Have you ever wondered what the Fon du Lac Park District does when the weather changes and there are no parks open? What’s a park district with no parks? You’ll probably be surprised to hear about what all goes on behind the scenes each winter. 

Our Maintenance Department uses the off-season to provide any preventative maintenance, repairs, and remodeling to our facilities that otherwise are put on the back burner all summer. They also start winterizing park bathrooms after the second weekend of October. This may seem early given a lot of the beautiful days we had at the end of October and even into November but there are a couple of reasons for this. First and foremost, Illinois weather is unpredictable. It can be sunny and 75 one day and there could be snow on the ground the next, so we have to be prepared and proactive to prevent any damage caused from frozen pipes. That would be a pricey repair! Secondly, around the third week of October is when the City of East Peoria takes responsibility for Veterans Park to start preparing for the Festival of Lights Drive-Through Display. They need to have plenty of time to get all of the displays set up and by maintenance winterizing early it allows them to take responsibility sooner rather than later. 

Ever wonder what happens to the animals at the Fon du Lac Farm Park in the colder months? We used to “borrow” a majority of our animals from a local farm so they went home in the winter and the animals that we owned would be boarded at a local farm for the off-season. Now, however, we house our animals in our park year-round. Staff work up there full-time all 12 months of the year to keep the animals safe, warm, and fed. We think this has helped the animals not to have to transition between the two locations as well as build a better relationship with the staff. 

As far as programs go, the Park District stays just as busy all winter long. We have youth programs, including Jon Williams Tumbling, Youth Dance Classes, Tae Kwon Do, Youth Basketball, and the Latchkey Program. Our Adult & Senior program keeps busy with bus trips, bingo, movies, art classes, and other fun activities to stay warm but still active throughout the colder months. You can find more information about any of our programs on our website, fondulacpark.com.