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April 22, 2025

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Greetings ! 

🥳 Planning a block party? Register for our Block Party Forum this Thursday evening!

🚙 Support the Skokie Fire Explorer program by getting your car washed this Saturday.

🍯 Shop for local goods at the season’s final Winter Market on Main this Sunday.

The first meeting of the new Skokie Village Board, April 21. (Photo by Joerg Metzner Photography)

Congratulations and welcome to members of the new Skokie Village Board, who were sworn into office on Monday evening! 

The highlights: See photos from the swearing in on the Village’s Facebook and Instagram, or watch the recorded meeting on YouTube.

Celebrating service: Over the last week, Mayor Van Dusen shared his reflections with the Chicago Tribune, WGN and NBC Chicago on serving the Skokie community as mayor for the last 26 years.

🌎 Today (April 22) is Earth Day!  What better way to celebrate than by helping the planet?

See below for sustainability-related programs, events and initiatives to support environmental sustainability in Skokie and beyond.

November 2024 tree planting at Masjid Madinatul Uloom in Skokie. (Photo by Rich Cahan)

Skokie continued to make progress implementing its Environmental Sustainability Plan in 2024. Flip through the 2024 annual report for highlights, including:

Do your part: Help make Skokie more sustainable by taking these actions at home. 

This spring, go green and take advantage of a $50 rebate on the purchase of an electric leaf blower or a $100 rebate for an electric lawn mower! 

Eligibility: Rebates are available for Skokie residents on a first-come, first-served basis (while supplies last) for purchases made on April 22, 2025 or later. Rebates may take up to six weeks to process. 

Why it matters: The Village’s Environmental Sustainability Plan calls for reducing emissions produced by lawn equipment by 30 percent by 2030. You can also communicate with your landscaping company to encourage sustainable, gasoline-free landscaping by sharing this letter (PDF).

Single-family households in Skokie can use a Hefty ReNew orange bag to collect hard-to-recycle plastics.

Skokie is one of four northeastern Cook County communities participating in the Hefty ReNew Program for Hard to Recycle Plastics.

How it works: Single-family households in Skokie can use the Hefty ReNew Program’s orange bags to collect chip bags, foam egg cartons, plastic pet food bags, plastic grocery bags, and other flexible film and packaging, which will be converted into useful products, such as building and construction materials and lumber.

Get started: Request a free Hefty ReNew starter kit online (one per household), and purchase additional Hefty ReNew orange bags at participating locations. Learn more about the program on the Village’s website.

2024 Community-wide Garage Sale (Photo by Rich Cahan)

Celebrate Sustainability at These Green Events

Rethinking Lawns, April 24
Learn about incorporating native plants into your home’s landscape on Thursday, April 24, 6:30 p.m., at Skokie Public Library (Petty Auditorium). The free event is presented in collaboration with the Village’s Beautification and Improvement Commission.

Arbor Day, April 25
Join the Village’s Beautification and Improvement Commission and Skokie Park District in celebrating Arbor Day at Jane Stenson School, 9201 Lockwood Ave., this Friday, April 25 at 10 a.m.

The Good Festival, April 26 and 27
Recycle clothing and fabric, enjoy live music, make a spring wreath, and more at Westfield Old Orchard’s The Good Festival this Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, from noon to 2 p.m.

Community-wide Garage Sale, May 30 through June 1
Mark your calendar for Skokie’s 3rd annual Community-wide Garage Sale, Friday, May 30 through Sunday, June 1. Register to host a garage sale.

Now Open: The Spot

What’s cooking in Downtown Skokie? We’re excited to welcome The Spot rotary hot pot restaurant, located at 7909 Lincoln Ave., which offers a unique, interactive dining experience where you control the flavors!

What is hot pot? A traditional Asian dish, hot pot comes in many variations and involves cooking various ingredients, including seafood, vegetables, and meats, in a pot of simmering broth. 

Look inside: The Village’s Explore Skokie Facebook and Instagram account recently toured the vibrant new eatery.

Lunch special: Get a free drink of your choice with the purchase of an adult meal, featuring delightful milk or green tea drinks, along with one complimentary topping. (Monday through Friday, lunch only.)

Cook County’s reconstruction of Old Orchard Road resumes this spring with a focus on completing remaining work on the southern portion of the roadway, bridge repairs, and construction of a new I-94 eastbound ramp.

Traffic impacts: Two-way traffic will shift back to the northern portion of Old Orchard Road in April. I-94 traffic will also shift to the outside shoulders to accommodate bridge work.

Safety first: Use caution when traveling through the work zone. Bicyclists and pedestrians should use the sidewalk on the northern side of Old Orchard Road to travel across I-94.

Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget Hearings will take place at Skokie Village Hall in May: 

View the detailed FY26 Budget Hearing schedule (PDF). All residents are invited to attend. Hearings will also be streamed live on the Village's YouTube channel.

Learn more: The proposed FY26 Budget, which runs from May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026, will be available on the Village's Budget web page in late April. 

Share your feedback on local housing and community development needs by April 30! 

Why it matters: Your input will help determine how Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding is allocated over the next five years. CDBG funds, provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are used to support housing and community projects for low- and moderate-income residents.

What to expect: The survey includes 11 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Responses are anonymous.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings are held at Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street.