Thousands of Elmwood Park residents once again packed into Central Park for the 41st annual Taste of Elmwood Park.

When you looked at Central Park on Saturday evening, you could barely find a patch of grass to sit down and enjoy the evening music. So many people were there for the R-Gang and to eat food from the local vendors.

I collected videos from performances by three of the bands that I expected to put on exceptional shows. These bands were also not a part of the lineup in 2024 or 2025.

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But first Seth Greenberg, the newsletter’s photographer for the summer, took these photos.

On Thursday, The PriSSillas kicked off the weekend’s lineup of music with a setlist that was filled with “classy rock” versions of several well-known tunes, including Blondie’s “Call Me,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” and Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On.”

But with the death of Bonnie Tyler on July 8, it was this all-female group’s medley—Tyler’s “It’s A Heartache” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”—that stuck with me.

As a fan of EZFM, which performed at 2024’s Taste, I was immediately interested in The Yacht Rock-ettes, and they put on a fantastic show on Friday.

Dina DiCostanzo and Keely Vasquez took turns on lead vocals. Here they are performing their version of the Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It To the Streets.”

With keyboardist Greg Woods taking a turn on lead vocals, they absolutely nailed this version of “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass.

Though all of those tunes made my smooth-sailing yacht rock voyage enjoyable, I was most impressed by their version of Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.” It is, as they said, yacht rock-adjacent. Still, with that tenor saxophone solo and the vocals from DiCostanzo and Vazquez, it was fabulous.

And then, on Saturday, the R-Gang returned to the Taste. This is a band with outstanding musicians—Robert Davis, Bill Syniar, Anthony Owens, Anthony Napolitano, Mike Delvalle, and Will Crosby.

The band opened with their versions of the O’Jays’ “I Love Music” and “Love Train.” By the time they performed their version of the Gap Band’s R&B and funk classic “Early In the Morning,” the area in front of the stage was filled with people dancing.

Crosby is clearly a versatile musician. He performed with Chicago blues legends like Otis Clay, Willie Clayton, and Mighty Joe Young, as well as with the Staple Singers. Which is why I really enjoyed their version of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.” It was one of several songs that showcased him.

I moved closer about halfway through the R-Gang’s set. Their version of Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” was another smokin’ demonstration of how this band can jam.

With the R-Gang’s night coming to an end, the band hit Elmwood Park with a bit of the Clarence Carter soul classic, “Strokin,” and Crosby stepped to the front of the stage for an absolutely killer guitar solo.

I look forward every year to the Chicagoland area cover bands that I will be introduced to thanks to the Taste of Elmwood Park. In fact, R-Gang is playing at the Taste of Melrose Park in September. I probably will see if some of my family want to go hear them lay down some funk.

But in my opinion the music lineup could feature more genres. I would like to see a group booked that performed reggaeton or any type of Latin music, given the significant Hispanic population in the village. A blues band should be part of the lineup every year, and I also think the planners should book an act that performs hip hop from the 1970s and 1980s.

I would like to see the village take a chance on a band or two that mostly performed their own original music. The planners do not need to solely rely on acts that typically perform covers at weddings or business retreats when there are so many bands from the area that could be booked.

The 41st annual Taste of Elmwood Park is here, and the summer festival has a full lineup of music for each day. Here’s your guide to the acts that will be on stage this year.

Thursday - 8/6

6 p.m - The PriSSillas 

The songs covered by this all-female cover band come from several genres, but no matter what they play, you can count on them to sound like “classy rock.” Some of the artists they cover are the Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Dolly Parton, and Harry Styles. They pride themselves on their energy, humor, and chemistry on stage, and it’s a safe bet that you’ll hear at least one of their signature “classy rock” medleys before their set ends.

8:30 p.m. - Icons Of Country

Playing at casinos, fairs, theaters, and private events, each member of the Icons of Country takes on the persona of a country music star. You can expect to see Chris as Luke Bryan, Erica as Miranda Lambert, and Cecil as Jason Aldean in this fine-tuned tribute show.

Friday - 8/7

4 p.m. - Full Volume

Those who love classic rock, like Cheap Trick, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and ZZ Top, will enjoy this straightforward crowd-pleasin’ hard-drivin’ cover band that performs songs from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.

5:45 p.m. - The Drawers

Maybe you saw former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich sing his rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” with the Drawers at last year’s Taste. That band is back to perform classic rock from the Beatles to Elton John to the Grateful Dead. If Elmwood Park is lucky, Blagojevich may appear with them again.

7:30 p.m. - Yacht Rock-ettes

Led by three female vocalists, Dina DiCostanzo, Keely Vasquez, April Nelson, this cover band performs smooth-sailing rock and roll. Escape from your sorrows, and take it easy as you set adrift to the sounds of Christopher Cross, Orleans, Player, Quarterflash, Toto, and of course, the Doobie Brothers. Because the sweet dulcet tones of Michael McDonald are essential to any yacht rock voyage.

9:30 p.m. - Hi Infidelity

What Hi Infidelity does particularly well is perform songs by Journey and Foreigner. They can play just about any hit from those two bands. Additionally, they are a polished ‘80s arena rock tribute band that regularly pops up at bars and festivals in the Chicagoland area, and the band caps off the first full day of music at the Taste.

Saturday - 8/8

1 p.m. - Triangle Park

Triangle Park was formed in 2019 by three longtime friends from Elmwood Park. It’s fronted by Steve Sprovieri, and they perform classic rock hits of the ‘60s and ‘70s with some smokin’ middle-aged dad band energy.

2:45 p.m. - Prairie Station

Performing a combination of classic and modern country hits, Prairie Station is a cover band that hails from the Chicago suburbs. They enjoy playing songs by Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Morgan Wallen, and other similar well-known musicians.

4 p.m. - One of the Boyzz

One of the Boyzz may be the only band with a member who produced music that is in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Vocalist Dan Buck led the Boyzz from Illinoizz in the late 1970s, and they opened for Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and REO Speedwagon. Their 1978 song “Too Wild To Tame” is in the museum’s collection. Buck still leads the “rock n’ soul band,” and their shows honor music legends while mixing in some original songs, too.

6:45 p.m. - R-Gang

The band, which performs classic soul, gospel, and R&B tunes from the 1960s and 1970s, was once a field band for the Chicago Bears. Lead vocalist Robert Davis auditioned to be the lead singer for Kool & the Gang and was a finalist. The entire group’s bios are impressive. Bassist Bill Syniar wrote music for the Doobie Brothers. Guitarist Will Crosby played with blues greats Otis Clay, Willie Clayton, and Eddy Clearwater, and he just toured with Mavis Staples. Come and enjoy some grooves.

9 p.m. - Wedding Banned

Hailing from Gas City, Indiana, this wedding band is filled with fun characters like Garri Manilow on lead vocals, Bruce Winche’ll, the American Thighs on bass guitar, Ted Spumonte, the Gooch on drums, and Dickie Rippers on lead guitar. They pride themselves on being a guilty pleasure at events.

Sunday - 8/9

12 p.m. - Sam Fazio Quintet

The Sam Fazio Quintet kicks off a final afternoon of music at the Taste with some jazz standards. Fazio is known for performing lounge versions of songs that people love.

2 p.m. - Ocean’s Rat Pack

Ocean’s Rat Pack is a premier tribute to the Rat Pack and has performed in venues throughout the country. Tony Ocean is Dean Martin, Elliot Wimbush is Sammy Davis Jr., and Bill Serritella is Frank Sinatra, and they’ll entertain any fan of the swingin’ standards of Sinatra, Martin, and Davis.

4 p.m. - Ginger Road

Ginger Road returns to the Taste, and this year it is no longer the only country music act on the schedule. The group sings contemporary country (Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton) along with more classic outlaw country (Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson).

6 p.m. - Sucker Punch

This female-fronted party band is based in the Chicagoland area and made up of four friends, who enjoy jamming together. They perform classic and contemporary pop/rock hits, like “I Love Rock N’ Roll” and “Uptown Funk.”

8 p.m. - Mike & Joe

If you like more contemporary rock, this is the cover band for you. Most of what they play tends to come from groups like Blink-182, Goo Goo Dolls, Jimmy Eat World, Mumford and Sons, Pearl Jam, and other artists known for hits that were released between the ‘90s and 2010s. And once again, Mike & Joe close out the Taste.

By The Elmwood Park Advocate

For standing up for “the public’s right to access library spaces free from retaliation,” the Illinois Library Association gave Elmwood Park Advocate editor Kevin Gosztola their annual intellectual freedom award.

