Graceland West Community AssociationJoin us for the annual Kids Pollinator Project at Warner Park! This hands-on event teaches kids about the vital role of pollinators while engaging them in fun, educational activities. Explore the pollinator pathway, plant flowers, and help create a thriving habitat for bees, butterflies, and more. Perfect for families and kids of all ages!
Bring your enthusiasm and love for nature—we’ll provide the rest!
lmbw5@comcast.net
More details to follow…
Halloween is almost here, and we’re so excited for our Graceland West Halloween Party happening this Saturday, October 26th, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Warner Park!
Here’s what you can look forward to:
Costume Contest – Show off your Halloween costumes and compete for a fun prize!
Scavenger Hunt – Take part in our first-ever scavenger hunt and see how many spooky decorations you can find around the neighborhood.
Games & Activities – Mummy races, pumpkin decorating, spider maze, pinata, and more!
Create Your Own Candy Apples – Get creative and make a delicious treat!
We can’t wait to see you all on Saturday at Warner Park for a fantastic Halloween celebration. Bring your costumes, your scavenger hunt forms, and plenty of Halloween spirit!
After the Halloween fun is over, don’t forget to save your pumpkins for the Pumpkin Smash happening on Saturday, November 9th from 10 AM to 2 PM at Lake View High School (4015 N Ashland Ave). This is a great way to green your Halloween by composting your pumpkins instead of throwing them in the trash.
How it works: Bring your pumpkins (with all candles, paint, and decorations removed), and they’ll be smashed and composted. It’s a fun, eco-friendly way to dispose of your pumpkins!
Let’s all help keep pumpkins out of landfills and do our part for the environment!
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.
Yoga in the Park, June 15, 2024
It was a perfect day for planting on May 5! Thanks so much to the Davila family for helping Ben and Linda plant our first Children’s Native Pollinator Pathway at Warner Park. There were so many great questions and such determination in planting any many as possible.
We hope you all get a chance to visit the park in a few weeks to see how they’ve developed.
Warner Park and Gardens
Sunday May 5, 11:00 AM
Kid’s Pollinator Pathway Project
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.
GWCA will celebrate Earth Day 54 by planting native shrubs at three locations. This is an opportunity to help and learn about selecting, planting and caring for native shrubs in ground or in a planter. Please join us Saturday, April 20th at 10 am in the back yard of 1460 West Belle Plaine for the first planting and we’ll proceed from there. Recipients are on Belle Plaine, Clark and Montrose. All are welcome.
Our next GWCA Community Meeting is Tuesday, June 20 from 6:30 – 8 pm at Warner Park & Gardens, 1446 West Warner. We’ll move indoors if weather is more than sprinkles of rain.
Agenda includes a brief business meeting & semi-annual GWCA council election. Then the Garden Walk Committee will kick off registration for the 41st Annual Garden Walk on Sunday, July 16. This will be followed by a distinguished panel that will discuss “What one person, household, school or business can do outdoors (balcony, patio, roof, yard) to help the environment”.
Rachel Kuipers, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Design Professional, LiveRoof/Hortech. LR/H specializes in blue green roof systems, offering stormwater management solutions; native, pollinating, habitat-creating and biodiverse plant mixes, LiveRoof’s network of licensed growers provides locally grown modular green roof systems focused on overall plant and system health.
Jack Pizzo, Horticulturist, Ecologist, Landscape Architect, and the founder and principal of The Pizzo Group. With a talented team of professionals, he creates and manages sustainable gardens and landscapes, restores ecosystems, and serves on conservation boards. Pizzo Nursery native plant plugs are available through their retail partners. The Pizzo Group has received 170+ industry awards.
We look forward to seeing you on the 20th! If you have any questions about the meeting, please reach out to info@gracelandwest.org.
