Step Out for Fun and Learning This Week in McKinley Park
The McKinley Park neighborhood's watering holes are again the leading spots for local entertainment throughout this week and upcoming weekend. The fun begins on Tuesday, May 21, with Loteria Night at One City Tap. Marz Community Brewing Company again presents Jazz on Marz with the Jazzeros on Wednesday night, May 22, and hosts their Karaoke on Marz on Thursday, May 23.
Dancers can learn new moves and strut their stuff on Thursday, May 23, at One City Tap's Latin Nights with Sandra Magaña, this week featuring salsa music and dance. The Tap hosts its Karaoke Night on Friday, May 24, and its late-night Sabado Gigante dance party on Saturday, May 25.
Marz Brewing is bringing back the smashing action at its monthly Super Smash Bros. Meetup on Sunday, May 26. On Friday, May 24, Marz presents DJ Alicia Serrano in its tap room, and on Saturday, May 25, country music DJ Lawrence Peters spins at the brewery.
Read more: Step Out for Fun and Learning This Week in McKinley Park
Neighborhood Plan Advances at CMAP Workshop
Andrés Lemus-Spont, Tony Adams and Nikita Wu discuss McKinley Park neighborhood development ideas at one of the interactive exhibit tables during the CMAP Neighborhood Plan Workshop on Wednesday, May 15, at the National Latino Education Institute.
The neighborhood plan project for McKinley Park took a big step forward on Wednesday, May 15, at the CMAP Neighborhood Plan Workshop held at the National Latino Education Institute. The release of the eagerly awaited Existing Conditions Report paired with an interactive workshop to again solicit feedback and ideas from the community to inform the full and final plan, slated for release in late 2019.
Ricardo Lopez, project lead and facilitator from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), led the presentation and explained how the Existing Conditions Report includes "key takeaways" from the past 15 months of work on the project, much based on direct community outreach and research. "It's how you envision McKinley Park in the next five to 10 years," he said.
Park Improvements, Farmers Market Plans Unveiled at Council Meeting
Demolition of the derelict smokestack of McKinley Park's boiler building is one of many park improvements now underway or in planning.
Hard work is underway at McKinley Park as Chicago Park District staff and the volunteers of the McKinley Park Advisory Council both prep for a new season of events and attend to many formerly neglected areas of the park's operations and facilities. The council meeting on Monday, May 13, brought out council officers, neighbors and new McKinley Park Supervisor Briana Soria for an update on projects and planning for the summer season.
The McKinley Park Farmers Market is officially on, with the minimum number of vendors signed up for the season, said prospective market manager Stef Funk. The first Farmers Market is set for Sunday, June 2, at the William McKinley memorial in the northwest corner of the park. It will run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday through September 2019.
Read more: Park Improvements, Farmers Market Plans Unveiled at Council Meeting
New 9th District Commander, Neighborhood Crime Incidents Highlight CAPS Meeting Agenda
Cook County 7th District Commissioner Alma Anaya introduces her new service office at the Beat 912 CAPS meeting on Wednesday, May 8.
The McKinley Park neighborhood and the rest of the Chicago Police Department's Ninth District is getting a new commander, thanks to recent changes in police command structure, said Officer Jason Sollis at the May 8 meeting for Beat 912 of the Chicago Alternative Police Strategy (CAPS) program. Current commander Randall Darlin is getting promoted up the ranks, Sollis said, and 9th District Cpt. Don Jerome will rise into the commander position.
"He is very active," Sollis said of Jerome's on-the-spot presence at Ninth District crime scenes. "If you listen to the scanner, he is everywhere."
Read more: New 9th District Commander, Neighborhood Crime Incidents Highlight CAPS Meeting Agenda
