Morning bird walk
Enjoy an early spring morning with the peppy tweet-tweets of the avian occupants of Thatcher Woods at this event hosted by the Trailside Museum of Natural History, 738 Thatcher Ave. in River Forest, on Saturday, April 2 at 9 a.m.
Billed as a casual guided bird walk, this jaunt will take watchers through the woods to observe the birds and bird behavior. All are welcome and binoculars will be made available to those who need a pair.
Pre-registration is required. Call 708-366-6530 to reserve a spot.
Third Coast Baroque

Chicago ensemble Third Coast Baroque and Triton College teacher Nathalie Colas-Grant will perform an intimate concert at the college’s Triton Art Gallery, Room 107, in the J Building at 2000 Fifth Ave. in River Grove, Wednesday, March 30 at 7 p.m.
The evening’s music is expected to include a number of 17th century French love songs and YouTube performer Brandon Acker will guide the crowd through the repertoire.
Masks are recommended regardless of vaccination status. Admission is free.
An evening with women of color business owners

Five inspirational women of color will gather to tell stories about their thriving businesses at the Oak Park Public Library’s Veterans Room, 834 Lake St. in Oak Park, on Thursday, March 31 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Topics for the evening include what motivates and inspires these local entrepreneurs, what challenges they faced starting and sustaining their business, and advice for others looking to do the same.
The evening’s panelists are Dima Ali, owner of Dima Jewelry Atelier + Boutique; Marshanelle Horne, owner of Thrive Life Wellness Center; Kisa Marx, owner of Kisakidcare home daycare; Nzingha Nommo, owner of Afriware Books; and Kalkidan Tesfaye, owner of Addis Cafe.
Book buzz


The Forest Park Public Library, 7555 Jackson Blvd., is promising a “fun, delightful evening out” with other book-lovers on Saturday, April 2 from 7 to 9 p.m.
At this event, mystery writer Mia Manansala will discuss her second book, Homicide and Halo-Halo, alongside Tracy Clark, whose latest Chicago-based novel is titled Runner. In addition, Rebecca Vnuk of Library Reads will be there to share recently published or upcoming books.
Delicious treats will also be available for guests, served a la the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen series to take home and enjoy.
An evening with Jenny Lawson

Award-winning humorist Jenny Lawson discusses her latest bestseller, Broken: In the Best Possible Way, at this virtual event presented by the Forest Park Public Library on Wednesday, March 30 from 7 to 8 p.m.
Lawson is a journalist, author and blogger known for her candid discussion of mental illness, including her own, in books like Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy, both of which reached No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration between public libraries offering high-quality events.
Submit your Event
Have an event we should feature in the Big Week? Email event details (photo, time, place, cost & a brief description) to Andy@forestparkreview.com. The deadline for submissions is Friday at noon.