Palos Hills Friendship Festival 2016 will be held from 6-10:30 p.m. July 7, 6 p.m. to midnight July 8, noon to midnight July 9 and 1-10:30 p.m. July 10 at Moraine Valley Triangle, located at 107th Street and 88th Avenue.

Elk Grove Township

New Employment Support Center opens at Township office

Elk Grove Township, which serves Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect and Rolling Meadows, recently contracted with RPP Enterprises to open a new Employment Support Center for area residents. Designed to provide a private setting for conducting career and job-finding counseling, the Employment Support Center — located in the Elk Grove Township office building at 2400 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights — is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. RPP Enterprises will provide individuals with resume development, guidance in job finding, networking and interview advice, and counseling. The center includes computers, a career library with helpful reference books, and handout materials on job search topics. To schedule an appointment, and for more information, call 224-222-0935, send an email to JobHelp@elkgrovetownship.com or visit the website at www.elkgrovetownship.com.

Des Plaines

History Center offers range of summer programs, events

The Des Plaines History Center, 781 Pearson Street, is hosting a wide range of programs and events this summer, including Afternoon Adventures: “MBD Martial Arts: Karate” from 1-3 p.m. July 13. Children (ages 5-12 with adult) can learn the basics of karate and its history under the guidance of Sensei Michelle from the MBD Martial Arts Academy. The fee is $2 per child (members) and $3 (non-members). Coffee Talk: “Chicago River Bridges” will be held from 1:30-2:30 p.m. July 14. Attendees can learn about Chicago’s many drawbridges, including the architectural and engineering significance of each bridge (past and present), mixed with the human dramas of bridge jumps, political battles, and the destruction of bridges by flood, fire and cattle. A donation of $3 is suggested. To RSVP, access a registration form at www.desplaineshistory.org. For more information, including details about other upcoming summer programs, visit the website or call 847-391-5399.

Buffalo Grove

Baker receives international Chief Fire Officer re-designation

The village reported that Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Mike Baker received re-designation as an international Chief Fire Officer (CFO) from the Commission on Professional Credentialing, on May 10. The CFO designation program is designed to recognize individuals who demonstrate excellence in seven measured components: experience, professional development, professional contributions, active association membership and community involvement. Baker, one of only 1,146 Chief Fire Officers worldwide, received his original CFO designation in June 2013. To maintain his status, Baker was required to show continued development as a CFO in four areas: Professional development, professional contributions, active association membership and community involvement. A Board of Review — consisting of members of the fire and emergency services profession, academia and municipal agencies — reviewed Baker’s application prior to recommending him for re-designation.

Deerfield

Park Dist. to hold annual Family Campout event

The Deerfield Park District will host its 11th Annual Family Campout from 5 p.m. July 9 to 8:30 a.m. July 10 at Maplewood Park, located at Clay Court and Hazel Avenue. The event includes activities and games, beginning at approximately 6 p.m., and Movie in the Park, featuring a showing of “Zootopia,” at dusk. Sports equipment and grills will be available. Participants can bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages. All tents and belongings must be removed by 8:30 a.m. July 10. Admission is free. Attendees under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. On-site registration opens at 5 p.m. July 9 at Maplewood Park Pavilion. Participants must sign a waiver and complete a registration form to receive a campsite number and a list of campout rules. For more information, call 847-945-0650 or visit www.deerfieldparks.org. 

Palos Hills

Friendship Festival to include carnival, live music and car show 

The city announced that Palos Hills Friendship Festival 2016 will be held from 6-10:30 p.m. July 7, 6 p.m. to midnight July 8, noon to midnight July 9 and 1-10:30 p.m. July 10 at Moraine Valley Triangle, located at 107th Street and 88th Avenue. The event includes the Wilson Family Carnival, pony rides and a petting zoo, arts and crafts vendors, a food court, a beer garden, bingo, live music, the Double K Productions Classic Car Show (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 10), and a fireworks display at dusk on July 10. Admission and parking are free. Mega passes for carnival rides are available for $40 at the Palos Hills Community Center, 8455 W. 103rd Street, if purchased by noon July 7. Mega passes at the fest will be available for $50. Single-day passes are $20. For a detailed lineup of festival activities, visit www.palosweb.org. For more information, call 708-598-3400.

Orland Park

Police Dept. video earns national ‘Telly Award’

The village reported that “Plan, Prepare, Act,” a video produced by the Orland Park Police Department — in cooperation with Eyelight Studios of Orland Park — to educate school personnel in the event of an active shooter scenario, earned a national Bronze People’s Choice Telly Award in the Non-Broadcast Production category. The Telly Awards, founded in 1979, were created to honor excellence in local, regional and cable television commercials and public service videos. Winners are chosen among more than 13,000 entries received from 50 states and five continents. The Orland Park Police Department’s 11-minute video illustrates methods to be used by the department and the Orland Fire Protection District in a potential school shooting, and how faculty and staff should prepare for such an incident before it happens. For more information, including how to view the video on the village’s YouTube channel, call 708-403-6100 or visit www.orlandpark.org.

Schiller Park

Village announces parkway tree planting project

The village announced that it is planning a Fall 2016 Parkway Tree Planting Project for residents who order trees to be planted on parkways adjacent to their property. The resident’s share of the cost to participate in the program is $100. The village will arrange for installation and pay for all additional costs. A list of approved trees is available on the village’s website at www.villageofschillerpark.com. To select a tree, and for more information, contact Public Works Director Eric Oscarson at 847-671-8554 or via email at eoscarson@schillerparkil.us.

–Cook County News Briefs–