By Kelly White
The Village of Palos Park encouraged residents to unplug their devices for a day at part of Unplug Illinois on Saturday, July 13.
The day is a state-wide effort, started in 2014, to encourage everyone to “plug into” the amazing recreational opportunities offered by local park and recreation agencies. The Village of Palos Park participated for the second year in a row on Saturday, July 13, with a creative artmaking activity under the Village Green Gazebo, 8901 W. 123rd Street.
“Having worked for the Forest Preserves of Cook County before coming to the Village of Palos Park, environmental education and outdoor recreation hold a special place for me – so being able to share that passion with others outside of our normal and traditional recreation programming is always such a treat,” Stephen DeFalco, Director, Department of Recreation and Parks for the Village of Palos Park, said.
Unplug Illinois works locally and statewide, from the smallest park and recreation agency to the largest in Illinois. Unplug Illinois encourages people to “plug into” all the recreational opportunities local park and recreation agencies have to offer their local communities. It communicates how parks deliver value in people’s lives and communities, parks provide healthier, sustainable communities and play delivers benefits to all.
Participating in the initiative began when Palos Park officials attended the IPRA (Illinois Parks and Recreation Association) state conference in 2023.
The conference discussed the many benefits of unplugging, including: lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, enhanced survival after a heart attack, quicker recover from surgery and fewer medical complaints in general.
“We became aware of this event and thought it was a perfect event to bring to Palos Park given residence’s love of nature,” DeFalco said. “It was also a time to remind ourselves to take a break from the electronics which is always a good thing.”
Palos Park was just one of 48 parks and recreation agencies participating throughout the state this year and being a part of it was a wonderful way to tie together art and nature, according to village officials.
The art portion of the program on Saturday highlighted what kids could do with natural and reused objects by creating art with leaves, rocks, twigs, vegetables, flowers, and so many more items that are typically found outside every day.
During the free event, village officials also set up a self-guided story walk along the trail in-between Village Green Park and the Palos Park Library. A story walk is an outdoor reading experience where a children’s book is deconstructed, and the pages of the book are placed along the trail so as you walk you are reading the story.
The book remained on display all weekend long for children to walk and follow along with their friends and family.
“Especially when it comes to art, we hoped this program showed kids and adults that art is all around us and being creative doesn’t require a kit or something you buy but can be done with the things you already have,” DeFalco said.