Fleadh Around Town March 6th

The 12th Annual Fleadh is Saturday, March 6. Start the activities at the Oak Forest Park District at 8:30 am and watch the parade on Central Avenue at 11:00 am.

For your safety and the safety of others:

Keep six feet apart.
Wear a mask or face covering.
If you are not feeling well, please stay home.
If you have been in contact with anyone who has been sick, please stay home.
If you’re not ready to be out and about, please stay home.

ComEd Assistance Options

As the one-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic nears, ComEd recognizes that families and businesses are still dealing with continued financial challenges.

Last year, ComEd increased its annual bill-assistance options, connecting customers to a record of more than $70 million in financial assistance and supporting more than a quarter of a million customers with stabilizing grants. This year, ComEd encourages customers to contact the energy company immediately to see if they are eligible for millions of dollars more in bill assistance now available. There are also extended payment options to help customers with their past-due balances.

Any customer experiencing a hardship or difficulty with their electric bill should call ComEd immediately at 1-800-334-7661 (1-800-EDISON-1), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to learn more on how to apply. Information on each of these options is available at ComEd.com/PaymentAssistance.

Veterans Assistance

The Oak Forest Veterans Commission would like to make residents aware of assistance to Veterans in Cook County. Qualified veterans can visit vacofcookcounty.org for more information.

Program Description
The Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) is a separate distinct unit of local government created by State Law and funded by Cook County. The VAC provides emergency financial assistance to Honorably Discharged Military Veterans and their families, who reside in Cook County.

Types of Assistance

Assistance with Rental and Mortgage payments.
Utility payment assistance with Electric, Gas and Water.
Public Transportation (CTA/PACE} to Outpatient/Medical appointments, CWT/School, Job Interview, Employment, Housing Search.
ALDI Food gift card.
Burial assistance for veterans.
Job service assistance referrals.
Records requests: Birth Certificate 0D214 Application

For more information, please email ofveteranscomm@oak-forest.org.

DCEO Veterans Series Presents Illinois Joining Forces (registration required)

CLICK TO REGISTER
Thursday, March 18, 2021
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Join DCEO’s Office of Regional Economic Development and the Office of Minority Economic Empowerment who will host a webinar with Illinois Joining Forces Executive Director Brig. General (Ret.) Steve Curda, Ph.D. and Jim Dolan, Sr. Director of Development with Illinois Joining Forces. Illinois Joining Forces serves as a statewide public-private partnership that promotes the efficient delivery of Growth and Wellness initiatives for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families at the community level throughout the State of Illinois.

Taking Veteran-Owned Businesses Into The Global Marketplace (registration required)

CLICK TO REGISTER
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Our U.S. veterans have unique experiences and contact networks that can help facilitate global sales success. Companies engaged in international trade earn higher revenues, employ more, and stay in business longer than those that do not. Join the SBA’s Office of International Trade (OIT) and the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at Old Dominion University as we celebrate and learn from the export success of veteran-owned businesses sharing their stories of global market success.

The Webinar will include:

Insights from successful veteran-owned small business exporters
Strategies for launching or expanding your global sales
Information on programs that help veteran businesses enter and expand in global markets. The Veteran Institute for Procurement – VIP INTERNATIONAL and “Vets Go Global”
SBA international trade resources available to facilitate global market success, including grant programs to support global expansion

Early Voting Begins March 22nd

Early voting for municipal, school district and other local elections will be held at City Hall from Monday, March 22 to Monday, April 5.

More information will be available next week.

SD 142 Kindergarten Registration

Forest Ridge School District 142 will begin registering kindergarten-aged children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2021 and live within the district boundaries. Your child’s date of birth must be on or before September 1, 2016.

To register your child for the 2021-2022 School Year visit:
http://www.d142.org/registration.

Please address all questions to the District Registrar, Mrs. Spagnola at 708-687-3334 or email: registration@d142.org.

Coyote Mating Season

Department of Wildlife says that the aggression of coyotes will be on high for the next several weeks.

The next 4-6 weeks is mating season for coyotes. Please pay attention to your dogs and cats when outside. The outcome can be tragic because coyotes will attack your pets. Coyote breeding typically peaks in late February and early March. Male coyotes can become more aggressive during this time of year.

Here are some steps to prevent human–coyote conflicts:

Do not run if a coyote approaches you. Safety procedures for dealing with coyotes are different than those for dealing with an unknown dog. Yell, stand up straight, and wave your arms (the goal is to make yourself appear larger), or throw something at the coyote to make it move away (the goal is to scare it away, not to injure it).
Teach your kids what to do if they see a coyote. Have them throw their arms up in the air and yell “like a monster” to scare the coyote away.
Do not leave small pets unattended when they are outside, especially at night. Consider the use of fencing or kennel runs to protect small pets.
Do not feed coyotes. Property owners should limit the availability of unintentional food sources, such as bird food, pet food, ripe fruit, or trash.

For more information, go to the wildlifeillinois.org website.

COVID-19 Updates

As of Tuesday, February 2, 2021, all regions, including Oak Forest are at Phase 4 Restore Illinois.

