Humboldt Park is the Readers' Choice

The Advisory Council is very happy to see that Humboldt Park was chosen as "Best Neighborhood Park" in the Chicago Reader's Best of Chicago Readers' Poll.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to the members of the Advisory Council who can see on a regular basis the effort that the many volunteers and community organizations put into improving the park, as well as the pride that it inspires in its many patrons. Cheers to everyone who helps make Humboldt Park such a great place! Let's keep up the good work and enjoy an amazing summer in our park.

June Meeting on Thursday the 21st at 6:30 p.m.

Unlike most years when we take June off, the Advisory Council will be holding a meeting this Thursday (tomorrow) at 6:30 p.m. in the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse at 1440 N. Sacramento Blvd.

We will hold a discussion on the organizing of this year's Puerto Rican Festival that took place last weekend, and hear an update from Riot Fest organizers. 

We hope you can join us...

Puerto Rican Festival in the News

The Puerto Rican Festival has been getting a lot of attention in the press because of a delay in the opening yesterday. After opening the gates at 4 p.m. the festival was shut down by police due to a lack of insurance documentation, according to the Chicago Park District. It was reopened around 8:45 p.m. after organizers cleared up the issue with the Park District; watch NBC 5's coverage of the story.

Additionally, NBC reported that this year there will be a significant reduction in police presence for the area surrounding the festival as compared to previous years. In the story, a spokesperson for the CPD confirms that this will be true but does not offer numbers on how many officers have been taken off the detail, so it's difficult to know what this will mean for security in the streets surrounding the park, which see a lot of traffic and street-side celebrations. Although I did not attend the Police Department's community meeting I heard from the Advisory Council's Vice President, Glenn Brettner, that there was no discussion of a reduction in the police detail from CPD representatives.

Puerto Rican Parade Committee Hosts Public Meeting Tonight

The Puerto Rican Parade Committee of Chicago, which organizes the Puerto Rican Festival that takes place in Humoldt Park year, will be hosting a public meeting on safety issues related to the festival tonight (Thursday the 7th) at 5:30 pm. The meeting will be held at their office at 1237 N. California.

Happening This Week

This is an active week for events in the park and community meetings.

• Tonight (Monday the 4th) the park will host "Stargazing at Humboldt Park" from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at the fieldhouse. Bring a blanket and learn about stars and planets while sitting outside in the park.
• Tomorrow night (Tuesday the 5th) at 6 pm there will be a meeting about the design of the proposed park at Kimball and Bloomingdale that will also serve as an access point to the Bloomingdale Trail. The meeting will be at Funston Elementary School, 2010 N. Central Park.
• On Wednesday at 6 pm there will be a community meeting to present the draft plan of the City's  Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 and get feedback. It will be held in the Douglas Park Cultural Center at 1401 S. Sacramento Ave.
• On Saturday from noon to 4 pm the Puerto Rican Parade Committee will hold its Youth Health and Fitness Jamboree in and around the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse. There will be activities for youth like a foot race and an information fair with local organizations. The HPAC will be at the fair handing out water and information on our organization.

For more information on these events and others coming up this summer, just scroll down to the bottom of the page to see our calendar. You can click on the events for descriptions and times.