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Downtown Tinley Insider
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June Highlights:
  
  • Downtown Tinley meeting June 11
  • Transportation and traffic updates
  • June events at Vogt Visual Arts Center
  • Sponsorship opportunities
Welcome to the Downtown Tinley Insider!

Thank you for reading the Downtown Tinley Insider, which is designed for Downtown Tinley business owners and managers, as well as their marketing staff, sponsors and volunteers. We provide many free ways to promote your business, including:

  • The Experience Downtown Tinley email campaign, which has more than 2,600 subscribers
  • The Downtown Tinley Facebook page, which has more than 1,600 followers
  • The Downtown Tinley Twitter feed, which has more than 120 followers
  • Event details
  • Sponsorship opportunities

This effort is led by the Village of Tinley Park MainStreet Commission and the Village of Tinley Park's Marketing Department. Questions? Contact Donna Framke at (708) 444-5045 or [email protected].

Attend the Downtown Tinley meeting tomorrow and meet new Tinley Park Village Manager David J. Niemeyer!!
   
Pace announces OPA detour schedule
The northbound lane of Oak Park Avenue in Downtown Tinley will be closed to through traffic from 171st Street to the Metra train station on Tuesday evenings through Aug. 26 due to this summer's Cruise Nights series. As a result, evening Pace Bus Route 386 trips beginning with the 4:20 p.m. northbound will detour as follows:

 

Oak Park Avenue ↔ 173rd Place ↔ Harlem Avenue ↔ 171st Street ↔ Oak Park Avenue

 

Southbound will operate a regular route. There will be no parking on either lane during Cruise Nights. For more information, please call the RTA Travel Information Center at (312) 836-7000 or visit www.pacebus.com.

Changes coming to Rock Island schedule

A new Rock Island schedule that seeks to better match train times to actual operating conditions will start on Sunday, June 15. In some cases, trains will depart earlier than the current schedule, so riders are urged to view the new schedule available at www.metrarail.com to familiarize themselves with the changes.
On the weekday inbound schedule, the schedules for 16 trains are being adjusted, with the departure times from certain stops or running times between stations being modified by as many as five minutes. In most cases, the schedule changes are being made to better reflect actual operating conditions. The schedules for some trains are also being adjusted to eliminate conflicts with other trains in the Blue Island area.
On the outbound schedule, the schedules of 19 trains are being adjusted. In almost every case, the changes are being made to reflect actual conditions and the changes amount to no more than three minutes earlier or later. Two late-evening trains are being adjusted by seven minutes to reflect heavy passenger loading following Chicago White Sox games.
On weekends, all but the first inbound trains will depart five minutes earlier than currently scheduled, and all outbound trains will arrive five minutes later at Joliet. This is to reflect actual conditions, adjust where trains pass each other and accommodate weekend construction work.
The changes are the result of a periodic review of train schedules that Metra performs for each of its lines. Rock Island schedules were last adjusted in 2011.

Oak Park Avenue Complete Streets project under way

The Illinois Department of Transportation and the Village of Tinley Park contracted D Construction, Inc. to perform construction on Oak Park Avenue from 183rd Street to South and Hickory streets as part of the Oak Park Avenue Complete Streets project. The project began May 27 and is expected to be completed by the end of August. Work includes:

  • Resurfacing and restriping of Oak Park Avenue within the project limits specified above
  • Creation of a 10-foot, off-street multi-use path from 183rd to 179th streets on the east side of Oak Park Avenue
  • A 4-foot bike lanes on the east and west sides of the roadway between 179th Street and South and Hickory streets
  • A slight widening of Oak Park Avenue between 174th Place and South Street to accommodate the additional on-street bike lanes

Streetscape improvements are also planned, including the removal of asphalt in the parkway, reducing curb cuts and adding landscape improvements and sidewalks throughout the construction limits.

The project is being funded with 80 percent federal funds and 20 percent Village funds. The project was applied for through the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association. This 4:1 funding ratio allows the Village to minimize local taxpayer dollars spent on street improvements.

June events at Vogt Visual Arts Center

The fine arts are alive in Tinley Park! Works will be sold during the Vogt Visual Arts Center Art Show and Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14 at the center, 17420 S. 67th Court, Tinley Park. Come peruse the abundance of local art during this all-ages event, and maybe find that perfect addition to your home decor! Refreshments will be sold, and admission is free.

The June Exhibit at the Vogt Visual Arts Center is an open show with the theme "Animals." Artists submitted artwork in various mediums to this one-of-a-kind gallery that will showcase the artists' love of animals - real or imaginary.

The Vogt Visual Arts Center is open from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays; 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. All other hours by appointment.

For more information, call gallery director Julie Dekker at (708) 309-4371 or the Tinley Park Park District at (708) 342-4200.

