Posts Tagged ‘free’

Auditions for the Delta Dance Crew will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

High school students from the western suburbs of Cook County and the Chicagoland area will be competing in the Delta’s Top High School Dance Crew Competition.

The fundraising committee of the Glen Ellyn Area Alumnae Chapter (GEAAC) of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority has put together the competition, whose tagline “Is your Dance Crew C.R.A.Y?” stands for “A Clear Representation of Ambitious Youth.”

The dance competition was inspired by American’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC), a reality TV series in which dance crews from across the country compete to see who has the better moves and is the better crew. This dance fundraising activity strives to showcase the talent of high school students grades nine through 12.

Started in 1977, the GEAAC currently has a membership of nearly 300 college-educated women dedicated to public service, providing the communities it serves with inspiring and impactful programs and events.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

The Oak Park River Forest Garden Club of America presents “Garden Therapy,” at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Club members will guide and assist participants in making beautiful floral arrangements with seasonal flowers and greens. These arrangements can be kept and taken home.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, and reservations are required. For more information call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Oak Park Arms presents its popular series “You Be the Critic” at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. The film “Call Northside 777” will be viewed and reviewed with radio announcer Dan Kane.

The movie is set in Chicago in 1932. An officer is murdered inside a speakeasy, and two men are quickly arrested and sentenced to 99 years imprisonment.

After the mother of one prisoner, Frank Wiecek, puts out an ad 11 years later offering $5,000 in exchange for information on the true killers, a Chicago Times reporter is assigned to write a story on the case. Although he believes the prisoners to be guilty, the reporter’s opinion begins to change as the story develops.

He is met with increased police resistance followed by political pressure to end a story that may embarrass the administration. Despite the government’s insistence, Wiecek eventually is proved innocent.

Directed by Henry Hathaway and starring James Stewart, Richard Conte and Lee J. Cobb, this documentary-style film noir was the first movie filmed in Chicago. It received mostly positive reviews both when it was originally released and when it was released again on DVD in 2004.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Taught by Roberta Kulik, the Oak Park Arms’ monthly dance workshop takes place at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. This month Kulik will teach square and round dancing.

Square dancing is typically a dance of four couples arranged in a square with each couple facing the middle of the square. Movements are based on steps and figures used in traditional folk dances from many countries and prompted by a “caller” to the beat, often from a stage.

Round dancing is broken down into two categories. The first belongs to an ethnic, folk or country category, while the second resembles ballroom dancing. Modern round dancing is cued ballroom dancing progressing in a circular pattern counter-clockwise around the dance floor.

Kulik will teach senior-friendly square and round dance steps and choreography.

Both forms of dance are great ways to reduce stress and improve balance, coordination and memory.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Taught by Roberta Kulik, the Oak Park Arms’ monthly tap dance workshop takes place at noon, Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

The first 15 minutes features basic tap moves that can be done either sitting or standing. Kulik continues the class with 45 minutes of basic tap steps and routines. Tap shoes are welcome, though not required.

This type of dance is a left-brain/right-brain workout great for coordination, balance and memory.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Ajay Nehra, M.D., will present a discussion on urology and aging at “Breakfast with the Docs,” at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Roughly 13 million Americans suffer from urinary incontinence—the involuntary leakage of urine. Though it can happen at any age, it is often a condition seen in the older population.

One in five individuals over 40 suffers from overactive bladder or symptoms of urgency or frequency and over 50 percent of seniors in the nursing home population experience elderly urinary incontinence.

As a person gets older, muscles in the bladder and urethra lose strength. Changes with age reduce how much the bladder can hold and can increase the chances of elderly incontinence. Despite weakening muscles, however, incontinence isn’t normal at any age except during infancy.

Causes of incontinence can widely vary, from simply not drinking enough water to more serious conditions like an inflamed bladder wall.

Types of urinary incontinence include:

•    Stress Incontinence- Pressure exerted on the bladder from sneezing or coughing causing loss of urine
•    Urge Incontinence- A sudden, intense urge followed by an involuntary loss of urine
•    Overflow Incontinence- Frequently or constantly dribbling urine
•    Mixed Incontinence- Suffering from more than one type of incontinence
•    Functional Incontinence- Inability to make it in time due to physical impairment (i.e. arthritis)
•    Total Incontinence- Continuous leaking

There are ways to improve this condition. Changes in diet, such as eliminating alcohol, acidic foods and caffeine, and regular exercise to strengthen the lower body can help. Medications may also be used in conjunction with behavioral techniques to decrease incontinence.

