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In support of our country’s veterans, the Park District of Highland Park has amended its Military Discount Policy to include the eligibility of “veteran” servicemen and women and their immediate families to receive discounted services. Before this addition, the Military Discount Policy provided a 15% discount off resident rates for programs, memberships, and daily fees, excluding select contractual programs for active military and their families. The Park District Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the new military discount policy amendment to include veterans at their July 27, 2021 meeting.
Veteran and active military must register in person with proof of active or veteran service to receive the reduced rates.
On July 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated its COVID-19 guidance in light of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 Delta variant across the country. The Delta variant appears to be more transmissible than other variants, and, most importantly, appears to be transmissible even from individuals who are fully vaccinated.
Though Lake County currently has moderate transmission rates, the Park District is working closely with the county, state, and local authorities. And, we will take immediate action should transmission rates increase to substantial or high in our areas, or stricter guidance comes from the Illinois Department of Public Health. As always, your health and safety are our top priority, and we will keep you updated as the situation evolves.
For updates on the Park District’s response to COVID-19, click here.
At the July 27 Board Meeting, the Park Board approved the Sunset Woods Park Playground Renovation construction contracts. Construction is set to begin mid-August for the grand opening in Spring 2022 (weather dependent).
Check out the renderings of the new playground below. To learn more about the project, click here.
The Nature-Themed playground honors the natural beauty at Sunset Woods Park by resembling a forest floor to facilitate imaginative play. Kids can run through a fallen acorn, balance on the vines, climb log steppers, engage with the worm talk tubes, or interact with the sand at the sand play table. The primary play structure includes opportunities for climbing, sliding, crawling, and sensory play. The playful rubber surface design also offers an opportunity for imaginative play with lily pods and a river pattern. The variety of swings between the two play areas welcome all ages and abilities including belt swings, tot swing, ADA, and an expression swing for an adult to swing together with a child.
The new Rocket Ship playground will feature a primary rocket with a connecting launch tower. Kids will have a variety of ways to climb up the tower, making each visit unique and challenging including a rope climber, a crawl tube connecting one platform to the next, a net climber, and finally a ladder to the nose cone of the rocket where kids can view out from the 25’ high platform. Easy access stairs and climbers are also available through the tower. Kids can pretend they are part of a real launch at mission control and the command center, spin on the loading zone spinner, and move between the launch tower and rocket on the accessible bridge link. Surrounding the rocket ship, kids can play on the sun spinner, group swing, run up and slide down the rubberized embankment amongst the planets or climb on the “galaxy” net climber. All these pieces are mounted on rubberized surfaces with a design that transports you to outer space while making the entire playground accessible.
The site amenities including a central seating plaza, benches, seating wall, walkway, and picnic tables make this an engaging and playful destination for families.
Looking for a meaningful way to commemorate a special event or memorialize a loved one and give back to your community? Purchase a $200 engraved brick with a message of your choice to help the Parks Foundation of Highland Park raise funds to build a playground seating plaza between the new Rocket Ship and Nature-Themed playgrounds!
Your 4”x 8” brick engraved message includes a maximum of three lines and up to 13 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation.
The Park District of Highland Park strives to serve as the center of the community and to be our residents’ first choice for recreational services. Our adopted policies, procedures, and programs are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.
At the July 27 Regular Board Meeting, the Park Board approved the value statement and pledge for inclusion developed by the Park District’s Climate Task Force. The task force is comprised of staff volunteers who share a commitment to keep the Park District on course as a leader in our community for progressive inclusion.
The new value statement adopted by the Board is as follows:
The Park District of Highland Park is an ally for inclusion and equitable access, where everyone is afforded the same rights and opportunities that result in a sense of belonging, and the ability to safely express themselves authentically, without judgment.
Additionally, the Park District of Highland Park pledges:
For more information on the Park District’s inclusion policies and programs, click here.
With over 700 acres of land, 45 parks, four beaches and nine facilities, the Park District of Highland Park is one of the largest and certainly one of the most diverse districts in Illinois.
View a summary of the Park District’s progress in 2020, in our Annual Report.
The Park District’s Cunniff Park has been tapped as the location for the third annual Chicago Pickleball Open Tournament, scheduled for September 1– 5, making Highland Park a destination spot for players and fans of the sport. The event, which will be televised on CBS Network Sports, is a sanctioned U.S.A. Pickleball Association tournament. An estimated 500 players are expected to compete with a $35,000 purse for professional competitors.
Today, pickleball, a hybrid of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, is the fastest-growing sport in America. In the five years to the end of 2019, pickleball participation grew by more than 7%, according to the Sport & Fitness Industry Association.
“Like the rest of the country, pickleball is catching on quickly in Highland Park and all over the north shore, and this tournament is a great opportunity to grow the sport even more,” said Brian Romes, executive director for the Park District of Highland Park.
A few years back, residents began asking for a spot to play, and the demand has only grown, Romes said. In response, the Park District built six dedicated pickleball courts at Cunniff Park and two dedicated pickleball courts at Woodridge Park. Several existing tennis courts are lined for pickleball play, including two at Brown Park, two at Old Elm Park, and one at Woodridge Park. In addition, Deer Creek Racquet Club hosts pickleball leagues and offers drill and play lessons throughout the year.
The tournament is open to any interested players, both amateurs and professionals.
“We have a vast array of opportunities for players of all levels,” said Ken Herrmann, executive director of Chicago Metro Pickleball and co-director of the open.
Spectators are welcome to watch, and athletes of all ages are invited to try out the sport.
“It’s a family event,” Herrmann said. “Everyone can play because of the small size of the court and the actual pickleball, which moves very fast. Everyone can get relatively good quickly and get out there and enjoy the game.” The tournament includes three age levels; juniors, adults, and seniors, including men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
Though everyone is welcome, Highland Park residents can expect to see some pro athletes. “Some of the biggest pros are coming in from across the country,” Herrmann said.
