Seasons Greetings!

As our community begins to decorate and prepare for the holiday season, we’ve been working right alongside you! This winter, we're thrilled to introduce our 2024 holiday campaign, Keep the Cheer Here, to inspire local shopping and community spirit in Oak Park.

Together with the Village of Oak Park, we’re excited to roll out a gift card program that’s completely free for you to join as a small business owner. This program is all about making it easy for shoppers to support local businesses like yours. You can apply today!

Find out how you can purchase your own gift cards, submit your holiday events to us, and about our surprise Winter Wonderland Pop-Up event coming up (pssst, we'll be giving out FREE gift cards!)

And there's even more going on behind the scenes at the OPRF Chamber. Just last week, I presented in front of the Village Board, updating them on several initiatives from our Chamber.

It’s exciting to think that, in just two months since pitching our Strategic Plan at our Annual Meeting in September, we’re already making real progress toward our goals.

Through every step, I’m grateful for the support from our Chamber members, our incredible staff, and our dedicated board members. Your partnership is what makes these ideas possible. Let's keep thriving, folks!

Regards,

Darien Marion-Burton

Executive Director of OPRF Chamber

Holiday Gift Card Program

This upcoming holiday season, we're taking matters into our own hands. We partnered with the Village of Oak Park to create a fun holiday marketing campaign to encourage shoppers to Keep the Cheer Here in Oak Park!

We have an incredible gift card program that is completely free to opt-in, 

apply now! 

Upcoming Small Business Events

What are your holiday plans for your small business?

Tell us about it here! Submit your event so we can find out what's going on around the community.

We've Planned Your Week!

Here are some events we have coming up over the next week so you can register now and receive a reminder right before the event!

Thursday Nov 21,

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Join us at our quarterly New Member Breakfast at Brookdale Oak Park to introduce yourself and tell us about your business.



This is an ideal opportunity to meet fellow new members, Chamber staff and Board leadership. 

Join us for the Frosty Affair Holiday Market, where festive shopping meets the local charm of Oak Park! Discover a curated selection of unique products and services from local retailers, all set in a magical holiday atmosphere. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this enchanting shopping experience!

Food Vendors, we need your help to make the 8th Annual Bite Nite 2025, the most delicious event of the year!

Warm up a crowd this winter by serving unforgettable culinary delights and/or drinks. We'll take care of the rest! The Nineteenth Century Club's historic ballroom will be filled with live music and hungry guests!

We're carefully picking over 30 local eateries, caterers, and food brands for ONE NIGHT ONLY to treat food enthusiasts to an array of savory bites and sweet treats. 

Ready to take on the challenge to serve your specialties to locals?

Sign up today!

Like to plan ahead? Plan Your Month!

Here are some events we have coming up over the next month so you can register now and receive a reminder right before the event.

Tuesday Dec 10,

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

The Holiday BAH hosted by Byline Bank is always one of the biggest Chamber networking events of the year - expect 100+ attendees, delicious food, festive decor, and a celebratory spirit in the air!

Friday Dec 13,

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Join us in December for an end-of-year Women in Business informal gathering. As in previous years, the December meeting will be a welcoming space to reflect on the year, swap survival strategies for the holidays, and express hopes for new beginnings--with a little more time than usual for networking following the discussion.

Check out what our partners are up to!

Here are some upcoming events from our community partners that we think you'll benefit from! Click into each flyer to learn more.



The Village is wrapping up its Neighborhood Dialogue series with Jasculca Terman and Associates, and is seeking one final River Forest residence to host over the next month!

If interested, email Village Administrator Matt Walsh at mwalsh@vrf.us. Past dialogues have explored topics such as economic development, new restaurant ideas, and local traffic concerns. Thank you to all who participated—your input has been invaluable!

Due to the success of these discussions, the Village Board plans to host similar events in the future, led by Village staff, to keep building community connections.

Impact Culinary is a job training program at The Hatchery Chicago for young adults ages 18-24 who are ready to learn and launch their culinary career.

The no-cost program includes 8 weeks of kitchen training and a 4-week paid internship.

Let's Stay Connected!

Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce

141 S Oak Park Avenue, Suite 3 Oak Park, IL 60302

708.613.0550 | info@oprfchamber.org | www.oprfchamber.org