The ILA’s intellectual freedom committee issued a press release [PDF] on July 29 that described why they had chosen Gosztola as a recipient of their intellectual freedom award. It recalled how he had used the Elmwood Park Public Library’s main meeting room “without incident to host ‘Community Conversations,’ nonpartisan gatherings on topics like traffic safety and support for senior residents.”

“As his reporting grew more pointed, the library’s posture toward his group shifted,” the committee added. Library Director Michael Consiglio “began enforcing meeting room rules unevenly” and later proposed “a $100-per-use fee aimed squarely at groups lacking 501(c)(3) status—a policy no other user of the room, including for-profit businesses, had ever faced.”

“A subsequent draft policy would have let the Director deny room access based on speech made outside the library altogether, a provision that drew immediate public objection. The Director also withheld a legal opinion whose existence he had already acknowledged.”

Yet as the committee applauded, “Gosztola met each escalation with documentation, not retreat: filing FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] requests, appealing to the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor, engaging ILA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee and the Citizens Advocacy Center, and continuing to hold Community Conversations throughout the dispute. His grassroots organizing drew residents to fill EPPL Board meetings in late 2025, opposing what many viewed as viewpoint discrimination against an independent local press outlet.”

“Thank you to the Illinois Library Association’s intellectual freedom committee for recognizing my effort to fight for freedom of expression and ‘the right to access library spaces free from retaliation,’” said Gosztola. “It was incredibly important to stand firm so that the library—and library board trustees—would not be emboldened in the future to support what I believe was an act of censorship.”

“I am relieved to share that since January the Elmwood Park Advocate has used the meeting room without worrying about potential interference. The meeting room policy was reformed so that only a $50 security deposit is required for reservations, and the library director recently referred to the newsletter as a ‘regular community partner’ in a monthly report to the library board.”

Gosztola dedicated this award to co-editor Sara Lindsay, newsletter contributors Ann Lindsay and Don Shanahan, and others in the community, who wrote to the library director and library trustees and spoke out at board meetings.

Separately, the committee recognized another Elmwood Park resident, Jack Bower, for his advocacy for government transparency.

Bower, who ran for a library board trustee position in 2025, recorded board meetings in 2023 and 2024 after the board initially refused to broadcast meetings. He uncovered the fact that the board had violated the Open Meetings Act in Illinois and shared his concerns with the state’s Attorney General, who confirmed that the board had violated the law on two separate occasions.

“Rather than address the underlying issues, the EPPL Director responded to Bower’s advocacy with a campaign of harassment—filing FOIA requests targeting Bower’s former employer, the Broadview Public Library, and appearing in person at Bower’s current workplace, the Rolling Meadows Library, in an apparent attempt at workplace intimidation. The harassment extended online, with hostile messages directed at Rolling Meadows Library’s social media accounts.”

“Bower did not back down, and his persistence brought public accountability to a library board that had, for years, operated with insufficient oversight,” the committee further stated.

“I’m grateful to the Illinois Library Association for this award. It recognizes that our public institutions must be accountable to their communities, and that accountability shouldn’t come at the cost of retaliation against residents who simply want the best out of their library,” Bower told the Elmwood Park Advocate. “Unfortunately, the intimidation and bullying in Elmwood Park continues and has expanded to other residents working to improve transparency.”

As the committee emphasized, neither Bower nor Gosztola “set out to become an activist. They simply insisted that public institutions follow public rules—and when those institutions responded with retaliation instead of reform, they kept showing up anyway.

“Their work has made the Elmwood Park Public Library, and libraries across Illinois, more accountable to the communities they serve.”

By Kevin Gosztola, Editor

Several Elmwood Park baseball and softball teams played in championship games to end the spring and summer season, and Elmwood Park Baseball and Softball is now wrapping up registration for youth, who would like to participate in the fall season.

The twelve-year-old softball team won the Franklin Park House Heroes Tournament. The same team also played in a championship game in Melrose Park and finished as a runner-up.

In the Lion’s Roar Tournament in Palatine, the nine-year-old baseball team walked away as champions. The eight-year-old baseball team finished as the runner-up in the Bensenville Slugfest Tournament.

The community baseball and softball league is known simply as Elmwood Park Baseball and Softball. You can spot teams as they practice on the fields at the elementary and middle schools, and the program is part of the Chicago Suburban Youth Baseball Association (CSYBA).

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Steve “Reno” Subach, who manages the program, was born and raised in Elmwood Park, and he played baseball when the village had a youth baseball league on the north side and south side. There were plenty of kids playing baseball, which meant teams did not have to travel around the suburbs for games.

“Nowadays with other things going on with kids, with electronics and what not, not a lot of kids play sports so a lot of these towns don’t have enough participants to run a full house league,” Subach said. So Elmwood Park joined the CSYBA, and the league makes a schedule for teams. They “play other neighboring towns that have teams but don’t have enough teams” for a “full schedule.”

The fall season is from around August 20 to mid-October. Elmwood Park teams typically play teams in towns like Bensenville, Franklin Park, North Lake, River Grove, and Schiller Park. Often teams have to travel for playoff games, but otherwise, games tend to be between surrounding communities.

Registration is open for T-ball and baseball and softball for ages six to 14 years old. It closes on Sunday, August 9.

Subach told the newsletter, “I don’t think a lot of kids even know we have registration. I get a lot of people coming up to us during practices, like oh, what is this like? I didn’t even know about this.” He plans to work this year with the Elmwood Park school district to put up flyers at schools. That way more youth, and their parents or guardians, are aware of the program.

The program, which residents can follow on Facebook, is funded through registration and sponsorships by community businesses. If a business sponsors a team at a certain level, then that business may put their name on the team’s shirts. Families of children on that team are also encouraged to patronize that business, especially if they are a local restaurant.

Program costs add up quickly. According to Subach, “any dollar that comes in goes right out for the season, with equipment and resources,” umpire fees, and fielding fees.

“For example, this spring we went through double the amount of quick-dry sand and stuff that we used for the field,” Subach mentioned. “It barely rained last spring, and this April we used an entire season and a half worth of quick-dry in about five or six days.”

Fundraisers, like selling popcorn or partnering with Culver’s, help the program pay expenses, too.

Subach has managed the baseball and softball program for two full seasons. Since he took over, he said that the number of kids participating has grown from around 225 to 350 last spring.

It used to be that only five or six year-olds played T-ball. Subach opened up the program so that children as young as three years old may register for a team. And then this fall, the program is expanding to include 16 year-olds.

Games are typically played when coaches and fields are available. That can make it difficult if a child on the team also has football or basketball practice. Plus, if there is rain, the games are rescheduled to days that may be used for baseball or softball practice.

The coaches are volunteers. “We do background checks,” Subach shared. Just about every coach has a child on the team that they are coaching.

During the last season, the biggest struggle was finding coaches to volunteer for the T-Ball and the six-year-old teams.

“I had a few coaches that I was like, hey, I know you’ve got a little bit of a sports background,” Subach commented. “I’m going to lean on you. I need someone from this team to coach. I need you to step up and a couple of them stepped up to coach, and then they came back and they were like, hey man, I really appreciate you pushing me to do that. I had a really great time. I learned a lot, and I want to do it again.”

Subach also recalled, “I played baseball, but I was never a coach.” But now, “I’ve got a good knack of how to get these kids motivated, how to get them going, where to teach them, how to teach them. You pick it up.”

“T-ball takes a village, we always say. So we try to get all the parents to roll up their sleeves and help out with the T-ball games. Because the more that help out, the better.”

“My older son is going into 10U, and my younger son is going into 8U now. So we’ve been a part of a couple of teams, where the more you’re involved and active with the team, the more it’s going to be enjoyable for everybody. That’s what I say to the parents,” Subach added.

While there are still spots on Elmwood Park baseball and softball teams, according to a July 30 update, those spots are “filling fast.”

By Don Shanahan, Resident Movie Critic

*Originally published at Every Movie Has a Lesson and formatted for this newsletter

Whether it is the unending expanse of sky, the unseen abyss of the ocean churning below it, or the bottomless moral pits of its key characters, there are layers upon layers of depth farther than any sight or measurement in Christopher Nolan’s grand and grievous take on “The Odyssey.” Leave it to one of this generation’s best filmmakers to accept the challenge with spectacular precision and the fearless temerity to make it his own.

