RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD $1.00
Vol. 40, No. 1
Also serving North Riverside
January 8, 2025
Riverside’s 150th celebrations begin with water tower light-up Jan. 15 Page 9
‘Hope is an action’ Locals see 2025 as an opportunity for growth and connection By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
Record-setter STORY BY BILL STONE, PAGE 13
STEVE JOHNSTON
Lyons Township’s Nora Ezike (25) drives to the basket during her 40-point performance, putting her over the 1,000 point mark for her career at LT during the 15th Annual Montini Christmas Tournament, Dec. 26, in Westmont.
It’s the age-old question. At the beginning of a new year, what’s more important – looking back, or looking forward? Looking back can be full of messy hindsight, while looking ahead provides a modicum of hope for what’s possible. So what are locals’ best hopes for 2025? “Hope is an action,” said Ann Filmer, new executive director of the Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St. “You do something about it. For me, it’s about engaging directly with my community, and I think art, for me, has always been the place to connect with neighbors and friends and people I don’t know and don’t share beliefs with.” In summary: “You can connect with something that moves you.” A couple of blocks away, at the Riverside Public Library, director Janice Foley pointed to two major milestones that are sure to be high points for the new year. “The fact that the village is celebrating its 150th year, and the library is celebrating its 95th, there is a sense of a history combined with the present and that we celebrate our past and enter into the future,” said Foley, who has worked at the library for 30 years. Though Foley lives in River Forest, she’s been around long enough to realize businesses like Riverside Foods and Riverside Plumbing continue to play an integral role in the community, while the library has worked to evolve. That includes updating technology to 2025 standards and providing new avenues for patrons to explore, like its Maker’s Space. There’s an element of fun, too. The second edition of the board See HOPE on page 7
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