Check It Out

There's always something exciting going on in Villa Park!

The Butterfly Garden is in bloom!

Late in the summer of 2017, the Parks and Recreation Department of Villa Park coordinated the installation of a Butterfly Garden on the Great Western Trail, and now—almost a year since the first plants were planted—residents of Villa Park are overjoyed with the results!

A large group of volunteers, including representatives from the DuPage Monarch Project and the Conservation Foundation, spent the better part of a morning last September planting butterfly-attractant plants like Milkweed, Purple Coneflower, and Black-Eyed Susans in a series of flower beds along the trail near Cortesi Veterans Memorial Park. The plants were provided by local sponsors—the Economic Development Commission, the Environmental Concerns Commission, the Kennilworth Watch Group, the Community Pride Commission, and the Villa Park Garden Club.

If you find yourself on the trails or at Cortesi Park this summer, stop by and check out the beautiful Butterfly Gardens!

Stay cool at Jefferson Pool!

Prior to the start of this year's swim season, Jefferson Pool had many enhancements and repairs.

The slide was gel-coated and the slide tower was repaired and painted.
A new water intake was installed to comply with VGBA law.
Four block windows were replaced to enhance ventilation of the locker rooms.
The pool locker rooms were repainted and all lighting was replaced with LED lighting and lenses.
The 30-year old roof was replaced and doors were added to restroom stalls.
Funbrellas were installed and added for additional areas of shade for patrons.
New depth markers were required by the DuPage County Health Department and the diving board structure was repainted.

Between June 2nd and September 3rd, Jefferson Pool is open to the public Monday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Visit the Aquatics page for more information.

Summerfest rocked!

On June 15th, Villa Park hosted another successful Summerfest! Residents were treated to great music by Lake Effect, Serendipity, and Heartsfield, plus some outstanding local food and a beer tent sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. A few surprise political and governmental guests even stopped by!

Planning for the next Summerfest will be underway soon, so stay tuned for more information!

When it rains, it pours . . .

As April showers have turned into May storms and June deluges, the Village of Villa Parks asks that all residents do their part to help mitigate damage due to intense storms and flooding.

Please be sure to keep storm inlets free of clogs to help reduce flooding. Clogged inlets prevent storm water form entering the sewers, which causes standing water in the streets.

Upcoming Events

More fun is right around the corner!

Police Explorers Fundraiser

Villa Park Police will be hosting a Pancake Breakfast fundraiser for the Villa Park Police Explorer Post 620 on Sunday, July 1st, at 8 a.m. at VFW Post 2801 (39 St. Charles Rd.)

Come on out and have a delicious all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast and help support your Explorer Post --- the future police officers of your communities.

Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children and senior citizens.

The menu will include pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice, and more!

Law Enforcement Career Exploring is open to young men and women as young as sixth grade through age 20 with an interest in learning more about law enforcement careers. Law Enforcement Exploring provides educational training programs for young adults on the purposes, mission and objectives of law enforcement. The program provides career orientation experiences, leadership opportunities and community service activities. The primary goals of the program are to help young adults choose a career path within law enforcement and to challenge them to become responsible citizens of their communities as well as the nation.

Villa Park has had an Explorer post since the 1980s, and six of the department’s current employees are former Explorers. At least five other recent Explorers have gone on to law enforcement careers.

Officers Tim Walsh and Eric Haimann advise the Villa Park Police Explorers. For more information about the program, call Officer Walsh or Officer Haimann at 630-834-7447.

Ice Cream Socializing

The Villa Park Historical Society is celebrating some milestones! In recognition of the the 40th anniversaries of the Society, the Historical Museum and the Historical Preservation Commission, they're excited to invite you to an ice cream social at the Museum Pavilion! Stop by on Tuesday, July 3rd at 7pm, and snack on free ice cream and cupcakes with your friends and neighbors while you listen to Americana music performed by the Sons of the New Amish. Snack supplies are limited, so get there early!

Independence Day Parade

Once again this year, Villa Park VFW Post 2801 will host our Independence Day Parade. Formation begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot on Ardmore Avenue. The parade begins at noon, and the route is approximately 2 miles long. The route heads west on Central to Harvard, South on Harvard to Madison, East on Madison to Summit, North on Summit to Park, and West on Park to Ardmore to disperse.
Visit VFW 2801 on Facebook for details.

Free Summer Concerts in July . . .

Celebrating 39 years of music, the Kiwanis Club and the Village of Villa Park are proud to bring you the Annual Kiwanis Concerts in the Park!

Kiwanis Concerts run every Wednesday evening in July, starting July 11th. The concession stand opens at 6 pm selling hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, popcorn, soft drinks and more. The music starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Rugaard Gazebo on the Prairie Path. Alcohol is prohibited on the Prairie Path.

JULY 11

THE STING RAYS

They’re back again this year and you don’t want to miss this group who will play your favorite Rock & Roll hits from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. They’re a hit with all ages!

JULY 18

ST. JOHN’S LOMBARD PRAISE TEAM

This group is returning to perform a variety of music

including some much loved popular hits.

JULY 25

TROPIXPLOSION

Come on out and enjoy music from a tropical/rock hybrid

party band. They play authentic Caribbean tunes, reggae,

rock favorites with an island twist.

. . . and August!

The free music continues on Thursdays in August at Cortesi Veterans Memorial Park. Concessions open at 6pm, with music at 6:30pm

AUGUST 2
LOS TEQUILEROS
Los Tequileros cover 50’s-60’s dust covered ol’ school jukebox and country western golden nugget hits with a hint of Tex-Mex lime added to the mix.

AUGUST 9
THE FLAT CATS
Based in Chicago, IL, The Flat Cats play a range of vintage and modern music rooted in the hottest swinging jazz and blues, contemporary classics and timeless standards.

AUGUST 16
MASON RIVERS
A high-energy country band that covers the best of today’s country music as well as your favorite classics, Mason Rivers was formed from some of the finest musical
talent in the Chicagoland area.

AUGUST 23
ROSIE AND THE RIVETS
Rosie & The Rivets perform the best danceable music of the 1950’s and early 1960’s along with some current hits with a retro twist.

AUGUST 30
MR. MYERS
Mr. Myers blends the tropical sounds of calypso and ska, the rhythms of reggae and a little rock-n-roll with some favorite classic tunes to create their own special style of
music-Caribbean Rock.

CodeRed is Coming Soon

CodeRED is an emergency messaging and information system that allows for the rapid, efficient dissemination of important information, and in the next few months Villa Park will be opening their service to the community. In case of an emergency, such as an evacuation, contaminated water, or hazardous chemical spill, CodeRED is capable of contacting the entire Village within minutes, either over the phone, through text message, or by e-mail, to deliver a message describing the situation and recommending a safe course of action. CodeRED also offers a free app for your Apple or Android device, which will send geo-targeted notifications based on a user’s current location. Many of our neighboring communities are CodeRED subscribers, so by signing up, Villa Park residents can be made aware of emergencies that may impact them when they’re travelling throughout the area. The Village expects CodeRED to go live sometime in August, at which point residents can visit our website to sign up. In the meantime, Village staff will be testing the system using previous subscriptions to CivicReady, so users of the old system should be on the lookout for test messages. The Village will keep residents informed about CodeRED’s implementation through social media and other Village publications.