Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association
Since its inception in 1989, OPALGA has become one of the largest community based, multipurpose lesbian and gay membership organizations in Illinois.
OPALGA Annual Meeting Set for November 18
Do you feel like getting together with some friends and talking over the election results? Looking for some low-cost (that is, free) food and refreshments instead of cooking dinner? Want to explore a great piece of Oak Park architecture? Well, OPALGA can allow you to become the ultimate multitasker and do all of these things at once. Join us on Tuesday, November 18, at Unity Temple (875 Lake St., Oak Park, IL 60301) for our Annual Meeting.
Starting at 7:00 p.m., this free meeting is always a great way to keep up with what is going on in our organization. In addition to telling you some of the things that we have been up to, we will share some plans for the future. And, our election results will be announced, so you will see the individuals who will be working on your behalf in the coming twelve months.
Mark your calendars now and plan to join us on November 18 for a great evening of food, drink, and conversation. Did we tell you that it’s free? Just call Jan at The OPALGA Center at 708-848-0273 to RSVP as soon as possible so that we know how many people will be there. We hope to see you on the 18th.
November Coffeehouse to Feature OUTspoken
The November coffeehouse will feature OUTspoken, OPALGA’s creative group for young adults from the ages of 18–25. The group focuses on individual creativity, using creative writing, poetry, acting, original art, and other forms of expression, all in an accepting environment that encourages group members to express themselves, grow, and have fun.
The coffeehouse will be held on Friday, November 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Barrie Center, 1011 S. Lombard Ave., Oak Park, IL 60304. Join us for the always-popular OUTspoken and watch these creative minds at work! As always, the coffeehouse is free of charge and open to the public thanks to the support of the Oak Park Area Arts Council.
Book Club Announces New Selections
At the October meeting of the OPALGA book club, the group decided on their selections for the next several months.
Note that the book club will not meet in December because of the holidays.
We encourage anyone who loves to read to join us for the upcoming meetings of the book club. The discussions are informal and enjoyable, and we always have a lot of laughs. So, if you want to find out what you’ve been missing, check out the OPALGA book club!
Following are our upcoming selections:
November 16 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
A young Indian on a reservation wants to become a comic author.
December 21 No meeting because of the holidays.
January 18, 2009 J.D. Salinger Duo!
The Catcher in the Rye (1951)
The influential and widely acclaimed story details the two days in the life of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from prep school. Confused and disillusioned, he searches for truth and rails against the “phoniness” of the adult world.
and
Franny and Zooey (1961)
Franny is an intellectually precocious late adolescent who tries to attain spiritual purification by obsessively reiterating the “Jesus prayer” as an antidote to the perceived superficiality and corruptness of life. Her older brother, Zooey, attempts to heal Franny by pointing out that her constant repetition of the “Jesus prayer” is as self-involved and egotistical as the egotism against which she rails.
February 15, 2009 The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
A young social worker and survivor of a near-rape stumbles across photographs taken by a formerly homeless client and tries to understand how a man who had taken snapshots of celebrities might have wound up on the streets.
2009 Potluck Hosts Needed
Have you always dreamed of hosting an OPALGA potluck, presiding over an evening’s get-together of scintillating women and men engaged in highbrow conversation and delicious gossip? (Okay, so maybe “highbrow” is an exaggeration and “scintillating” is a stretch, but the potlucks are really fun!) NOW’S YOUR CHANCE!!
The monthly potluck is OPALGA’s longest-running and most successful social activity. Held on the second Friday of each month, the potlucks are a great opportunity to share a meal with friends and to meet new people who are interested in the organization. Many of our members were first introduced to OPALGA through attending a potluck.
Planning is well under way for 2009, and we are still looking for volunteers to host potlucks. If your abode can accommodate upwards of 50 people and you would like to join the legendary ranks of potluck hosts, please contact Jim Kelly and Bruce Broerman at jamesbkelly@comcast.net or at 708-524-2542.
Annual Meeting Set for Unity Temple
One of the traditions of the fall, along with Chicago’s plunging temperatures, is OPALGA’s Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting, set for Tuesday, November 18, will take place at Oak Park’s historic Unity Temple. In addition to greeting friends and discussing the national election results, this year’s Annual Meeting will allow OPALGA members a chance to view both the Sanctuary and the Unity House of this wonderful building.
“Unity is a great location for our members,” said OPALGA Co-Chair Mike Cochran. It is conveniently located, and it showcases what is great and unique about our Village.”
In addition, OPALGA election results will be announced that evening. Members are urged to mark their ballots and return them as soon as possible when they receive them in the mail. The members of the Nominating Committee will be counting the actual ballots and announcing the results on the evening of the 18th, which should add to the excitement of the event.
