Dear Residents,

I am writing this message a few weeks before Thanksgiving, so I wanted to start off by wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season. Over the next few months, I hope that you can reconnect with family and friends. What better way to do this than by visiting one of our playgrounds, taking a stroll on the walking path around Cook Park, or observing the changing of the seasons along the shoreline of Bangs Lake.

Employee Recognition – On behalf of the Board of Commissioners, staff, and community, I would like to thank the following employees for their continued service to the community. These individuals will be recognized at our December 10, 2024, Board Meeting.

– Beth Christianson, Preschool/Early Childhood Supervisor – 20 years
– Stephanie Marconi, Camp/Club Supervisor – 5 years
– Lisa Albano, Accounting Clerk – 10 years
– Sheila Roth, Preschool Instructor – 5 years

ADA Accessibility Study – The District recently completed an evaluation of our facilities to determine what improvements were needed to bring our facilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The next steps in this process will be to develop a schedule and budget to implement these areas of improvement.

Pickleball – It’s all the rage! We have several times scheduled for open pickleball during the week. If you have never played, we encourage you to come out and give it a try. Indoor Pickleball will be offered January 7 – May 9 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm and Fridays from 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm. Unfortunately, due to other activities planned in our gym during the evening hours, we are unable to offer Pickleball during the evening. We will be offering a Pickleball League on Sunday afternoons for players 18 and over beginning January 19 and running through March 9.

Mark Your Calendar! – It’s never too late to add special events to your calendar. Planning committees are already busy preparing for this year’s Wauconda Fest (June 26-29, 2025) and Wauconda Triathlons (July 26 and 27, 2025).

Trick or Treat Main Street/Wauconda Drama Club – The arts are alive and well in Wauconda. I wanted to give a quick shout out to the Wauconda Drama Club for their assistance in designing, building, manning, and maintaining this year’s kid-friendly haunted house at the Trick or Treat Main Street event. Wauconda is truly blessed by the level of fine arts programs offered in District 118. We hope that you get a chance to see a performance or view a concert this coming winter/spring. Staff will be stopping by one of the upcoming Drama Club meetings to make a monetary donation that will be used to enhance an upcoming performance or provide more opportunities to perform.

Wauconda Fire Cadets, Thank you! – The Wauconda Park District recently donated five (5) pairs of Black Diamond rubber firefighter boots to the Wauconda Fire Cadets for their assistance with parking cars at last summer’s Wauconda Fest. The boots will be used during the cadet’s upcoming training activities.

Thank you all for your support and continued use of Park District programs, services, and facilities. We look forward to seeing you again in 2025.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a prosperous 2025!

Sincerely,
Tim Staton, CPRP
Executive Director
[email protected]
847-526-3610