2021 November / December
Community Newsletter

Well, that is up to YOU!  Do you know the difference between the Grandwood Park
Civic Association (GPCA) and the Grandwood Park Park District (GPPD)?

The GPCA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the group of folks who bring you the Pancake Breakfast, the Spaghetti Dinner, the Fish Fry, Flock your Neighbor, Egg your Neighbor and Oktoberfest.  All of the funds raised by our memberships, and all of these fundraising events help with the financing of other fundraisers which including scholarships, Halloween decorating contest, Christmas house decorating contest, etc.

All of these events may go away as there needs to be a 5 member board to continue.  Currently there are 3 openings for the board.  We will be holding nominations for the board during our meeting on November 9th at 7:00 at the community center. Then, IF there is a new board, seats will be taken in December.

The GPPD, established in 1965, is a municipal governing agency. The Board of Commissioners consists of five (5) unpaid elected officials, each serving a 4-year term. The Board functions under the authority of the Illinois Park District Code, and within the framework of laws, court decisions, and opinions of the Illinois Attorney General, and similar mandates from the state and national levels of government. The Park District maintains all Park District properties which includes the Lake Park, Sport Courts, Adam's Park, Hutchins Athletic Field, Unity Trail, Unity Park, Community Center building, pole barn, retention ponds and several undeveloped areas. GPPD provides parks, recreation facilities, and events/programs for its residents. The GPCA assists the Park District with the planning and execution of park district events such as the Egg Hunt, Halloween events, Adopt-a-Highway, and more.  

NOW is your opportunity to step up, keep the board going, and help your community. Folks, this board has been around since 1962 – we would hate to see it go way. 

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING THE BOARD!

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Meet your
PARK DISTRICT
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Nancy Carlson is excited about Grandwood Park and happy to tell anyone who wants to talk about this unique neighborhood.  Nancy has lived in Grandwood Park long enough to remember when the water tower was "new", and The Shires was a cornfield. 

Nancy loves to be outside, so it seems natural that she is part of the Park District board.  She has a background in information technology and project management, leading many large technology projects in corporate America and some important ones for the Park District. 

As a volunteer, she helped with numerous Save the Lake days, volunteered as a board member on the Civic Association, helped setup the park district website, and complete required updates to Lake Park dam.   Nancy is always looking for ways to meet new neighbors and encourage others to get involved. You  may see Nancy walking around the neighborhood or enjoying one of our parks.  If you see her, be sure to say Hello.

Angel Castro moved to Grandwood Park a little over 3 years ago. He has a strong passion for the good of the community and wanted to be sure to do his part in keeping the neighborhood involved and a safe family oriented place to live. He began his journey by running for a commissioner position that he learned was becoming available. He reached out to his neighbors, introduced himself and asked them what changes or improvements they would like to see in the community. Once he was elected Commissioner he began to put his passions into motion for the greater good of the community. He was eager to advance with the Park District and take on an additional role, and was elected Vice President of the Grandwood ParkPark District. He oversees the Building Maintenance department as well as Parks and Grounds department. His focus is to continue to do his part in helping others and giving Grandwood Park Park District the recognition it deserves.

David has lived in Grandwood Park with his wife Pat for the past 35 years. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last May. He has 2 children which were educated through Woodland and Warren High School. David coached softball in the area for over 25 years. He is a member of Saint Paul the Apostle church.

David has been a Production Supervisor with multiple manufacturing companies for the past 38 years. He has been supervising the manufacturing of everything from punched paper to large  tractors and transmissions. He currently works for Filtran LLC. which manufactures transmission filters for most automakers.

David's interests include golf, gardening, bike riding, softball, and traveling. He enjoys spending time with his three grandchildren and family. He also spends some of his spare time remodeling homes.

David's desire for the Grandwood Park Park District is to continue to improve our facilities and utilize his previous skills to make solid decisions for future projects and help guide those projects for the residents of Grandwood Park.   

Jerry has lived in Grandwood Park since 1998 and loves his neighborhood.  He has worked in Human Resources his entire career, but before going to college spent time painting warehouses, installing aluminum siding and occasionally travelling around the country seeing bands perform.  He may be in Human Resources, but prefers to spend his free time writing and recording music.  He loves classic cars and hopes to have a big block Plymouth from the 1960's...someday.

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Santa's coming to the Grandwood Park Park District!

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Are you on Santa's Naughty or Nice list?

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Oktoberfest is an anticipated annual event, drawing the community together. During the Music in the Park series this summer we asked those in attendance if it seemed reasonable to have Oktoberfest this year. Simply put, would anyone want to come, or would the pandemic keep people home? If we got hit with a new wave, would we have to cancel the event at the last minute? The responses received were loud and clear, we are ready to get back out and see our neighbors and friends!