Dr. Nehra serves as the vice chairperson and professor and director of men’s health in the Department of Urology at the Rush University Medical Center. Prior to his current position he was a professor of urology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

He received his medical degree from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, where he also completed an internship. He went on to complete a transitional surgical internship at Malden Hospital in Massachusetts, a surgical residency at Boston University School of Medicine, and a residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he served as chief resident in urology.

Currently Dr. Nehra serves as president-elect of the International Society of Men’s Health and as editor of the Journal of Men’s Health. In addition, he has contributed over 130 articles and 170 abstracts to numerous peer-reviewed journals.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. And it’s not called “Breakfast with the Docs” for nothing: Participants who attend will also be served a healthy breakfast.

For more information, or to reserve a seat, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all volunteer radio reenactment group, will perform “The Cinnamon Bear,” live at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, at the Oak Park Arms Retirement Community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the extremely popular holiday radio program broadcast on WGN radio.

WGN radio first aired The Cinnamon Bear radio show in 1938, broadcasting an episode every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Cinnamon Bear, stole the hearts and imaginations of listeners across the country with the adventures of young Judy and Jimmy Barton.

Twins Judy and Jimmy are searching the attic for the Silver Star that belongs atop their Christmas tree when they meet a stuffed bear with shoe-button eyes and a green scarf – Paddy O’Cinnamon — who offers to help them. The Cinnamon Bear teaches the twins how to “de-grow” so they can fit through the attic tunnel and flies them off to the weird and wonderfully enchanted world of Maybeland.

With only a month to find their star, the clock is ticking for the trio. Along the way they encounter other memorable characters such as the Crazy Quilt Dragon (who tries repeatedly to steal the star for himself), the Wintergreen Witch, Fe Fo the Giant, and Queen Melissa.

Eventually Judy, Jimmy and the Cinnamon Bear make their way to the North Pole and the adventure ends on Christmas morning with a special visit from Santa Claus himself.

The show was recorded in just a few weeks by a group of merchants as an advertising promotion and was first broadcast in 1937. Its immense and immediate appeal has sealed its legacy as a traditional holiday classic.

In 1951 WGN-TV produced and aired a TV series of “The Cinnamon Bear.” Judy, Jimmy and all the other characters were transitioned to the screen as hand puppets and the transcription disc recordings of the radio program were used as a soundtrack. The series was aired on WGN-TV until its final season in 1954. It was sponsored by Wieboldt’s Department Store.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear Performers

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is composed of Chicagoland actors who share a common interest – to perform old time radio programs for the community. Each actor and technician donates talent and time for free.

Group founders, Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in September of 2002, when Turlow’s father became a resident. They’ve been volunteering/performing at The Arms ever since.

Dooley and Turlow’s group performs only once every two months due to the considerable challenges involved in creating a show. They browse through thousands of old time radio episodes, select a favorite, listen and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed. Then they gather sound effect, rehearse and mount the show.

Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, and the group performs them live. They have a real door for slamming, buzzers, a sound board and shoes for footsteps, and doorbells.

The shows are very popular with residents and people from the community. Some even bring their children and grandchildren to show them what entertainment was like before television.

“Since the entire cast donates its time and energy, we can only do shows six times a year,” Dooley said, “but we strive to make sure that it’s well worth the wait.”

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The radio show is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

The public is invited to a “Winter Wonderland Variety Show” and a reception to follow at 1 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 13, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Hosted by Desi Vasquez, social director at the Arms, the event will be several performances blending into a colorful holiday celebration.

Entertainment will include the Oak Park Arms Chorus, the Resident Reader’s Theatre and members from the monthly tap dance workshop. The Triton Singers, the Mills Orchestra and the Flower’s Reader’s Theatre Group will also perform.

Refreshments will be served following the show at a reception in the Patio Room.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

The Oak Park River Forest High School show choir will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

The choir, known as “Noteworthy,” is made up of a highly selective group of singers, dancers and live band members.

Under the co-direction of Amber Hooper and Cameron Burgess, the group is now in its second year and has over 30 members. Often compared to the popular TV series “Glee,” the talented teens of Noteworthy belt out pop tunes while dancing to choreography on stage.

The group performs in the Oak Park and River Forest communities and Chicago.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Taught by Roberta Kulik, the Oak Park Arms’ monthly tap dance workshop takes place at noon, Thursday, Dec. 13, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Kulik will teach 15 minutes of basic tap moves that can be done either sitting or standing. Tap shoes are welcome, though not required.

This type of dance is a left-brain/right-brain workout great for coordination, balance and memory.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.