This year’s Open Space Celebration was one for the books! The beauty and tranquility of Heron Creek Forest Preserve was complemented by that delightful mixture of blue skies, warm sun, and crisp autumn wind, making it the finest of fall days.

The Green Corridor Coalition sponsored the festival to bring people together in land adjacent to the former Route 53 corridor. The coalition, which includes the Woods & Wetlands Group as a member,  seeks to preserve the land in the corridor as a protected north-south greenway through central Lake County. 

Local leaders and open space advocates addressed the sizable crowd.

Lake County Board Member John Wasik detailed the many ways Lake County government is folding policies of resilience and sustainability into its work countywide. 

State Senator Melinda Bush and Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart spoke alongside members of the Green Corridor Coalition about the importance of protecting Lake County’s open space.

“This is a chance for us to really envision who Lake County wants to be in the future," Hart said. "What do we want to stand for and what do we want the future to look like for us and for our children? … It is our perseverance that is going to make a difference in the years to come to protect the [greenway], other open spaces, create more of them and really protect our planet.”  

With the Lake County Greenway as the backdrop, Pop Rocks, a local band that formed at the youth music school Bach to Rock Arlington Heights, closed out the celebration with a special set.

Thank you to all who made this event possible.