As this keen school teacher can tell you, those who completed their homework back in school (and those who didn’t) know this historical 8th-century piece of Greek literary canon—selected by experts as the most enduring narrative in history—is a thick piece of material.

The core of it is the rigorous journey home of a victorious king, Odysseus of Ithaca (the headlining Matt Damon), that spans twenty years at sea against magical obstacles, while his wife, Penelope (Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), host and hold off a bevy of suitors who have come to marry the queen and claim the throne in the absence of the lost monarch. If you know that much, Nolan’s raging whirlpools will take you from there.

Now, how deep one ventures into “The Odyssey” is an artistic choice, especially in trying to fit something as massive as Homer’s tale into a feature-length film. After all (and said more sternly by other people in other places), “The Odyssey” is a myth curving the mirror of ancient history with characters, gods, and events that never existed. That means “faithfulness” to something fantastical that would take over 12 hours to read aloud, let alone act, is flatly impossible.

Utilizing his trademark penchant for nonlinear storytelling, Nolan, who penned his own solo screenplay, chooses his specific paths to emphasize and explore while streamlining and altogether circumventing and reducing others. His script scalpel is a chilling and shrewd one that may upset the so-called purists (or diehard fans of Armand Assante) looking for wondrous magic and overflowing romance. Those have never been Nolan’s strengths, nor need they be for this material.

For much of “The Odyssey,” Nolan uses the paradisal setting of the years Odysseus spends on a serene island paradise with the nymph Calypso (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) as a framing device for a now gray-bearded man remembering where he came from and where he meant to go. Being weaned off Calypso’s mind-altering lotus flower control and discovering scraps of wood remnants of his vessel, Odysseus recounts his tale in increasingly lucid fragments—his invasion heroics in Troy to the many monsters and crew casualties he suffered along the way.

From a pacing standpoint, the director’s Chutes-and-Ladders work to launch the film’s inertia out of these chosen roots leans brilliantly into the enveloping immersion of the film’s sizable set pieces. At any flickering turn of memory, sources of menace can arrive and overwhelm the moment and observing senses, sometimes with a promise to roar back again at a different angle or perspective.

The two-pronged saga of “The Odyssey,” encompassing the hero’s trials and tribulations abroad and the stalwart efforts of tested decorum and strained patience at home against the nefarious Antinous (Robert Pattinson, perfectly cast as a heel) and his vile peers, requires a hearty reservoir of energy and stamina.

Occupying roles of hefty drama, the principal leads stiffen their theatrical muscles impressively. As intended, a physical Damon we haven’t seen in a decade since the end of his Jason Bourne days is utterly unleashed as a brawny sight to behold, while still displaying the stoic solemnity fitting the character and his own years. In what can normally be reduced to the “waiting and worrying wife at home” role, Hathaway squeezes every ounce of equanimity out of the Penelope part.

Likewise, so many supporting roles—from Elliot Page’s Sinon and Jon Berthal’s Menelaus to Samantha Morton as the witch Circe, Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, and others—have the capacity to shift from sage and demure to a ferociousness that increases the inescapable tension transpiring.

This notion of stamina extends the depth of the filmmaking as well. It’s no secret at this point that Nolan sought inventive practicality, and the successful execution of those goals shines in the dynamic costume choices, daring stunt work and on-location shooting across multiple continents, dexterously veiled old-school special effects techniques, and the towering production design work.

Three-time Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson composes an ethereal score utilizing experimental instruments without a traditional brassy sword-and-sandal orchestra, giving moody ambiance to a maelstrom of sound mixing. Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” cinematographer Hoyte van Hotema, in his fifth collaboration with Christopher Nolan, shot the entirety of “The Odyssey” with 70mm IMAX cameras, capturing immense detail and scope that demands the big-screen commitment cinephiles are clamoring for.

All of that obvious and appreciated prowess aside, “The Odyssey” is not, as aforementioned, “the most enduring narrative” in literary history if it cannot move the viewer beyond the fabled extravaganza. To do that, it takes delving into its ponderous themes and the text’s catalog of hubris-centered character flaws.

Next to the strong bond created by Damon and Hathaway, two key supporting characters with very different arcs—Zendaya’s empyrean Athena and John Leguizamo as the senior servant Eumaeus—form a through-line and bring surplus profundity to explore the righteous precepts of war, sacrifice, peril, punishment, and loyalty. Each is worthy of essays and editorials of elaboration and examination, occurring during this laborious ordeal.

When the promised corrections and comeuppance arrive, and all the layers are unfolded, “The Odyssey” swells to create a mighty finale of powerful emotional resolve, proving all of the effort put into the internal and external components of this entire cinematic experience had what it takes to reach so much of all that possible depth.

Don Shanahan is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic and the editor-in-chief of Film Obsessive and Every Movie Has a Lesson. In addition to Chicago Indie Critics, he is part of the internationally recognized Critics Choice Association. He also owns and operates the Free Blockbuster box on the 2600 block of 75th Court, where those passing by may “take a movie/leave a movie” in the spirit of sharing a little art and culture with the community.

By Kevin Gosztola, Editor

In the months leading up to the deployment of ICE and other federal agents in the Chicagoland area, the United States Border Patrol searched data collected by Elmwood Park’s network of license plate reader cameras thousands of times.

Additionally, officers from several police departments, primarily in southern states, conducted searches on behalf of ICE that included data from the Elmwood Park license plate reader cameras.

On September 6, 2025, federal agents arrived in the Chicagoland area as part of Operation Midway Blitz. Nearly 3,800 immigrants, according to Injustice Watch, were detained during the campaign.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias oversaw an audit in June and then ordered Flock to shut off Border Patrol access to all license plate reader cameras in Illinois. Giannoulias said the searches violated a state law that was passed two years ago, which was intended to prevent police agencies outside of Illinois from accessing data related to immigration and reproductive health care.

By August, Flock revoked the Border Patrol’s access to nationwide license plate reader data.

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More than 5,000 police agencies in the country have agreements with Flock. The company operated pilot programs with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations until the company faced a backlash.

The Elmwood Park Advocate obtained Flock network audit logs through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that showed searches of license plate reader data by users outside of the Elmwood Park Police Department.

Border Patrol searched Elmwood Park license plate reader data 698 times in June 2025. By July 2025, that number more than doubled to 1516 searches, and in August 2025, the Border Patrol searched the data 862 times.

Additionally, audit logs showed that police departments in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia conducted searches for ICE. Search results included data from Elmwood Park.

The reason for these searches was noted: ICE, “ICE Operation,” “ICE pick up,” “ICE Investigation,” “ice support,” “ice warrant,” “FUGOPS” [fugitive operations], “Ice Breaker,” or “ICE STORM.”

Several of the entries listed “ERO” as a reason, which stands for enforcement and removal operation.

The Elmwood Park Advocate asked Elmwood Park Police Chief Andrew Hock about the searches. He said the police department has control over “which agencies can access data.”

Hock added, “The Elmwood Park Police Department does not share its license plate reader data with Federal Agencies, including Border Patrol.” [Hock underlined not.] He mentioned that the police take their “obligations under the TRUST Act seriously.”

The TRUST Act generally prohibits police in Illinois from participating in federal immigration enforcement, especially by detaining someone at the request of ICE. But from May to August, Flock allowed the Border Patrol to search data collected by the cameras.

Elmwood Park has 11 license plate reader cameras that are linked into the Flock platform:

• Two at Harlem Avenue and Grand Avenue.

• Two at Harlem Avenue and North Avenue.

• One camera at North Avenue and 75th Avenue

• One camera at North Avenue and 76th Avenue

• Five cameras at various intersections on Harlem Avenue

According to a Flock order form from June 2023, the village uses their own cameras. An email from a “regional success manager” sent on July 8, 2025, indicates that the village spends about $13,740 annually.

Giannoulias’ office found that “Flock did not have proper safeguards in place for data sharing, which was compounded by the fact that the company was running a pilot program with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which Flock leadership was unaware of,” according to a press release from August 25, 2025. “This was uncovered as part of the Secretary of State’s audit.”

Hock asserted that Elmwood Park “limits data sharing to Illinois Law Enforcement agencies only.” [Hock underlined “Illinois Law Enforcement agencies only.”] However, logs of searches by out-of-state police agencies conflict with this statement.

The Elmwood Park Advocate showed Hock the searches out-of-state police, but Hock did not provide further comment.

All of the searches were possible as a result of Flock’s pilot program. As 404 Media reported in August 2025, “Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regularly searched more than 80,000 Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras” in the country.

