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July 4th Resources

For a full listing of local and national resources for you and your family to access, including news updates, vigil information, donations, volunteering, and reclaiming property, visit Highland Park Strong.

As we all continue to heal and move forward as a community, we would like to share our plans for reopening Park District programs and services.

While we hoped to begin offering all our programs and services this week, we made the difficult decision to cancel summer camps* through Friday, July 8. Summer camps will resume as scheduled on Monday, July 11. We understand that this decision may put your family in a difficult position for childcare. However, after meeting with our summer camp staff today, all of whom were working at the July 4th events, we understand that they need additional time to heal and prepare themselves to return to camp. In addition, the Unplugged Event scheduled for this Saturday, July 9, at The Preserve of Highland Park is canceled.

The following facilities are open tomorrow July 7 for regular hours:

The following programs will begin as scheduled tomorrow July 7:

The following programs scheduled to start this Saturday, July 9 are postponed one week and will begin on Saturday, July 16:

*Golf Camp will resume on Thursday, July 7

Available May 31-September 1, excluding July 2-4

Daily boat launch passes are available for purchase at the Recreation Center of Highland Park for power boats, sunfish sailboats, SUPs, and kayaks. Personal watercrafts are not eligible for daily launches this season. The daily pass includes parking and in and out privileges for the day. Daily boaters are asked to return their daily pass card in the Park Ave drop box at the end of their visit. 

Personal Watercrafts are not eligible for daily launches.

Recreation Center of Highland Park
1207 Park Ave West 

Hours: 

The Ravinia Farmers Market (RFM) opens for its 44th season from 7am to 1pm and will run until October 26 at Jens Jensen Park in Highland Park. The Ravinia Market is one of several markets in the Chicago area featuring local, organic produce grown by North Shore vendors.

“The Ravinia Neighbors Association and the Park District of Highland Park are the gracious Host Sponsors of the RFM, which allows the weekly event to have non-profit status. This alliance continues the mission to bring together the community in the Ravinia District,” says market manager Ed Kugler, who has managed the market since 2016. Kugler’s company, Taste Marketing, manages both the RFM and the Glencoe Farmers Market, which opens for its second season from 1-5pm, on June 11, next to Village Hall at 675 Village Ct. 

This year’s RFM will be bigger than ever, having more than doubled in vendor participation in the last three years, says Kugler. In addition to retaining most vendors from last year, Kugler has added several new vendors to the weekly line-up. Look for new offerings this season, such as a special Market Membership and a sponsorship program.

Live music continues this year, as “Jazzman” Jeff Justman returns from 8:45 to 10:45am most weeks. Since 2016, the North Shore-based acoustic musician has offered market-goers live entertainment in pass-the-hat style. Regular music performances from additional local artists are scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. each week on the market grounds. Weekly performances are sponsored by the Highland Park Community Foundation and Life Rhythms.

COVID-19 protocols will continue to remain at the forefront for the safety of customers, vendors, and market staff. Kugler adds, “Although conditions have changed since the 2021 market season, we are still following current COVID-19 state and local protocols, which will be followed and adapted to as we are directed by the City of Highland Park. The RFM is a member of the Illinois Farmers Market Association (ILFMA), which collaborates with the governor’s office to determine how all farmers markets in Illinois will follow the current COVID-19 protocols.”

Learn more

Stunning!  A huge congratulations to Highland Park’s own Jason Brown, who performed flawlessly last night in the men’s figure skating short program at the 2022 Winter Olympics.  It was his personal-best short program performance.  Jason Brown performs the men’s figure skating free skate program this Wed., Feb 9, at 7:30 pm.

Go Jason!!!   

Watch Jason’s 2022 Olympics Short Program Performance

The Board of Park Commissioner’s monthly meetings are moving from Tuesday nights to Wednesday nights. The Park Board’s regular January meeting is now scheduled for Wednesday, January 26. On a forward-going basis, the Park Board will meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month and have a workshop (meeting of the whole) on the second Wednesday of each month. 

To view the Park Board’s meeting schedule, agendas, videos, and minutes, click here. 

Congratulations to Centennial Ice Arena’s own Jason Brown for being named to the U.S. 2022 Olympic Figure Skating Team. A one-time resident of Highland Park and graduate of Highland Park High School, Jason learned to skate at a young age. When he was just five years old, his mother registered him in the Park District’s Learn-to-Skate tot program at Centennial, and he skated and trained at the ice arena early in his career. As his skill on the ice progressed, he began competing and succeeding in major skating competitions. In 2013, Jason became a World Junior Silver Medalist, and in 2014 he was selected to represent the United States on the men’s figure skating team at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The team brought home a bronze medal. 

Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou join Brown on the U.S. figure skating team for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing from February 4 – 20.
To view the 2022 Winter Olympic Games schedule, click here. Check back to this website for updates regarding Jason Brown during the Games. Best of luck, Jason! 

In response to the recent steep rise in COVID-19 cases and to keep our residents and staff as safe and healthy as possible at our facilities, the Park District of Highland Park wants to remind our patrons that the State of Illinois mandates that all individuals aged two and older are required to wear a face-covering when indoors, regardless of vaccination status. 

 Please follow these important guidelines: 

In Lake County, the CDC Data Tracker reports a positivity rate of 16.24% over the past seven days.  We appreciate our community’s understanding and cooperation as we work together to navigate these challenging times.  Always, your health and safety are our top priority, and we will keep you updated as the situation evolves.  

The Park District encourages all eligible patrons to get vaccinated against COVID-19. For more important information about the COVID-19 vaccines, best practices to protect yourself and others, and the proper way to wear face masks from the CDC, click here. 

For updates on the Park District of Highland Park COVID-19 response, click here. 

Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) will collect, transport, and dispose of holiday trees left curbside and free of decorations by all customers on their primary collection day, now through January 25. A sticker is not required. Contact LRS at 773.685.8811 with questions.

Residents may also drop off trees free of decorations, wires, or other recycling materials by the Park District through January 23. Drop-off locations are in posted areas of parking lots at Larry Fink Park, 1377 Deer Creek Parkway, and Danny Cunniff Park, 2700 Trailway. Park District crews chip the trees for use as mulch. Residents are welcome to use the mulch for their own gardens and landscapes. Contact Dan Voss, Director of Parks, at 847.579.3130 or [email protected] with questions.

Holiday lights may be recycled at the Highland Park Recycling Center, open every Tuesday and the first Saturday of the month from 7 AM – 1 PM, at 1180 Half-Day Road.

At the December 16th Park Board Meeting, the Park Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance for the levy of property taxes for the calendar year 2022. The ordinance provides a 5.76% increase from the actual property taxes collected for the Park District in 2020. The request with Lake County is for $12,381,667 in property taxes. The Park District’s portion of residents’ property tax bill is approximately 6.9%.

The 2022 Park District tax levy includes a combination of a 1.4% Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase in its “tax capped funds,” new growth estimated to be approximately $22 million, and an increase in the Special Recreation Fund levy from .0245% to .04%. The Special Recreation Fund is used for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) capital improvements, member fees for the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association (NSSRA), and to provide complimentary program inclusion aides for participants with special needs.

In 2021, the Park District did not increase its tax levy to provide relief for residents during the height of the pandemic. Operations were adjusted while providing safe and healthy recreational outlets. The Park Board felt it was the Park District’s responsibility to do more for our residents struggling with the financial ramifications of the pandemic. As the country and our community have slowly recovered, the Park District is now in full operation, and in many cases, seeing a record number of residents seeking recreational programs and services.