Posts Tagged ‘Oak Park Arms’

A spring recital will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Students from the Language and Music school of Oak Park will perform their Spring Recital for residents and the public at the Arms.

The Language and Music School was founded by Maria Fermi and Martha Yelenosky. What began privately in a teacher’s apartment in 1990 with just six students learning a combination of Spanish, piano, violin, guitar and recorder lessons is now an establishment with 25 teachers and hundreds of students. The school provides students (from age four to adults) with a unique environment in which nearly a dozen languages and dozens of instruments are taught daily.

Fermi is a music professor from the Conservatorio de Musica Julian Aguirre with studies in Music Therapy and ongoing studies in child development and developmental disorders such as Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism, ADHD and Bipolar Disorder.

Yelenosky is on staff at the Northwestern University School of Music and has been president of the Chicago Area Music Teachers Association (C.A.M.T.A.) Jazz Festivals of Chicago since 1997.

Private 30-minute classes are offered, once a week. Languages taught include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and English as a second language. Instruments taught include wind, brass, guitar, piano, percussion, strings, voice and music composition. In addition, group immersion Spanish classes are available for children and pre-school, after-school, kindergarten and summer camps available for kids age two to nine.

Yelenosky and Fermi have also co-authored LMS First Steps in Spanish™ (CDs and materials for teaching Spanish through music-based activities).

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.

A Musikgarten recital will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

The recital will feature students from the Musikgarten of Oak Park for residents and the public at the Arms. The student base of Amy Pappageorge will perform a music jamboree for attendees.

Pappageorge, the director of the Musikgarten of Oak Park, has been teaching for more than 17 years and currently teaches students of all levels. She is a member of the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association and is a certified teacher through the ECMMA and Musikgarten. She received her Master’s degree in Performance Studies from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Musikgarten is the leader in early childhood music education. Its complete multi-year educational programs are geared toward helping infants, toddlers and children develop not only a love of music, but also the ability to express it. Teachers are trained on how to guide students in achieving these goals.

The benefits children gain from music encompass musical, physical, emotional, social and cognitive growth.

In addition to hundreds of Musikgarten studios in the United States, the curricula have been adopted and are practiced in countries like Germany, Malaysia, Korea, China, Austria, Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand and Taiwan.

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.

A wine and cheese reception will take place for the opening of a new art exhibit at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, in the Narrow Gallery, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

The art instillation will feature the work of artist Howard McClain and students from Nancy Fong’s art class in the Lifelong Learning Center. Fong’s class consists of men and women age 50 and older who get together to paint for the fun of it and for the camaraderie.

Fong is an artist member and former vice-president and board member of the Oak Park Art League. She received her BA in Studio Arts from the University of Illinois.

McClain, an Oak Park Arms resident, only recently started as an amateur painter but was quickly recognized for his exceptional work. He is regularly featured in Gallery Pink, an Oak Park art gallery run by artist Janice Elkins where his work is not only displayed but also sold. Often, his paintings are based on memories of his life.

“In honor of Celebrating Seniors Week in May, we’re excited to feature such a special combination display of Howard’s work along with paintings and drawings from the students of Nancy’s art class,” said Desi Vasquez, activities director at the Oak Park Arms.

The exhibition can be viewed daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Thursday, June 20.

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. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

The annual Musikgarten Gala will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

A recital and party will be held at the Arms for residents and the public. The student base of Amy Pappageorge from the Musikgarten of Oak Park will perform a music jamboree for attendees.

Pappageorge, the director of the Musikgarten of Oak Park, has been teaching for more than 17 years and currently teaches students of all levels. She is a member of the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association and is a certified teacher through the ECMMA and Musikgarten. She received her Master’s degree in Performance Studies from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Musikgarten is the leader in early childhood music education. Its complete multi-year educational programs are geared toward helping infants, toddlers and children develop not only a love of music, but also the ability to express it. Teachers are trained on how to guide students in achieving these goals.

The benefits children gain from music encompass musical, physical, emotional, social and cognitive growth.

In addition to hundreds of Musikgarten studios in the United States, the curricula have been adopted and are practiced in countries like Germany, Malaysia, Korea, China, Austria, Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand and Taiwan.

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 p.m. Wednesday, May 29, 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.

The Monday Night Concert Series starts its summer jazz festival with composer Rick Shandling at 7 p.m. Monday, May 27, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Rick Shandling’s Jazz Coalition is a music group that performs the full spectrum of contemporary acoustic-based jazz in special arrangements of jazz standards and original compositions by Shandling who features 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. Also, he has participated in educational school programs focusing on progressive jazz forms.

In fact, Shandling and his jazz group – the Jazz Coalition – 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.

Shandling is a professional piano technician, tuning and repairing pianos in homes, libraries, studios and concert venues. In addition, he is a drum set teacher for beginning, intermediate and professional-level students.

