Spring has arrived and that proved to be the perfect remedy for people of all ages who visited the 11th annual Hills Chamber Business and Community Expo on Saturday.
With temperatures nearing 70 degrees, shoppers were in abundance at the Expo that was held in the Conrady Junior High School gym in Hickory Hills.
“It has been going well,” said Phyllis Majka, the president of the Hills Chamber of Commerce. “It has been steady all day. I was just saying that for now it will be just one thing after another. We will be busy.”
Majka was referring to the annual Senior Resource Fair sponsored by the Chamber that will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 18, at the Hickory Hills Community Center, 7800 W. 89th Place. She also mentioned that the Hills Farmers Market will be held every Friday from June 5 through Aug. 28 (except for July 3) in the parking lot of the Hickory Hills Municipal Center, 8652 W. 95th St.
A wide assortment of agencies, businesses, and community organizations were on hand at the Expo. Agencies included the state treasurer’s office, the Illinois Tollway, and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The Hickory Hills and Palos Hills police departments were on hand distributing information to keep residents safe and reminded them to contact them if they see anything suspicious. The Roberts Park Fire Department and North Palos Fire Protection District were also present.
Representatives of St. Patricia Elementary School, 9000 S. 86th Ave., Hickory Hills, were talking to residents at the Expo. Dawn Dion, principal of St. Patricia, said that the school has been doing fine and currently has an enrollment of about 200 students.
“We have special scholarships that we can offer families who have children in the public schools but would like to attend St. Patricia,” Dion said. “We want to provide ways to make a Catholic education affordable for some families.”
She added that parents and adults who are interested in sending their children to St. Patricia can attend a tasting wine mixer evening to benefit the school. The event will be held from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the school. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets, which are $65, include wine, sangria, craft beer, food and a spirit tasting. Raffle prizes will also be given out. More information is available at the rectory or school office during business hours, or at www.stpatriciaschool.org/wine-mixer/.
Janet Gatz, who heads the adult services department at Green Hills Library, 10331 S. Interlochen, Drive, Palos Hills, said that there are a lot of programs offered at the facility along with some physical changes that have occurred this year. She mentioned that the second floor was closed for a couple of weeks for repairs. That section of the library reopened last week, Gatz said.
“We just put in some new carpeting and repairs have been made,” Gatz said about the renovation that included structural changes for better accessibility and space in the library.
Gatz said that many people have stopped by to ask about the library and the programs that are offered. She told them about the 24-hour kiosk located just outside the library entrance that patrons can choose from a large volume of books, movies, and digital options.
“We also just sent out surveys so that people can give us their input,” Gatz added.
Majka was encouraged at the amount of people who dropped by the Expo. She pointed out that the Expo was cancelled last winter due to inclement weather. Resuming the previous schedule that coincides with spring proved to be beneficial, Majka said.
“The weather is nice and everything is going well,” Majka added.
