We’re just one day away from our annual Graceland West Neighborhood Fest, and we still need a few more volunteers to help bring everything together! Whether you can spare an hour or more, your support will make a big difference. If you’re able to lend a hand, please reach out to sarah.maxwell@gmail.com to volunteer. Thank you for helping make this year’s fest special!
Tag: gwcafest
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
3:00 – 8:00 pm
Greenview between Belle Plaine & Warner
Join us for Graceland West’s largest fundraiser of the year! Come out and meet-up with your neighbors while supporting our special neighborhood. All are invited including those outside GWCA.
Day-Of Volunteers Needed
Fest Contributions
Silent auction donations (gift certificate, goods, or services)
Fest Sponsor Donations
The George Pullman ($100)
The Ernie Banks ($250)
The Ruth Page ($500)
The Conrad Sulzer ($750)
The Daniel Burnham ($1000)
DJ Stew of Stewpendous Productions
Euchre Tournament
3:30-5:00 3 rounds of round robin, $30 buy-in per player with cash prizes. Contact Kate Guilfouyle (keguilfoyle@gmail.com) to sign-up
Magic Show By Randy
3:30-4:00
Silent Auction & 50/50 Raffle
Create Custom Tie Dye T-Shirts & Spin Art
4:00-7:00
Painting Booth with Art City
4:00-7:00
Painting for adults and youth. Get creative with this local art class & gallery venue.
Five Square Pizza & Snacks
4:00-8:00
Detroit style pizza using organic ingredients& scratch made everything.
‘The best 25 pizzas in Chicago’ -Chicago Tribune; ’13 best pizzas in Chicago’-Conde Nast Traveler
Trivia Contests with Stewpendous Trivia
Youth (4:30-5) & Adult (6:30-7)
Face Painting
5:00-7:00
Off Color Brewing Beer, plus Wine & Craft Cocktails
Cotton Candy & Sno Cones
Friends of Lake View High School, Sit Social & Lakeshore Sport & Fitness Booths
Categories
June 2024 GWCA Newsletter
You’ll be receiving the attached newsletter at your door this week. Visit gracelandwest.org for details on GWCA’s initiatives + updates & details on all these upcoming events. Save these dates and join us!
Events
YOGA IN THE PARK
Saturday, June 15, 9:50 – 11:15 am
Warner Park & Gardens, 1444 W Warner
The event is free and open to all Graceland West residents over 18 years old. Bring your own mat or rug. Weather permitting. Please RSVP to info@gracelandwest.org by June 14 and check gracelandwest.org for possible additional summer dates.
SUMMER SOLSTICE ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY MEETING
Thursday, June 20, 6:30 – 8 pm
Warner Park & Gardens, 1444 W Warner
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.
42ND ANNUAL GARDEN WALK
Sunday, July 28, 1 – 5 pm
Throughout neighborhood, start at Warner Park and Gardens, 1444 W Warner
Sign up by 7/15 at gracelandwest.org/garden-walk to show your apartment, condo, house, school or business garden of any size and type.
Printed and virtual maps and garden descriptions will be available. Information Tables to include Master Gardeners, TreeKeepers, Native Plant Pollinator Pathway and Stormwater Absorption Initiative and Pizzo Native Plant Landscape.
Invite family, friends, or neighbors to enjoy our neighborhood gardens with you.
LAKE VIEW HIGH SCHOOL 150TH ANNIVERSARY
Late Summer, Early Fall, Details shared when available
Lake View High School, 4015 N Ashland
In 1873 the citizens of Lake View Township voted to establish a High School. Built on land donated by the Graceland Cemetery Company, Lake View High School was constructed at a cost of $16,000 and opened its doors to 73 students on May 4th, 1874.
After a massive fire nearly destroyed the entire building in 1885, Lake View reopened in 1886, with a new four-story addition.
In 1916 a new 5-story building was erected and in 1939 another section was added.
Today Lake View High School encompasses 77,000 SF and a full-city block. A $27 million renovation project was completed in 2018.
44th ANNUAL GRACELAND WEST NEIGHBORHOOD FEST
Saturday, September 14, 3 – 8 pm
4100 block of Greenview between Belle Plaine & Warner
Now on Saturday!
DJ, euchre tournament, trivia contest, raffle, silent auction & experience parties, bounce house, basketball, miniature golf,
tie-dye t-shirt creation, magic show, pizza truck, cotton candy, beer, wine, craft cocktails and more!
FALL COMMUNITY MEETING
Thursday, September 26, 7 – 8:15pm
See website and social updates for topic and location
CHILDREN’S HALLOWEEN PARTY
Saturday, October 26, 11am – 1pm
Warner Park & Gardens, 1444 W Warner
11TH ANNUAL VOLUNTEER STREET LEAF CLEAN-UP
November 16-24
Kickoff 11/16 at 10am at Greenview & Belle Plaine, Berteau & Cullum
Reduce stormwater flooding and increase pedestrian safety.
