Author: Michael Noens

Four accomplished athletes and two dedicated volunteers recently inducted into the Northbrook Park District’s Hall of Fame said they are proud to be from Northbrook and grateful for the sports-related opportunities afforded them locally. The six individuals made the remarks during an August 28 ceremony in their honor attended by relatives, friends and community members at Heritage Oaks Golf Club in Northbrook.

Chris Leiner was Northbrook Park District’s director of parks and properties for 19 months before being selected by the board of commissioners to lead the district starting September 1. He previously worked for seven years as director of parks and planning for the Glencoe Park District, where he was part of the team that earned a 2019 National Gold Medal for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management from the American Academy for Park and Recreation in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association.

Molly Hamer’s exceptional 37-year career in parks and recreation traces a direct line to the values her parents instilled in her: cherish family and treasure leisure. Hamer’s retirement comes in the wake of being named 2023 Professional of the Year by the Illinois Park and Recreation Association, on whose board she served from 2014 to 2016.

Brewfest is coming back with delicious craft beer tasting and great music at Northbrook Park District’s Village Green Park for the third year in a row. The event from 3-7pm on September 9 will feature 15 breweries along with food and live entertainment. It is presented by the Northbrook Park District and the Village of Northbrook.

Debbie Stoery has trained figure skaters who went on to compete in the Olympics and others who were the first in the world to perform technical elements in competition. And yet, Stoery says, her greatest achievement in her 53 years as a professional figure skating coach has been teaching life skills to hundreds of students, mostly at the Northbrook Sports Center.

From their first tentative steps two years ago, siblings Tasso, 7, and Maria, 6, have had a great experience taking ice skating classes at the Northbrook Sports Center. Fall registration for ice classes is now. The Northbrook Sports Center is home to two year-round NHL-sized ice rinks, and also offers public skating, freestyle, cosmic evening skating, holiday skate and dance camps, synchronized skating teams, competitive figure skating teams, a speed skating club and special events.

A Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held Monday, August 28, 2023, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Heritage Oaks Golf Club in Northbrook to celebrate six new Northbrook Park District Hall of Fame inductees. The event will include a ceremony featuring individual recognition of each new Hall of Fame member, an autograph session, light refreshments and a cash bar.

The Northbrook Park District is the first park district in Illinois whose parks have earned the certification of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, a distinction conferred to organizations that demonstrate environmental achievements and leadership. Techny Prairie Park and Fields and Wood Oaks Green Park met the rigorous standards required for the certification by Audubon International.

The Northbrook Park District’s two golf courses are getting a major underground infrastructure renovation thanks to a nearly $1.2 million capital project. The project, which affects the water wells and irrigation systems at Heritage Oaks Golf Club and Anetsberger Golf Course, was approved by the park district’s board of commissioners in the fall. “Although it’s an element that is below the ground, it really does function as the heart of the golf course,” according to Director of Parks and Properties, Chris Leiner.

Everybody loves Party on the Green, a free festive day full of live music, games and giveaways returning this year on August 12. The party, courtesy of the Northbrook Park District, will begin at 4pm at Village Green Park, located at Shermer and Meadow roads in downtown Northbrook.