Players interested in taking part in the open can register here.
In preparation for the tournament, please be aware of the following court closures at Danny Cunniff Park: the basketball court and tennis courts #1 and #7 will be closed to the public Aug 26 – Sept 9. All tennis and pickleball courts will be closed to the public Sept 1-5.
We are so excited to announce that the Recreation Center of Highland Park is hosting the Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT) Monday, July 26 through Friday, July 30 from noon-6pm daily. The MMOT will be located at the northeast corner of the Rec Center parking lot.
A project of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the MMOT is a bus that has been transformed both inside and out, into a museum with the purpose to “inspire people of all ages and backgrounds, empowering them to raise their voices and combat anti-Semitism, bullying, racism, hate, and intolerance and to promote human dignity.”
MMOT utilizes innovative technology and interactive lessons to bring its message of tolerance directly to Illinois communities.
Being stuck at a desk for 8-10 hours a day is a one-way ticket to the chiropractor. One of your biggest goals every day should be to get up and get your blood flowing; the more often you can move around, the better! Your body needs to release tension from being endlessly hunched over your keyboard, and your eyes could definitely use a break from the screen while you’re at it!
The fountain of youth may be closer than you think…while we don’t know of any magical potions, water can actually work in mysterious ways! Kicking off the day with a glass of water not only boosts your energy but also helps with digestion and enhances your skin health. If that doesn’t convince you to load up on H20, this next fun fact definitely will. Did you know that hydrating all day long can actually boost your metabolism? That means that burning some extra calories can be as easy as refilling your water bottle a few times a day!
Summer is all about grilling and eating fresh, so don’t forget to get some fruits and veggies in the mix! They are the best source of vitamins and minerals and are full of prebiotic fiber and antioxidants. Making sure your palette is always packed with these fresh foods can lower blood pressure, reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke, lessen digestive problems, and even prevent some kinds of cancer. Nothing is better than a fruit or veggie salad picnic at one of our parks!
With so much to do and what feels like so few hours in the day, too often we trade our precious beauty sleep for some extra loads of laundry and binging the newest season of our favorite shows. While it may seem like a fair trade in the moment, your body needs to recharge, otherwise you will head into the next day like a zombie with no REM sleep. We need 7-9 hours of sleep to be fully functioning the following day, and the sleep that counts the most occurs from 8pm to midnight. Get off your screens a few hours before bedtime and get some quality sleep!
While it’s not news that exercise is good for you, you might be surprised at the little ways it can improve your everyday life. Getting 150 minutes of exercise every week can give your daily energy levels a huge boost and release pent-up tension and stress within your muscles. This increased energy can help you avoid a mid-day slump and might just make that endless to-do list seem a little more realistic! The Recreation Center of Highland Park is the perfect place to get your steps in and offers a variety of ways to get your sweat on. The hours of operation are Monday-Thursday: 5:30am–7:30pm (Closed noon-2pm for cleaning), Friday: 5:30am–2pm and Saturday & Sunday: 7am–1pm.
Swap out your typical workout for a pool day! The water is a great place for exercise because it’s fun and a great way to burn fat, strengthen muscles, and aid joint recovery.
1. Water Planks
Grab your pool noodle and work on your core! Start with your feet on the floor and hold your pool noodle horizontally in both hands, with a firm grip. Push the noodle down into the water so that your body is at a slight incline, and try to hold yourself steady for 1-2 minutes. You should feel the burn in your abdominals!
2. Shuffle Slides
While it may seem simple, side shuffling through the water is a great way to tone your thighs. All you have to do is smoothly shuffle from one side of the pool to the other, keeping your movements continuous and consistent! This exercise will target both your inner and outer thighs, giving your legs a killer workout!
3. Bicycle
This exercise will make sure you feel the burn! Lean your back against the side of the pool, stretch out your arms – along the ledge, with your palms down for stability. Bring your knees up towards your chest and begin rotating your legs in forward, circular motions as if you are pedaling a bike. Continue this motion for 30 seconds and repeat it three times. This movement works your core muscles and your legs!
4. Deck Dips
Don’t move! You’ll need to stay by the side of the pool for the following two exercises too. This time rest your palms on the ledge behind you with your fingertips facing forward, gripping the edge. Then bend your knee, either one, so that one of your feet is flat against the wall of the pool. Straighten your arms to raise your body out of the water; and then bring yourself back down. Do ten reps for each leg and repeat three times!
5. Mermaid
Lean your back against the side of the pool and extend both of your arms along the edge. Put your legs firmly together, like a “mermaid tail,” so that your body is in the shape of a “T,” and then lift and lower your legs slowly. This exercise will target all of your leg muscles at once!
Check our pool hours at Hidden Creek AquaPark.
A recent episode “Storms, Sanctuary and Suckers” of the PBS series “Great Lakes Now” featured the work our Park District of Highland Park Natural Areas Department is doing to help scientists learn more about the Great Lakes. Natural Areas Manager Rebecca Grill and Program Volunteer Coordinator Liz Ricketts are featured in the episode.
The Park District of Highland Park is part of a Shedd Aquarium research project led by Shedd researcher Karen Murchie to track the movements of sucker fish across the Great Lakes. The sucker fish up until now has been kind of a mystery, but the incredible work being done has allowed a better understanding of their biology. The episode highlights the work Murchie, and her team has done to learn more about the fish that is such a vital part of our local ecosystem. Murchie explains that “if there was an academy award for fishes, she would give suckers the academy award for best supporting fish because of the amazing services they provide.”
The episode aired on PBS across the Midwest, and the full video is below.