July 27, 2019 at 8:29pm
The Northbrook Park District is dedicated to enhancing the lives of our residents and has been a proud supporter of Northbrook Days at Village Green Park for more than 60 years.
As you may know, the festival, which runs from July 31 – August 4, will be held at Northbrook Court this year instead of Village Green Park. We share the community’s disappointment regarding the location change. However, this decision was not made at the last minute nor without consideration of the long-term consequences to the park. The final decision to move the festival to Northbrook Court was made by the Northbrook Days committee.
The Park District’s Director of Parks and Properties informed the Northbrook Days committee at their monthly meeting on June 5, 2019, that they may need to consider an alternate location due to the extreme rains impacting the grounds in the park. District staff suggested the committee contact the Village of Northbrook. The Northbrook Days committee decided several weeks ago that Northbrook Court would be an alternate location if Village Green Park was too saturated to hold the festival.
Park District staff met with the festival chair and others on July 12 to discuss the back-up plan and agreed that a decision would be made by July 26 regarding the condition of the park. The Park District roped off some areas that were saturated on Friday, July 26, with the expectation that Northbrook Days would still move forward within the footprint provided and would begin setting up on Saturday, July 27. District staff were ready and prepared to support the annual festival.
The Park District has had a positive working relationship with the Northbrook Civic Foundation for years. Staff attend monthly planning meetings, prep the park before and after the festival, and work every day throughout its duration. In just the past 9 years, the District has provided more than $230,000 of in-kind support to the festival and has never sought reimbursement for staff labor, rental fees or damages to the grounds due to the heavy equipment/rides.
Although Civic’s decision to move the festival to another location may not be popular with some residents, the District supports it and is committed to being stewards of the park.
We encourage you and your family to support the festival.