365Naperville – #169 Sled Hills, Hockey and more

Sled Hills, Hockey and more

The Naperville Park District operates and manages several sled hills, a snowboard hill, hockey and ice skating rinks. For obvious reasons, these outdoor locations are weather dependent and may not be open at all times. The following information is reprinted from the Park District website and relates to their rules and regulations for use of the hills.

“Riverwalk Sled Hill at Rotary Hill

This location provides sledding fun for the entire family! Sledders need to bring their own inner tubes or plastic sleds. Wooden sleds and metal-runner sleds are not permitted. Please note that sledders assume full risk and responsibility for determining that all conditions are safe for sledding. Parent/adults are responsible for supervising their children 8 years of age and younger.

Rotary Hill closes at 9:00 p.m. except on Fridays and Saturdays when it remains open until 10:00 p.m. The sled hill is open from Dec. 1-Feb. 1, weather-permitting.

Sledding Rules & Regulations
Sled hills will open when the soil is frozen and there are two or more inches of snow with no visible grass.

When sledding, remember:
- Keep your sled under control
- Avoid sledders and objects
- Move quickly out of the path of other sledders
- Climb uphill along the side of the slope
- Children ages 8 and younger must be supervised by an adult
- Only inner tubes and plastic sleds are allowed. Toboggans and sleds with metal runners are not permitted
- No more than 2 people are permitted on a sled at one time
- Violation of posted rules will result in suspension from the sled hill and/or a fine

Ice Rink and Sledding Conditions
For current information regarding conditions at these locations, please visit our home page at www.napervilleparks.org or call 630-848-5000.”

Locations for sledding are listed as:

• Arrowhead Park
• Brooks Crossings
• Country Lakes Park
• Gartner Park
• May Watts Park
• Old Plank Park
• Riverwalk Sled Hill at Rotary Hill (near the Millennium Carillon)

365Naperville – # 168 Naper Settlement Free Event

Learn About The Civil War

Mark your calendars for January 24, 2011 at 7:00 pm when local Naperville artist and Civil War enthusiast, Jim Weren presents “The Civil War in General”. During this free event, Weren uses his pencil illustrations and anecdotes  he highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Civil War generals, including Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Joshua L. Chamberlain, James Longstreet, George Pickett and others.

According to Weren, “Civil War battles produced more unforgettable generals than any other in the nation’s history. They led by example and personality. Whether they proved to be successful or failed, their stories have become a vital part of our heritage.” It promises to be an interesting evening.

365Naperville – #167 Bubble Bash 2011

Bubble Bash 2011 at DuPage Children’s Museum

Looking for a family friendly way to ring in the New Year? Check out the DuPage Children’s Museum’s Bubble Bash 2011.  The event is this Saturday, December 31, 2010 starting at 9:00 am and counting down to 12:00 noon. There will be musical performances, art activities, refreshments, pictures and more. It is rumored Mayor Pradel will lead the countdown. Oh, and there will be lots of bubbles! And more bubbles! Reservations are required and can be made online.

The DuPage Children’s Museum is located at 301 N. Washington Street, Naperville, IL 60540. They can be reached at 630-637-8000.

365Naperville – #166 Get to Know Tix4Cause.com

What To Do With Those Extra Tickets?

• Do you hold season tickets for a sports team?
• Have a subscription to theater or other live performance events?
• Have extra tickets and a yearning to do something good?
• Looking for tickets to an event?

Check into Tix4Cause.com. This organization was founded by Kevin Nemetz, of Naperville in 2009 as an e-marketplace to change unused tickets into charitable donations. According to their website, 90% of the ticket revenue is turned over to the charity of your choice. What a great concept! Be sure to check out and “Like” their Facebook page too.

They can be reached via Twitter @tix4cause, 630-689-9930, or their website www.tix4cause.com.

If you know of any other local organizations that should be highlighted, please drop us note or comment so we can profile them.

#167 Naperville Park District Holiday Camps

Naperville Park District

Registration Open For Holiday Camps

With winter break coming up soon (and if you are staying in town!) it’s time to take advantage of the Holiday Camps and other programs offered through the Naperville Park District. Registration is easy and available on line.  Details on all Camp Programs are just a click away. Be sure to check out the Naperville Park District site for additional activities and programs.

#165 Take a Ride on the Santa Train Naperville

All Aboard the Santa Train

Do you have your tickets yet? The Naperville Jaycees Santa Train is scheduled to depart at the Naperville 5th Avenue Train Station at 10:00 a.m. Each Train will travel to about Brookfield, switch tracks and then return to the Naperville 5th Avenue Train Station, allowing the children time to meet Santa, sign songs and play games along the way. To purchase tickets online for this year’s Santa Train, please click here.

Tickets may also be purchased at:

DuPage Children’s Museum

301 N. Washington Street

Naperville 60540

www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org

Oswald’s Pharmacy

88 West Gartner Road

Naperville 60540

(630) 355-2500

365 Things to Do in Naperville – #164 – Hometown Holidays

Electric Lights Parade & Grand Illumination of Downtown Naperville

At this annual event, attendees are invited to enjoy festive floats, lively entertainment, Santa and Mrs. Claus’ official arrival and the Grand Illumination when more than 300,000 twinkling lights are turned on simultaneously. There is also celebrating and dancing in the streets at the Electric Parade.

