Thursday, June 19 | Time: 6–7:30 PM | Location: Warner Park & Gardens (1444 W Warner)
Join the Graceland West Community Association for an evening of updates, conversation, environmental inspiration, and a delicious summer solstice potluck. Let’s come together to celebrate what we’ve accomplished and look ahead to what’s next.
Meeting Agenda Highlights
Annual Environmental Program & ECO Updates We’ll hear from:
Olivia Reda of Alliance for the Great Lakes on microplastics, health, and the actions we can take.
Kevin Serena of EXO Building Solutions will discuss green roof and water proofing solutions.
Our GWCA ECO Committee on our growing network of 14 native plant pollinator and stormwater absorption sites, including two new ones at Lake View High School planted by JROTC.
Updates on our Earth Week ’55 projects including our first ever Celebration of Cycling, the Pollinator sites at LVHS and the Warner Park Kid’s Pollinator site.
Garden Walk Planning Calling all gardeners! Our 43rd Annual Garden Walk is coming up on Sunday, July 27. Want to help organize it, show your garden or just be part of the fun? Come learn more and sign up!
Council Election Three of your neighbors—Bruce, Colin, and Janice—are running to serve on the GWCA Council. Interested in joining too? Let us know! (Eligible voting members must reside in the neighborhood and be current on dues.)
Community Thanks & Neighborhood Projects
Big thanks to volunteers helping with bioswales and traffic circles—your work helps reduce flooding and beautify the neighborhood.
We’re also fundraising to support continued planting at Lake View High School—every dollar helps create more green spaces.
Summer Solstice Potluck
Bring a dish to share, your own beverage + container, and reusable utensils. The pot luck will begin as soon as the meeting concludes. We’d love help setting up tables at 5:25 PM and putting them away at 7:30 PM. Volunteers are also needed to help run the potluck!
Celebrate Earth Week with Us – Saturday, April 26!
Spring is here, and it’s the perfect time to dust off the pedals and join your neighbors for a morning of community and cycling. GWCA, in partnership with Lake View High School, Pedalheads, The Recyclery and Quantum LEEP Academy, invites you to our Celebration of Cycling on Saturday, April 26, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Lake View High School’s parking lot (4015 N Ashland Ave).
Event Schedule:
10:00 – 11:00 AM:Bike Decoration Station Join students and staff from Quantum LEEP Academy to add some flair to your bike and get parade-ready!
10:00 – 11:30 AM:Kids’ Obstacle Course Guided by the Pedalheads team, young riders can build confidence and have fun navigating a safe and exciting course.
10:00 – 11:30 AM:Bike Donation & Swap The Recyclery will be accepting bikes and parts for donation. It’s a great opportunity to give unused items a new life or find something new-to-you.
11:00 – 11:30 AM:Bike Parade An all-ages neighborhood ride to showcase our bike infrastructure and celebrate cycling together. Safety volunteers will guide the route.
Why Attend?
This event is a fantastic way to engage with the community, promote sustainable transportation, and enjoy a fun-filled morning with activities for all ages. Whether you’re looking to donate a bike, help your child gain confidence on two wheels, or simply enjoy a leisurely ride through the neighborhood, there’s something for everyone.
Get Involved:
If you’re interested in assisting with setup, guiding the parade, or spreading the word, please reach out to us.
Stay Connected:
For more details and updates, visit our event page.
Let’s celebrate cycling, community, and Earth Week. See you there!
SUMMER SOLSTICE POTLUCK AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY MEETING
After a wonderful yoga session in the park last Saturday, we’ll be back at Warner Park & Gardens, 1444 W Warner, this Thursday, June 20, 6:30 – 8 pm for our quarterly community meeting.
Judy Pollock, President of Chicago Birding Alliance (former Chicago Audubon) will return by neighborhood request and share information on local and migrating birds and their needs.
Neighbors Ben and Sarah Conley are certified TreeKeepers, who will provide support information on habitat for birds and tree care.
Neighborhood updates, Garden Walk sign-up, semi-annual Council election.
Summer Solstice Potluck, bring a finger food app, main or dessert to share. BYO beverages, compostable plates and reusable utensils.
Bring your littles to Warner Park on Sunday, May 5 at 11:00 to participate in planting a native plant garden.
In addition to helping initiate the native plant garden, neighborhood kids can ask questions about pollinator ecology and learn about the amazing wildlife in our beautiful city.
We’ll have hand shovels and gloves, but bring your own if you have them. Questions? Please reach out to info@gracelandwest.org.
Last weekend, TreeKeeper Ben Conley led neighborhood shrub planting efforts and provided key points from the U.S. Forest Service, including not to put mulch against shrub or tree trunks and instead use the “donut hole” mulching technique that is recommended for healthy shrubs and trees.
Interested in receiving a native shrub / tree during our 2024 Earth Day Celebration planting. We’d like to select 2-3 members to each receive a small native shrub.
Let us know ASAP if you are interested. Planting will be on Saturday, April 20 beginning at 10 am and everyone will learn about soil prep, planting and care. Contact info@gracelandwest.org if interested.
Schuette’s Oak – an example of the type of 1 qt shrubs/trees we’ll be planting. Credit: Possibility Place.
Graceland West Butterfly Habitat Gardens Do you have a garden, yard or parkway that provides butterfly habitat? Please let us know at info@gracelandwest.org. We invite you to share a photo too @graceland_west_gwca on Instagram, @gracelandwest on Facebook.
The Graceland West Community Association, GWCA
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Our GWCA 38th Annual Garden Walk will be Sunday, August 2nd from 4-7:30 pm. The registration deadline to be on the map is July 23rd. This year we will only show front yards to limit social gathering. Our theme is “MASKquerade” as visitors and gardeners need to wear masks AND social distance if near others.
Roses blooming in Warner Park and Gardens June 6, 2020
For the Garden Walk, we’re adding photos and garden descriptions to a virtual map. Please submit your photos or videos using this form https://forms.gle/mcavNzCYFSBmoXNY6. They can even be of you demonstrating a gardening technique. If you don’t have a google account you can also send photos or videos via email to Donna Forsberg (donnaforsberg@sbcglobal.net) and Colin McLeod (cmm504@gmail.com).
April 22nd, 2020 is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. The GWCA ECO-Green committee has been working hard on greening the community for almost as long. You can read about past projects here: https://gracelandwest.org/eco-gardens-green-space/. As mentioned in the blog earlier this month, GWCA is looking for you to share your personal projects and teach others “how to” on Facebook and on Instagram (@graceland_west_gwca).
We may already be one of the greenest neighborhoods in Chicago, with our tree-landed streets, the tree count and park at the LVHS campus, Warner Park and Gardens, corner parkway plantings, pollinator pathways, the Berteau greenway and our Annual Garden Walk (this year will be the 38th edition). But there is no denying that there is a lot to do to restore a safe and stable climate.
This year’s Earth Day theme is climate action. No matter how small your contribution, we are asking everyone in the community to take action for our planet on Earth Day and every day. If you are feeling discouraged, be sure to follow the Graceland West Community Association on Facebook. We’ll be posting simple, hyper-local ideas and resources using the #GWCAGreens tag.
