The Park District of Highland Park received state-wide recognition with an Illinois Association of Park District (IAPD) Best of the Best Award for Sportsmanship, honoring two of our outstanding volunteer coaches David and Andy Engle. Award winners will be recognized at the IAPD Best of the Best Awards Gala on October 15.

IAPD winners were selected from entries submitted throughout the state recognizing the “Best of the Best” park districts, forest preserves, conservation, recreation, and special recreation agencies in eight categories. For a complete list of winners, click here.

This award is truly an honor for the Park District, our Athletics Program, our fabulous coaches, and the Highland Park community!

Here is a synopsis of our winning Coaches:

Coaches Andy and David Engle have been with the Park District of Highland Park for three seasons as volunteer Travel Baseball Coaches. Both have volunteered well over 1000 hours throughout their three seasons. They have been instrumental to Highland Park’s baseball community on many levels. Andy and David embody what it means to be committed volunteers, from ensuring our playing fields are safe and adequate to recruit players to organizing home field tournaments. They instill teamwork, hard work, respect, safety, and a family environment while ensuring everyone is having fun. They do not coach to the scoreboard or concern themselves with the team’s record; however, their teams have been very successful. This past season, the 12U team they coached went 31-14 and won two out of five tournaments. They both are exemplary role models for their young players. They teach respect, dignity, sportsmanship, hard work, and pride in the community they represent. Andy and David are most deserving of the IAPD Good Sportsmanship Award.

Featured in the photo (L to R): Andy Engle, Sammy (Andy’s son), Noah (David’s son), David Engle

This fall, we encourage you to safely explore our beaches by following these important guidelines:

More than 50 volunteers joined Park District staff at Rosewood Beach for September’s Adopt-a-Beach clean-up on Saturday, September 18. Students from Highland Park High School Rotary Interact and members of Makom Solel Lakeside participated in this regional event sponsored by the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Highland Park is one of the few communities in the area that is providing access to public beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Park District has instituted policies, safety guidelines and protocols to allow this recreational access for the well-being of our community.  

Park ambassadors are onsite at Rosewood Beach, Millard Beach and Park Avenue North Beach to monitor beach activities, enforce parking, policies, and ordinances. Patrons are required to practice social distancing and safety measures.  

When visiting our beaches please be respectful of our neighbors and private property lines.  The boundaries of the Park District of Highland Park property are clearly marked at all our public beaches.  It is unlawful to go beyond those boundaries. 

We ask that you review the information below before visiting our beaches. Your cooperation and understanding will ensure we can continue to safely keep our beaches open for the remainder of the season.   

Rosewood Beach – NEW! Extended Swimming Season 

Post Season (September 8- September 27) 
    Weekdays:  No Lifeguard on Duty, Swim at Your Own Risk 
    Weekends: 10 am – 6 pm Guarded Swim 

Beach Hours: Dawn to Dusk 

Beach Access: Residents and Non-residents are permitted. 

Capacity:  275 people (beach access will be closed when at capacity. 

Parking:  7 am – 9 pm (gates close promptly at 9 pm)   

Millard Beach

Park Avenue North Beach

Moraine Beach

This is a dog beach.  Currently, this beach is closed for safety reasons, due to the path experiencing significant erosion.  

It’s that time of year!  Heller Honey is now on sale! Purchase your honey at Heller Nature Center (Mon and Wed, 8:30am-5pm) or at the Recreation Center of Highland Park (Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat and Sun 7am-1pm). It’s $11/jar and $0.25/honey stick or five for $1.

Heller Honey is 100% natural and produced by our very own Heller bees. Try out these yummy kid-friendly Heller honey recipes to get the most out of this sweet local treat. Enjoy!!!

