Pumpkin Patch Tomorrow - 10/12

On Saturday the 12th, the Park District and HPAC will hold the annual Humboldt Park Pumpkin Patch from 10 am to 12 pm at the Humboldt Park fieldhouse (1440 N. Sacramento). There will be pumpkins and healthy snacks available for free to all youth. Come join us!

HPAC Sponsored Youth Music Programs Looking for Students

In spring of 2013, the Advisory Council used donated funds from Riot Fest and a seed grant from Friends of the Park to buy instruments and other musical equipment for two youth music programs in Humboldt Park. The park now offers a beginner's class, for youth who are new to reading and performing music, and an intermediate class, for youth with some experience. Students in the intermediate class will be provided with an instrument (we have trumpets, trombones, drums, percussion, guitars and bass available) and will have the chance to learn a variety of musical styles. Our goal is to have a youth band that can perform at events in the park and around the city.

The programs are FREE, open to youth ages 13-18, and registration is open now. You can register online at the Park District webpage, or call the Humboldt Park fieldhouse at 312-742-7549. There is a flyer posted below, please share it or print it and post it, we need your help recruiting Humboldt Park's young, aspiring musicians.

HPAC Fall Clean-up on October 19th!

With the outdoor park season coming to a close, the Advisory Council would like to see it end on a positive note by inviting the community out for a fall clean-up event. It will be held on Saturday, October 19th, from 9 am to 12 pm. Anyone is welcome to attend; the Park District will provide tools and supplies, and the HPAC will provide refreshments. Volunteers should meet at the fieldhouse at 1440 N. Sacramento.

We would like to encourage community groups, like block clubs and sports leagues, to share this flyer with your members and bring your group out to help make the park a more beautiful place. Please RSVP via email, although no one will be turned away. 

World Music Fest at the Boathouse this Friday

As part of the 11 day, city-wide World Music Festival Chicago, Humboldt Park will host Fareed Haque and Flat Earth on Friday, September 20th, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at the boathouse. The concert is put on by the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Fareed Haque is a well-known guitarist, originally from Chicago, who draws from a number of different styles in his playing. He and his band will be performing "Hymn of the Ancients." For more on World Music Festival Chicago shows, follow the link or like it on facebook.

AND DON'T FORGET...our September meeting is tonight at 6:30 in the fieldhouse.

Shakespeare in the Park: The Comedy of Errors, this Thursday and Friday at the Boathouse

Chicago Shakespeare's summer collaboration with the Park District to put on mobile theater performances throughout the City is coming to Humboldt Park this Thursday and Friday when they present The Comedy of Error. The production will take place on a mobile stage at the boathouse at 6:30 pm on both days. This is the second year of this series; it is free and open to all ages. Please see below for the press release and flyer from Chicago Shakespeare.

Building on the success of last summer’s inaugural Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks, the expanded 2013 program will bring William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, FREE FOR ALL, to Humboldt Park (just east of the Humboldt Park Boathouse) on Thursday, August 8th and Friday, August 9th, 2013 -shows at 6:30 pm A specially equipped truck will roll into the park, a stage will unfold, and a company of professional actors will share the delight of Shakespeare with families and neighbors of all ages. Audiences will experience the wildly entertaining tale of a man and his servant landing in a foreign land, searching for their long-lost twin brothers. Everywhere they go, strangers insist that they’re old friends. Mistaken identities abound, but in the end, chaos gives way to clarity in this comedy filled with mayhem and madness.  Come to the park with a picnic blanket or lawn chairs and enjoy the show!!!
For more info about the performance - please visit us at www.chicagoshakes.com/parks<http://www.chicagoshakes.com/parks

Children's Magic Show - Tomorrow at the Fieldhouse

Tomorrow morning at 10:30 am the HPAC, in cooperation with the Park District, will be presenting a children's magic show at the Humboldt Park fieldhouse. The event is free, open to all ages, and free beverages will be provided by Tampico.