Illinois Regional COVID-19 Resurgence Criteria can be found at: Illinois Regional COVID-19 Resurgence Criteria | IDPH.

COVID-19 symptoms may include fever, sore throat, loss of taste, cough or shortness of breath. Visit CDC.gov for more information regarding symptoms.

Oak Forest COVID-19 Statistics

Current numbers for Oak Forest from the Illinois Department of Public Health website (www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics) as of Friday, March 5, 2021:

2,651 positive cases
22,974 people tested
3.3% Positivity Rate (Suburban Cook County, Region 10)

COVID-19 Vaccination Update

The State of Illinois, the Cook County Department of Public Health and the National Guard have two COVID-19 vaccination sites in our area. However, appointments are required. They are not walk-up sites.

Tinley Park Convention Center at 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, IL 60477

South Suburban College at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, IL 60473

The State and Cook County have a website available to accept appointments at https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov/ or by calling 833-308-1988 (from 7 a.m. to 7:0 p.m. Monday-Friday).

In addition to Cook County Health sites, the Cook County Department of Public Health
has distributed vaccines to more than 90 partner locations including Jewel-Osco, Mariano's, Walgreens, Federally Qualified Health Centers and hospitals who are also offering vaccines by appointment. Additional sites can be found at https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/vaccination-location.

See more information about the state's vaccination plan on the IDPH website.

COVID-19 Testing Site Open in Tinley Park

A drive-thru coronavirus testing center is located at 7460 Duvan Drive in Tinley Park. It is open daily and offers PCR testing, with results in 1-3 days, rapid testing at $125 and antibody testing.

An appointment is required. Visit the NAS Testing Center website or call 708-649-0333.

Next Oak Forest City Council Meeting

The next Oak Forest City Council Meeting will be held on March 9, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

Residents are invited to attend both meetings (must wear a mask and practice social distancing) or you can watch live on www.oak-forest.org/live.

If you missed the most recent meetings, click on the links below:

February 23, 2021 - Committee of the Whole (C.O.W.) Meeting
February 23, 2021 - City Council Meeting

Walk/run Virtual #CNBFleadh5k
Registration Open Until 3/6

Get your family, friends together, and walk/run our Virtual 5k. With a virtual race, you can complete the race, decked out in your green attire anytime or anywhere
from March 6th to March 17th. Several groups will be meeting on March 6th in the morning, to do their own version of "Fleadh 5k"!

NEW! A portion of every runner's registration will be donated to Julia's Legacy. Julia's Legacy of Hope was founded by her family in her honor. It's mission is to provide funds for the purposes of pediatric cancer research, college scholarships, and to give comfort to kids with cancer and their family.

Oak Forest Park District - Leprechaun
Activities 8:30am-10:30am

The Oak Forest Park District will be hosting Pre-Parade activities including: Hot Cocoa Bar, Fun Crafts for Kids, Open Bean Bag Play, Games and Light Concessions. Great way to start your Fleadh day!

Additionally, run the CNB Virtual 5k at The Zone Fitness Center using their treadmills. No membership needed. Anytime from 3/6-3/17 during open hours.

Acorn Library - Fleadh Around Town Leprechaun Contest

Acorn Library invites you to view the entries for their build a leprechaun contest. Located in view of the path for the the Annual Fleadh Parade!

Participants received a head, hat and arms from the library and added the rest to their creations.

Fleadh Parade-Central Avenue 11am

Line up along Central Avenue between Oak Forest High School and the Oak Forest Park District on March 6, 2021. The parade will start at 11:00 am. Bring the family, wear your green, and let's have some fun! Don't forget your bags to grab all those goodies!

Social distancing and wearing masks or face coverings is required.

Oak Forest-Crestwood Chamber of Commerce

Visit Local Restaurants After the Parade

Oak Forest local restaurants need our support more than ever due to the on-going pandemic. Plan on stopping by one or two or more for lunch to eat, drink and be merry! But remember to socially distance and wear a mask, as required.

For the latest news about all the events scheduled for the 2021 Fleadh on March 6th, follow on Facebook for updates at Oak Forest Fleadh, or call 708-687-4600.

City of Oak Forest Emergency Notifications With Everbridge

The new Everbridge system replaces Reverse 911 as a means to notify citizens. Critical situations like severe weather and criminal activity require information to be shared quickly and effectively with residents.

Everbridge helps the City of Oak Forest send messages out to the entire town or certain areas of the town where a particular emergency is taking place such as a water main break. Creating an account is easy! If you ever move and do not want any notifications, you have the ability to delete your account.

Go to the City of Oak Forest website at www.oak-forest.org and look for the Everbridge logo to create an account or click this link: Everbridge Registration.

You can even download the Everbridge app via Google Play on android devices or Apple app store on iPhones or iPads.

Enter a cell phone number for voice and text, landline phone number for voice, email address for notifications, as well as home address. Entering your home address helps the City of Oak Forest send messages to only certain areas of the town that a particular emergency is taking place.

Sign up today to help us better communicate with you.