On Sunday, April 6 at 4 p.m. the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest will present the Mahler Symphony Number Five at First United Church of Christ, 848 Lake St. in Oak Park. Adults $20, seniors and college students get in for $15 and children through high school can attend for free. For information call (708) 218-2648. Ellie Clifton is a Friend of the Symphony from town who refreshes the orchestra members just before the concert, after their two hour rehearsal.

Ron Apilado, former Forest Parker and graduate of the middle school and Proviso East, has accepted a position as a physician’s assistant in Gurnee at the Children’s Clinic. Ron always was interested in working with children. He volunteered for several years in the pediatric ward at Loyola Hospital while in high school and college.

Dr. Ed (of the Suburban Cook County Clinic) and Mary Liebner can be found most Thursdays during the winter months at the Dominican Café. Culinary Arts students from the university prepare gourmet lunches and the public is invited (reservations required). Some other neighbors at the café during the season were Mary Small and Maureen Doolittle. Among the delights they sampled were a date filled macaroni, pistachio cheese, pomegranate sorbet, and baba ganoush. These lunches are offered January through May.

Forest Park is mentioned in this month’s issue of Time Out Chicago. Special mention is given to The Old School Records. What a magazine, something for everyone; eating and entertainment for all tastes – and we made it! I think it’s the friendly little lhasa apso, Titus, who greets customers at the door of Old School that did it.

Forest Parkers were on the move this Easter. In the middle of the Good Friday snowstorm, Rich, Rosemary and Ricky Krieger waited patiently for three hours before their plane took off for Boston. There they spent Easter with daughter/sister Meghan, who is working and going to school in Boston. They even had time to visit the Cheers bar.

Lydia Giuliano went back to Berlin for a brief visit to her hometown. The weather was beautiful. Lydia was happy visiting old friends and relatives.

Christina Respas‘ new job has her doing auditing work all over the place, such as Utah, Washington, D.C., Austin, Texas, and a few other places. Meanwhile Vince and dog Suzie are waiting patiently at home for her return.

The G.K. Chesterton Society will discuss the “Literary Biography of Charles Dickens” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 at Centuries & Sleuths, 7419 Madison St. On April 19 at 2 p.m. the mystery discussion group will review Paul Auster‘s “City of Glass.” Read the book and join the discussion. All are welcome.

The Oak Park Concert Chorale will present a spring concert of gypsy love songs by Brahms, Kodaly and Bardos. Works by Mendelssohn, Emma Diemer, Max Janowski, Jester Hairson and Randall Thompson round out the program on Saturday, April 5 at the Arts Center, 200 N. Oak Park Ave. at 7 p.m. and at Saint John Lutheran Church, 305 Circle Ave. on Sunday, April 13 at 4 p.m. For information contact OPCC at www.OakParkConcertChorale.org or call (708) 383-4742.

On April 2 happy birthday wishes go to Jessica McIlquham, Ian Hitre, Matthew Novak; on the 3rd, Jim McGuin, Kyler Pacyga, Todd Bower, Ryan Tomoso, Nick Novak, Tony Calderone, Dorothy Bentel, Ed Charvat, Dorothy Calderone; on the 4th, to Joe McGuin, Maura Flanagan, Nico Rubio, Keith Hickey, Jessie Jones, Mary Jones; on April 5, Nick Tricoci, Rick Barger, Joe Bugajsky, Bill Freeman, Vito Gabino, Jan Leganski; April 6, Jeanette Gerger, Mitzi DeVilbis, Tom Callis, Isabel Rossi; on the 7th, Trivia Curry, Nicholas Lang, David Thompson, Lee Huynh; April 8, Bill and Beth Linder have an anniversary and Fran Nee has a birthday; on the 9th, Tiffany Basarich has a birthday.

Don’t forget the Kiwanis dinner on April 26 at 5 p.m.