Volunteers needed for Duathlon

Volunteers are needed from 5:45 a.m. to about 10:30 a.m. June 22 for the 14th annual Race Around the World Duathlon, which is a combination race consisting of a 2-mile run, 11-mile bike ride and 2-mile run through Tinley Park. Participants compete individually or in teams of two. Proceeds from the event benefit Together We Cope, a Tinley Park homeless prevention agency that assists the working poor, elderly, disadvantaged and the needy within a five-township area. For more information, email Jennifer Hannon at [email protected] or visit www.tinleyparkduathlon.com.
Chamber to host golf outing on July 16
The Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce's annual Golf Outing will be held on Wednesday, July 16 at Odyssey Country Club. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., and there will be a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Dinner and a two-hour open bar is included. For more information or to register, visit www.tinleychamber.org.
Events Information/Sponsors & Volunteers

We are so deeply grateful for all of the time, money, energy and hard work our sponsors and volunteers put into Village events. You make Downtown Tinley the amazing place that it is, and we thank you.

Summertime fun in Downtown Tinley

Don't miss the Downtown Tinley Farmers' Market, which runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays from June 7 to Oct. 11 in Zabrocki Plaza, 17375 S. Oak Park Ave. (adjacent to the Oak Park Avenue Metra train station). Here you'll find the best selection of fruits, vegetables and fresh flowers!

Also check out this year's Music in the Plaza series, which takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. every other Saturday at Zabrocki Plaza, 17375 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park. KO Bossy will kick off the series on Saturday, June 14 with a concert of Motown and disco favorites. You'll also get to meet the folks behind this year's Benches on the Avenue during the Meet the Artists Night from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Check out hundreds of vintage cars during the Cruise Night series, which began June 3 and runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 26 along Oak Park Avenue from 171st Street to the Metra train station.

Also, mark your calendar for the 16th annual Caribbean Block Party, which will take place from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 20 along Oak Park Avenue from 171st to Hickory streets. The event will feature live music, food and free family fun for all!

For more information, please visit www.downtowntinley.com or call (708) 444-5678.

Block Party sponsorships available

Sponsorships are now available for the Caribbean Block Party. While Kidz Zone sponsorship opportunities have been filled, the Village still has has plenty of great attractions that still need sponsors, including the giant slide, swings, fun house and more! Also, business booth opportunities are still available for those who want to actively promote their business at this event.

Surveys went out last month to businesses along the Caribbean Block Party perimeter. If you have not completed and returned your survey, please turn them in this week.

The Downtown Tinley summer events flyer (see below image) was distributed to local schools and businesses in May.
   

Music in the Plaza, 'Benches' game piece sponsorships available

This Saturday (June 14) is the first Music in the Plaza concert in Zabrocki Plaza. It also is the date for the third annual Meet the Artists Night.

The theme for the Benches on the Avenue this year is "Let the Games Begin." To play off the theme and encourage visitors to walk up and down the street to view the benches, the Village will be providing game cards with each of the bench names on it. Participants will be encouraged to visit every bench to gain a "game piece" and then turn in the completed game card to win one of hundreds of prizes. The grand prize will be flat-screen Smart TV, which has been generously donated by Aero Rubber Co. Thank you to all of the participating businesses that provided prizes for this game, including Aero Rubber, Heather's Haus Florist, Evon's Trophies, Kernel Sweetooth, Raw Beauty Bar, Ed & Joe's Restaurant, Step Up Dance Academy, the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce, Cuzin's Neighborhood Bar and Durbin's Restaurant.

There are plans to hire a stilt-walker/juggler to entertain during this event. For $250, a business can sponsor this entertainer, who will wear your business' T-shirt and message for the duration of the event. If you are interested, please contact Vicki at [email protected].

'Experience Downtown Tinley' email campaign

The "Experience Downtown Tinley" email campaign is a monthly email designed to promote Downtown Tinley events, dining, shopping and promotions to more than 2,600 subscribers.

Customers can sign up for the email at www.downtowntinley.com. Please make sure that you are receiving this email and that all of your employees, friends and family are receiving it, too.

If you want to include a promotion and need help, please contact Sue Pall at (708) 444-5049 or [email protected].

Click here to submit your July event or promotion by Thursday, June 19. Alternately, you can email it to Sue Pall at [email protected].

Promote your business by including sales, specials, new menu items, anniversary events or information about a new service provider that joined your team. Send a brief description of the event or promotion, as well as details such as date, time, location and a link to your website/Facebook page. Also include a jpeg picture or jpeg of your logo.

 

Note: Please review last month's "Experience Downtown Tinley" email and send copy/images that follow the same format.

Promote your business on Facebook, Twitter

The Downtown Tinley Facebook page, which has more than 1,600 followers and feeds to Twitter, is a great, free way to promote your business! Please show your support and "Like" and/or "Follow" Downtown Tinley on Facebook and Twitter, and tell your employees, coworkers, friends and family.

If your business has a Facebook page, please let us know. We can "Like" your page and share your posts. Sharing is completely random; we are not on Facebook 24/7. If there is a specific post you would like to see us share, please send an email with a share request. If you don't have a Facebook page, send the copy you would like to include in the post along with a jpeg image to Donna Framke at [email protected], and the Village will post it for you!