Essentially, the pilot programs enabled ICE and Border Patrol to access data on potential targets for deportation without having to secure a search warrant.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley admitted in a press statement on August 25, 2025, that the company had not created “distinct permissions and protocols in the Flock system to ensure local compliance [with the law] for federal agency users.”

Going forward, Langley added, “All federal customers [would] be designated within Flock as a distinct ‘Federal’ user category in the system. This distinction [would] give local agencies better information to determine their sharing settings.”

Flock’s master services agreement with the village, which was signed on January 26, 2022, says that the company “shall not sell Agency Data or Aggregated Data.” But the DHS pilots apparently involved no written contracts, and that allowed Flock to take advantage of a loophole in many of its agreements with governments.

Police in Mount Prospect, Illinois, sparked an investigation into license plate reader use after they shared information with Texas police, who were searching for a woman who sought reproductive health care services. Mount Prospect license plate reader data had also been searched hundreds of times for immigration purposes.

In a statement post on June 12, 2025, the Mount Prospect Police Department addressed the misuse of license plate reader data. The department mentioned that data had been “accessed through the Flock Safety ‘National Lookup’ feature by other law enforcement agencies for purposes of immigration enforcement.

“The use of ALPR data collected by Mount Prospect Flock Safety cameras for this purpose does not align with the Mount Prospect Police Department’s values and is a clear violation of Illinois state law,” the police department added.

Hock was asked by the Elmwood Park Advocate if the Elmwood Park Police Department had opted into the “National Lookup” feature, since that is most likely how agencies throughout the U.S. would gain access to the data. But Hock declined to answer this question.

Additionally, it is unclear if village police took any steps to identify whether Elmwood Park license plate reader data had been misused by any agencies.

On May 6, 2025, a group of researchers obtained network audit logs from Danville, Illinois, through a FOIA request. The data was similar to the logs that the Elmwood Park Advocate obtained in January and April. (Danville is a town of around 29,000 people in the east central part of Illinois near the Indiana state line.)

404 Media reported on the logs, which showed “more than 4,000 nation and statewide lookups by local and state police done either at the behest of the federal government or as an ‘informal’ favor to federal law enforcement, or with a potential immigration focus.” But sometimes the searches were “informal,” and multiple police departments in Illinois apparently claimed that one or more searches were incorrectly labeled as being for an “immigration” reason.

“The fact that police almost never get a warrant to perform a Flock search means that there is not as much oversight into its use, which leads to local police either formally or informally helping the feds by doing lookups,” 404 Media noted.

Numerous Illinois towns took up the issue of license plate reader cameras after the secretary of state took action. Last August, Evanston announced that it was deactivating its license plate reader camera network and terminating their agreement with Flock.

“The findings of the Illinois Secretary of State’s audit, combined with Flock’s admission that it failed to establish distinct permissions and protocols to ensure local compliance while running a pilot program with federal users, are deeply troubling,” the city of Evanston declared.

Oak Park took similar action, and according to the Wednesday Journal, the village’s board of trustees opted to cancel the contract rather than only shut off the cameras for 90 days.

The trustees in Oak Park who voted to terminate business with Flock did so because of “concerns over privacy, distrust of the Flock corporation and the potential for the cameras to be used for immigration enforcement in violation of both state law and village sanctuary ordinances.” 

Oak Park Trustee Jenna Leving Jacobson was worried that Flock would keep using Oak Park residents’ data “to build their databases, to train their AI” if they did not cancel the contract. “We can’t protect the data that’s being collected in our community from being used to harm innocent people, and we’re challenged to protect those people.”

While Arlington Heights renewed its contract with Flock in March, the town became the first in Illinois to establish fines for “unauthorized sharing” of data.

ICE operations in the Chicagoland area dropped significantly toward the end of 2025. But since June of this year, there has been an uptick in reports of people being detained by federal agents.

*For documents and further background on this reporting from the Elmwood Park Advocate, go here.

The Elmwood Park Advocate asked the Village of Elmwood Park for Flock network camera data back in December to confirm whether Elmwood Park was one of many cities that had their data searched by the Border Patrol in violation of Illinois state law.

Initially, Village Clerk Gina Pesko denied the newsletter’s Freedom of Information Act request. After the newsletter asked the Illinois Attorney General’s Office of the Public Access Counselor to review the denial, the village backtracked and provided the records.

Another request for network audit logs was submitted in April, along with requests for related information about the Flock network in Elmwood Park. This time the village diligently provided the information.

Network audit logs contained hundreds of thousands of searches, and only a small portion of the searches were relevant to the subject of this report. Plus, the files were rather large and took a long time to open. The Elmwood Park Advocate created new spreadsheets with relevant data that we are sharing.*

The Elmwood Park Advocate first sought comment from Elmwood Park Police Chief Andrew Hock in April. When a statement that he made did not align with the data that the newsletter obtained, Hock was given more than one opportunity and multiple months to clarify the statement. He chose not to respond to any further questions after initially engaging with the newsletter.

Below is information obtained from the Village of Elmwood Park, along with a copy of emails that were exchanged and sent to the police chief.

US Border Patrol Searches Of Elmwood Park License Plate Reader Data - June 2025

US Border Patrol Searches Of Elmwood Park License Plate Reader Data - July 2025 [Part 1 | Part 2]

US Border Patrol Searches Of Elmwood Park License Plate Reader Data - August 2025 [Part 1 | Part 2]

Police Searches Of Elmwood Park License Plate Reader Data For ICE - February 2025

Police Searches Of Elmwood Park License Plate Reader Data For ICE - March 2025

Police Searches Of Elmwood Park License Plate Reader Data For ICE - April 2025

Police Searches Of Elmwood Park License Plate Reader Data For ICE - June 2025

Police Searches Of Elmwood Park License Plate Reader Data For ICE - July 2025

Email Exchange With Elmwood Park Police Chief On US Border Patrol Searching LPR Data [File]

Elmwood Park Master Services Agreement For Elmwood Park [File]

Elmwood Park Data Sharing Policy [File]

Our presence also showed that we do not just write and report on the village. We are part of the community, too.

Co-editors Sara Lindsay and Kevin Gosztola walked the route and interacted with numerous residents, who had never heard of the Elmwood Park Advocate. They also encountered a diverse range of residents, who had at some point read an article or seen a posting. Which is amazing given that the newsletter has only existed for a little more than a year.

Kevin’s family was in a bright blue convertible with white banners that had the newsletter’s name. His toddler enjoyed waving and saying “hi to all the people.”

If you would like to pledge a subscription or make a donation so that we can keep growing and maintain this newsletter, we would appreciate it. And if you ever have a story about life in the village or something important that you’re doing in this community, we encourage you to email newsletter@elmwoodparkadvocate.org and share it with us.

Now, here are several photographs that Seth Greenberg took of the Fourth of July parade.

Editor’s Note: The following is a collection of photographs that were taken by Seth Greenberg for the story on Nick Wallace’s backyard native plant nursery, Pocket Prairie Natives.

Seth is a college student and photographer, who lives in Elmwood Park. The Elmwood Park Advocate hired Seth for the summer, and he has helped us improve the quality of images that we feature in our articles and on our Facebook page.

Purple Coneflower

Wild Strawberries

Black-eyed Susan

Milkweed

False Sunflower

Blue Vervain

By Sara Lindsay, Deputy Editor

Walk past Nick Wallace’s front yard and you might notice something different. While many suburban yards are dominated by neatly trimmed turf grass, Wallace has transformed much of his landscape into a thriving ecosystem. Native wildflowers bloom throughout the growing season, butterflies drift between blossoms and bees hum overhead. Every plant has a purpose.

Wallace is the founder of Pocket Prairie Natives, a backyard native plant nursery in Elmwood Park dedicated to helping residents replace small pieces of traditional landscaping with plants that have naturally evolved in the Midwest.

His goal is to make native gardening simple for everyone. As Wallace says, “You don’t have to rip out your entire lawn. Even if it’s one plant or if it’s 500 plants, as long as you are actually planting native plants, you are helping.”

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Wallace grows dozens of native species, including familiar wildflowers such as purple coneflower, butterfly milkweed, black-eyed Susan, wild bergamot and smooth blue aster, as well as native prairie grasses like little bluestem, big bluestem and Indian grass. He also grows native trees including Eastern redbud, honey locust, and black cherry.

