Graceland West Community AssociationTonight is the night! Join us for a quick cleanup around the neighborhood, followed by free pizza and a brief 3rd Quarter GWCA meeting in Warner Park.
Just bring yourself. We’ll have all the cleanup supplies ready for you.
August 25 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Neighborhood Cleanup Led by local high school student Jay Gillman, to tidy up key areas around the neighborhood including the LVHS field, playlot, parking lot, and adjacent parkways.
After the cleanup, we’ll walk over to Warner Park to relax, grab a slice of pizza and meet your neighbors AND we’ll include a 10 minute 3rd Quarter GWCA meeting for members to vote on two GWCA Council positions.
Make a Difference in Our Neighborhood – Tuesday, August 25th!
Next week, we’re coming together for a neighborhood cleanup, and some well-deserved pizza.
Whether you have 15 minutes or can stay for the whole hour, your hands will help us make our neighborhood cleaner.
Why Come? It’s a fantastic way to get outdoors, meet your neighbors, support local youth leadership, and help keep our community looking its best, plus, free pizza on us!
We look forward to seeing you there!
September 27 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Start your day with serenity and movement at Yoga in the Park! Join us for a rejuvenating outdoor yoga session led by a local instructor. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced yogi, this class is perfect for all levels. Stretch, breathe, and soak in the beauty of Warner Park while connecting with your community.
Bring your own yoga mat/towel/blanket and water.
lmbw5@comcast.net
Just a quick reminder that Yoga in the Park kicks off tomorrow, Sunday, August 9, from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM in Warner Park and Gardens!
Join us and our instructor, Devyn Kerpan, for a refreshing morning flow in the fresh air. Don’t forget to grab your mat, a water bottle, and a towel to place under your mat. We can’t wait to see you on the grass!
New nets have replaced torn nets on LVHS field. Looks great and just in time for the ’26-’27 school year! Thank you to Alderman Martin for securing this safety funding. Hopefully the high-flying scooter was harvested from the old net and returned to the rightful owner!
Now that the grass is healthy, free outdoor yoga in Warner Park is back! We are so excited to kick off Yoga in the Park this Sunday, August 9, from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM.
This all-levels event is the perfect way to move your body, soak up some fresh air, and connect with our community.
We are thrilled to have Devyn Kerpan leading our session this week!
“By guiding students through their practice, Devyn aims to create space for individuals to experience the transformative power of movement, discover just how strong and capable they are, and feel connected to both themselves and the world around them.”
A former dancer who discovered her passion for yoga at age 15, Devyn brings incredible energy, warmth, and strength to every class she teaches. Her vibrant approach to movement will leave you feeling grounded, energized, and ready for the weekend.
No pre-registration is required. Bring a friend, grab your favorite spot in the grass, and let’s move together!
We have a lot of exciting Graceland West updates, events, and community news to share with you this weekend. Take a look below at what’s happening in and around the neighborhood!
SATURDAY JUNE 13: SNA Native Plant Sale If you are reading this on Friday or Saturday morning, don’t miss out! The Southport Neighbors Association (SNA) Native Plant Sale is happening Saturday June 13, from 9:00 AM until sold out. Come down Southport, right under the Southport Brown Line station, to grab some beautiful new additions for your garden.
Storm Cleanup & Tree Debris Following the major storms our area experienced this week, many blocks are dealing with fallen branches. If you need to request the removal of tree debris on public property, please remember to file a request through the CHI 311 app (or via 311chicago.org) so the city can address it efficiently.
Kid’s Pollinator Planting: A Huge Success! Our recent Kid’s Pollinator Planting event was an absolute blast. The kids did a fabulous job getting their hands dirty for a great cause. Next time you pass by Warner Park, be sure to stop by and see just how well their new plantings are doing!
New Art Installation at Warner Park The Warner Park and Gardens board is thrilled to announce the permanent installation of Sentimental Sentry by Charles Yost. This beautiful sculpture is dedicated in loving remembrance of Lois Buenger (Park Founder) and Georgie Yost (Park President). Please go check it out next time you visit the park, and keep an eye out for news regarding an upcoming official dedication ceremony.
44th Annual Garden Walk (Sunday, July 12, 1–4 PM) The countdown is on! Our neighborhood’s signature summer event is less than a month away. If you’d like to showcase your hard work this year, please use this link to register your garden if you haven’t already. It is always a wonderful day for the community!