Come out and join us for this family friendly event - we look forward to seeing you!

Dance in the Parks - Tonight at the Boathouse

Another great (and free) event tonight at the boathouse at 6:30. See the flyer below for more.

July Meeting and Upcoming Events in the Park

The Advisory Council will hold its July meeting this Thursday, the 18th at 6:30 pm in the Humboldt Park fieldhouse. All are welcome to attend, please join us to find out more about what the park has to offer and how you can get involved.

With summer in full swing, there are plenty of great events happening in the park.

• On Friday and Saturday, July 19-20th, the Park District and Jazz Institute of Chicago will present an extended version of the popular Jazz City: Latin Jazz Fest at the boathouse. The event features music, dancing and art, and it will run from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on Friday, and from 1:00 to 8:00 pm on Saturday. This event is free and open to all ages, please follow the link above for more info on the line-up and activities.
• On Saturday, July 20th, Friends of the Parks is offering a guided walking tour of Humboldt Park that will highlight the park's history and the vision of its designer, Jens Jensen. The event begins at 9:30 am at the boathouse and will cost $10 for Friends of the Parks members and $15 for non-members. Register here 
• On Tuesday, July 23rd, Dance in the Parks will be held at the boathouse from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. This event features professional dance performances from local groups. It is open to the public and free. Find out more about the performers here.
• On Saturday, July 27th, is the Family Fish Fest at the Humboldt Park lagoon from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Families can fish in the lagoon, take canoe rides and learn about plant and animal species in the park. All equipment will be provided to fish or canoe and the event is free. 
• On Wednesday, July 31st, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm is SummerDance. A popular summer event in the park, SummerDance features professional dance instruction followed by live music and dancing.

We hope you'll come out and spend some time in Humboldt Park this summer at one of these great events.

Bloomingdale Trail Renaming & Final Plan Presentation Tonight

Tonight at 6:30 pm at the McCormick Tribune YMCA (1834 N. Lawndale) the final plans for the Bloomingdale Trail (now called "The 606") will be on display for viewing. There will be a short presentation by the design team to start the meeting, then visitor will be able to browse exhibits on the plans.

It was also announced today that the name of the trail and elevated park will be changed to "The 606" in reference to the first three digits of Chicago's zip codes. Read more on this from the Trib. Any thoughts on this new name? Feel free to leave a comment.

Humboldt Park Chosen for Chicago Plays Grant and Upcoming Events

The Advisory Council is happy to announce that Humboldt Park has been chosen for the Chicago Plays! program, a collaboration between the Friends of the Park and Chicago Park District to replace public playgrounds in need of repair across the city. Members of a local block group took the initiative to put together a strong application for the playground at the Humboldt Park pool and built support from other community groups and representatives including the Advisory Council, which contributed a letter of support.

In the next few months the members of Chicago Plays! will work with the community to choose a playground design and set a schedule for completing the project. Construction is expected to begin in spring of 2014. If you've been to the pool playground recently (near Augusta and Humboldt) then you've probably noticed how badly in need it is of an upgrade, so we're very excited to be a part of this effort to improve it and we give big thanks to our community partners who worked hard to make it happen.

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Now that June is here there are many great events coming up in the park. Here's a preview, and check back regularly for more.

• Friday June 7th from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. is the Night Out: Music + Movement event in the boathouse, it will include a performance from the Joel Hall dancers. 
• Puerto Rican Fest will be held from Thursday, June 13th to Sunday the 16th
• The popular Jazz City: Latin Jazz Fest will be held on both Friday, July 19th and Saturday the 20th from 7 to 9 p.m. on each night at the boathouse.

Opera-Matic Children's Parade Workshop this Wednesday

Robin Cline from Opera-Matic, an arts organization that puts on events in community spaces, spoke at the April HPAC meeting about an upcoming youth event at the Humboldt Park boathouse and lagoon. "New Moon on the Lagoon" will be an interactive parade around the lagoon involving song and arts that takes place on May 10th and 11th from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.

