Joey’s Red Hots to open Monday in Orland Hills

Joey’s Red Hots will open its seventh location on Monday at 9135 W. 159^th St. in Orland Hills. (Photo by Steve Neuhaus)

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy 

Co-owner Anthony Nardo is not one to miss an opportunity to expand the reach of the Joey’s Red Hots empire.

The Orland Park-based chain of restaurants has set Monday, February 26, as the opening date for its newest Joey’s location, in Orland Hills.

Nardo and his partner Nick Iozzo jumped quickly when the latest location at 9135 W. 159^th St. became available in October after Chicken-N-Spice closed.

“It was brought to our attention it was available and we fell in love with it,” Nardo said. “I think this location will do very well. It’s on 159^th Street.”

He said there was some remodeling. “We had to make it our own. Joey’s has a brand,” he said.

The newest Joey’s will be the second to offer a drive-thru. The first was the location in Riverdale, which opened in 2022. All locations offer carry-outs, dine-in and patio seating.

Orland Hills will feature a full menu, including pizza slices.

The chain will now have seven locations: the original site at 17400 S. Wolf Road in Orland Park, New Lenox, Crest Hill, Chicago’s Morgan Park community, Justice, Riverdale, and Orland Hills. Gaming machines are available where legal. The company also operates eight food trucks.

The restaurant will employ from six to eight employees.

Hours at the new location will be 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily to start. “We might stay open until midnight on weekends,” Nardo said.

For information, visit their website at joeysredhots.com, or check out their Facebook page at Joey’s Red Hots.

 

Will County's Hidden Oaks Nature Center to close for renovation

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy 

Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook is about to be transformed, but the process will require the facility to be closed for most of the year starting Monday, Feb. 19. 

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but promise to be an asset to the community and a great place to visit upon our grand reopening,” said Angie Trobaugh, facility supervisor at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Hidden Oaks, which is located at 419 Trout Farm Road

Hidden Oaks Preserve also will close on occasion for outdoor renovations during the year, as necessary. The preserve renovations will not affect Hidden Lakes Trout Farm, which is in the northern part of the preserve. 

The interior and exterior work at Hidden Oaks Nature Center is designed to convert the former Bolingbrook Park District site, which was purchased by the Forest Preserve in February 2022, into a nature center tailored to Forest Preserve-type exhibits and activities. 

“This is a long time coming and very strategic on our part,” Trobaugh said. “We completed a conceptual design plan for the exhibits in 2023 and now we are really excited to see the plan come to life for the community.”

The project will include architectural changes to the interior of the building and new exhibits including: 

• Expansion of the reception and gift shop area.
• Conversion of the south existing classroom into an exhibit gallery.
• Replacement of the children’s bathroom with a program staging area.
• Updated rental space for the public featuring new paint, carpet, cabinets, doors, lighting and a wet bar. 
• A new shade structure outside. 
• An accessible path from the nature center to the nature playscape and the natural amphitheater. 

Once the interior of the building is renovated, exhibit work will provide new design features throughout the first floor and a new permanent live animal tank for the nature center’s resident turtles, Trobaugh said. Also, an elaborate indoor birdwatching lookout deck will be installed. This new feature promises to attract advanced birders and beginners alike.

“But the beloved oak tree in the center of the lobby will remain and receive a much-needed overhaul,” she added. “Once the work is completed, the nature center’s theme will be to explore Hidden Oaks to uncover surprising stories of local animals, plants and habitats. Both the construction and exhibit plans are robust and designed with all Will County residents in mind.”

While the theme will be exploration, the nature center's mission is to "ignite curiosity," she added. 

"The new and improved Hidden Oaks will encourage local community members to discover their natural world through interactive exhibits, educational programs, outdoor spaces and hands-on natural play," she explained. 

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.          

Just before midnight on February 7, a lucky Illinois Lottery player stopped into a convenience store in oak Lawn and hit the jackpot on Fast Play Twenty 20s, winning $902,096.

The ticket was purchased at 7-Eleven, located at 4501 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn.

The store will receive a selling bonus of 1 percent of the prize amount, or just over $9,000.

Twenty 20s is an Illinois Lottery progressive jackpot Fast Play game. The jackpot begins at $50,000 and grows with each ticket sold statewide -- in-store and online -- until the jackpot is won.

Already this month, the Fast Play Twenty 20s game has net Illinois Lottery players more than $1.48 million in prizes.

Fast Play is a quick and easy draw game that can be played at any time. There are no numbers to pick, no play slip to complete, no scratching, and no waiting for winning numbers. There are currently over 25 Fast Play games offered at various price points and play styles.

The Lottery announced Friday that a $90,000 Pick 4 ticket was also purchased in Oak Lawn on February 7. It was for 1-0-2-1 purchased for the Pick 4 evening draw. No sale location was announced.