POSTPONED: Fitness in the Park Fitness in the Park, led by our wonderful neighbor Kelly, is being temporarily rescheduled. We want to give Warner Park’s new grass plenty of time to become strongly rooted before we start working out on it! This is a free event you won’t want to miss, so watch your inbox for future scheduling announcements.
POSTPONED: June Environmental Meeting Please note that the June Environmental Meeting has also been postponed due to the new grass in the park. We will share the rescheduled date and meeting topics in an upcoming e-blast and in the physical newsletter delivered to your door.
Zoning Update: 1410-12 Warner Ave. Neighbors are currently gathering information regarding the rezoning changes requested by the property owner of this site. The community is reviewing the details, so please watch for future updates as we learn more.
Thank you for making our neighborhood such a vibrant place to live. Have a wonderful weekend, and we hope to see you at the plant sale tomorrow!
Spring is in full bloom, and our local butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds are looking for a place to call home. That’s where our amazing community kids come in!
Our annual Kids Pollinator Planting Garden Event returns this Sunday, May 31, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Warner Park and Gardens.
Pollinators do a massive job for our planet, helping grow the fruits, veggies, and flowers we love. They need our help to find safe, healthy places to feed and rest. Our kids will create a pollinator sanctuary that will support local wildlife all summer long.
Please dress your kiddos in clothes that are okay to get a little dirty. If you have kid-sized gardening gloves and a hand shovel, feel free to bring them along—otherwise, bare hands work beautifully, too!
One quick favor to help our park: You might notice some roped-off sections at Warner Park and Garden. The grass has been freshly reseeded. Please help us keep the kiddos (and grown-ups!) off those spots so the new grass can thrive. Because we’re giving the lawn some time to mature, we are postponing our upcoming events like Yoga and Fitness in the Park. Our pollinator planting is happening in a separate area, completely clear of the baby grass.
June 6 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am
The Fitness in Warner Park event has been postponed due to the re-seeding of the grass at the park. Stay tuned for updates.
Fitness in the Park event featuring Bodyweight Bootcamp with Graceland West resident Kelly Amshoff. Bring your own mat. The event is FREE and open to all levels.
Class Description: This class will incorporate strength training, bursts of cardio and plenty of core work and mobility stretches. Intensity levels and modifications will be provided.
Instructor Bio: Kelly Amshoff has been teaching fitness and personally training for over 15 years. She managed health clubs downtown Chicago, opened her own studio in Cincinnati and for the past six years, has created an online platform where people around the globe take class virtually and use her On Demand channel.
lmbw5@comcast.net
What an incredible Earth Week and first half of Spring it has been for our neighborhood! Thanks to the hard work of our amazing volunteers, donors, and partners, we have some massive achievements to celebrate. We are officially seeing the beautiful, compounding results of a journey that began over a decade ago.
We are thrilled to announce that on Saturday, April 25th, GWCA officially hit its 2026 Pollinator/Stormwater Absorption goal for the entire year with the installation of our 18th site at Greenview and Warner!
This milestone is the culmination of a vision that started back in 2015 to expand the GWCA Pollinator Pathway.
These aren’t just pretty flower beds—they are hard-working environmental assets. Each of our 18 sites is about 100 square feet, but look at what they do:
We encourage all neighbors to adopt this model! The magic ratio is 100 square feet of native planting for every 3,000 square feet of lot.
You can make a huge difference right at home by swapping out non-permeable hardscapes (like concrete or non-permeable pavers) and non-absorptive landscapes (like standard grass turf) for deep-rooted native plants. If you need recommendations for great local native plant nurseries, Janice is happy to help!
Need some cleanup inspiration? Just take a look at the fantastic progress made by the team over at Access Contemporary Music (ACM)!
To keep our gardens thriving, we are looking for everyone to help pick up any litter you see in the neighborhood, specifically at our parkways, corners and the bioswales.
We’re also looking for a few helping hands to do light weeding and trash pickup at:
No expert experience is required—we will train you! If you or a neighbor love plants and beautification, please email Janice (jhorwich@sbcglobal.net) and Linda (lmbw5@comcast.net).
We have a wonderful event coming up perfect for our youngest gardeners…We are thrilled to invite you to our annual Kids Pollinator Planting Garden Event on Sunday, May 31, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Warner Park and Gardens.
Pollinators do a massive job for our planet, helping grow the fruits, veggies, and flowers we love. But they need our help to find safe, healthy places to feed and rest. In just 30 minutes, our kids will create a vibrant sanctuary that will support local wildlife all summer long.
We can’t wait to dig in with you and make our community a little greener, one flower at a time!
