Dear residents, patrons, and friends of the Community Park District,

As we all continue to weather the storm that is COVID-19, the board and staff of the Community Park District have been working diligently to balance the urgent and immediate need to keep our residents safe with the long-term and essential need to protect the overall health and well-being of our community. Like you, we are processing information that changes daily, grappling with the frustration that there are no definite answers or concrete timelines, and managing the emotional responses that come with so much uncertainty. However, we are happy to provide you with what our plan looks like moving forward.

Summer Brochure Essentially, all the information published has been changed. We will issue a series of summer program listings each month as we can safely adjust to the modifications of local and state orders. We will distribute the information via email, facebook.com/communityparkdistrict, and at www.communityparkdistrict.org. Please note, we will not be printing or mailing a Fall Catalog.

Day Camps We are currently working with local and state officials to offer summer camp options for our community. We are working diligently to ensure that we adhere to and implement CDC and IDPH guidelines to best protect the safety of our children and families that need summer care. This includes new handwashing policies, face covering practices, cancelling field trips, eliminating equipment sharing, etc. While the typical summer camp experience will not be possible, we have a very creative and dedicated staff designing innovative options. We will make our new “summer camp” program information available as soon as possible.

*Summer Theatre Programming * Our theatre staff has developed an incredible line-up of workshops and classes, many of which will have the ability to transition and “go live” outside. For those that choose to participate only in virtual classes this summer, there will be options all season long! Watch for more information next week.

Seussical The Musical The show MUST go on! Our theatre team has worked to keep our Seussical Footlight cast engaged since the initial postponement of the show. While we don’t have all the answers yet, we do plan to host the final production as soon as able. In the meantime, Spencer, Cole and the Footlight Team will be hosting a virtual “See you in Solla Sellew Cabaret Series.” This program will be free for the Seussical Cast to participate, and there will be a virtual tip jar for each performance to help support the Footlight Players Program and the future production. Footlight Players are encouraged to watch for more information regarding registration.

Afternoon Antics According to the Restore Illinois Plan, our incredibly popular Afternoon Antics program will not be possible during Phase 2 or Phase 3 and could only operate in a limited capacity during Phase 4. While we have to cancel Afternoon Antics for 2020, we hope to have similar auxiliary programming in its place if we reach Phase 4 this summer.

Summer Concerts LTTV has graciously offered to rerun past summer concerts every Wednesday beginning June 3-August 26 from 7-8:30pm. We will provide that schedule in the coming weeks. While we understand that this won’t replace this summer’s outdoor concert experience at Memorial Park, we hope you can catch up on some of our best performances from years past.

Memorial Park Splash Pad and Playgrounds As we wait for guidance from the IDPH and CDC, the Memorial Park Splash Pad and all playgrounds will be closed until further notice.

*Tennis * The Community Park District plans to begin private and group lessons, just as soon as it is safe to do so. We will do our best to post program times online and at the courts if possible. As the weather continues to get warmer, we encourage you to take advantage of the outdoors safely and responsibly. Thanks to the assistance of the Village of La Grange Park and the La Grange Park Police Department, the diligence of our residents, and your willingness to continue to observe social distancing mandates, our valuable outdoor resources have remained open. As we continue to move towards recovery, it is imperative that we continue to observe the recommendation of our national, local, and state authorities to ensure access to our open spaces remains available. Please remember to avoid congregating and to play singles tennis only. If you have to wait for a court, please make sure to maintain 6-foot distances.

Yoga We are so grateful for Theresa’s willingness to host Virtual Yoga! Our initial sessions have gone very well, and we look forward to offering more in the future.

Additional Programming Please watch for additional information regarding new athletic programming, outdoor fitness programming, art programming and more.

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Stay healthy and safe,

Jessica Cannaday, CPRP Executive Director Community Park District of La Grange Park 708-354-4580