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, May 10, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. The 1984 film “Sixteen Candles” will be viewed and reviewed with radio announcer Dan Kane.

John Hughes wrote and directed this coming-of-age comedy starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall.

Samantha “Sam” Baker (Ringwald) is plagued with one embarrassment after another right before her 16th birthday. Not only does she have a crush on Jake, (Schoeffling) the cutest boy in school, while the biggest nerd Ted (Hall) has a crush on her. But in the flurry of her older sister’s upcoming wedding, her family forgets her birthday.

Adding to the chaos are all four of her grandparents staying at the Bakers house for the wedding, one of which brings along a bizarre foreign exchange student – Long Duk Dong – who Sam is forced to take with her to a school dance. Surprisingly, Dong finds a girlfriend fairly quickly leaving Sam to find herself alone with Ted in the school auto shop where she confesses her love for Jake and Ted admits Jake has been asking about her.

The dance after-party ends up at Jake’s house, where he convinces Ted to drive his drunk girlfriend home. When Ted and the girlfriend are caught making out, Jake has an excuse to break up with her. Newly single, he finds Sam on the church steps after her sister’s wedding the next day, and the movie concludes with them sharing their first kiss over a birthday cake with 16 candles.

Filming primarily happened in Skokie, Highland Park and Glencoe, IL. Most of the exterior scenes (and some of the interior) took place at Niles East High School. Niles North High School was home to a few other scenes, and the Baker house is located in Evanston.

The film was considered by many to be one of the best films of 1984 but was only a moderate success at the box office, grossing $23,686,027. It ranked number 49 on Entertainment Weekly’s list of “The 50 Best High School Movies” in 2008. Although the character of Long Duk Dong was criticized for being racially insensitive and offensive to Asians, the role was defended by Roger Ebert.

Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall both won Young Artist Awards as “Best Young Actress/Actor in a Motion Picture,” becoming the first and only juvenile performers in the history of the Young Artist Awards to win the Best Leading Actress/Actor awards for the same film.

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, May 8, 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 International Polka Association (IPA) Tribute Band will perform at noon Friday, May 3, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

The group, comprised of veteran Chicago polka musicians, formed the summer of 2011 in an effort to promote polka music, and specifically, the International Polka Association (IPA).

The IPA, a non-profit organization started in Chicago, honors polka performers through its Hall of Fame and annual awards in categories such as: Best Male and Female Vocalists, Best Band, Best Song and Best Album. The IPA is dedicated to the study and preservation of polka music to keep alive the cultural tradition of Polish Americans who have made their music tradition part of their heritage.

By performing songs that pay tribute to the IPA’s Hall of Fame inductees and award winners, the tribute band hopes to increase awareness of the association. With so many songs to cover, the project has also grown into an opportunity to bring back great memories of years gone by.

The group is a compilation of polka musicians from several different Chicago-based polka bands who offered to participate in this musical tribute. In fact, the majority of band members are leaders of their own polka bands.

The musicians are: John Krawisz, accordion and vocals; Tony Blazonczyk, bass and vocals; Ray (Melvin) Rzeszutko, drums and vocals; Lenny Zielinski, concertina; Rick Rzeszutko, trumpet and vocals; Laura Mateja, vocals and Dan Mateja –band leader –on the clarinet, sax and vocals.

Rzeszutko, Blazonczyk, Krawisz and Laura Mateja also sit on the board of the International Polka Association.

Most recently, the group released a new recording titled “Yesterday’s Songs” in 2012 that was nominated for CD of the Year by the United States Polka Association.

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 a spring open house from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Oak Park Arms Retirement Community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. A Chili Cook Off will be featured at this fun-filled event, and the public is invited.

Attention all chili enthusiasts! For the first time at the Arms, a Chili Cook Off will take place at the open house from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Homemade chili will be on display and available for the public to sample. Judging, based on taste and presentation, will begin at 11:30 a.m.

The cook-off will be judged in two categories: People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice. Chili will be judged on factors such as: aroma, consistency, color, taste and after taste.

In addition to Best Tasting Chili, participants will also be judged on Most Creative Chili, Booth Decoration and Crowd Favorite. The first prize winner for best chili will be awarded $75. For an entry form and a complete list of rules, go to: http://www.oakparkarms.com.

In addition, a Shakespeare presentation will be presented for the public by the Reader’s Theatre at 1 p.m.

The open house will offer tours of the grounds and the apartments, piano lounge music, a performance by the Lance Brown Quartet and raffles. The public will get the chance to learn more about the Oak Park Arms and its many amenities.

Tours include meeting the Chef of the Georgian Room Restaurant, meeting the on-site health care team and viewing community spaces and meeting rooms.

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 day’s events are free and open to the public. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.