In the Rear View: Fireworks, Settlement, Scams and Tae Kwon Do

MONDAY

Why go to Ravinia, when Orland Park has its own outdoor music venue? Centennial Park West, in the Colette Highland Subdivision, held its first concert Sunday evening to celebrate the 4th of July, the City Lights Orchestra.

TUESDAY

Christopher Szmajlo, an aspiring singer and songwriter from Orland Park, fell from a boat Monday into Lake Michigan and his body was recovered Tuesday morning. He was 29. His Youtube page features 20 songs he recorded with just him singing and playing acoustic guitar, several of which he wrote himself.

Plaza Café owner Tom Demacopoulos thinks the Main Street Triangle project will be good for Orland Park. He just hates being stuck in the middle of a legal case without “speedy remedy.” We spent a morning in this “breakfast Cheers” and found out quickly why “Friends Gather Here.”

WEDNESDAY

Orland Fire Protection District trustees rolled out a new addition to the district website, entitled “Dollars and Sense,” where the public can peruse legal and financial documents. To date, they include a line item budget for 2011 and the latest treasurer’s report.

To improve the quality of life around train tracks, all nine of Orland Park’s train crossings became quiet zones on July 1. One resident brought her concerns before the trustees. Village staff and a Metra spokeswoman responded.

THURSDAY

The court case regarding the Orland Plaza took a major step forward Thursday afternoon, as attorneys for the village and for the plaza owners reached a settlement agreement. The settlement still needs to be approved by the Orland Park Board of Trustees, who will meet Monday evening to vote in closed session on the agreement.

An Orland Park resident’s financial due diligence helped thwart a con artist from completing another ruse.

FRIDAY

Twenty-eight students brought home 34 medals from last weekend’s ATU National Championships. Several showed off their winning forms for the camera.