GWCA is hosting a Celebration of Cycling from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM on Saturday, April 26 at Lake View High School, and we’d love your help! The event will feature a bike donation + swap, bike decorating, an obstacle course for kids, and a bike parade through the neighborhood—all aimed at dusting off the pedals and showcasing our bike infrastructure.
We’re looking for volunteers at the event. If you can help, reach out to info@gracelandwest.org. Even a little help goes a long way in making it a success!
Celebrate Earth Week by giving bikes a second life! Join us for a community cycling event focused on sustainability and fun.
♻️ Bike & Bike Parts Swap & Donation – Give unused bikes and parts a new home with The Recyclery 🚴 Kids’ Obstacle Course – Hosted by Pedalheads to help young riders gain confidence 🎨 Bike Decoration Station – Mike your bike parade-ready. Join students and staff from Quantum LEEP Academy in giving your wheels a new look! 🎉 Bike Parade – A fun, all-ages ride through the neighborhood to celebrate cycling as a green way to get around
Whether you’re looking to donate, swap, or just ride, this event is a great way to support sustainability and connect with fellow cyclists. All ages welcome!
Colin McLeod
Lake View High School
4015 North Ashland Ave Chicago,
Illinois
60613United States+ Google Map
While winter holds us in its grip, let’s warm up with a look at the incredible work our GWCA Environmental Committee accomplished in 2024! From planting native shrubs to launching pollinator gardens, our dedicated volunteers have been working year-round to make Graceland West greener and more sustainable.
Growing Green Spaces
Earth Day 2024: Volunteers planted three native shrubs in key locations, bringing more biodiversity to our neighborhood.
Pollinator & Stormwater Sites: Three new native plant pollinator pathway and stormwater absorption sites were developed, increasing our total to 11 active locations. Native plants provide habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and beneficial insects. And each site absorbs over 2,000 gallons of stormwater annually via native plant root systems and by returning stormwater to the aquifer.
Kids Pollinator Garden: A new children’s garden at Warner Park & Gardens is in the works to engage young environmental stewards.
Advocacy & Community Engagement
Committee members continue working with elected officials and local groups on stormwater management solutions, including the possibility of green alleys for Graceland West.
At the Annual Environmental Meeting, guest speaker Judy Pollock of the Chicago Bird Alliance shared insights on bird-friendly gardening, followed by a community potluck.
Composting & Leaf Cleanup
Pumpkin Smash 2024: Thanks to collaboration with Lake View High School, their JROTC, the 47th Ward, other partners and your support, over 19,000 lbs. of pumpkins were composted – 40% of the total city-wide!
Annual Street Leaf Cleanup: Volunteers collected 216 bags of leaves to reduce flooding, improve pedestrian safety, and make winter shoveling easier.
Looking Ahead
As we prepare for another impactful year, we invite you to get involved! Whether it’s joining a planting day, attending an environmental meeting, or simply spreading the word, every effort helps make our neighborhood a greener place.
Stay tuned for updates on upcoming initiatives, including our new pollinator garden sites and kids planting day, a celebration of cycling for Earth Week 2025, and the next Pumpkin Smash.
Want to help? Email us at info@gracelandwest.org to learn more.
Join 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!
Linda Welsh
lmbw5@comcast.net
Lake View High School
4015 North Ashland Ave Chicago,
Illinois
60613United States+ Google Map
Join us for the 43rd annual Graceland West Garden Walk!
Sunday, July 27th, 2025 1-5pm Potluck to follow at 6pm (Warner Park and Gardens)
Sign up to show your garden or volunteer by clicking here to fill out the participant form. Please fill out as much of the form as you are able to today; you can come back to the survey to add additional details through mid-June.
The Graceland West Garden Walk welcomes gardens of all stripes and sizes. Through June we will work to create an initial participant list. We will follow up over the course of spring and summer with additional details.
Please contact the following for additional questions on the Graceland West Garden Walk:
Chad Rathmann at chad.rathmann@gmail.com Linda Brummer Welsh at LMBW5@comcast.net
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!
Photo credit: Teddi Burgess Photography
Don’t Trash It, Smash It!
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.
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.
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.