  1. Honey Apple Nachos: Give your nachos a makeover and swap out chips and cheese for apples and honey! Cut your apple slices nice and thin and then cover them with Heller honey and your kids’ toppings of choice. It’s a healthy alternative to your traditional nachos, and a sweet treat for snack time!
  2. Honey Cereal Bars: These are great on the go! Grab your kids’ favorite cereal, ¾ cup of peanut butter, and ½ cup of Heller honey. Throw the peanut butter and honey into a saucepan and let them meltdown until they’re fully combined. Once that’s done, take it off the heat and mix in your cereal until it is evenly coated. Press that mixture into an 8×8 pan and refrigerate it for 1 hour before serving them to your kiddos!
  3. Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups: These 3-ingredient roll-ups will have your family buzzing! All you need is 2-3 cups of your family’s fruit of choice, 2-3 tablespoons of Heller honey, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Throw those 3 ingredients into a food processor and blend. Once smooth, pour your mixture onto a pan lined with plastic wrap and spread into a ¼ of an inch thickness. Let those dehydrate in the oven (what temperature?) for about 4-6 hours, and you have your very own fruit roll-ups!
  4. Honey Oatmeal Energy Bites: These no-bake bites are sure to make you the Queen Bee of the neighborhood! Combine 1 ½ cups of rolled oats, ¼ cup of honey, 1/3 cup of cashew butter, and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Let this mixture chill out in the freezer for about 15 minutes and then roll them into bite-sized balls. Finish them off with a quick roll in some shredded coconut and enjoy!
  5. Honey Fruit Dip: This recipe is as easy as 1-2-3…which is exactly how many ingredients you need to make it! All you need to do for this yummy fruit dip is combine ¼ cup of plain Greek yogurt, ¼ cup of peanut butter, and 2 tablespoons of Heller honey. It’s really that easy!
Purchase your Heller Honey today!

Back open and now with pickleball! The three hard surface tennis courts at Sunset Woods Park were patched, colored, and striped this month and are now open for play. Additionally, two of the three courts are now lined for pickleball. Those wishing to play pickleball can adjust the net height with the center strap.

At their meetings this week, the Highland Park City Council and Park District Board of Commissioners approved an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the City-owned property commonly known as Park Avenue Boating Facility. Under the conditions of the IGA, the Park District will have the right to use the property for public recreation purposes for a term of 50 years, including but not limited to fishing, power boating, sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding, use of the Yacht Club building, camp programming, and other comparable activities. No rent or fee will be paid to the City by the Park District for the term of the agreement.

The agreement allows the Park District to make any necessary repairs or improvements to the boating facility so long as they do not impact the operation and maintenance of the water plant or present any threat to the safety and security of the water plant. Also, under the terms of the agreement, the City will continue to maintain all parking lot areas (except for the North Parking Lot, which is owned by the Park District and the storage lot areas south of Yacht Club). The Park District will be responsible for enforcement of parking regulations for the parking lots on the Park Avenue Boating Facility.

“This is a wonderful example of how two governmental bodies can work together to address the needs of the community for generations to come,” said Barney Ruttenberg, President of the Park District Board of Commissioners. “With this agreement in place, the Park District can now take the appropriate steps to ensure long term access to recreational boating at Park Avenue Boating Facility, consistent with the Board approved Lakefront Master Plan.”

“The City values our partnership with the Park District of Highland Park, and appreciates the hard work of elected officials and staff to develop an agreement that will serve our community well into the future,” said Mayor Nancy Rotering. “Formalizing responsibilities relative to the maintenance and use of this public lakefront area will allow the Park District to enhance boating and recreational water activities while ensuring the City’s access to the property for emergency water rescues and the security of Water Treatment Plant operations.”

The continued partnership between the City of Highland Park and the Park District of Highland Park will facilitate efforts to restore the Park Avenue Boating Facility’s boat launch and pursue additional improvement projects to ensure the community’s continued enjoyment of this natural resource.

More information about the Park Avenue Boating Facility is available at pdhp.org. Questions regarding the Facility should be directed to the Park District of Highland Park, Mitch Carr, Director of Recreation and Facilities, mcarr@pdhp.org.

Public skating resumes on Tuesday, September 7 at Centennial Ice Arena:

Price:

Participants may register for public skate sessions online or in-person at Centennial.

REGISTER ONLINE

Thank you to those that attended the Park Ave Site Improvement Plan Community Meeting on Monday, August 16, from 6:30 – 7:30 pm. We had over 75 people participate and collected valuable feedback on the plan.