“People tend to have this idea that native plants are going to look weedy or aren’t as pretty,” Wallace said. “That’s just simply not the case.”

A traditional turf lawn is kept closely mowed and often maintained with fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. It offers relatively little habitat for insects and other wildlife. That’s why Wallace describes it as “a biological desert.”

Native gardens, however, support pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects while requiring less watering and maintenance once established. It rebuilds a habitat that has largely disappeared across Illinois.

“Did you know less than one percent of Illinois’ original prairie remains?” he said, noting that native ecosystems have steadily disappeared over the past two centuries as land was developed and converted for agriculture and neighborhoods.

That loss, Wallace contends, has consequences far beyond the plants themselves. Without native plants, many insects lose the habitat and food sources they need to survive—creating ripple effects throughout the ecosystem.

Native plants support insects that have evolved alongside them for thousands of years, and those insects in turn feed birds and other wildlife. Milkweed, for example, is the only plant monarch butterflies use to lay their eggs, making it essential to their life cycle.

“A bird doesn’t go to a bird feeder and come back and feed its babies seed,” Wallace explains. “It only feeds its babies insects.”

He describes native plants as “living infrastructure.” Unlike many ornamental plants commonly sold at big box stores, native plants provide food and habitat throughout the food web while often requiring less maintenance once established.

In addition to supporting wildlife, native plants can help absorb stormwater, reduce erosion, cool neighborhoods during hot weather, and generally require less watering because they evolved in the Midwest’s climate.

For homeowners interested in getting started, Wallace recommends beginning with observation rather than shopping. “I would start with assessing the site,” he suggests. “How much sun does it get? Is the soil wet or dry? What’s already growing there?”

Homeowners may then research which native species match those conditions. According to Wallace, there are several free online resources that may help people identify plants native to their county or zip code, and he encourages people to not feel overwhelmed.

Native gardening does not necessarily mean replacing an entire yard. A single flower bed, a corner of the landscape, or even containers planted with native species may provide benefits for pollinators and birds.

Most importantly, Wallace hopes native gardening encourages people to see their neighborhoods differently.

“Part of the reason planting native is great is because you’re actually learning about the landscape you inhabit,” he adds. “Learn what inhabits the world around you.”

Through Pocket Prairie Natives, Wallace hopes to make that first step easier by growing native plants locally and sharing what he has learned with others interested in creating healthier, more resilient landscapes.

You can find Nick Wallace and Pocket Prairie Natives on Facebook.

By Kevin Gosztola, Editor

On June 20, the Elmwood Park Advocate held its fourth “Community Conversation” of 2026. We were up against a beautiful sunny day, and there was less of a turnout. But since everyone in the room had regularly attended our conversations, the newsletter was able to have a more open and honest discussion.

We held our first Community Conversation a year ago, and it focused on the lack of local journalism in Elmwood Park. At the time, the Elmwood Park Advocate was just an idea. The conversation was our way of seeing if residents would show any interest in a newsletter.

This conversation was an opportunity to collect positive and negative feedback on the role of the newsletter so far. We also asked those in the room what they would like to see published in the coming year.

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One of the first comments involved being afraid to speak openly. The person said they had sometimes wondered what was acceptable to say at our conversations, and how political they should be. In their view, if a person has the facts to back up their opinion, they should be able to express that opinion.

A longtime resident said they were drawn to the Elmwood Park Advocate because it was focused on opening up a broader conversation about journalism and how more residents in the community could have a voice in important matters. They personally do not spend a lot of time on Facebook, and they saw the potential for the newsletter to do positive information sharing. It could share details about events that were happening or offer lists of garage sales that are happening on garage sale weekends.

“I like the mix of what you’ve done,” another resident said, including the history of the bungalow homes and the way that the newsletter could highlight what has changed in the village. As a 13-year resident, they mentioned that the newsletter could constructively challenge some of the popular stereotypes of the village—along with sharing upcoming library programs or village events.

There are several Facebook community groups, which have a way of dividing residents, one resident argued. Several of them are known to censor posts from residents. Or they are filled with advertisements for people promoting their businesses. To them, the value of the Elmwood Park Advocate has been that it makes local news accessible to all people. They liked the articles that have been provocative or directly confronted elected representatives and local officials.

As the conversation progressed, a few people in the room addressed the supposedly controversial nature of some of the newsletter’s reporting and writing. What one person liked was that opinion posts are clearly labeled as editorials. But then there are articles that are researched and based entirely in fact, and what they have noticed is if it does not match a person’s worldview then that person might dismiss it as a bunch of complaining.

We all look at things from our biased viewpoints, one resident said. Is it political simply to cover the day-to-day actions of a political body in the village?

Yet another resident recognized that the Elmwood Park Advocate makes it possible for the community to pay closer attention to certain issues.

During the last part of the conversation, several suggestions were offered. The first suggestion was that the newsletter put together posts with bullet points on village developments for those who maybe do not want to read the lengthier articles.

Other suggestions included audio versions of articles as well as translations for residents who speak Spanish, Polish, Ukrainian, and other languages.

Looking ahead, the Elmwood Park Advocate will be participating in the village’s 4th of July parade.

This is a not-for-profit newsletter and should be allowed to participate without paying $100. But since some village officials have had trouble accepting the fact that we should not be treated as a commercial organization, we paid the entry fee.

The Elmwood Park Advocate hired Seth Greenberg, a photographer, college student, and village resident, to take photos for us while he is home for the summer. But it costs money to pay him for his work, and in the next month or two, the newsletter will take a step toward becoming a reader-supported newsletter by enabling paid subscriptions.

We will be back with our next Community Conversation in September. Our focus will be the school district. In the meantime, enjoy your summer.

A study from Rebuild Local News found that the lack of journalism in communities results in increased costs “in the form of higher taxes or cuts in services.”

“Local governments borrow money through the municipal bond market to finance crucial infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, highways, and water systems,” according to Matthew Baker and Dermot Murphy who authored the study. But they are “more likely to engage in wasteful spending in ‘news deserts’ which have zero newspaper outlets.”

This results in municipal bond lenders asking for “higher interest rates as compensation for the risk of lending to an unmonitored local government that engages in wasteful spending.”

“In the United States, 21.2% of the population lives in a news desert; within these news deserts, the total incremental borrowing cost is $1.1 billion per year, and the associated per household cost burden is $38 per year,” according to the study.

The Village of Elmwood Park had a newspaper called the Elm Leaves, which was founded in 1913. Residents can still subscribe to the Elm Leaves. It is on the newspaper rack at the library, and village officials use it to circulate public notices for hearings, bids for contracts, and the disposal of records, etc, that are required by law. But the newspaper no longer employs reporters dedicated to regularly writing and reporting on Elmwood Park.

Editions of the Elm Leaves tend to cover several suburban Chicago communities, like Elmhurst, La Grange, Naperville, and Oak Park. Specific coverage of Elmwood Park rarely appears in the newspaper, which means that in many respects Elmwood Park is largely a news desert.

Also, the study confirmed that neighboring local governments with “robust news coverage do not see any increase in municipal borrowing costs.”

We do not know if Elmwood Park’s borrowing costs are substantially higher than, for example, Oak Park or River Forest which benefits from the Wednesday Journal.

The Elmwood Park Advocate, which started a little more than year ago, has tried to make up for the lack of local journalism, and several articles have called attention to questionable spending decisions.

We intend to do more accountability journalism that can benefit residents. Yet as a volunteer organization with no budget, there is only so much that the newsletter can do. It will be a while before it grows enough to fill the void.

Fortunately, we have seen remarkable engagement and interest from residents who recognize the value of community news.

On Saturday, June 20, at 3 pm, we invite residents to join us at the Elmwood Park Public Library in the Ferrentino Room.

We will celebrate our first year, offer feedback on our reporting and writing, and discuss the role that the Elmwood Park Advocate should play in the community. (RSVP here.)

More details on this event can be found here.

It was one year ago that the Elmwood Park Advocate started holding “Community Conversations” at the library.

On Saturday, June 20, at 3 pm, we invite residents to join us, celebrate our first year, and offer feedback on our reporting, writing, and community engagement. (RSVP here.)

The very first “Community Conversation” was focused on how Elmwood Park residents stay informed about developments in the village and the lack of local journalism. This was our way of seeing whether you all would take an interest in this newsletter and support our work.

Consistently, twenty or more people attended the conversations we held at the library on traffic safety, ICE operations and the village’s response, making the village more capable of withstanding extreme weather, and how Elmwood Park has changed over the past decades.

