For some residents, the town festivals and parades may be the best times to celebrate culture and heritage.

St. Patrick’s Day commemorates the Irish forefathers with a lot of "hoopla" and traditional green. St. Joseph’s Day is a celebration with Sicilian roots that honors its saint with a bountiful and meatless feast.

The annual "Houby Festival" (pronounced ho-bee and meaning mushroom) not only celebrates Czechoslovakian traditions with arts and crafts and, of course, great food, but includes a Queen’s Pageant and parade witnessed by thousands.

Just a few miles away, Chicago offers some of the world’s best art, theater and music. An amazing number of priceless art works may be viewed at the Art Institute of Chicago at any time. It also is a favorite stop for special exhibits. Other Chicago museums include the Field Museum of Natural History, the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry. To top it off, Chicago has its own symphony and opera. Top-rated musicals, from Cats to The Phantom of the Opera are always popular attractions here.

Brookfield Zoo is just west of Cicero and has regularly added exhibits yearly. The "Living Coast" and "Habitat Africa" are some the newer exhibits. Brookfield Zoo’s garden and picnic areas make it a memorable place for company picnics and catered events.

Other Cicero Events include the Fourth of July Festivities, Concerts in the Park, Halloween Haunted House, Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Children’s Christmas Party and Sidewalk sale promotions for Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The Cicero Public Library has a phenomenal selection of material such as books, periodicals, newspapers, videos, music cassettes, CDs and books on tape. Its users may take advantage of the special collection of large print, foreign language, adult literacy, and materials for the blind and physically handicapped.

The library is also a provider of valuable services and resources, including story activity times and enrichment classes for children, cooperative programs between schools and the library, resources for teachers, day care providers, outreach community programs, a newsletter and activity guides.

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