WINTER COMMUNITY MEETING & HOLIDAY SOCIAL
Thursday, December 5, 6 – 7:30pm
See website and social updates for topic and location
News
Congratulations Lake View Class of 2024!
Congratulations graduates on receiving over $1.9M in scholarships and acceptances to over 180 Universities. Lake View is home to over 1476 students grade 9-12. Lake View’s Core Belief is Honor…for self, school, and society. Ownership…of learning and leading. Mastery…of skills and growth. Education…for the future.
4116 North Clark Zoning
Thank you Alders Pawar, Martin and Clay, the GWCA Council and neighbors for helping with the 5+ year vacancy at
the former 7-11. We are told that the 7-11 lease ends in July 2024. On May 7th GWCA held an in-person Community Meeting and joined Alderwoman Clay’s on-line Presentation with potential tenant Seth Boustead, Executive Director of Access Contemporary Music. ACM wants to bring their fourth neighborhood site to Graceland West to teach music and hold recitals and small indoor concerts. GWCA Members voted 89% Yes, 11% No to change zoning from RS-3 to B3-1 if ACM is the tenant. Members voted 84% Yes, 16% No to allow ACM to sell alcohol during indoor music concerts if ACM becomes the tenant.
9 Ashland Bus Extension
Alderman Martin has announced that the CTA 9 Ashland bus will be rerouted from its current turnaround on Clark
north of Irving Park to continue north on Ashland to a new terminal at the Ravenswood Metra Station. The extended route will also provide direct connections to the Metra, #78 Montrose bus, and #81 Lawrence bus. Additional details are forthcoming.
Pollinator Habitat Donations + 3 New Sites
Thanks to a $1,000 donation from Congressman Quigley and a matching $1,000 donation from neighbor Mark Signa, the GWCA Native Plant Pollinator Pathway and Stormwater Absorption Initiative established 3 new sites in May. Each will provide pollinator habitat and absorb more than 2,000 gallons of stormwater annually. All will be on our July 28 Garden Walk. Contact GWCA if you’d like to develop a corner parkway, or share information about your native plants, grasses, shrubs, trees, rain gardens, green roofs and green efforts.
Cicada Photos Wanted
Celebrate our 2024 double cicada brood emergence, the first in 221 years. Email photos to info@gracelandwest.org
Neighborhood History Sought
Lake View High School was established in 1874, 150 years ago and neighborhood development began in the early 1890’s. GWCA’s September meeting will focus on our history. Please contact membership@gracelandwest.org if you have a property built before 1900 or if your family has information or photos dating from 1870-1970.
Fest Donations + Volunteers Sought
Looking for individuals to help the day-of event in a variety of roles. Have a connection to a local business or a unique activity/experience you can donate to our silent auction? Please contact info@gracelandwest.org
It was a beautiful day for the 43rd annual neighborhood festival in Graceland West (photos below). The 2023 Graceland West Neighborhood Fest was only possible because of many volunteers and many sponsors. A very special thank you to Sarah, Brad, Kristi and Liza who led the planning for the amazing event.
FEST SPONSORS
The Daniel Burnham ($1000)
The Ruth Page ($500)
Lee Francis & Michelle Gittler
The Sarah Maxwell Group / @ Properties
The McGowan Family
Paul and Mary Ellen Monzella
The Ernie Banks ($250)
Bob & Mary Beth Flannery
The George Pullman ($100)
Kathryn Guilfoyle
FEST DONORS
Shruti & Brandon Cruz
FEST PARTNERS
Sunday September 10, 2023 | 3-7 PM
4100 North Greenview between Belle Plaine & Warner
For all the details see:
https://gracelandwest.org/calendar/annual-graceland-west-neighborhood-fest/
You can still volunteer here,
Make a contribution or ask any questions about the event by contacting Sarah, sarah.maxwell@gmail.com,
Sign up for Euchre by reaching out to Paul, pmonzella@gmail.com,
and follow us on facebook or instagram for last-minute updates.
Sunday September 10, 2023 | 3-7 PM
4100 North Greenview between Belle Plaine & Warner
Join us for Graceland West’s largest fundraiser of the year! Come out and meet-up with your neighbors
while supporting our special neighborhood. All are invited including those outside GWCA.
Day-Of Volunteers Needed: contact Sarah Maxwell at sarah.maxwell@gmail.com for more information. Click here to sign-up today to volunteer and/or contribute.
