com / www.ShopOakPark.com
• Heitzman Architects
• Babuk Presentations, Inc / www.TourAboutChicago.com

Scavenger Hunt Map

All sites in this month’s scavenger hunt are located in the shaded area, and all sites are easily seen from public sidewalks, roads and right of ways. All homes on this map are privately owned. Please respect the home owner’s privacy and remain on public sidewalks.

To kick off the new year and this new blog, we’re looking for the “Worst Pothole” in Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, Elmwood Park and Berwyn!  Send us a picture of your favorite pothole – be sure to include it’s Name, Age, Size – Width, Length and Depth and the reasons why you believe that your pothole should be judged the best! Be sure to include how to get in touch with you in case you win!

Each and every pothole  will be displayed in the comments and the best entries will be sent to the appropriate Governmental Authority.  Although determining who is responsible for repair is a bit of a mystery – is it the Illinois Department of Transportation or the municipality in which your favorite resides.  Does the pothole stretch between two municipalities?

Remember – Safety First

Please don’t do anything silly or stupid like “playing in traffic” or stopping on the i-290 to get a closeup of the “Axle Breaker”.  It just isn’t worth life and limb!

To enter, just leave a comment below.  If you’re not already registered, you’ll have to do that first!