From their website:

Bring your friends, your family, and your flashlights for this special Humboldt Park lagoon twilight get-together. The Humboldt Park art group Opera-Matic, along with local community partners, have activated the paths around the Humboldt Park lagoon with unique beacons of lost light.  Come whale watch a whale who can’t move from its spot, track a lost moon who can’t stay awake, and blink your own S.O.S. to a zeppelin pilot stranded without flight.  The Lullaby Parade, guided by lull-a-bikes and a flashlight flag corps, tour the lagoon’s lost light spots, and find community in the process.  Come be part of our joyful night time parade, powered by people and song.

On this Wednesday, May 1, the parade organizers are holding an open family workshop that invites families to be parade makers with singing and flashlight dancing. See the flyer below. We hope you can make this creative family event; as always it's free!

April Meeting & More

The Advisory Council will hold its April meeting on Thursday the 18th at 6:30 p.m. in the Humboldt Park fieldhouse, located at 1440 N. Sacramento. We hope you can join us.

In other news...

Online registration for summer programs in Humboldt Park is now open on the Park District's website. We strongly recommend everyone to take a moment to browse all the great offerings that are available in the park; there are opportunities for all age groups and they are all affordable or even free in some cases.

The annual Earth Day Cleanup Event will be held in Humboldt Park on Saturday, April 20th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Please register on the Friends of the Park website. If you don't have an opportunity to sign up, just show up to the fieldhouse on the day of the event and you won't be turned away, we will need all the help we can get. The Cleanup is a great event that takes place every year where many community groups come together to help make the park beautiful and get it in top shape for the summer months. After the cleanup there will be food and entertainment from local donors and volunteers. Come be a part of it!

On Wednesday April 24th from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance will be hosting a lecture on the history of Humboldt Park and Jens Jensen, the landscape architect who designed it and other landmark Chicago parks that include Garfield and Columbus Parks. The lecture will be given by Julia Bachrach, the Chicago Park District's historian, and it will cost $15 for members and $10 for members of the Alliance.

March Meeting Recap

Last night was the Advisory Council's March meeting. Here are some highlights and community-related announcements...

• The Advisory Council received a $1000 seed grant from Friends of the Park to help fund the youth music programs it's sponsoring. Registration for the programs in the spring session is open now on the Park District's website, just look for 'Band at Humboldt' and 'Music at Humboldt'. Registration is FREE! There are also many other excellent and affordable programs being offered this spring, including a number of new exercise and wellness programs, so please go to the website and see what Humboldt Park has to offer.
• A new youth soccer league for youth 12 and under will begin in the summer session.
• The Earth Day Clean-Up event in Humboldt Park will be held on April 20th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register your group to help clean the park online with Friends of the Park. Volunteers are still needed.
• Major events this year in the park will include
• Puerto Rican Fest: June 12-16
• Latin Jazz Fest: July 19-20
• Riot Fest: September 13-15

• Summer jobs with the Park District are open for application now. There are many seasonal jobs available and the application deadlines for many of these positions are coming up very soon.
• The Advisory Council is looking for volunteers for its concession stand at Little Cubs Field. The concession stand is very important to our fundraising efforts and we're looking for help, even on a limited basis. The HPAC pays for a sanitation workshop for any volunteers to get them proper certification. If you're interested send an email 
• The Park District will be holding an Employee Talent Show fundraiser at the South Shore Cultural Center on Sunday April 21st. It will be a family event with tickets available for $10/adult and $5/child.

There will be more programs and events to come with the warm months around the corner. You can stay up to date with what's happening by subscribing to our posts, just click on the button on the right side of the homepage.

March Meeting this Thursday, 3/21

Please join us this Thursday, the 21st, at 6:30 p.m. in the Humboldt Park fieldhouse for our March meeting.

Are you interested in helping to make improvements to the park fieldhouse or grounds? The HPAC is currently looking for volunteers for committees that will focus on these issues. Please come out to the meeting to find out more and get to know some of your neighbors who are working for a better community.

