Come Celebrate With The Chatham Community At Their 10th Annual Picnic In Brown Park
Come Celebrate With The Chatham Community At Their 10th Annual Picnic In Brown Park
The 10th Annual Chatham Community Picnic in Sidney Brown Memorial Park will be held on August 16, 2025, between 12 and 4 p.m. The park is located at 634 E. 86th St, adjacent to Discover’s Shine Bright ® Community Center and its parking lot, near 87th and Cottage Grove. There will be music, entertainment, kite flying, 40+ Double Dutch, lawn games, face painting, raffles…lots of fun for all!
Each year our Advisory Council honors the life of firefighter Sidney Brown who died in an attempt to save the olives of 3 children in 1983. All firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice will also be honored. During this year’s picnic, we will also kick off our official fundraiser to begin the construction of phase 1 of our plans for renovations in Brown Park: The R.A.G.E. Skateboard Park addition. Plans and programs will be available for both Phase 1 and Phase 2, the “smart park” addition, at our information tables. This will also give you an opportunity to inquire about our Brown Memorial Park Advisory Council and perhaps become a member. All Chicago Park District Councils need members to effectively maintain and upgrade facilities in the park.
The Chicago Park District is a separate governing taxing body, yet we do not demand of it as we do in the City of Chicago. Brown Memorial Park is the largest park in Chatham yet the most overlooked. For example, the park was named for Mr. Sidney Brown in 1990. It was built with no restroom facilities, and no electrical hookups on the south end of the park. The only improvements to the park came when the Brown Memorial Park Advisory Council secured part of 86th Street which is a dead end (our front entrance). Prior to that, the portion of what would be concrete street was used as a dump.
Now we have a lovely entrance complete with a gazebo, chess tables, and colorfully painted wooden stumps. This would not have happened if it were not for the Brown Memorial Park Advisory Council members, plus a generous donation from former Alderman Roderick Sawyer. We want to have more successes as described above, but it will take your participation and insistence. The August 16th picnic in the park will be a great opportunity to meet and greet your neighbor.
Please consider joining our Park Advisory Council. We meet each third Wednesday of the month at Discover’s Shine Bright® Community Center adjacent to the park from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. or weather permitting, under the gazebo in the park So please come out in large numbers on August 16, 2025, to enjoy the picnic and hear about plans to improve our park and neighborhood.
Carl Lewis, President
Sidney Brown Memorial Park Advisory Council
Latest Stories
- Let Your Actions Speak Now!
- Kiddie Academy® promotes literacy with national reading event
- Hood College Launches Sports Entertainment and Marketing Minor
- Adria Husband to serve as Interim Executive Director as Enrich Chicago launches Executive Director search
- Chicago-Based Startup Nimblemind.ai Selected for Google for Startups AI Academy: American Infrastructure
Latest Podcast
STARR Community Services International, Inc.