With limited time, resources and volunteers, the newly elected Park District Board rolled up their sleeves and put Oktoberfest 2021 together. Knowing that there was a potential risk that the pandemic would get worse, and we would have to cancel at the last minute, we moved forward with a simpler approach. We outsourced food by having food vendors Max’s Dawg House, The Brat Shop, and El Burrito Bravo, take on the risk of unneeded food purchases. The Beer Truck rolled in providing three types of beer, with Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest being the hands down favorite! Wine, Truly’s Hard Seltzer and Mike’s Hard Black Cherry Lemonade completed the bar offerings. Dessert was available from Nothing Bundt Cakes, and they sold out of their Bundtlets before fireworks!

Speaking of fireworks, they were spectacular! Mad Bomber Pyrotechnics came to the rescue after the last-minute cancellation of our initial pyrotechnic company had us scrambling to find a replacement!

The ACME Music Band provided the music for the evening, and generously agreed to accept a minimum fee to help the Park District control costs.

While family activities were minimal, they were offered free of charge! The Stautz Family coordinated the Scarecrow Creating Booth, Christine volunteered her time to provide face painting, Eric coordinated the free Bags Event, even providing a prize for the wining team! (I don’t know who won, but heard the little boy was near tears!) Special thanks to Kihap Martial Arts for their wonderful taekwondo demonstration!

Macaroni Kids was on hand to promote their unique local activity guide and news for parents and families. Amanda Stautz made sure any Military and First Responders in attendance were recognized by coordinating a special raffle for them. Our 50/50 Raffle brought in some funds and made the winner, Faith Mangler, happy! The beautiful weather made for a wonderful day, and the bonfire sure kept the evening chill at bay!

Sponsorship is a keystone to help control costs at any event. Sambrano Funeral & Cremations, Inc., Wintrust Bank, and Nothing Bundt Cakes provided financial contributions of $200 or more, Primo Italian American Cuisine donated a beautiful gift basket filled with their own Birch Alcohol, and Atkins Accounting paid for various items for the event. Macaroni Kid/Lapretta Jackson and Humphrey Banda also provided cash donations.

It takes many people and organizations to help make an event like this successful. Thank you to the following for their help with this event: 

Bill Reil, along with Steve Carlson, made sure all the necessary permits were secured, obtained the beer truck, helped with setup/take down and provided hours running the bar.  Amy Sarver/Warren Township Highway Department for barricades and firewood.       Gurnee Fire Department for the fire truck on hand to explore. Lake County Rugby Club for their brute strength with setup and take down of the stage and tent. Jerry Baker - Our sound man. Dave Nichols - Lights and Parking. Dale Message and Gina Calderone who spent most of the event helping in the parking lot. Angel Castro - Fire control at the bon fire.  Joel Diaz with setup and cleanup.  Deb Sigel who spent the entire event at the ticket booth and Barb McKown for assisting during the busiest time.  Tim Smith for allowing his land be used for parking.  Corey Chimner for lighting and bar help.  Lola Reil and Jesse Sambrano helping with setup and/or take down.  Leslie Cassidy who coordinated activities. Kathy Atkins who kept an eye on all the details.  Grandwood Park Civic Association for the use of their signs, bar and sink.  Anyone who may have been missed, please know that all help received was greatly appreciated!

Like everyone else, Grandwood Park events have been impacted by Covid-19. However, it is the hope of the Park District that we will continue to find ways to engage the residents of this wonderful community! If you have ideas for events or want to get involved, please contact the Park District Office at 847-356-0008 or by email at parkdistrict@grandwoodpark.net

Keep checking our website (www.grandwoodpark.net) for the next event – we look forward to seeing you again!

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ARE YOU READY FOR SOME YOGA??
New session announced 

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Blood Drive Saves 57 Lives!

Twenty individuals had the opportunity to be heroes on September 29th when Grandwood Park Park District teamed up with Versiti Blood Center of Illinois for a blood drive at the Community Center. Blood donations collected during the drive helped to save up to 57 lives for our local communities! Fifteen of those donors were first time donors. Due to the overwhelming need for blood donations and the positive response we received from the community on this event, we have tentatively scheduled another drive for Friday, March 4th. Keep your eye out for further information and your opportunity to be a hero, too!

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Looking for an activity for your child?

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Keep an eye on the website (www.grandwoodpark.net) this month. The project to have a new, accessible site, is in the final stages and we can't tell you how excited we are!! The finishing touches are being completed as you read this, and will be ready to go by the end of November! Not only is it compliant with the ADA's requirements for accessible websites, it is easier to navigate utilizing drop-down menu's, contains easier registrations for programs, and much more!! Here's a sneak peek of the homepage .....