Also...the Advisory Council sponsored beginning music program and band program still have many openings to fill before the April 3rd start date. We are looking for youth ages 10-17 to join these programs to learn music fundamentals and play in a youth band. The programs are free and registration is available online, just look for "Music at Humboldt" or "Band at Humboldt." Please spread the word to friends, family or neighbors who might be interested, the Advisory Council is purchasing all new materials and instruments for these programs so Humboldt Park will have a top notch music room!

Friends of the Park's Park Advocacy Conference

This Saturday, the 9th, at 8:30 a.m. the Friends of the Park will be holding their annual Park Advocacy Conference at the South Shore Cultural Center. The conference is a great event that's catered towards members of park advisory councils or people who are interested in taking an active role in helping their local parks. There will be two large group sessions at the beginning and end, and three "breakout" sessions between them where attendees can choose between different small group workshops that focus on a broad variety of issues. There are also some good opportunities to network with other PAC members to find out what they're up to in the other neighborhoods and share your experiences. On top of all these great things, the South Shore Cultural Center is one of the gems of the Chicago Park District's system and a pretty nice place to spend your Saturday morning.

The event is free and registration is still open, but rsvp right away.

Youth Music and Band Programs at Humboldt Park

The Advisory Council is happy to announce that it is partnering with the Park District to help provide two new music instruction and performance classes at the Humboldt Park fieldhouse, beginning in the spring session (starting April 4). The beginning instructional class, for students ages 10 to 13, is titled "Music at Humboldt" and an intermediate class focused on performance, for students ages 14 to 17, is titled "Band at Humboldt." The Advisory Council is assisting the Park District with this program by providing funding for instruments and other materials needed for students. Both programs are provided free of charge.

Registration for the spring session will open on Monday, February 25th at 9 AM on the Park District's website. To see available Humboldt Park programs use the "location" drop down menu.

Please help us spread the word about this exciting new youth program!

February Meeting this Thursday, 2/21

The HPAC's February meeting will be this Thursday, the 21st, at 6:30 PM in the Humboldt Park fieldhouse.

With the new Board members in place, we'll be looking ahead at our plans and priorities for the rest of the year. We hope you can join us.

January meeting minutes are below:

PRESENT

Maria Gordils, George Perez, Ramona Gordils, Freddy Molina, Juan Sandy, carlton Jones, Eliud Medina Jr., Yolanda Cruz, Mikey Sanchez, Jaime Cruz, Ray Rivera, Glenn Brettner, Morgan Tomaso, Richard Karwowski, Anna Rivera, Amy Vega, Nancy Diaz, Jose Figueroa, Ozden Esme, Andy Rodriguez, Jessie Sierra, Kurt Gippert, Maggie Martinez, Luis Diaz, Ruth Pena, Brian Hacker

Meeting called to order at 6:31 P.M. by President Ruth Pena. Attendees introduced themselves.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes for the November 2012 meeting were approved with changes.

TREASURERS REPORT

Maggie Martinez had no changes in the account balance to report.

SECRETARY’S REPORT

Brian Hacker reported that he has attempted to contact the Friends of the Park to verify approval of the HPAC’s fiscal sponsorship application, but has not been able to reach them. He will continue to make efforts to reach them to get the application approved.

PARK SUPERVISOR’S REPORT

Ruth Pena made a motion to hear the Park Supervisor’s report earlier in the meeting, this was seconded by Glenn Brettner and approved by a majority vote. Jesus Perez announced that there are new winter programs, like yoga, fitness and Zumba. He distributed flyers. Ruth Pena requested that Jesus provide a list of the baseball scholarships that the HPAC offered to pay for.