We kicked off this year’s series by focusing on parks and open spaces in the village. Our conversation in May was about the library’s decision to reduce its normal hours of operation.

You all have made what we do a tremendous success, and in order to go forward, it is the Elmwood Park Advocate’s responsibility to ask you what you’d like from us. You do the talking. We’ll listen.

How can we continue to build this newsletter so that it benefits you and strengthens this community? What does journalism mean to you?

We will have cake and refreshments in the Ferrentino Room of the library. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors, and we’ll see you at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 20.

*Note: The Elmwood Park Public Library has permitted resident-led groups to use meeting spaces as a community service. The Library neither sponsors nor endorses this event, the speaker(s), or the organization

Hello,

Thank you for your engagement and interest in our reporting on the Elmwood Park Public Library’s cuts to evening hours.

New library hours went into effect on June 1. The library now closes at 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 6 p.m. on Friday.

The library conducted a survey during "Trivia Night" on April 30. The survey asked 24 attendees about the library's plans to cut evening hours. But the survey was never shared more widely. The library board voted to eliminate hours without additional feedback from residents or library visitors.

Considering the likelihood that the library will use the initial cuts to justify further cuts to hours in the evenings (and possibly mornings), the Elmwood Park Advocate is circulating a version of the library's survey—go here.

Typos in the original survey were removed, and some of the available choices were made more clear. The questions were also updated to reflect the change to hours that just went into effect.

Whether you are for or against the cuts, please take a moment to share your perspective with us. We’ll pass along your responses to the library, and we’ll also use what you share to ensure that our publication remains focused on what matters most to residents when it comes to the library.

Fill out the survey here.

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By Kevin Gosztola, Editor

On May 30, the Elmwood Park Advocate held its third “Community Conversation” of 2026. It was admittedly not the best time to hold a gathering. Everyone agreed that there were fewer people due to graduation parties and the beginning of summer break.

Still, 12 people showed up to discuss the Elmwood Park Public Library and the cuts to evening hours that go into effect on June 1.

Although the meeting was not organized by the library, it was the first public opportunity in the library for residents seeking to learn about the changes to hours and share their perspectives.

The discussion began with residents describing what the library means to them. Also, since we were at a library, everyone shared what they were reading now.

One resident spoke about how their kids like to do the scavenger hunts. Often, they stay late at the library and staff has to shoo them out. Another person, who is a second generation Elmwood Park, shared how he recently watched an immigrant mother stand in the library with their child as staff helped her make copies. It reminded him of a similar experience with his Irish mother decades ago.

“I love this library so much,” a working mom shared. While growing up, she recalled coming to the library to escape the heat. The library is a “haven for people whose AC doesn’t work so well.” She praised the selection of children’s books at the library.

A retired 25-year resident said it can be difficult to find newer books at the library. Sometimes he’ll just buy the book instead of waiting. Later, another resident said they are usually successful in making requests for books. They have fond memories of coming to the library with their niece, who really enjoyed the clubs and movie events.

One working mom mentioned that she often uses the library for business, and even the rooms are useful for arranging meetings. Yet another retired resident admitted that they have not used the library that much lately. They wondered if the library has a book club or a series of events on Elmwood Park history. (When informed that there are history events, they said that the website is not that easy to navigate.)

The discussion veered into a serious consideration of the problems facing the library and whether anyone is concerned about the amount of tax dollars that goes into the library. No person had a particularly strong attitude about library funding.

Library Trustee Mike Monahan was in attendance. He was the only trustee who voted against cutting library evening hours. After introducing himself, Mike clarified some information and answered a few questions. He said about $200 in tax money goes into the library from each resident.

The retired 25-year resident said he believed that a library should purchase books that are representative of broad range of subjects. They specifically emphasized the value of physical books, rather than electronic books.

Another working mom suggested that the library do a better job of making documents that show what they spend available to the public. They also were concerned about when the library board has scheduled its board meetings and committee meetings. It is difficult for working people to attend.

Baker & Taylor, a major book distributor for libraries, declared bankruptcy after a failed buyout and abruptly shut down in 2025. Mike provided a little background on how this affected the library. It somewhat explained why the library stopped purchasing books and other materials last year.

Though as I emphasized, Cook County’s property tax distribution delays presented cash flow problems that became a severe challenge for the library. I do not believe that the library has been particularly clear or consistent with residents about the fact that this meant the library was not buying books, audiobooks, DVDs, or video games, even though there were funds available in the budget. They held on to the funds after taking out a loan to help the library get through the fiscal year.

More questions were raised about library spending, since hours are being cut in the evening. The second working mom in attendance wanted an explanation for why the library spent so much money on lawyers at Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins.

Did the library look at how many people are here during each hour of the day when determining whether to make cuts to hours? The answer is yes, based upon patron interactions. But several agreed that it did not make a lot of sense to vote on reducing hours—and then put in a people counter after the vote.

After I outlined the amount of money that was not spent on books and other materials last year, the question was posed: Will this affect library funds? As in, will the amount of funds available for books go down because the library did not use the funds last year?

The residents in the room represented a decent cross-section of Elmwood Park. They were retirees and parents with demanding work schedules. The majority could see the benefit to expanding library hours on Saturdays and Sundays.

We closed with some final thoughts about whether there will be more cuts in the future. Because the logic behind cutting the 8-9 p.m. hour on weekdays also could be used by the library director and library board to justify closing at 7 p.m. or 6 p.m. on certain days.

The working mom said the library is a public good. Copies of books and information need to be readily available, especially in the age of AI where major tech companies are trying to privatize knowledge and force people to pay fees if they wish to obtain access.

Yet another person agreed. “The library is a public resource and should be optimized for the public. My taxes rise each year, but the library is providing less.” And, “It’s unclear how the saved funds will be redistributed,” referring to money saved by cutting hours.

The second working mom said the library should have held public meetings (perhaps, like this community conversation) at varying times and on different days to collect input from as many taxpaying residents as possible prior to cutting library hours.

The Elmwood Park Advocate made a copy of the survey that the library handed out to 24 participants at a “Trivia Night.” It was shared with attendees, and in the coming days, the Elmwood Park Advocate will invite readers and Facebook page followers to fill out this survey. That way we can spread more information about what residents think about evening hours at the library.

Finally, the newsletter will hold its next “Community Conversation” on Saturday, June 20. We’ll share an announcement soon.

By Don Shanahan, Resident Movie Critic

Here in Elmwood Park, many schools—public and private—are ending their school years in the next two weeks. That begins summer break, which is often a season of freedom and relaxation for families and teachers alike.

Speaking as the resident film critic, the summer months tend to bring the fun stuff to the movie theater. But we know how expensive those trips have become. Fortunately, for families worried about spending too much at the movies, several local groups and theater chains offer excellent deals to see kid-friendly movies (all rated G or PG).

Let’s take a look at the schedules and slates of what is available in and around Elmwood Park.

‘MOVIES IN THE PARK’

We’ll start with the closest event. The Village of Elmwood Park and the Elmwood Park Library are sponsoring two movie events at Central Park (75th Avenue and Fullerton). The first is the hilarious animated hit, “Dog Man,” on June 25. It will be followed by 2025’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” on July 16.

Both events start at dusk, and you can’t beat the price of FREE. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, and your own snacks and refreshments!

CINEMARK’S ‘SUMMER MOVIE CLUBHOUSE’

The next nearest venue is the Cinemark theater in Melrose Park. The theater chain runs the “Summer Movie Clubhouse” series from June 1 to August 6. The movies are at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, with additional screenings throughout the week for the affordable ticket price of $1.75 per person. Cinemark also offers $1-off deals on snack packs and combos.

Here is the lineup of movies coming to the Melrose Park Cinemark:

June 1-4: “Paddington”

June 8-12: “Sonic the Hedgehog”

June 15-18: “KPop Demon Hunters Sing-a-Long”

June 22-25: “Shrek Forever After”

June 29-July 2: “The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants”

July 6-9: “A Minecraft Movie”

July 13-16: “Dog Man”

July 20-23: “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025)

July 27-30: “The Bad Guys 2”

August 3-6: “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie”

AMC’s ‘SUMMER MOVIE CAMP’

The AMC “Summer Movie Camp” plays family films every Monday and Wednesday from June 22 to August 12. Their ticket price sits at $3.00. AMC locations within a short commuting range of Elmwood Park are the Norridge, Galewood Crossing, and Rosemont theaters.

