Business Comings & Goings: Odyssey to Kick Off Halloween Season with Maze, Pumpkin Patch and More

The Halloween season in Tinley Park will officially kick off when Odyssey Fun Farm Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maize opens on Friday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m., across the street from the arcade at Harlem Avenue and Oak Park Avenue.

The 15-acre corn maze and pumpkin patch will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Friday to Halloween. Admission will be $10 per person (children 1 year old and younger get in for free), which includes two corn mazes, unlimited hayrides, cow train rides, an inflatable Kids Zone, a petting zoo and pig races.

Children under 12 who visit can get free ice cream cones at the Culver’s in , Orland Park, Frankfort, Matteson and Homewood, and a free kids meal at Chili’s in Orland Park, New Lenox, Homewood, Calumet City and Chicago Ridge.

Available at additional cost are pony rides for $3, entry to “the Beast” for $3 and Corn Cannon shots (3 for $3, or 6 for $5).

General manager Clint Paraday said the spelling of “maize” in Odyssey Fun Farm Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maize was simple wordplay, and was the way the company that cuts the maze spells it. (Maize is a Native Indian word for corn.)

“This is our first year in the business of farming and we are hoping to really bring a fun-filled fall season for all the families,” Paraday said.

A grand-opening ribbon cutting and open house will take place at noon Sunday, Sept. 25. The $10 admission fee will be waived for everyone who attends the ribbon cutting or open house AND is a member of the Frankfort, New Lenox, Mokena, or Orland Park chambers of commerce.

For more information, call 708-429-3800 or visit Odyssey Fun Farm online.

HomeGoods to Open Sunday

Another new store at Brookside Marketplace opens this week when HomeGoods, a discount retailer that specializes in home fashions, opens at 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at 191st Street and Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park.

The 25,000-square-foot store is next to the . HomeGoods will have about 60 full-time and part-time workers. It will be the 21st HomeGoods location in the Chicago area.

Grand-opening hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Regular hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

As part of the grand opening, Massachusetts-based HomeGoods will donate $5,000 to the Crisis Center for South Suburbia shelter.

For more information, visit HomeGoods Tinley Park online.

Tinley Wins Leadership Award

Tinley Park received the Patricia Chase Magon Municipal Leadership Award last week from the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau for “its vision in the expansion of the Tinley Park Convention Center, enabling the facility to host larger meetings, trade shows, conventions and consumer shows. This project has elevated the profile of Tinley Park and the entire Chicago Southland region as a destination, positively affecting the regional economy.”

JH Sweis Catering Business After Hours

Join the Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mokena Chamber of Commerce for a joint Business After Hours at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at JH Sweis Catering and Bistro, 10110 W. 191st St. in Mokena. Sample foods from around the world, meet new chefs Sashah Ruge and Justin Anderson, and enjoy a wine tasting. RSVP to the Orland Chamber.

Neat Repeats Resale Shop Open Again

Neat Repeats Resale is sporting a new, bigger look in its new digs at 9028 W. 159th St. in Orland Park.

The store now has 3,650 feet of space to display its selection of small household items, giftware and clothing.

The grand reopening will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. Regular hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“It’s been a long process, with more than a year of planning and several weeks of actual construction,” Joyce Athey, director of Neat Repeats Resale said in a release. “But the result is just fabulous! Our volunteers and customers are really excited about the new space.”

All proceeds support the Crisis Center for South Suburbia shelter.

For information or to volunteer, stop in or call 708-364-7605.

Simon’s GamePlay Tour Comes to Orland 

will host the 2011 Simon GamePlay tour on Sept. 24-25, connecting fans of all ages to the hottest video games before they are officially launched and available in stores.

The recently launched Nintendo 3DS gaming system will take center stage at this year’s GamePlay. A “Nintendo 3DS Lounge”—decked out with couches, snacks and games—will be at the disposal of shoppers wanting to kick back and compete on their 3DS handhelds.

For the super competitive, Nintendo offers “Street Pass,” an opportunity to show off video skills in tournament-style play using Nintendo 3DS devices.

GamePlay will display all of the action on two flat-screen monitors so shoppers can cheer on participants as they compete for the highest score. 

The tour also offers 10 gaming pods, including two mature zones, with a variety of products from leaders in the video gaming industry, including 2K Play, Capcom, Eidos, SEGA, Namco-Bandai, Warner Brothers Interactive, THQ, 2K, Atari, and Edios/Square Enix.

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

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.