NEW BUSINESS

Youth Band Program

·         Brian Hacker presented the HPAC’s proposal to provide funding and support for a new youth band program in the fieldhouse to be taught by instructor Willie Garcia. Since the November meeting, the Executive Board worked with Park staff – Cynthia Rosario, Jesus Perez and Willie Garcia – to cooperate on a description of the program. The program will be divided into two sections, one for beginners and another for intermediate students. Willie Garcia offered further explanation of the program. The eligible ages are from 13 to 17 years, and there will be a maximum of 21 students per class. It will be free and offered in the spring, fall and winter sessions. Members of the classes will be required to provide needed accessories for instruments and the HPAC will provide up to $10,000 to purchase the instruments and equipment necessary for both classes. A committee will need to be started to handle the acquisition of instruments and provide support to the program as it progresses.

·         There were questions from members regarding the details of the proposal and how it will be funded, which were addressed by Willie Garcia, Cynthia Rosario and members of the Executive Board.

·         Kurt Gippert commented that he felt the process for creating the program was exclusive because he was not included in meetings after Maggie Martinez suggested that he be on a music program committee. Cynthia Rosario said that he is still welcome to contribute to the program. Brian Hacker added that there is still a need for a committee to support the program and Kurt Gippert is welcome to be on it. Kurt Gippert responded that he intended to be on a committee to create the program and is no longer interested in being on it.

·         Amy Vega asked what the proposal would do if approved, and Brian Hacker clarified that it would commit up to $10,000 for the purchase of instruments listed in the proposal.

·         Discussion on the item was closed, Brian Hacker made a motion to approve the music program proposal as stated in the document distributed at the meeting, Ruth Pena seconded the motion and it was approved by a majority of members (15-1). Brian Hacker asked for volunteers for the music program committee. Ray Rivera and Ruth Pena offered to contribute some time.

Riot Fest Thank You Letter

·         Glenn Brettner presented a letter thanking Riot Fest staff for their donation to the HPAC, efforts to reach out to the community, and well-run operation of the festival. Morgan Tomaso recommended that he send a copy to the Alderman, as well

EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTIONS

Ruth Pena read the election rules for elections. Nancy Diaz handed out ballots for all of the offices to eligible voting members.

President

·         Ruth Pena said that she can not run for President due to responsibilities at her job.  Amy Vega was nominated and seconded for President, and accepted the nomination. Amy Vega was elected President by 15 votes.

Vice President

·         Glenn Brettner and Ruth Pena were both nominated and seconded for Vice President and accepted their nominations. Ruth Pena was elected Vice President by 13 votes to Glenn Brettner’s seven.

Treasurer

·         Maggie Martinez was nominated and seconded for Treasurer, and she accepted the nomination. Maggie Martinez was elected Treasurer by 17 votes.

Secretary

·         Brian Hacker was nominated and seconded for Secretary, and he accepted the nomination. Brian Hacker was elected Secretary by 19 votes.

Sergeant at Arms

·         Nancy Diaz was nominated and seconded for Sergeant at Arms, and she accepted the nomination. Nancy Diaz was elected by 18 votes.

Ruth Pena congratulated Amy Vega and said that it was an honor to serve the HPAC for the last year. Maggie Martinez discussed the need to have a planning retreat for fundraising and supporting other events and programs in the park. Members showed support for this event.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Maggie Martinez announced a wine and cheese networking event at Banco Popular on North Avenue on February 13^th.  Amy Vega announced that there would be a women’s softball league at Mozart Park in the summer.

ADJOURN

Ruth Pena made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 p.m., it was seconded by Amy Vega and approved by a majority vote.

Registration and Scholarships for the Studio Arts Program

Registration is currently open for the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance's Studio Arts & Exhibition Program that will begin on January 30th in the Humboldt Park fieldhouse. The programs are open to youth ages 13 to 18 and the winter and the classes for the winter session are:

• Basic drawing and painting - Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-7 pm
• Experimental painting - Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-7 pm
• Art of Skateboard - Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4-7 pm

To register for classes visit the PRAA's office on the second floor of the fieldhouse at 1440 N. Sacramento or request a form via email. Forty scholarships will also be offered for youth ages 13 to 18, to apply download the application for at the PRAA website.