Posts Tagged ‘Oak Park Arms’

The Oak Park River Forest Garden Club of America presents “Garden Therapy,” at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, 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 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.

The Monday Night Concert Series continues with composers Shandling and Coyle at 7 p.m. Monday, March 11, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Rick Shandling and Ray Coyle have put together original jazz compositions and arrangements for residents and the public, featuring an unusual lineup of French horn, trumpet, sax, vibraphone, bass and drums.

Shandling, a drummer and composer, is regularly featured in the Chicago area jazz circuit and has presented his own original music and arrangements in multiple concerts. He has also participated in educational school programs focusing on progressive jazz forms. In fact, Shandling and his jazz group have received grants for educational performances from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council and the Lake County Arts Council, in addition to a variety of suburban cultural arts commissions.

Raised in England, Coyle has wide musical experience having worked in Europe and the United States both as a drummer and mallet player. He started playing the drums at an early age and began his career working in clubs backing singers. Coyle later gained degrees in jazz and classical percussion from Newcastle College of Arts and Technology and Trinity College London.  He immigrated to the Netherlands where he earned a masters degree specializing in mallets and composition. In addition, he has experience teaching music at a collegiate level.

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.

Oak Park Arms presents its popular series “You Be the Critic” at 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. The film “Medium Cool” will be viewed and reviewed with radio announcer Dan Kane.

Written and directed by Haskell Wexler, this 1969 film stars Robert Forster, Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz, Marianna Hill and Harold Blakenship. The film centers around a television news cameraman, John Cassellis (Forster), during a time of social and political upheaval in America.

For years Cassellis enjoyed filming gruesome and violent events with detachment and a blasé attitude, but when he discovers his tapes are being used by the FBI to find suspects of violence and racial tensions, he realizes the power of his camera. He protests to his network and gets fired.

Subsequently Cassellis attends the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Illinois where he meets and grows fond of the widow of a Vietnam veteran, Eileen, and her son Harold. When Harold goes missing during the convention, Cassellis’ help in the search for Eileen’s son takes him even deeper into the emotional pulls of human nature.

At one point Eileen is desperately searching through the rioting crowds and Cassellis is filming the convention, merging the fictional story and real-life brutality onscreen.

The film is best known for presenting the audience with powerful imagery through its documentary-style filmmaking techniques and combination of fictional and non-fictional content. Because Wexler funded the film partly out of his own resources, he had free reign during the film’s production.

Today “Medium Cool” is a vital late-‘60s film for its incisive narrative, formal dissection of the “truth” of visual politics and its awareness of the blurred lines of depicted violence received as entertainment, especially during a times of political upheaval.

It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2003.

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 Monday Night Concert Series continues with Jeremy Kahn’s “American Masters Concert” at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Born near Chicago, Kahn holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Boston’s New England Conservatory. For 12 years, he lived in New York City, but today, he and his family reside in Oak Park.

“Although I am mainly a jazz pianist, having played in jazz-type venues around the world, I also play on recordings that motivate people to consume their favorite products,” Kahn said. “I also play in pit orchestras for some of popular theatrical extravaganzas.”

Kahn has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Joni Mitchell, Phil Woods, Teramasu Hino, Charlie Haden, Aretha Franklin, Barbara Cook and Alvin and the Chipmunks.

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 public is invited to an afternoon of movement-based learning with Brain Gym® with Aimee Edwards at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Brain Gym movements, exercises or activities refer to the original 26 Brain Gym movements, sometimes abbreviated as “The 26.” These activities recall the movements naturally done during the first years of life when one is learning to coordinate the eyes, ears, hands and whole body. There are four categories: midline, energy, deepening attitudes and lengthening.

The 26, along with a program for “learning through movement,” were developed by educator and reading specialist Paul E. Dennison and his wife and colleague, Gail E. Dennison.

For more than two decades, clients, teachers and students have reported the effectiveness of these simple activities. Although it’s not yet clear why these movements work so well, they often bring about dramatic improvements in areas such as:

•    concentration and focus
•    memory
•    academics: reading, writing, math, test taking
•    physical coordination
•    relationships
•    self-responsibility
•    organization skills
•    attitude

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.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all volunteer radio reenactment group, will present “The New York Strip,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Author Damon Runyon is best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway that grew out of the Prohibition era in New York City. Runyon spun humorous and sentimental tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors and gangsters with names like “Nathan Detroit,” Benny Southstreet,” Big Jule,” Harry the Horse” or “The Seldom Seen Kid.”

He is known for writing in the present tense, and a combination of colorful slang and formal speech makes his style distinctive.

“Guys and Dolls,” is a musical based on two of Runyon’s stories written in the 1920s and 1930s, and a popular presentation of his fictional world to the general public.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear will take the audience in for a closer look at the seedy underworld of New York City through the masterful slang and gangster style of these “Runyonesque” characters.

The 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.

Mary Maryland, PhD, RN, will present a talk titled, “Cancer Awareness” at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. Dr. Mary, as she’s known, will present important information about cancer.

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the U.S., exceeded only by heart disease. Half of all men and one-third of all women will develop cancer in their lifetime.

Anyone can develop cancer. About 1,500,000 new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2011. Since the risk of being diagnosed with cancer increases as individuals age, most cases occur in adults who are middle-aged or older. In fact, about 77 percent of all cancers are diagnosed in people 55 years and older.

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Mutations in the genetic blueprint of cells—the DNA—cause them to become abnormal. About 5 percent of all cancers are hereditary, in that an inherited genetic alteration confers a very high risk of developing one or more specific types of cancer. However, most cancers do not result from inherited genes but from damage to genes occurring during one’s lifetime.

Genetic damage may result from either internal or external factors. Internal factors include hormones, inherited mutations, immune conditions or mutations that occur from metabolism of nutrients within cells.  External factors such as tobacco, infectious organisms, chemicals, sunlight and radiation also can damage cells.

Cancer is caused by both internal and external factors. These causal factors may act together or in sequence to initiate or promote carcinogenesis. If the spread of these cells is not controlled, death can result.

Years ago, people diagnosed with cancer didn’t have very long to live. Today more than 13 million people in the U.S. are either cancer survivors or currently battling the disease.

Cancer is treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, biological therapy, and/or targeted therapy.

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 program 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, Feb. 14, 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.

Roberta Kulik will teach a Tango Dance workshop at 11 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

The tango, also referred to as the dance of love, has influences from European and African culture. 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.

A wine and cheese reception will take place for the opening of a new art installation at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, in the Narrow Gallery, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Veronica Hallissey, an artist and author, will be displaying her “Wall Quilts.” This exhibition will feature a series of “want to be touched 18th and 19th century” winter scenes in the form of quilted wall hangings.

“I find my greatest peace when working with winter scenes from the 18th and 19th centuries,” Hallissey said. “I find refreshment pouring into me when I work with wall quilts. Old memories are brought forth making new ones for the young.”

In addition, the exhibit will feature a reading from her book of poetry, “Kiss the Moon.” Her latest book, “The Last Bird Sings,” along with “Kiss the Moon,” will also be available for purchase.

Hallissey has been writing since the 1960s. Born in Lockport, NY, she graduated from the University of Buffalo. Her poetry has been published in a variety of small press magazines. She is known for bringing her unusual point of view to her poetry, combining strong natural images with a deep spiritual language. She currently lives in Gurnee, IL with her husband.

The gallery can be viewed daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Friday, March 15th.

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 reception is free and open to the public. The works will be on display until Friday, March 15th. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.