Wendy Giardina, president of the Hemingway District board, set the bar for the district's comeback before the "On the Road Again" block party took place. She told Wednesday Journal that success "isn't about how many people show up." For her, it's about "how many people discover something that they love and come back for the holiday season."

The block party was set for Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. along Oak Park Avenue from South Boulevard to Pleasant Street. Its lineup included classic cars, kids on bikes, scooters and skates, School of Rock musicians and the band JudsonMain. Wednesday Journal billed the day as a preview of the district's new look, ahead of substantial completion by Thanksgiving. By the board president's own standard, the block party was the start of the test. The next few weeks decide whether people come back. The clearest date for that is Saturday, Nov. 28, when the district holds a Shop Small celebration and lights its tree at Scoville Square on a street that spent most of 2026 behind caution tape.

Why the next four weeks matter more than the party

Renew the Avenue began in early March, after start dates had slipped since 2021. The main job was replacing water and sewer lines more than 100 years old, and the street above them was rebuilt at the same time. In October, Wednesday Journal reported that village engineer Bill McKenna and project manager Brian Racine had confirmed "substantial completion" of the streets and sidewalks by Thanksgiving. They put the budget at or just under about $18 million. Crews worked weekends to make that date, and Racine described the overlapping trades as a "well-orchestrated dance."

The Hemingway District's volunteer board planned the block party in part to support the businesses that have weathered the construction. "We've had a lot of challenges this year," Giardina told Wednesday Journal, "and I know that our businesses are really excited to re-introduce themselves to Oak Park."

That explains why the board measures success by return visits. Holiday spending will show whether the new street brings business back to the district.

What the rebuilt avenue actually has on it

The Nov. 5 Wednesday Journal preview listed the new features.

• Brick-lined streets and new sidewalks through the district
• More than 40 landscaping planters along the road
• Refreshed light posts with overhead bistro lights and new district banners
• A new obelisk and plaza on South Boulevard
• Illuminated panels under the Green Line with Oak Park-themed art, added for visibility and pedestrian safety
• Viaduct and railroad improvements at the embankment
• New water pipes under the whole district

The art at the South Boulevard corner was approved in 2024. Wednesday Journal reported then that the village chose two pieces for the southeast corner of South Boulevard and Oak Park Avenue. One is "Flame Beacon," an illuminated sculpture by Ray King Studio, described as about 16 feet tall and made of stainless steel and dichroic laminated safety glass with LED lighting. The other is a piece by Graham Carraway beneath the Green Line viaduct. The Carraway work combines mural art, illuminated recessed arches, cutouts and aluminum panels.

The bistro lights and the lit viaduct panels matter most for a late-November evening. The tree lighting on Nov. 28 is scheduled for 6 p.m., after dark.

The businesses that stayed open through it

The construction updates page said throughout the work that all stores, restaurants and businesses in the Hemingway District stayed open with sidewalk access. The project's Renew the Avenue site profiles many of them. Here they are by address, from north to south:

These businesses fall into two clusters. The 100 block of North Oak Park Avenue holds Cafe Cubano, il Vicolo, Billy Bricks, Filoni, Olive & Well, Village + Vessel, Mulata Kitchen + Coffee and Style Society Club, and Scoville Square at 139 N. Oak Park Ave. sits in the middle of that block. South of the tracks, the 100 block of South Oak Park Avenue holds Grape Leaves, Dandelion Bookshop, R Titus Designs, George's and Oak Park Records within a few doors of each other. That makes Nov. 28 easy to plan as a loop. Start shopping on the south side, walk under the lit viaduct past the South Boulevard plaza, and reach Scoville Square before 6 p.m.

Thanksgiving week and the holidays, in order

For the district, the holiday season starts the day after this post publishes and runs into the week before Christmas. The Park District and the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust have dates nearby that fit around it.

1. Friday, Nov. 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Park District's Winter Greens Market at the Oak Park Conservatory. The same day is the sign-up deadline for Hemingway District businesses that want to offer Shop Small discounts, activities or ornaments.
2. Tuesday, Nov. 24, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. District businesses decorate the Scoville Square tree.
3. Wednesday, Nov. 25, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Give Back Glide at Paul Hruby Ice Arena.
4. Thursday, Nov. 26. Thanksgiving, the project's target for substantial completion.
5. Saturday, Nov. 28, 4 to 6:30 p.m. The Shop Small + Tree Lighting Celebration at Scoville Square, 139 N. Oak Park Ave., with deals, activities and "a grand Tree Lighting." The merchant page puts the lighting at 6 p.m.
6. Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust's Home for the Holidays event.
7. Friday, Dec. 18, 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. Skate with Santa at Paul Hruby Ice Arena.

Most of the district's own calendar happens in the five days between Nov. 24 and Nov. 28. The Park District dates on either side make the trip an easy pairing. Winter Greens at the Conservatory comes the day after this post publishes, and Skate with Santa comes three weeks after the tree lighting.

Getting there while the last pieces finish

Substantial completion doesn't mean every piece is finished. The October update said landscaping will need spring plantings. Pavement markings may also need touch-ups, because paint doesn't stick as well in cold weather. Expect some unfinished planters and fresh lane paint into the new year.

The last stretch of work centered on the Oak Park Avenue and North Boulevard intersection. Starting Monday, Nov. 2, the intersection closed so crews could pour concrete and lay brick. The work was expected to last about 10 days, weather permitting, and pedestrian access was kept open the whole time. During that work, drivers reached the Avenue Garage at 720 North Blvd. from North Boulevard at Euclid Avenue. Lake Street was the suggested route for through traffic.

For parking on Nov. 28, there are two options:

• The Avenue Garage, 720 North Blvd. Free parking for 90 minutes was offered Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday during construction.
• Maya Del Sol's district valet. The restaurant offers valet to customers of every business in the Hemingway District for a flat $5 per car. The entrance is in the alley behind St. Edmund's Church. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, so the valet is running during the whole Shop Small window.

The free garage time and the valet both cover the late afternoon on Nov. 28.

Grape Leaves, a Moroccan restaurant now at 129 S. Oak Park Ave., plans to move into a larger space next door once the avenue reopens.

At The CS Group, we follow changes like Renew the Avenue because a rebuilt main street changes what it's like to live a few blocks away. If you're thinking about what the new Hemingway District means for your home or your next move in Oak Park, request a free market consultation or home valuation and we'll go through it with you.