Welcome to the Parks & Recreation Department                  847-234-6700

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Energizing Your Family and Community Through the "Power" of Recreation!

The Parks & Recreation Department is located in the Recreation Center at 400 Hastings Road. The Recreation Center offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

The Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Department is committed to providing residents of all ages positive experiences through a variety of high quality programs, activities, and services under the direction of professional and dedicated staff who are responsive to the changing needs of the community. Keep up to date with our monthly newsletter, P.R. News (293k -6 pages), filled with information about all the different program areas.

We are always looking for part time employees to meet the constantly changing needs of the Parks & Recreation Department. If you are interested, visit the employment page for current opportunities.    

Also, let us know how we are doing. If you love a program and think the instructor is fantastic, give them a "high five." Our High Five Form (20k - 1 page) is a way of saying thanks for the hard work. These go into the employee's file and are published for everyone to see. It is nice to tell someone they are doing a great job. 

What's New

Spring/Summer Brochure

Registration began March 16, 2010 for Lake Forest residents!

The complete Spring/Summer Brochure is available to view right now! Click on the image of the catalogue to view page-by-page opportunities or go to www.LFRec.com to view the registration information by programs. 

 2010 Spring/Summer Brochure is available to view at www.LFRec.com!     

You can view all of the programs by activity on LFRec.com.  If you do not want to register on-line, or you can download a Registration Form (55k - 2 pages) to fax, mail or hand deliver to the Recreation Center. Contact  847-234-6700 if you have any questions.

Are you ready....... think warm summer fun!

Is your child ready to create, discover, soar, play ball, or explore this summer?  Summer Camp Registration is just around the corner.  Registration is going on right now!  If you click on the Summer Camp Brochure, it will take you to the pages of the brochure for your viewing.    For those of you who would like to sign up on-line at LFRec.com on registration day make sure before hand that you have all your information current with our office and have your user ID and PIN numbers ready!  Energize your child with a summer of fun here at Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Department.

On-line Registration Anytime ..... Anywhere! 
Lake Forest residents are able to register for Parks and Recreation Department classes on line at www.LFRec.com. To access an on-line account, you will need to have an email address on file with the department along with an account user ID and PIN number. Call the Parks and Recreation office at 847-234-6700 or email to lfrec@cityoflakeforest.com for more information. In order to make on-line registration available to Lake Forest residents we had to change our registration system. Registration is taken on a first come first serve basis now.  You can register at your convenience anytime......anywhere...... 

Forest Park Master Plan Project
The Parks and Recreation Department and Lake Forest Garden Club (LFGC) have begun a collaborative project to develop a Master Plan for Forest Park. The Lake Forest Garden Club is funding the creation of the Master Plan document and is working closely with City staff and the community to develop a plan that will protect, preserve and enhance this wonderful lakefront community treasure.

Public input is key to the success of this project. To learn more, visit the Forest Park Master Plan information page. Updates will also be given in the City’s “Dialogue!” community newsletter over the course of the next year. If you have any questions, you may contact Mary Van Arsdale, Director of Parks and Recreation, at vanarsdm@cityoflakeforest.com or 847-810-3918.

PRESENTATION OF AD HOC PARK AND RECREATION COMMITTEE

Click on the link below to see the presentation that was given at the City Council meeting on November 2, 2009. 

  AD HOC Presentation (34k - 11 pages)

Award-Winning Department The Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Department achieved the highest honor when it was awarded the 2005 National Gold Medal Award. The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association presented the award. The department was honored as the best in the category of communities under 25,000 in population. The Gold Medal is recognized as the most important and celebrated park and recreation award in the country, and Lake Forest is proud to be considered among the best in management, staff and dedication in serving the park and recreation needs of its residents. An organizational chart  (14k - 1 page) for the Parks and Recreation Department can be viewed or downloaded.

Former Parks and Recreation Director      Fred Jackson and Assistant Director Wendy    McKiernan accepting the prestigious National    Gold Medal Award

"From the Park Bench" - by Mary Van Arsdale, Director of Parks & Recreation

TREE-Mendous Appreciation It is my hope that you have been enjoying the many parks and their facilities this summer. So it seems fitting to me to devote this edition of From the Park Bench to express my appreciation to the Parks Department that makes our parks so Tree-Mendous. It’s not a large staff but they take care of a whole lot! Your parks department is responsible on a weekly basis for the maintenance of over 400 acres of park land, approximately 11 miles of bike paths, as well as an additional 149 acres of public school property. Within this acreage the crew takes care of lining and grooming 26 soccer/football/lacrosse fields, 14 softball/baseball fields, 9 elementary and tot playgrounds, 7 pavilions and multiple specialty areas such as batting cages, sand volleyball courts and basketball courts. They also take care of hundreds of park amenities including picnic tables, grills, recycling containers, fireplaces and firewood. Of course a big part of their job is the landscape demands of the many properties. This crew plants thousands of annual plants, trims bushes and trees, mulches, plants new trees, replenishes playground fibar and aerates, fertilizes, top dresses and over-seeds our turf areas to provide the highest quality grass fields. In addition to these many “green” responsibilities, the parks crew is also responsible for dredging the boat basin, sand beach cleaning, taking care of Market Square Fountain and the list could go on and on. Many families and community groups in town have also had the opportunity to work with our parks crew as they assist with many of the special set up needs of facility rentals or community special events that take place in the local parks. This support ranges from assistance with Dog Days, July 4th Festival and Fireworks Celebration, Lake Forest Days, Library Book Sale and many smaller church and family events. In the past two years I have been extremely impressed with the positive attitude, friendliness and willingness to go the extra mile whenever asked by myself, a resident or a community organization. I can assure you that this is a group of employees that works extremely hard to deliver the highest quality of services to the community. And on one final note, contemplate this…your parks department in the two weeks leading up to the opening of the new Townline Community Park planted over 20,000 plants and 75 trees in addition their regular duties already outlined above. When you cross their path out in the parks, please take a moment to give them a “Tree-Mendous Thank You” for all that they do to make our Lake Forest parks special. I’ll see you in the parks soon! Mary Van Arsdale Director of Parks and Recreation

Please take time to enjoy a recreation program and visit our wonderful park sites!

Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association

NSSRA is a partnership that provides year-round recreation and leisure opportunities for children, teens, adults and seniors with disabilities. For more information about NSSRA, please call 847-509-9400, email to info@nssra.org or check their website, www.nssra.org.

For information about NSSRA inclusion services in our programs, contact Wendy McKiernan at 847-810-3912.