SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER  2025
COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

FIREWORKS are back this year!! We'll have all the usuals: live music, DJ, food trucks, beer/wine, bonfire, face painting, 50/50 Raffle, and for the kids this year - some new activities. There will be 4 carnival games to play, a large inflatable slide, and a fun foam party.

To provide all of this, we are looking for VOLUNTEERS to help out. We are looking for bartenders, and folks to help with the kids activities. Please contact Leslie in the office at 847.356.0008, or by email at parkdistrict@grandwoodpark.net.

A huge THANK YOU goes out to our sponsors of this event. 

Laura Sambrano / Sambrano Funerals & Cremations
AND
Carissa Casbon, Lake County Board

Your help in putting on this event is truly appreciated!!

• September 6th – Fall Fest
• September 10th - Park District Board Meeting
• September 13th – 12 hr. Scrapbook Crop
• September 27th - Adopt a Highway
• October 4th – 12 hr. Scrapbook Crop
• October 8th - Park District Board Meeting
• October 22nd – Blood Drive
• October 25th – Craft Fair
• November 8th – 12 hr. Scrapbook Crop
• November 12th - Park District Board Meeting
• December 6th – 12 hr. Scrapbook Crop
• December 10th - Park District Board Meeting
• December 12th – Cookies & Milk with Santa
• December 13th – Santa’s Ride/Toys for Tots toy drive

CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS to participate in our next Adopt-a-Highway clean-up. This one is scheduled for Saturday, September 27th beginning at 10am at the pole barn at Hutchins Athletic Field.

The park district has partnered with Lake County to maintain Hutchins Rd. from Stearns School Road to Grand Avenue. Per our agreement, we get a volunteer crew together twice a year to clean-up along the sides of the road.  It usually only takes an hour. This is a great way for students to earn community service hours! 

Lake County supplies safety vests, and the park district supplies the bags and pick-up tools. If you have a pair of work gloves, feel free to bring them. Water will be available to all volunteers.

If you have an hour and would like to help out, please contact Leslie Cassidy in the park district office by email at parkdistrict@grandwoodpark.net, or by telephone at 847-356-0008.

Our Blood Drives are only possible with support from people like you. Every donation helps save lives, whether in our community or across the country. Now more than ever, your contribution can make a significant impact.

Could you help us keep the blood supply strong? SAVE THE DATE and be part of something life-changing. In just an hour, you can ensure there’s blood available for those who need it most.

DATE:  Wednesday, October 22nd
TIME:  3:00-7:00pm
WHERE: Community Center, 36630 N. Hutchins Rd., Gurnee IL 60031

Walk-ins welcomed and appointments honored.

Photo ID's are required.

Before you get busy with life, why not register now? Just click here - it's simple! 

Need help scheduling or have questions? EMAIL Michelle, or call Leslie in the office at 847.356.0008

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US SAVE LIVES!

The Park District recently installed a Little Free Library at the entrance to Hidden Park.  Let us know how you like it. We know for sure we have at least one happy participant! The exact location is Streamwood Drive and Rae Lane.

Little Free Library Etiquette

The standard “take a book, leave a book” motto is good, but here are some further, more nuanced, rules.

-Don’t Empty the Library
-Do Tidy It UP
-Don’t Overstuff the Library
-Do Remove Garbage
-Don’t Fill It With Propaganda

Now, go forth and be good Little Free Library neighbors, okay?

Our annual leaf collection program begins the week of Monday, October 20, 2025, and runs through the week beginning Monday, December 1, 2025 - for all residents living within the jurisdiction of Warren Township Highway Department (5-digit addresses) in unincorporated Warren Township

We are very excited to start our Fall Leaf Collection Program with our new provider Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS).  Your leaves will be collected by LRS, which will make seven trips along each street.  Once the vacuum truck makes its final run in your neighborhood, it will not return to collect additional leaves.  LRS makes every effort to collect leaves along each roadway every week.  However, factors such as poor weather or large volumes may slow down the collection process.  If you have any questions, please call the Warren Township Highway Department at 847-244-1101, Ext. 301.

To view a map of the Fall Leaf Collection schedule please click here.

If you would like to participate in handing out treats, please PUT YOUR PORCH LIGHT ON. That will let all the trick-or-treaters know which houses to go to!

When walking your dogs in the neighborhood, please be courteous to others and pick up after them.

In the parks, please do the same. We have provided doggie bags in the parks to make it easy!