H”ere is the lineup of movies coming to AMC:

June 22 and 24: “Paddington in Peru”

June 29 and July 1: “David”

July 6 and 8: “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025)

July 13 and 15: “The Lego Movie”

July 20 and 22: “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”

July 27 and 29: “The Bad Guys 2”

August 3 and 5: “The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants”

August 10 and 12: “Muppet Treasure Island”

CLASSIC CINEMAS’ ‘WEDNESDAY MORNING MOVIE SERIES’

The historic Lake Theater in Oak Park (south on Harlem Avenue) is part of the wonderful Classic Cinemas chain. Their annual family series returns with nine sensory-friendly movies at the price of $2.00. As always, the best part of Classic Cinemas is their free refills on any size of popcorn or drink.

Also, the Lake location can be rather busy. If you would like to avoid larger crowds, the North Riverside Mall location is also running the same deal and series.

Here is the lineup of movies coming to the Lake Theater in Oak Park:

June 3: “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025)

June 10: “Smurfs”

June 17: “KPop Demon Hunters”

June 24: “Dog Man”

July 8: “The Bad Guys 2”

July 15: “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants”

July 22: “Paddington in Peru”

July 29: “A Minecraft Movie”

August 6: “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie”

REGAL’S ‘SUMMER MOVIE EXPRESS’

If your travel range takes you more into Chicago, the Regal Cinemas chain has its Summer Movie Express 2026 promotion. Of all the chains, they have the cheapest ticket price at $1, the most showings (two choices weekly, Monday through Thursday), and the longest series—spanning from June 1 to August 15. That said, it will take a patient haul through traffic to reach their City North (2600 N. Western Avenue) or Webster Place (1471 W. Webster Avenue) locations.

Here’s the lineup of movies coming to Regal theaters:

Week of June 1: “Sing” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”

Week of June 8: “Kung Fu Panda 4” and “David”

Week of June 15: “KPop Demon Hunters and “The Wild Robot”

Week of June 22: “The Bad Guys 2 and “The Garfield Movie”

Week of June 29: “A Minecraft Movie” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”

Week of July 6: “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025)

Week of July 13: “Scoob!”

Week of July 20: “Animal Farm” and “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants”

Week of July 27: “Dog Man” and “Paddington in Peru”

Week of August 3: “Charlie the Wonderdog” and “Despicable Me 4”

Week of August 10: “The Sandlot” and “Muppet Treasure Island”

As you can see, there are plenty of common titles available at the various promotions. Mark your calendars and spread out week to week for the best plan so that you can see as many as desired.

My first must-see pick, as the anointed local authority, is the original “Paddington” at the Cinemark Melrose Park from June 1-4.

If you have to see the Oscar-winning “KPop Demon Hunters” for the 138th time, you might as well go for the “sing-along” version happening from June 15-18 at Cinemark.

After that, I favor the older movies that are rarely screened in theaters. The chance to see “The Sandlot” at Regal’s Summer Movie Express the week of August 10 or “Muppet Treasure Island” the same week at Regal or AMC locations is hard to pass up.

Enjoy your summer, everyone! See you at the movies!

Don Shanahan is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic and the editor-in-chief of Film Obsessive and Every Movie Has a Lesson. In addition to Chicago Indie Critics, he is part of the internationally recognized Critics Choice Association. He also owns and operates the Free Blockbuster box on the 2600 block of 75th Court, where those passing by may “take a movie/leave a movie” in the spirit of sharing a little art and culture with the community.

In the 1999 comedy “Office Space,” two consultants are hired to help a company called Initech run their daily operations more efficiently. They are known as “the Bobs,” and the company hires them to downsize and satisfy shareholders.

The Bobs engage in financial optimization and invite Initech employees into a conference room to prove their value to the company. They get rid of “glitches” in the payroll system. But the Bobs are oblivious to inefficiencies among the bosses at the company.

Library Director Michael Consiglio and Library Board President Chris Pesko, who is up for re-election in 2027, remind me of “the Bobs.” As far as the public knows, they do not intend to identify staff for layoffs. However, the optimization favored by the library director and library president, such as cutting normal library hours, barely addresses real management issues.

A “Comprehensive [Frequently Asked Questions] and Response Guide” [PDF] on “adjusting” evening hours is clear. The library does not have a “budget shortfall.” There is no “financial crisis.”

From Consiglio:

Like the Bobs in “Office Space,” the library director and the library board seem to believe that they are simply fixing glitches. The fact that the library has normally been open on weeknights until 9 p.m. was a glitch, and after May 31, that glitch will be eliminated.

The library purchased a “Thermal People-Counter” from Murphy Security Solutions to further their optimization. The counter is similar to technology that retailers like Walmart or Target use to monitor their business. With installation, it cost $4,142. It was purchased before the library board voted to reduce library hours but installed after the board shortened hours.

I do not understand how this “optimization” is good for taxpaying Elmwood Park residents. Consiglio already had usage data to make the case for reducing hours. Yet in the middle of “cash flow challenges,” the library director spent thousands of dollars.

Which begs the question: does the library intend to push for more cuts to evening hours? Or eliminate morning hours?

According to the library, reducing evening hours results in “annual payroll savings” that total $39,427. Except the library could save a lot more money if did not spend so much money on lawyers from Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins.

From May 2025 to April of this year, the library budgeted $14,000 for legal expenses. It spent $61,645. That is $47,000 higher than the budgeted amount, but KTJ partner Carmen Forte Jr. is a former library board president.

Due to this conflict of interest, the library director and library board president dare not speak a word about runaway legal expenses.

The library insists it is not in a crisis. “However, we are managing a real cash flow timing challenge created by Cook County distribution delays.” But the library director and library board have not adequately communicated the severity of this “challenge” to residents.

In the last year, the library dramatically slashed the number of books and audio visual materials that it typically purchases.

The library budgeted $40,000 for adult books. It spent only $10,591. It budgeted $9,000 for adult audiobooks. It spent zero dollars.

Thirty-two thousand dollars was budgeted for children’s books. The library spent only $14,015. It budgeted $8,000 for young adult or teen books. It spent $150.

When it came to adult materials, the library budgeted $8,000 for DVDs. It spent only $2,004. The library budgeted $3,000 for video games. It spent only $350. The library budgeted $4,000 for youth audio visual materials. It spent only $72.

Zero DVDs and video games were purchased for teens, even though the library budgeted $7,000.

For a library to remain relevant to a community, it is critically important to constantly add to its collection. But the library stopped making purchases due to Cook County mismanagement, and to me, that signifies a crisis.

Also, the library director and library board believe that teenagers will not use the library in the summer so the library should close earlier. Of course, teenagers are less likely to visit if they cannot find new materials that are of interest.

“Efficiency gains” from cutting hours will supposedly go toward expanding book and media collections. However, that is misleading. The library under spent by $82,416 and would have to spend more than that amount to expand the collections, which it cannot do because of constraints created by Democrats’ mismanagement of the Cook County property tax system.

The reality is that the library’s ideas for “optimization” are too narrowly based in corporate consultant culture. To preserve access, resources, and services for all residents at all hours of the day, the library must fight for dollars from the village that are necessary to maintain a publicly funded library.

Yet so far, it is unclear if the library director and library board have the fortitude or will to engage in this kind of advocacy.

The Elmwood Park Advocate takes the position that public libraries are vital to communities, and since the newsletter benefits from the library, it is our responsibility to speak up. We encourage you to sign this petition, and tell the library to restore normal hours.

Additionally, on Saturday, May 30, at 3 p.m. we will hold our latest “Community Conversation” in the library’s Ferrentino Room. The topic this month will focus on the importance of the library and what residents think about the library’s “management optimization” or elimination of evening hours. (RSVP here.)

By Kevin Gosztola, Editor

The village demolished a house nearby Arezzo Jewelers and the BP gas station in order to develop another parking lot for North Avenue businesses.

Located at 1613 North 76th Avenue, the property had long been an eyesore. It had broken and boarded up windows, as well as a tree and overgrown vegetation that enveloped the house.

On April 20, the Elmwood Park Plan, Zoning and Development (PZD) Commission held a public hearing in the village chambers to approve rezoning so the village could create another parking lot.

Village Manager Paul Volpe, who presented the proposal to the commission, said the village has done this “over 10 times now.”

