Northbrook Park District Provides Clarification Regarding Northbrook Days Festival

June 8, 2021 at 2:47pm

The Northbrook Civic Foundation’s Northbrook Days Committee continues to explore a variety of locations for Northbrook Days 2021. Park District staff members have been in communication with Committee leadership. Below are a few points of clarification for our community.

•  The Northbrook Park District has always offered Village Green Park to the Northbrook Days committee for music and food. These activities are welcome in Village Green Park. This was communicated again in October of 2020 and as recently as last week in a phone conversation between representatives from both organizations. The Northbrook Days committee has not requested use of any Park District property for the 2021 festival.

• Damage to tree roots caused by carnival rides and heavy trailers sitting on the base of a tree is real. This fact is frequently challenged, and Park District staff would like to reiterate that we did not make this up. These rides can weigh up to 43,000 pounds each. The harmful practice does not kill a tree overnight, but the repeated damage makes trees vulnerable to insects and disease and has been the root cause (pun intended) of the death of beautiful trees in Village Green Park.

• Every year the Park District provides hundreds of free man hours to the Northbrook Days festival. Our staff helps with deliveries, set up and tear down. We provide free use of golf carts and are solely in charge of daily garbage pickup through the event at no charge to Civic or the Northbrook Days committee. Park District staff members spoke to Northbrook Days leadership to ask if our in-kind contribution will be needed again this year, regardless of the location of their festival. Confirmation was not provided so we are awaiting an answer at this time.