Refreshments and beverages will be served, and OPALGA members should watch for further details about the Annual Meeting in the coming weeks.
September Coffeehouse a Great Success
Thanks to everyone who attended the fabulous spoken-word night at our September coffeehouse. With about 20 people in attendance, the group was captivated by our local artists’ talent. The October coffeehouse will be held on Friday, October 17, at 7:00 p.m. We will again be meeting in the basement of the New Spirit Community Church, 542 S. Scoville Ave., Oak Park. For an update on our October performers, please visit our Web site at http://www.opalga.org.
For more information about performing at or attending our coffeehouses, please contact The OPALGA Center at 708-848-0273. The coffeehouses are supported by the Oak Park Area Arts Council.
2009 Potluck Hosts Needed
Have you always dreamed of hosting an OPALGA potluck, presiding over an evening’s get-together of scintillating women and men engaged in highbrow conversation and delicious gossip? (Okay, so maybe “highbrow” is an exaggeration and “scintillating” is a stretch, but the potlucks are really fun!) NOW’S YOUR CHANCE!!
The monthly potluck is OPALGA’s longest-running and most successful social activity. Held on the second Friday of each month, the potlucks are a great opportunity to share a meal with friends and to meet new people who are interested in the organization. Many of our members were first introduced to OPALGA through attending a potluck.
Planning is well under way for 2009, and we are still looking for volunteers to host potlucks. If your abode can accommodate upwards of 30 people and you would like to join the legendary ranks of potluck hosts, please contact Jim Kelly and Bruce Broerman at jamesbkelly@comcast.net or at 708-524-2542.
Book Club to Discuss Sense and Sensibility in October
We encourage anyone who loves to read to join us for the upcoming meetings of the OPALGA book club. The discussions are informal and enjoyable, and we always have a lot of laughs. So, if you want to find out what you’ve been missing, check out the OPALGA book club!
Following are our upcoming selections:
October 19 Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Jane Austen’s debut novel follows the adventures of the Dashwood sisters as they find love in a class-conscious Regency England.
November 16 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
A young Indian on a reservation wants to become a comic author.
The book club meets every third Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at The OPALGA Center, unless otherwise specified. All books are available through http://www.amazon.com. In addition, copies can be requested from the Oak Park Public Library (834 Lake St., Oak Park) or ordered from The Book Table (1045 Lake St., Oak Park). Remember, OPALGA receives a charitable donation from The Book Table for each book purchased there (regardless of whether it is a book club selection). Please let them know that you are purchasing your book as a member of OPALGA.
OPALGA Coffeehouse Returns!
The OPALGA coffeehouse is again open for business beginning Friday, September 19, at 7:00 p.m. The coffeehouse will be held on the third Friday of each month in various locations in the Oak Park area. Our coffeehouse performance on Friday, September 19, will be held at the New Spirit Community Church, 542 S. Scoville, Oak Park. New Spirit has a great performance area that will provide ample space for the performers and for attendees to socialize before and after the event.
The coffeehouse is a free event, but tips for the performers are accepted. We are working on our line-up of entertainers as we go to press, so please visit the calendar page on the OPALGA Web site (http://www.opalga.org) for an updated list of performers. We are very excited about our upcoming performers, and we hope that you’ll join us for these upcoming events!
If you are a performer, or if you know someone who wants to perform, please call The OPALGA Center at 708-848-0273, or send and e-mail to our current coffeehouse coordinator, Pocha Carter, at jaiharu@gmail.com. Let us know—we are inclusive of all artists/performers! We also want to thank the Oak Park Area Arts Council and the Community Bank of Oak Park-River Forest for their generous support of the OPALGA coffeehouses.
2009 Potluck Hosts Needed
Have you always dreamed of hosting an OPALGA potluck, presiding over an evening’s get-together of scintillating women and men engaged in highbrow conversation and delicious gossip? (Okay, so maybe “highbrow” is an exaggeration and “scintillating” is a stretch, but the potlucks are really fun!) NOW’S YOUR CHANCE!!!
The monthly potluck is OPALGA’s longest-running and most successful social activity. Held on the second Friday of each month, the potlucks are a great opportunity to share a meal with friends and to meet new people who are interested in the organization. Many of our members were first introduced to OPALGA through attending a potluck.
Planning is well under way for 2009, and we are still looking for volunteers to host potlucks. If your abode can accommodate upwards of 30 people and you would like to join the legendary ranks of potluck hosts, please contact Jim Kelly and Bruce Broerman at jamesbkelly@comcast.net or at 708-524-2542.
