Beautification Committee: Monday, June 18 at 7:00 PM in the Village Hall Conference Room. 

The Community Relations Commission invites residents to schedule their block party today!

 

A community blood drive is scheduled for this Saturday, June 14 from 7:30 AM to noon at the Marie Irwin Community Center located at 18120 Highland Avenue (Rooms A & B).  

Donors will receive a MOOLA card, preloaded with a free quart of Oberweis Ice Cream.  Donor qualifications: photo ID required; donor must be in good health; at least 17 years of age (16 years with a written approval from a parent/guardian); and at least 110-pounds. It is recommended that donors eat something within the four (4) hours preceding the donation. Please contact Laura or Glenda Dillman at (708) 798-0404 to schedule your donation time.

Downtown Homewood's Farmers Market is open every Saturday through October 11 from 8 AM to 1 PM in the St. Joseph's parking lot located at 17951 Dixie Highway.  The market features four exceptional full service farms, each offering fresh flowers, organic produce, and culinary herbs:  Jeffrey Farms, Herr Farms, Hansel Farms, and Witvoet Farms.  Market patrons will also have a wonderful selection from gourmet, organic, and specialty vendors: Vegan and organic baked goods, salsas, and sauces (Anne Smith); Gourmet Cheeses (Cheese Stomper); Homemade aprons, featuring vintage-inspire fabrics and designs (Dorcas Designs); Whole bean coffees (Espresso Yourself); Gourmet baked goods (Fatty's); Fresh baked breads and rolls (Luciano's Labriolas Bread Co.); Soy candles and soaps (Laughing Dog Acres); Homemade jams, jellies, butters, and preserves (Paula Newton Jams); Plants and unique garden décor (The Tattered Gardner); Organic and specialty teas (Valerie's Hands), and Natural cleaning products for green living (Watkins Products).The market is sponsored by the Village of Homewood and the Homewood Rotary. For market information, please call 206-3375 or view Homewood's listing on Local Harvest.

On Saturday, June 21, rev your engines for the seventh annual Drivin' the Dixie sponsored by Homewood's Heritage Committee. It is estimated that over 200 vehicles will tour the historic Dixie Highway, sampling cuisine, entertainment, and games at 11 different stops. Thousands will come out to view the vast array of antique cars and participate in the fun activities at each town along the historic highway. Homewood's stop on the tour will be action-packed with live entertainment, food, and family activities, including a car show and "People's Choice Award." Estimated time for arrival in Homewood is 10:30 AM; cars leave at 11:45 AM.

For general information, call ( 708) 798-9535.  Passports with the day's schedule and registration are available in each participating town, Homewood Village Hall, Homewood Public Library, and at the official Drivin' the Dixie website: www.drivingthedixie.org.

 

Winning artwork will be displayed at Village Hall through the month of July. 

When dive rescue teams are called to river and creek areas, there is a high probability that swift water search and rescue operations will be needed. The MABAS 24 Dive Team met in South Holland to train on a river rescue search pattern operation, and Homewood Dive Rescue Team Co-Leader FF/PMD Chris Kieta attended. The method used to search a river or creek consists of a rope and pulley system which is stretched across the river. A dive team member stands on each side of the creek while the diver in the water holds onto the rope and is pulled from one side of the river to the other. This type of search is used because even a small amount of current will tire a diver quickly. All of the work is done by the team members on each side of the river, who haul the diver back and forth.

 

FF/PMDs Mike Bell, Tim Cameron and John Elashik and P-T FF/PMD Matt Cervak completed the State Fire Marshal's 40-hour Vehicle Machinery Operations certification class. The course taught them how to perform vehicle extrications and helped them to understand the basics of machinery extrication. Topics covered included vehicle anatomy and safety features, scene safety, tools and their uses, stabilization, and techniques to extricate victims. Four of the five days of class were spent at the facility's training center doing hands-on practical evolutions including vehicle stabilization, from a simple 1-car accident to a multi-car accident that included overturned vehicles. They improved their skills in victim extrication procedures, using various hand tools and extrication tools, and in patient stabilization techniques using a backboard.
 
Hazardous Material Operations
P-T FF/PMDs Matt Cervak, Tristan Lopez, and Emilie Wadman, successfully completed the State Fire Marshal's 40-hour Hazardous Material Operations certification course. In this class, extensive time was spent in the classroom covering definitions, placards and labels, defensive tactics and actions as well as practical evolutions covering a variety of situational responses. At the end of the class a large tabletop incident was established and the skills and knowledge that we had learned throughout the week were tested to completely and successfully identify the hazardous material, establish a strategy for resolving the incident, and then implement the tactics needed to successfully terminate the incident.

Certifications Received and Courses Completed
P-T FF/EMT Karra Kopas: Technical Rescue Awareness
Lieutenant Scott Moran: Hazardous Materials Incident Command
Deputy Chief Clint Johnson - Fire Officer III course completions: Communications & Public Relations; Employee Assistance Programs; EMS Management; Haz-Mat Management; Fire Service Legalities
P-T FF Mike McAvoy: Firefighter II / Haz-Mat Awareness 
P-T FF/EMT Stefanie Nolen: Firefighter II / Haz-Mat Awareness  
P-T FF/PMD Peter Pecchia: Firefighter II / Haz-Mat Awareness 

International Visitor

Welcome to Homewood's e-Newswire, a bi-weekly electronic newsletter, containing information pertinent to Homewood's residents and business community.  The Village has transitioned to this format to provide up-to-date information on its projects, programs,and plans. Subscribe today!