The Chicago Park District announced Monday that it will offer limited summer programming, including day camps, at 148 parks as the city continues to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.
A modified version of the annual summer day camps will be offered from July 6 through Aug. 14, followed by an optional two-week extended camp from Aug. 17 through Aug. 28, the park district said in a statement.
The camps will include reading and journaling as well as Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math activities, plus modified sports and outdoor activities that can be done with social distancing and in accordance with other public health guidance.
Park drinking fountains will not be turned on for hygiene purposes, officials said, advising families to send kids to camp with plenty of water to stay hydrated. Lunch and snacks will be provided to camp participants.
The park district also announced that Maggie Daley Park will reopen on June 15, and Millennium Park will reopen in mid-June. These announcements came as parks across the city reopened for the first time in months on Monday.
Though the Lakefront Trail remains closed, all lakefront parks west of Lake Shore Drive reopened to the public Monday, city officials said. That includes Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Burnham Park, Harold Washington Park and Jackson Park, as well as the Jackson Park Golf Course and the Diversey Driving Range.
“Our parks are the city’s playgrounds and we look forward to cautiously welcoming residents to enjoy the wonderful outdoor spaces that our city has to offer,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. “In the coming weeks, as we work toward continued progress in reducing the spread of the coronavirus, we will be able to enjoy even more of our great city.”
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The park district said 100 "social distancing ambassadors" will be deployed, with more planned, to help manage the flow of people in parks and educate the public on social distancing, face coverings and more.
More information on summer programming is available on the Chicago Park District's website here, with online registration beginning June 11 for parks west of California Avenue and on June 12 for parks to the east.
