Announcements from November's Meeting

Besides getting the latest on what's going in the Park, itself, HPAC meetings are a great place to hear about other events going on in the community, as a whole. Many of our members commit their time to non-profits or volunteer efforts in Humboldt Park and share news from these endeavors at our meetings, so I'd like to share some events going on outside the Park along with these announcements from last week's meeting.

• Online registration for Chicago Park District winter programming begins November 28th at 9 a.m. and walk-in registration begins at most parks on Saturday, December 3rd. 
• There will be no HPAC meeting in December due to the holiday season, but elections will be held at the January meeting. Advisory Council members can vote if they have attended six meetings in the last year. Eligible voters will be announced at the meeting in case you are not sure how many you have attended in the last year.
• In case you haven't heard the news...the Bloomingdale Trail is a project in the works to convert the Bloomingdale Avenue rail line into a three mile long, elevated park running from the Wicker Park neighborhood to Humboldt Park and Logan Square. Community meetings are being held this fall and winter, to get involved sign up for their email list.
• On Thanksgiving day, La Casa Puertorriquena will be serving free meals and holding a clothing drive from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1237 N. California Avenue. If you would like to drop off clothing for the drive, call (773)885-9302 for hours.
• On Thursday, December 1st, at 6 p.m. the 14th District Police station at 2150 N. California will host "Tree of Hope," a lighting ceremony and vigil for victims of violence.

The weather may be getting cold, but there are still a lot of opportunities to get out and stay involved in community matters in Humboldt Park. And lastly, the HPAC wishes everyone a happy Thanksgiving!

November HPAC Meeting: Thursday the 17th

Please come join us tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. in the field house for our November meeting. Also, a heads up that elections for Council members will be held in January and you must have attended six meetings in the last year to either vote or seek election.

Hope to see you there!

Meeting on Thursday 10/20

The Humboldt Park Advisory Council will hold its October meeting tomorrow, Thursday the 20th at 6:30 p.m. in the field house. Potential topics of discussion include the opening/scheduling of the Park's new turf soccer field, the recent assessment of the field house roof and the meeting of the fundraising committee. If you're interested in finding out more about what's happening in the Park or have questions/comments about its services, please come out and join us.

Turf Soccer Field Grand Opening This Saturday

The grand opening ceremony for the new Humboldt Park soccer field is this Saturday, October 15th at 1 p.m. The new field will replace the old grass field just South of Division Street on Humboldt Blvd., in the same location. The old field became unsafe and unplayable during periods of bad weather and over-use. The new turf surface is built on top of a drainage system, which should make it playable even in times of heavy rains. The new field will also have lights, which will come on at dusk and remain on until 11 p.m. when the park closes.

This Saturday at 11 a.m., play will commence with some scheduled youth soccer games, followed at 1 p.m. by the grand opening ceremony complete with color guard presentation and some words by Mayor Emanuel.

This field is the first of 10 artificial turf athletic fields being presented to the Chicago Park District by private funding. All 10 fields are a joint gift to the park district -50% of each field is paid for by the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation, and 50% by another source. The second source of funding for the field in Humboldt Park is Allstate Insurance.

Everyone is invited to come to the ceremony, see the new addition to the Park, and enjoy some light refreshments. The Humboldt Park Advisory Council is currently working with the Chicago Park District to decide scheduling for playing times. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, please attend the ceremony and speak to a staff member