It's Thanksgiving week, and Oak Forest Patch will be preparing you for the holiday, as well as the shopping season that follows it (or in some cases, during it).

Here are some of the things readers can expect to see in the next few days to help them navigate this busy week in Oak Forest a little more easily:

• What grocery stores will have Thanksgiving Day hours?
• Is your favorite local restaurant serving dinner on the holiday like Luby's Pub and Steakhouse?
• What bars have specials on Black Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving and one of the busiest nights of the year for drinking establishments?
• How does Thanksgiving affect your trash pickup and other municipal services?
• Where should you go locally for the best sales, deals and special events businesses are running for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and the entire holiday weekend?

We start things off by spotlighting some of Oak Forest's small and independently owned businesses that do a great job of keeping their customers informed about what's going on at their shops and restaurants.

• Oak Forest Animal Clinic
• City of Oak Forest
• Jack Frost Ice Cream
• Food 4 Less
• Aldi
• B & M Auto Sales and Service
• Unbeatable Eatables Oak Forest
• Oliver's Bar and Grill
• Future Property Services, Inc.
• Patti G's Salon and Spa
• Marcotte's Bar and Grill
• Oak Forest Bowl and The Park
• Blarney Stone Pub
• Basement Ink
• Oak Forest Park District
• All Charged Up Batteries
• The OC Chamber of Commerce
• Oak Forest Baseball Association
• Taps Pub

YOUR TURN: Know a really great Facebook page we missed? Add your favorites in the comments section and we'll update our list with your suggestions.

Ways You Can Use Oak Forest Patch to Help Your Business:

• Are you an expert on fashion, gadgets or another field? Blog about your area of expertise and your business in Local Voices.
• Are you and your employees volunteering this season? Share photos of how you're giving back to Oak Forest.
• Got a fun event coming up? Make sure it's on our community calendar.
• Interested in advertising on Patch? Contact Ad Manager Mary Olson by phone 708-218-6724 or email (mary.olson@patch.com) for more details.

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