Residents from all over Oswego gathered on Saturday to express their artistic creativity, socialize, shop, and eat delicious foods at the Annual Oswego Lantern Festival. Many locals showed up, and even some non-Oswego residents joined in on the fun.
Event organizer and Oswego community relations department member Kelley Bertog said, “We love having community participation, so I think there’s a lot of ways to get involved.”
Bertog also alluded to the fact that the event, centered around an evening lantern parade, serves as a platform to engage the community in local arts because “they thought this would be a really great way to have people create art and then celebrate that art as a part of a larger event.”
In late September, downtown Naperville welcomed Brandy Melville, and it has been the talk of the town since.
This new location has been quite popular with OH students since the nearest location previously was downtown Chicago. “Brandy” first opened in Italy in 1984; Los Angeles opened the first US store in 2009, and since then there have been 133 stores open worldwide.
Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sep 15 – Oct 15, has officially started, and many students, teachers, and residents are making an effort to emphasize Hispanic cultures, to represent the Hispanic members that have enhanced the Oswego community.
“We always need to highlight the diversity in our community,” OH junior Zaydrian Vital said. “You know, we see a lot of the majority White population, so it's really key for other Latinos to see their representation and just see their culture throughout and feel a part of the community.”
At OH, Hispanic Heritage Month is a big deal for the Hispanic community, especially for the OH club Latin American Student Organization (LASO). They work extra hard to make this month special, hosting several events, including a spirit week.
Students and staff at OH have mixed feelings after Dunkin’ Donuts opened along Route 71 near the school's campus. While the new drive-thru offers a convenient morning stop, several students say it has added confusion and congestion to an already busy area.
OH sophomore Layla Rafeh said the location has quickly become part of her weekly routine, but not without drawbacks.
“Honestly, it can be good, but it’s also really terrible during traffic,” Rafeh said. “Everyone’s trying to get to school, and a bunch of the bus routes have changed, so it’s even worse. It’s just like a whole hassle.”
It isn’t surprising that Oswego’s economy is attracting new businesses, as new stores are popping up all around town, and one of the newest is Crumbl.
The delicacy cookie store opened in the heart of Oswego on Douglas Road this fall. The location is dedicated to selling premium baked goods, focusing on quality over quantity.
OH senior Topazio Ochoa said she was excited to work at Crumbl as it was introduced in the Oswgeo community. “For sure, [[I want to work there]] because of hype. Honestly, social media has been giving [[it]] a lot of attention. But it's excitement from the hype that’s [[what really makes this bakery special]].”