The new year is here and we’re celebrating 2023 all January long with fantastic fun! Avoid the wicked weather and warm up inside with some smooth jazz or a wonderful wine tasting! Whatever you prefer, the Oak Park Area is loaded with fun for everyone. So, grab your friends and family and meet us out in the Western Suburbs!
Alex Velazquez Brightbill: Mujer Quetzalcoatl
January 4 - March 30, 2023
The Riverside Arts Center is pleased to present Alex Velazquez Brightbill’s exhibition, Mujer Quetzalcoatl at the Riverside Town Hall. Velazquez Brightbill’s prints and multi-media art utilize traditions and symbols from her Mexican heritage.
Location: Riverside Town Hall, Riverside
Bobbi Meier: Imperfect Rituals
January 8 - February 18, 2023
The Riverside Arts Center presents Imperfect Rituals, a solo exhibition by Bobbi Meier, curated by Judith Mullen. Imperfect Rituals emphasizes fraught connections in families. What we choose to reveal and not, our perceived flaws, the feelings we hide and thoughts that remain unspoken.
Location: Riverside Arts Center, Riverside
8th Annual Hemingway Shorts Competition
January 15 - April 15, 2023
Do you share Ernest Hemingway’s dream? If so, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park has a great opportunity for you to realize your creative aspirations. Eleven stories will be selected for publication, and current and past Writer-in-Residences will assist authors in shaping and editing their work.
Location: Hemingway Birthplace Museum, Oak Park
21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast
January 16, 2023
The Village of Hillside will be hosting its 21st annual breakfast honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme for this year will be "Dare to Dream. For success, equality and freedom." No tickets will be sold at the door, tickets must be picked up in advance.
Location: Hillside
Jazz Night at Pleasant Home
January 19, 2023
Enjoy local jazz musician Tony Morrison and the Garfield Park Jazz Collective in the warm interiors of Pleasant Home. Every month will have a different musical themed performance of straight-up jazz. Light snacks and two drink tickets are included with your purchase.
Location: Pleasant Home, Oak Park
A Spanish Dinner and Wine Tasting with Maya Del Sol
January 20, 2023
Join representatives from Maya Del Sol for an evening of wonderful spices and depths of Spanish food paired with wines from this rich country. Whites and reds match wonderfully with the rich cuisine of local favorite Maya Del Sol.
Location: Cheney Mansion, Oak Park
Pleasant Home Boutique Event Expo
January 22, 2023
Join us at Pleasant Home for the Boutique Event Expo. Meet with wedding and event professionals who will provide you with the information you need to plan the perfect celebration. From catering to cakes, florists, DJs, and planners. We can't wait to meet you there!
Location: Pleasant Home, Oak Park
Event Website
Stews and Braising with Carnivore!
January 26, 2023
The cold months of winter call for rich, wonderful stews and the long, slow and delicious flavors of braising meat or fish. Join the experts from Carnivore in the kitchen at Cheney for a hands-on demo of the best fish to create a warm stew or the best cut of meat for that perfect braise. Bring along your favorite beverage to drink while you enjoy a Q & A.
Location: Cheney Mansion, Oak Park
Book Discussion: In Our Time with Renee Malknecht
January 26, 2023
As part of the Hemingway in the 21st Century series, Renee Malknecht, former literature teacher and current volunteer at the birthplace, will be leading a discussion on In Our Time, Ernest Hemingway's first collection of short stories published in the United States.
Location: Hemingway Birthplace Musuem, Oak Park
Seed Sowing Lecture at the Oak Park Conservatory
January 29, 2023
Join us at the Oak Park Conservatory on National Seed Swap Day to honor the great U.S. tradition of swapping seeds with neighbors. Browse a selection of herbs, vegetables, floral, perennial and native seeds. There will be Master Gardeners on hand to guide you in getting your garden off to a good start!
Location: Oak Park Conservatory, Oak Park
Event Website