This community meeting was held to review the proposed concept site plan for the Park Avenue Beach and Boating Facility. The meeting included a brief introduction of the concept plan followed by an opportunity to take a closer look, ask questions, and provide feedback to the project team.

If you were not able to join, click the video to watch the recorded meeting.  The Park District has heard from many residents, and the slide below summarizes the trending comments. This slide is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all comments received but a snapshot. Please send comments and questions to planning@pdhp.org.

Engineering for the barge breakwater/boat launch is considered a separate project and was not presented at this meeting.

About the Park Avenue Site Improvement Plan
The Park Avenue Site Improvement Plan is an initiative from the Lakefront Master Plan Update, that consolidates the various lakefront planning efforts to develop a holistic, sustainable, conceptual site plan for Park Avenue Beach and Boating Facility. The plan considers access, boat storage and amenities, passive and active recreation, infrastructure repair and replacement, and is also consistent with the District’s Beach Management Plan. The site plan is conceptual at this stage and does not include specific engineering, architectural, or construction plans. Concept site plans provide the Park District support to apply for grant funds and budget for future projects. Engineering for the barge/boat launch is considered a separate project and will not be presented at this meeting.

As of Saturday, July 31, data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that Lake County is now experiencing substantial community transmission of COVID-19. The Lake County Health Department now urges individuals and businesses to follow CDC guidance and wear face masks in indoor public spaces to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Lake County communities.
 
For our residents’ health and safety, and to align with Lake County and CDC guidance, beginning Tuesday, August 3, face masks will be required in all Park District of Highland Park indoor facilities regardless of vaccination status.  Those indoor facilities where masks are required at all times include the Recreation Center of Highland Park, Deer Creek Racquet Club, Sunset Valley clubhouse, Hidden Creek bathhouse, West Ridge Center, Heller Nature Center, and Centennial Ice Arena.   Signs will be posted at all facilities as a reminder to patrons. 
 
The Park District guidelines will remain the same for our outdoor facilities and programs as follows:

We appreciate our community’s understanding and cooperation as we work together to navigate these challenging times.  The Park District will continue to work with state, county, and local authorities.   Always, your health and safety are our top priority, and we will keep you updated as the situation evolves.  

For more information on the CDC and Lake County guidelines, click here.

Face Mask Guidelines

Due to Lake County now experiencing substantial community transmission of COVID-19, the Lake County Health Department now urges individuals and businesses to follow CDC guidance and wear face masks in indoor public spaces to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Lake County communities. See below for details: 

Outdoor Facilities and Programs

Indoor Facilities and Programs 

Currently, the Park District is not tracking patrons and participants for vaccinations. By participating in a Park District program, lesson, or activity or visiting an outdoor Park District facility without a face mask, you are verifying truthfully that you have been fully vaccinated.  
You are considered fully vaccinated:

If you don’t meet these requirements, regardless of your age, you are NOT fully vaccinated. Keep taking all precautions until you are fully vaccinated. 

Facility-Specific Guidelines

For your continued safety, certain guidelines will remain in place at some of our facilities.  For facility-specific guidelines and other information click on the facility links below:  

Centennial Ice Arena

Deer Creek Racquet Club

Hidden Creek AquaPark

Recreation Center of Highland Park 

West Ridge Center

Heller Nature Center

Rosewood Beach

Highland Park Golf Learning Center

Sunset Valley Golf Club

If guidelines change, we will update you accordingly. If you have any questions about how this will affect your participation in a program, please contact your program manager.

Keeping You Informed

Our staff works with our local, state, and federal authorities with the primary goal of keeping our customers, residents, and staff safe and healthy. Updates are provided on this website, on the Park District Facebook page, and via email.   To subscribe to our emails, click here. 
 

Do Your Part

Remember to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including COVID -19, consistently follow the Lake County Health Department guidelines:

If you have any COVID-19 questions, call the Illinois COVID-19 hotline at (800) 889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. You may also want to consider signing up for updates from the Lake County Health Department at https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4420/COVID-19-Updates.

As the local, state, and national landscapes continue to evolve, the Park District will remain vigilant and continue to keep you informed.