Coming Attractions IBPAC Meeting/Board Elections, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., Warren Park Field House, 6601 N. Western Ave. Park facilities are open even though the Cultural Center is closed. Please visit the Chicago Park District web site for information about IBP summer activity dates and locations. |
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Cultural Center Update May 3, 2013 The restoration of the Cultural Center has begun and may be completed by October of this year. |
Fire at the Cultural Center May 20, 2012 On Sunday, May 20th, a fire in the ventilation system of the Cultural Center, a Chicago landmark, caused extensive damage to the west end of the 2nd floor breaking through to the first floor. The quick response of the park manager, Phil Martini, and the Chicago Fire Department most likely saved the building from total destruction. Although our hearts were broken to see the building in flames, the good news is that it will be totally restored to its original splendor and will have internal systems updated in the process. The restoration has started and will take atleast a year. The park is still open so don't let the closure of the Cultural Center keep you away.
Photos taken by community member, Jeffery Moore. |
Activities - 2012 |
May 12, 2012 Once again, the weather was cold and rainy for our plant sale. Despite that, a group of volunteers was on hand at 7:00 A.M. to unload the truck and set the tables up. Perennials donated by the community were potted up and sold as well as packs of annuals, baskets, herbs and tomatoes. The money earned from the sale supports the gardens of Indian Boundary Park.
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4/28/2012 Led by a Chicago Audubon Society volunteer, a small group of community members braved the elements to view the birds of the park and pond. New sightings were a Purple Finch and a Belted Kingfisher. Visit the new web site section, Birds of IBP (under Menu on left), to see photos of birds seen in the park. |
4/21/2012 IBPAC Advisory Council members, interested neighbors and students from Boone School led by their teacher, Shamaila Haveebuddin, participated in a clean-up and tree mulching event at the park. With all of the volunteers, the mulch pile disappeared quickly. The help was greatly appreciated and the park looked wonderful when the work was done. Our helpers......
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Activities - 2011
In July, the tennis courts were resurfaced much to the delight of the neighborhood tennis players. We do ask that the tennis courts be used for tennis only to preserve the surface. The Advisory Council was awarded an Open Lands grant to develop the East Enclosure on the north side of the park as a Bird Sanctuary.
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Park Historical Tour 8/30/2011 On a pleasant evening, the Rogers Park Garden Group and the West Ridge Historical Society sponsored a historical tour of the park. Speaking at the event were Julia Bachrach, Chicago Park District historian; Chris Gent, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and landscape architect; Phil Martini, IBP Park Manager; Michael Oster, IBPAC board member and Ginny Davis, Northtown Garden Society representative. After a tour of the park and the gardens led by Mr. Oster and Ms. Davis, an active discussion of the history of the park and field house was led by Ms. Bachrach and Mr. Martini. Proceeds from this event will be contributed to the restoration of the Garfield Park Greenhouse, the Northtown Garden Society, and the IBPAC. |
8/27/2011 The clearing of the East Enclosure in preparation for the creation of a bird sanctuary was begun by a large number of volunteers led by Michael Oster, IBPAC board member. With the help of chainsaw-wielding and IBPAC board member, Frank Glapa, the trees (not the good kind!) were toppling like toothpicks. Volunteers from the community and the Tree Keeper's organization were picking up the cuttings and stacking them for pick up by the Park District. The clearing of the trees and shrubs revealed the pond and swan houses left from the days that swans from the zoo were over-wintered in the park. In addition to clearing the East Enclosure, another group of community volunteers were mulching trees in the park.
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Independence Day Parade July 4, 2011 On a perfect morning, an exuberant group of neighborhood families celebrated the 4th of July with a do-it-yourself parade led by a local band, Banda de Guerra de Cuidad Hidalgo Michoacan Mexico, and a variety of decorated "floats". The parade set the tone for a very Happy Birthday celebration for our country.
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Park Open House May 22, 2011 A park Open House was held to educate the community about our park's history and show the beauty of the park and the historic field house. The event included a mime show, tours of the park and facilities and a presentation on the history of the park. Refreshments were provided by the Advisory Council and the park manager, Phil Martini. A Day Camp scholarship certificate was presented to a Boone School representative to be awarded to one of their students. The scholarship was provided by the Advisory Council as a community service.
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May 14, 2011 On a cold, blustery day, a fund-raising plant sale sponsored by the Indian Boundary Park Advisory Council and the Northtown Garden Society was held at Warren Park. In spite of the weather, the sale was a success and the proceeds were used by the sponsoring organizations to support the gardens of Indian Boundary and Warren Parks. Many weeks of effort were expended by a dedicated group of volunteers to grow tomatoes from seed, dig up and repot donated perennials, organize pre-orders of flats and baskets of annuals, unload and organize pre-ordered plants and assist customers on the day of the sale. We particularly appreciated the help of Rev. John Hoekwater, manager of the Gale School greenhouse, for providing space to grow the tomatoes; Pat Grunde, principal of the Bethesda Lutheran School, for providing space to store plants; and Diana Schilz, Warren Park manager, for providing space and support for the sale. To show our appreciation for the use of the greenhouse at Gale School, we participated in the planting of pansies along Howard Street.
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Spring Bird Walk May 1, 2011 Joe Lill, of the Chicago Audubon Society, once again led a group of community members on an informative bird walk in the park. Everyone was thrilled to see a nesting pair of wood ducks at the lagoon. This was the first sighting of these colorful ducks in the park.
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Earth Day Celebration April 16, 2011 A group of Advisory Council and community members along with a group of students and their teachers from Boone Elementary School worked for a morning cleaning up the park and mulching the trees.
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March 19, 2011 IBPAC board members, Ann Glapa and Michael Oster, gave a presentation, Planting the 1st Seed - Gardening in Your Park, at the 2011 Park Advocacy Conference sponsored by the Chicago Park District and the Friends of the Parks. The well-attended presentation generated a lot of interest by community members who have been trying to start community gardens around Chicago with varying degrees of success. An impressive display of photos of the park and gardens provoked "oohs and aahs" among the attendees.
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Indian Boundary Park is located on the far north side of Chicago, Ilinois in the West Ridge neighborhood. It is a 13+ acre park featuring gardens, a lagoon, a spray pool, a small zoo, a children's playground, tennis courts, a walking path and a Cultural Center/Fieldhouse. For more information about the park and its history, select Visiting the Park or Park History. |
About the Advisory Council The current Indian Boundary Park Advisory Council was established in the fall of 2004 at the request of the park supervisor. The mission of the council is
For more information about the Advisory Council, select Advisory Council. |
Updated 5/3/2013 GD |
Spring Plant Sale
Bird Walk
Earth Day Celebration
Cleanup of the Keepers of the Fire Garden started in April with the help of council members. The small bulbs were blooming as a nice reminder that spring has arrived. The new wooden picket fence, shown on the left, was installed in June. 
If you haven't visited the park recently, you haven't seen the entrance garden planted by the Park District. It looks like Chicago has been moved to Arizona with a mix of cactii and succulents. We wish to thank the Park District horticulturists for designing an extremely interesting and comment-producing attraction.
Bird Sanctuary Cleanup Day
Park Advocacy Conference
