From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Chicago balloon artist Smarty Pants will turn ordinary balloons into an assemblage of Marvel’s greatest hits—from a balloon replica of the legendary Infinity Gauntlet, to Star-Lord’s jetpack, to a full-sized Iron Man suit made entirely of balloons! (Supplied photos)
Fan Fest this weekend at Oak Lawn Public Library
Oak Lawn Public Library Director Carol Williams and staff member Jan Goetz work the welcome table where patrons can get checked in, sign up for the cosplay contest, and receive a gift while supplies last.
Celebrate pop culture and Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 6, at the Oak Lawn Public Library’s Fan Fest Vol. 7: Guardians of the Library. This free, all-ages event will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 9427 S. Raymond Ave.
To start the day, stop by the welcome table to get checked in, sign up for the cosplay competition, and receive a gift while supplies last. The exhibit hall featuring local artists, boutiques, writers and vendors opens at 9:30 a.m.
Local talent will lead panels and entertainment throughout the day. At 10 a.m., Dungeon Master Dave Hansen will guide attendees in Creating Characters for Dungeons and Dragons, and Geeks A Gogo will show young fans how to create their own foam masks, crowns and arm bracers during the Kids Cosplay Craft.
Performer Mikayla Wolford will instruct a K-Pop Dance Class for teens and adults at 10:30 a.m. K-Pop dance is an energetic activity, and attendees participate at their own risk.
The Orland Park Public Library, Palos Heights Public Library, Matteson Area Public Library District, Plainfield Area Public Library and White Oak Library District will join the Oak Lawn Public Library for the Library Fan Fest 101 panel at 11 a.m. These six area libraries will explain how to start a library “con” and offer inspiration for your next comic convention.
Balloon artist Smarty Pants will create superhero themed balloon sculptures to engage patrons of all ages at 11:30 a.m. Some lucky volunteers attending the library will even have an opportunity to become part of the show! Not all patrons will receive a balloon, but all will be entertained.
Join Geeks A Gogo at 12:30 p.m. for Getting Help on Your Cosplay: Library Edition, an educational panel on how you can utilize library resources, such as 3D printers and cutting machines, to create your cosplay.
Chicago K-Pop dance team Prism Kru, World Champions at the 2022 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival, will perform live at 1:30 p.m.
Learn the delicious and aesthetically pleasing Japanese art of boxed meals at 3:30 p.m. from The Obento Lady Sara Fujimura during Obento 101.
The exhibit hall will close at 4 p.m., but the festivities will continue at 6 p.m. with after-hours pop culture trivia at Cork & Bean, 4931 W. 95th St.
Explore more details, including prizes, crafts, cosplay competitions, a Marvel Snap tutorial, photo booth, scavenger hunt and the full schedule for this action-packed extravaganza at olpl.org/fanfest.
Local News
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good
Spread the love. By Rich Miller . Chicago-area news outlets have been so intent on amplifying every possible angle on the proposals for new publicly financed sports stadiums that they have sometimes missed the bigger picture. Senate President Don Harmon last week tried to make it simple for everyone what that bigger picture is. In…
Worth Library offers seeds for free
Spread the loveBy Kelly White A seed library collects and stores seeds and shares them with members of the community for free. Similar to a normal library, gardeners borrow seeds from the seed library at planting time. At the end of the growing seasons, they save seeds from the plants and return a portion of…
Paisans Pizza eyes May opening in Oak Lawn
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Paisans Pizzeria is a step closer to opening in Oak Lawn with the approval of a liquor license for the establishment that will be part of the Stony Creek Promenade. Plans for the restaurant were originally approved at an Oak Lawn Village Board meeting in March of 2022. Tom Phelan,…
Palos Park residents, mosque reps discuss noise issues at council meeting
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva What could have been an explosive situation was actually quite civil. Some Palos Park residents were angry about loud activity and behavior of some members of the Palos Islamic Center the past two years and sounded off at the April 8 village council meeting. Fresh on their minds was noise…
Comings & Goings: Obbie’s Pizza to stay ‘unique and delicious’
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac Archer Avenue’s long-time king of pizzerias will continue to rule. Same recipes at Obbie’s Pizza, 6654 W. Archer. Same pizza and ingredients. Same pasta, broasted chicken, shrimp, perch, Italian beef/sausage/meatball sandwiches, sides and pop. Same seasoned, Middleby Marshall pizza oven built in 1947—the type of pizza oven every restaurant owner…
Stickney Public Health confirms measles case in Bedford Park
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Stickney Public Health District has confirmed that a person with measles related to the ongoing situation in the City of Chicago was at the Walmart Supercenter at 7050 S. Cicero Ave. in Bedford Park on Friday, March 22, roughly between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. Anybody who…
La Grange cancels Endless Summerfest over higher costs
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch It turns out the summer is not endless, at least not in La Grange. Endless Summerfest, a three-day event held the first weekend in August at Gordon Park for many years, will not be held this year. The cancelation was announced Tuesday in a joint new release from the La…
Midlothian man arrested for Orland Park carjacking
Spread the loveFrom wire reports The Orland Park Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect in a vehicular hijacking that occurred on the evening of April 3. Shawn Flores, a 44-year-old Midlothian resident, faces charges following his apprehension on April 4. The incident began when a male victim was forcibly removed from his vehicle…
Blotter: Evergreen Park police issue scam alert
Spread the loveThe Evergreen Park Police Department is warning the public of an ongoing scam where a caller claims to be an Evergreen Park Police Officer, and instructs the individual to send money in order to avoid criminal charges. In some versions of this scam, the offenders tell individuals they missed a court date related…
Palos South eighth-grade girls volleyballers go undefeated
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Palos South’s eighth-grade girls’ volleyball team finished first in the Southwest Interscholastic Conference (SWIC) on March 9, completing an undefeated season with a record of 19-0. This is the fifth straight year that Coach Marty Duggan has led the Cardinals to a first-place finish in the tournament, which was held…
Neighbors
Capitol Briefs: Pritzker appoints first-ever Prisoner Review Board director; Chicago advances migrant funding
By JERRY NOWICKI & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of…
INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state
By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest, Investigate Midwest Originally published April 10, 2024 During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new — and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines. Instead,…
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…
Capitol Briefs: Bill creating new early childhood agency among 244 to advance
By ALEX ABBEDUTO HANNAH MEISEL & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to create a new state agency to oversee Illinois’ various early childhood programs moved forward on Friday after the state Senate’s unanimous approval. It was one of 244 bills that cleared the Senate this week. Early childhood…
Lawmakers, cannabis industry calls for ban on ‘delta-8’ and other psychoactive hemp products
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ largest cannabis business association is pushing to ban the sale of delta-8 THC, an increasingly popular psychoactive substance that’s popped up in corner stores across the country in recent years. New legislation filed in Springfield this week revives an ongoing debate over delta-8 and other…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…
Giannoulias calls for disclosure of lobbyist contracts
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For decades, lobbyists in the Illinois Statehouse have been required to report how much they spend wining, dining and entertaining lawmakers. Currently, though, there is no law requiring lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid by corporations, industry groups or other special interest organizations.. That…
Komatsu mining truck named 2024 ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A mining truck manufactured by Komatsu was crowned the winner of the 2024 “Makers Madness” contest, earning the title of “the coolest thing made in Illinois” at the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday. The truck was one of more than 200 entries in the 5th annual contest hosted…
Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …