Believe. With a dash of imagination mixed with some holiday spirit, visitors to the Fox Valley Park District’s Holiday Express instantly re-experience the childhood vibes – hope, anticipation, cheer – that only the season can provide. An annual Yuletide celebration staged at historical Blackberry Farm, Holiday Express delivers Christmas spirit in the form of a… Read More

With more than 80 acres of greenspace settled along river shoreline, at least seven natural habitats within eyeshot, and a forest of treehouses occupied by millions of happy tenants, it’s fair to say “the field” portion of the Red Oak Nature Center property is abundantly covered. Now comes the lab. Officials at the Fox Valley… Read More

It’s a late-winter morning, quiet and dreary, when a Fox Fitness member busts through the silence and hustles up the stairs that curl toward the upper level of the Vaughan Athletic Center. Clearly in a rush, Betsy Cortes never breaks stride when she waves and shouts to a staff member: “Good morning! I’m late and… Read More

From one virtual race to another beginning in waves from two different starting gates, the annual Barnyard Dash 5K & Pig Pen One-Miler quite literally changed course the last couple years. But … “We’re basically bringing everything back to make it normal again,” says Abby Shepherd, the Fox Valley Park District’s rentals and events supervisor… Read More

The familiar sounds of mower blades whirr in the distance. A vendor restocks the soda machine under the pavilion. And there’s a chocolate lab pup looking for a game of tug over in the dog park. It looks and feels like a normal Wednesday in mid-May out here, really. But beneath the docile surroundings carpeted… Read More

A “Leah Hayes” Google search generates 55,600 results in .58 seconds. When you swim a 200 freestyle at 2:14.87, and a little later clock a 28.33 in the 50 free, both national age group records at the time, things like that can happen. Especially when you’re 10. A competitive swimmer since age 8, Hayes in… Read More

To the right are three viewing windows that provide a panoramic peek at the action unfolding on nine hardcourts on the other side of the glass. Ahead and off to the left is the full-service pro shop that’s outfitted with logoed racquet bags, shoes and a wide selection of apparel featuring the hottest colors and… Read More

Before impressive credentials like “Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist” and “Master Gardener” became linked to her name … Before her personal garden in 2005 became the first Monarch Waystation in DuPage County to be registered with Monarch Watch … Before the Chicago Tribune dubbed her “Queen of the Monarchs” … Pat Miller grabbed one of her… Read More

If you’re looking to stash money for college; save for that down payment; or simply for “something to do in retirement,” swing by Prisco Community Center on Saturday, March 11 for the Fox Valley Park District’s annual Job Fair. FVPD staff across all departments and facilities will be on hand from 9 a.m. to noon… Read More

The Fox Valley Park District’s annual celebration of everything October, Pumpkin Weekends officially begins Sunday, October 1, at charming Blackberry Farm – the district's 54-year-old living history museum at 100 S. Barnes Rd. in Aurora. The popular monthlong event runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays throughout October, along with Indigenous Peoples’/Columbus… Read More