Brought to you by Friends of Little Friends and sponsored by McKeown Classic Homes. Bundle up & enjoy an evening of festivities including:

• 3:45-– 4:30pm – Area high school superstars will warm up the crowd from the parade main stage (at Jefferson & Webster) with holiday tunes including: Ian Emerson (Naperville North) Erin Calhoun (Metea), Yaevin Lee (Neuqua), Josh Blue (Waubonsie), Samanatha Lodge (Naperville Central) & Chelsea Ward (North Central College). Come support your school!
• 4:00 – 8:00pm – Naperville Public Library, 200 W. Jefferson will be serving hot chocolate in the Community Room. Warm up before the parade!
• 4:30pm – Electric parade begins! Join parade MC’s, CBS news’ Mary Kay Kleist and 95.9FM the River’s Scott Mackay at the main stage. The parade will start at Centennial Beach, turn east on Jackson Ave, north on Webster St, west on Van Buren Ave and end on Eagle St.
• 5:15pm – Our local high school superstars will hit the stage again singing holiday favorites with the crowd while we prepare for Santa & the Grand Illumination of Downtown Naperville.
• 5:45pm – Santa will flip the switch illuminating more than 300,000 twinkling lights lighting up Downtown Naperville for the holiday season.
• 5:45 – 8:00pm – Santa & Mrs. Claus will visit with children on the Main Stage! Kids of all ages welcome!

So come on downtown this Friday and kick off the Holiday Season as only Naperville can.  Thanks to the Downtown Naperville Alliance for

Parking Map & Street Closings

The Holly Trolley will be circling downtown Naperville during the Hometown Holidays weekend! Friday, November 25 from 11-3, sponsored by Mainstreet Promenade. Stops include: The Trolley Stop on Jackson at Eagle, Barnes & Noble on Washington at Chicago Ave., The Van Buren parking deck, Hugo’s at Main Street Promenade, and the upper/northern door of the Nichols Library…then back to the Trolley Stop!

365 Things to Do In Naperville – #163 – Recycle Christmas Lights

Naperville Park District to Host Holiday Light Recycling

As you start to break out those Christmas & Holiday decorations you may come across a strand or two or ten of lights that either don’t work or maybe are just not worth the effort to find that loose or burned out bulb that killed the whole strand. Or maybe this happened:

National Lampoon Christmas Vacation FRIED CAT scene

(Please note: It is believed that no cats were actually harmed in the above video or in the writing of this post.)

This is the second year for the program and runs from November 21, 2011 through February 1, 2012.  And the results of the program benefit the community. “Last year the recycling drive was a great success, diverting over 1 ton of lights from the landfill and generating funds to enhance our interpretive center at Seager Park” said Director of Marketing Sameera Luthman. “We hope that this year participation will continue to grow, benefitting our environment and those in need in our community.”

These type of lights will be accepted:  Mini-lights, C-7 lights, C-9 lights, Rope lights, LED lights and extension cords. All colors and lengths will be accepted.

The following Park District locations will be accepting lights for recycling:

• South Maintenance Facility, 3415 Book Road (Hours: Mon.-Fri., 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.)
• Central Shop (behind the Barn), 421 W. Martin Avenue (Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.)
• Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center, 305 W. Jackson Avenue – Lower Level (Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.)
• Springbrook Golf Course, 2220 W. 83rd Street (Hours: Mon.-Sun., 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.). Please note that Springbrook Golf Course will be closed Dec. 24-Jan. 1.

For more information on Park District programs and events, please visit www.napervilleparks.org.

Cha Cha Cha Changes!

Hey! Glad you found the new site. It is still under development but a lot of the features are active including Home Search (predefined search results for now) and Market Stats. Check out the new Community pages too. So, take some time and explore, if you see something broken we would appreciate a quick note to let us know. In the meanwhile, our current site is still active and fully functional. Thanks for stopping by and looking forward to your thoughts and comments on our usability.

365 Things to Do In Naperville -#161-TED x is Back!

TED^x is returning to Naperville 11-11-11!

It has been about 18 months since this innovative event was held her in Naperville. And it was quite an event! Wondering what TED^x Naperville is? Here is a description from their web site.

What is TED^x? In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TED^x. TED^x is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TED^xNaperville, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TED^xNaperville event, TEDTalks video and live
speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TED^x program, but individual TED^x events, including ours, are self-organized.

From my own experience, I found the first one exciting, thought provoking, and entertaining. As an added plus, I reconnected with one of the speakers. We had first me back in the mid 80′s during a project at the University of Illinois, In Urbana-Champaign and hadn’t seen each other since then. And, the ladder drummers from Naperville Central were absolutely amazing!

Hope to see you there!

Grounds for Hope Cafe
2701 Maple Ave
Lisle, IL 60532
Friday, November 11, 2011 from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM (CT)

Tickets are available through Eventbrite.