Fest Contributions Helpful: silent auction donations (gift certificate, goods, or services) donation or lending of item(s) to be used during Fest including chairs for Euchre tournament
Fest Sponsor Donations Sought: The George Pullman ($100), The Ernie Banks ($250), The Ruth Page ($500), The Conrad Sulzer ($750), The Daniel Burnham ($1000)
DJ ☀ Miniature Golf ☀ Bounce House ☀ Magic by Randy
Kids Create Studio Activity ☀ Tie Dye ☀ Spin Art ☀ Juggler
Euchre Tournament ☀ 3:15-4:45 ☀ 3 rounds of round robin, $30 buy-in per player with cash prizes. Contact Paul Monzella at pmonzella@gmail.com to sign-up by 9/8
Sign-Up for Experience Parties ☀ We’re hosting 3 fun parties this fall & winter to hang out with your neighbors.
Be sure to check out the sign-ups for “Gals of GWCA”, “Guys of GWCA” and “Next Gen of GWCA” at the Fest
Magic By Randy ☀ 3:30-4:00
Silent Auction ☀ Featuring items from The Long Room, ClimbZone, Lakeview Taproom, Cubs game tickets, Namaskar Yoga, Interstellar Records & more!
Create Custom Tie Dye T-Shirts & Spin Art ☀ 4:00-6:00
Kids Create Studio Activity ☀ 4:00-6:00 ☀ Kids Create Studio on Southport will be on hand for a fun take-home art project
Kids Musical Chairs ☀ 4:30-5:00
Big Star Taco Truck & Margaritas ☀ 4:30-6:30
Juggler ☀ 6:00-7:00
Off Color Brewing Beer, plus Wine & Craft Cocktails
Sno Cones & Cotton Candy
Although the kids are heading back to school, we still have a month left of our 2023 summer.
Looking back, we kicked off the summer with a very successful and engaging meeting. Special thanks to Rachel Kuipers and Jack Pizzo for sharing their knowledge with the group. Also a warm welcome to Chad Rathmann and Linda Welsh who were welcomed to the GWCA council. All meeting minutes are uploaded to our Archives page.
In July we had an amazing 41st annual GWCA Garden Walk. A very special thanks to all of the gardeners who welcomed the community into their enchanted spaces and to Ben Conley, Chad Rathmann and Linda Welsh for leading the organization of the walk.
Looking ahead…
On September 10 we will have our annual neighborhood festival on Greenview between Belle Plaine and Warner. Hopefully this year mother nature will spare us the gale-force winds.
On September 23rd we’ll reconvene in the beautiful Warner Park and Gardens for our Q3 meeting and to vote on important matters related to a business on Irving Park.
Be on the lookout for detailed information about these upcoming events and subscribe to our calendar at the bottom of https://gracelandwest.org/calendar/. As always, feel free to drop a note to info@gracelandwest.org about any neighborhood-related curiosities.
September 10, 2023 @ 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Join us for Graceland West’s largest fundraiser of the year! Come out and meet-up with your neighbors while supporting our special neighborhood. All are invited including those outside GWCA.
Day-Of Volunteers Needed: contact Sarah Maxwell at sarah.maxwell@gmail.com for more information
Fest Contributions Helpful: silent auction donations (gift certificate, goods, or services) donation or lending of item(s) to be used during Fest including tables and chairs for Euchre tournament
Fest Sponsor Donations Sought: The George Pullman ($100), The Ernie Banks ($250), The Ruth Page ($500), The Conrad Sulzer ($750), The Daniel Burnham ($1000)
DJ ☀ Miniature Golf ☀ Bounce House ☀ Magic by Randy
Kids Create Studio Activity ☀ Tie Dye ☀ Spin Art ☀ Juggler
Euchre Tournament ☀ 3:15-4:45 ☀ 3 rounds of round robin, $30 buy-in per player with cash prizes. Contact Paul Monzella at pmonzella@gmail.com to sign-up by 9/8
Sign-Up for Experience Parties ☀ We’re hosting 3 fun parties this fall & winter to hang out with your neighbors.
Be sure to check out the sign-ups for “Gals of GWCA”, “Guys of GWCA” and “Next Gen of GWCA” at the Fest
Magic By Randy ☀ 3:30-4:00
Silent Auction ☀ Featuring items from The Long Room, ClimbZone, Lakeview Taproom, Cubs game tickets, Namaskar Yoga, Interstellar Records & more!
Create Custom Tie Dye T-Shirts & Spin Art ☀ 4:00-6:00
Kids Create Studio Activity ☀ 4:00-6:00 ☀ Kids Create Studio on Southport will be on hand for a fun take-home art project
Kids Musical Chairs ☀ 4:30-5:00
Big Star Taco Truck & Margaritas ☀ 4:30-6:30
Juggler ☀ 6:00-7:00
Off Color Brewing Beer, plus Wine & Craft Cocktails
Sno Cones & Cotton Candy
2022 was a great year of re-emergence (of sorts) after a couple of years of flattening the COVID-19 curve and building immunity.