“In this particular case, acquiring this property and creating a parking lot here first and foremost probably cures a blight at this location that has plagued this village for probably 20+ years,” Volpe said. “Certainly longer than I’ve been here. I’ve been here 14 years.”

Volpe indicated that the mouth of the alley will be widened. “It will certainly help with traffic flow at the intersection of 76th Avenue and the alley, which if you’ve traveled that alley [it’s] very narrow.”

With the construction of a new Greek restaurant named Ethos Taverna at 7528 West North Avenue, the additional spaces created will be available for patrons.

The village board approved rezoning on May 4, and days later, a tree was removed and excavator went to work tearing down the shabby house.

Back in November, the village board passed and approved the real estate purchase at this address. The acquisition closed on January 5 and cost the village $320,000, which is lower than the average value for similar properties.

The village made several real estate purchases in 2025 that involved the demolition of homes and the construction of public parking lots for businesses along North Avenue. One particular address, 1612 North 77th Avenue, was a source of discontent among neighboring residents.

But at the public hearing in April, there were no objections to ridding Elmwood Park of this dump.

One resident named George, who presumably was notified of the hearing because he lives nearby, said he had lived in Elmwood Park for 36 years. “I’m quite familiar with the traffic in the area over the last few years.

He suggested that the village install a “big stop sign” to prevent accidents and slow down vehicles driving “back and forth at high speed.”

Generally, the village’s redevelopment along North Avenue is part of a longer term plan that stems from the establishment of a tax increment financing district, or TIF district, on March 2, 2015.

“The TIF stretches from Wabansia Avenue on the north to North Avenue on the south, and from Harlem Avenue on the east to 72nd Court on the west,” according to the Pioneer Press.

When the village’s comprehensive plan was drafted in the early 2010s, officials considered the need for “design guidelines” that could aid the village as it built parking lots and established “landscaping” that screened those lots.

However, the Elmwood Park Advocate submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records containing design guidelines, and Village Clerk Gina Pesko said that the village “maintains no documents specific” to the request.

That strongly suggests that village management never followed the recommendation to create guidelines that could provide some direction as parking lots are built next to residents’ homes.

*Below is audio of the Plan, Zoning, and Development Commission public hearing(s) on April 20, 2025, that was obtained through FOIA.

On Saturday, May 30, at 3 p.m., the Elmwood Park Advocate will hold a “Community Conversation” at the Elmwood Park Public Library on the importance of the library to the village.

Libraries are broadly recognized as essential spaces that function as pillars of our democracy.

We invite residents to share what the library means to them, which programs they like to attend, what resources and services are valuable, and how often they visit the library. The conversation will also focus on preventing unnecessary cuts to resources, services, and hours of operation. (You can RSVP here.)

Numerous libraries throughout the United States face increased threats that include book bans, censorship, cash flow problems, and losses of funding that result in impacts to working people.

The present political administration in Washington, D.C., pushed to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which put library services for millions at risk. But in April, just before National Library Week, a settlement was reached with the Justice Department that saved funding for libraries.

Fortunately, the library is not experiencing any major financial crisis. The attack on federal library funding did not substantially affect the library. But the Elmwood Park library does have a temporary cash flow problem as a result of Cook County property tax distribution delays.

What do you think of the risks that our library faces? Do you have any questions or concerns about how the library operates? And what should we as residents do to preserve the library for current and future generations?

We will have coffee and bakery treats. Invite your family, friends, or neighbors, and we will see you at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 30.

*Note: The Elmwood Park Public Library has permitted resident-led groups to use meeting spaces as a community service. The Library neither sponsors nor endorses this event, the speaker(s), or the organization.

[Editor’s Note: At the May library board meeting, editor Kevin Gosztola delivered a public comment in opposition to the library cutting evening hours (see bottom of the report). He previously wrote an editorial against the cuts as well.]

By Kevin Gosztola, Editor

Trustees voted to cut Elmwood Park Public Library evening hours on weekdays. Only Library Board trustee Mike Monahan spoke in favor of keeping the library open and voted against the proposal.

Also, due to the lack of data on library use, Library Director Michael Consiglio said that the library purchased a “counter.” However, the director and trustees still proceeded with the vote instead of waiting for relevant data to be collected.

The Elmwood Park Advocate obtained the receipt for a “thermal people counter” that the library purchased from Murphy Security Solutions in La Grange, Illinois.

At the board’s April meeting, Consiglio said, “If I had $4,000, we’d have the best door counter up on top, which I want to buy, but I can’t buy it. Because we all understand that we need that.” But he insisted that the library could not spend $4,000 on a counter. The device was scheduled to arrive on May 21 for installation.

Consiglio said before the board voted to reduce hours that later in the year the library might revisit the hours of operation. “If the data supports [staying open], we will support it.”

“Okay, so how would data support a decision to review this?” Monahan asked, since the library will no longer be open for residents during the hour that should be tracked.

Library Board President Chris Pesko said that he was satisfied with the “analysis” shared by Consiglio. He backed closing the library earlier on weekdays.

Pesko further suggested that the annual survey at the Taste of Elmwood Park could ask residents if they would like the library to go back to its regular schedule. Consiglio supported this idea.

“Having three kids that have gone through everything—and they’re adults now, summertime, the library usage went way down as opposed to when it was in school,” Trustee Peter Fosco said.

“Like I said, we’re going to the summertime. Everybody wants to be out. Everybody wants to be outside. Everybody wants to play on the jungle gym. Everybody wants to do their thing with the longer hours.”

Fosco added, “In summertime, if we get an opportunity to save the money, I think that’s kind of the way to go. We’re going to revisit it.”

Trustee Alice Balundis agreed. “I see the possibility of this. It’s summertime. Summertime’s coming up, and people are not going to be at the library.” She too said let’s revisit cutting evening hours after the board reduces the hours.

While the trustees focused on the summer to push through cuts to library hours, that was not part of the library director’s reasoning for reducing hours back in April.

“My concern, and why I don’t think it’s a good idea, is I feel like there should be more evening programs,” Monahan countered. “At 7 o’clock is a time that programs should start. But until 8:30, I think attendance would be better. I think the summer, at 8 o’clock, the sun is still up. It does not feel late to be closing.”

Monahan raised the matter of $60,000 in legal expenses and whether those expenses could be reduced first before cutting library hours. “I feel like there’s better ways to save money. I don’t see a justification for cutting the hours. I think it’s ill-advised and short-sighted.”

But Fosco insisted, “The amount of traffic from the numbers that I read here, and you have significantly anything before 8 o’clock, you’re there. Anything after 8 o’clock, the numbers are minuscule comparatively.”

What Fosco referred to were “6,011 patron interactions” that Consiglio said the library tracked over four months. As the Elmwood Park Advocate previously reported, 91 percent occurred from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Only 8.6 percent occurred in the evenings. “Just 2.6% occur in that final 8- to 9- PM hour.”

But trustees did not consider the fact that the library is only open 5-9 p.m. four days a week. There are more daytime hours, which skewed the percentage for the last hour of that the library was open.

Additionally, the percentage was further skewed by including Friday evening, even though it was already understood that residents use the library far less during this time. That is why the library board cut evening hours at the board’s April meeting.

The library’s unscientific survey of “patron demand” may have missed dozens of residents who were already in the library before 8 p.m. and left the library prior to closing time without interacting with staff.

Initially, Consiglio said that reducing hours would save the library a little more than $39,000 a year. But that number included money saved by cutting Friday hours, which was not part of the vote. When questioned, Consiglio clarified that the amount saved by cutting hours between Monday and Thursday would be closer to $21,000 a year.

Meredith Zinanni, a library board candidate in 2025, opposed the cuts and wrote to the library board. “At the April 2026 meeting, Trustee Pesko stated that Elmwood Park is a working class community to explain why staff could not be given more time off.  But closing the library an hour earlier on weeknights harms those very same working people.”

“Programs get most of the attention at library board meetings, but it is equally valuable to ensure that our entire community has access to books and other media, research tools, and study spaces.  Where else can students gather in a quiet space to work alone or on a group project when home is not an option? Or get help from our skilled library staff?” 

Zinanni contended, “A student with an after-school job—or adults working outside the home—may not be able to get to the library until at least 7 PM, and we should not be making it more difficult for them.”

None of the trustees addressed the potential impact to parents and other adults, who may wish to use the library in the evenings for work or studying.

Update: The article was updated on May 14 to include details about the counter that was purchased by the library on April 20.

Elmwood Park Advocate Editor Kevin Gosztola’s Public Comment