- We kicked the year off after hibernating for the winter at our March meeting where we had a great time with Alderman Matt Martin and continued to build our relationship with Lake View High School, specifically their STEM program representatives and our very own Council member and teacher Joanne Yonan.
- On Earth Day we cleaned up the streets around the high school with our Congressman Mike Quigely.
- Our Q2 meeting took place in beautiful Warner Park and focused on the efforts of the GWCA Eco Committee, led by Council member Joel McFarland who is an Openlands certified TreeKeeper. We also heard from the Alderman’s office and CDOT about safe streets improvements. More on this topic in 2023.
- The annual yard sale was moved up to June. Many thanks to Mark Nehring for his leadership.
- The annual Garden Walk celebrated 40 years in 2022. 40 years! Fearlessly led by Donna Forsberg for one last time as she called this year her last as the chairperson. Mother Nature decided to keep us guessing throughout the day but allowed for plenty of time for all of our amazing neighborhood gardeners to share their efforts with guests.
- The newly branded Graceland West Neighborhood Fest (formerly GWCAFest) was visited by Gale and Squall who dumped about 2 ft of flooding into the neighborhood, but that didn’t stop Sarah Maxwell, Barb Sullivan, Brad Pierce and their volunteers (including LVHS students) from toughing it out and waiting for the weather to clear for the neighborhood to emerge to enjoy Peg’s famous bake table, Randy’s age-less magic, Lisa B’s smooth vocals, Tacos, Tacos, Tacos (and Margaritas), and flame throwing (aka juggling)!
- Our Q3 meeting finally brought us back into LVHS where we were introduced to the LVHS Robotics program (which is incredible)!
- The Halloween party at Warner Park returned after a couple year hiatus and featured some amazing costumes, games and make your own candy apples. Special thanks to Andrea and Colin McLeod and their volunteers for hosting the event.
- And sure enough, Mother Nature wasn’t finished with us when she gave us rain and 50 mph winds the morning of our Street Leaf Cleanup and the Pumpkin Smash at LVHS. Didn’t stop new Council member Paul Monzella from raking Cullom/Greenview until it was pristine. Throughout the week we totaled 182 bags, picked up by the Ward Superintendent the next week.
- We finished off the year back at the Piggery, our gracious hosts for our March and December meetings, where we enjoyed pizza, pork and socializing.
The GWCA Council would like to recognize our Block Reps who helps to deliver flyers and spread important neighborhood news. Thank You!
Also, thanks to all who volunteered or attended any of the GWCA meetings and events and participated in the goal of the association to foster positive relationships between residents of the neighborhood, promote civic engagement and educate community members on issues of common interest such as crime prevention, neighborhood history and preservation, and community improvement. It takes a village!
Thanks for a fantastic Graceland West Neighborhood Fest on September 11, 2022. We were delayed past our 3 pm start by a super cell that brought heavy rain and a squall that flooded several blocks of Greenview. Fest Committee and volunteers set up in a downpour and then held on to tent legs to keep them from going airborne. Randy started the Fest with the magic we all craved, Lisa B kept our hearts warm with song. Once weather lifted enough, neighbors began to fill the 4100 block of Greenview until it was packed with attendees from families with infants to a neighbor in his mid 90’s who walked through the rain to renew his membership. Neighbors kept baked goods coming and Peg’s Bake Table sold out. Kids sported painted faces, one dad held umbrellas in each hand to keep kids dry. Many volunteers went home and changed to dry clothes more than once. Mid-Fest, just when we were all hungry, Big Star Taco arrived with three kinds of tacos and a margarita, and then the juggler brought fire to warm us up.
Kudos to the Fest Committee, which included Barb Sullivan, Sarah Maxwell, Brad Pierce and more. They planned the perfect Fest and executed brilliantly, given the challenges mother nature sent their way. Thank you to the 25+ GWCA Members and Block Reps who helped with spreading the word about the event and a very special than you to LVHS students who braved the weather all day.
Because we were unable to properly thank our sponsors during the event, they are recognized below.
THANK YOU SPONSORS!
homemade craft cocktail sponsor
wine & beer sponsor
Brad & Melanie Pierce
pony ride & petting zoo sponsor
Marlene Granacki
juggler sponsor
soda & water sponsor
Chris McGowan & Sandy Wang
game prize sponsor
Tim & Barbara Sullivan
face painting sponsor
tie dye sponsor
bounce house sponsor
Jennifer Brown
port-a-potty & sanitization station sponsor
Dr. Lee Francis & Dr. Michelle Gittler
