Rest, Relaxation and Recreation
Deerfield Park District:
The New Sachs Recreation Center
The Deerfield Park District (DPD) has established itself as a staple in the DBR community since its formation in 1951. DPD constructed its first facility, a field house in Jewett Park, in 1955—a structure that was eventually torn down after the opening of the Jewett Park Community Center in 1973 and, more recently, the opening of the Patty Turner Senior Center in 2003. The Park District has come a long way from its earliest days, and today oversees more than 350 acres of land within 20 park sites, along with the 18-hole Deerfield Golf Club in Riverwoods, two outdoor pools, a nature area and a skate park. Likewise, its programs and services have grown and evolved in order to meet the ever- changing needs of area children, adults, and families.
May 1, 2009 marked the opening of the DPD’s newest addition—the Sachs Recreation Center. Located at 455 Lake Cook Road in Lake Cook Plaza, the new Sachs Recreation Center serves as an active hub for recreation, leisure, health, and wellness—a place residents have been yearning for.
“For many years, Deerfield Park District residents expressed their needs and interests in having more gymnasium space, an indoor pool, more options for walking/jogging, and other areas,” explains Darla Kuhs, Communications and Foundation Manager at DPD. “The Board of Park Commissioners and staff, working with community members and others, researched a variety of possible options to meet these needs.”
In their research, the Board, its staff, and other contributing members discovered the convenience of the former Multiplex, which became available about two years earlier. “[The facility] met the needs and expressed interests of our residents from responses to the DPD Community Attitudes and Interest Survey in 2003,” notes Kuhs, adding, “The location, parking, in addition to the facility itself and available finances, all contribute to this being the best property for the new Sachs Recreation Center. The collaborative efforts of the facility’s former property owners, the DPD, and the Deerfield Park Foundation allowed this venture to become a reality.”
The 100,000-square-foot renovated recreation center features a regulation-sized gymnasium and two middle-school-sized gymnasiums; three tennis and two racquetball courts; a fitness center and weight rooms; a four-lane, 20-yard, indoor lap pool; a four-lane walking/jogging track; group fitness space; a pre-teen game room; a café; and more. Supplementing the facilities is a wide selection of programs, ranging from aquatics and athletic leagues to gymnastics, fitness, wellness, and recreation classes, and before- and after-Kindergarten programs.
Midtown Athletic Club at Bannockburn
Just a short time ago, the Bannockburn Club, along with its nine sister clubs located throughout North America, introduced a new brand name to the community. Today, the facility, which is still owned by the Tennis Corporation of America (TCA), is recognized as the Midtown Athletic Club at Bannockburn.
Opened in September 1995, this modern club sits upon approximately 11 acres (at 2211 Waukegan Road) and hails as the North Shore region’s leading tennis club featuring nine indoor courts, 10 outdoor Har-Tru clay courts, and four platform tennis courts. Accompanying the club’s modern tennis facilities is a selection of patented teaching systems, which have introduced numerous children and adults to the celebrated sport of tennis. Tennis in No Time, a three-week program for beginners, is offered every spring, and TenniSchools, a four-week adult lesson program for beginners through advanced players, is available in the fall and winter. Private and group instruction, leagues, camps, competitions, and more round out the list of tennis-centered programs found through Midtown Athletic Club.
But Midtown is much more than just tennis; it is a premier fitness and wellness center offering a wide range of high- quality programs, services, and amenities. Cardiovascular equipment, free weights, and a strength training circuit ensure a quality work out for those looking to enhance their health. Midtown’s indoor and outdoor pools are perfect for lap swims, various lessons, aquatic training, water therapy programs, and both competitive and non-competitive swim teams, including Midtown’s award-winning children’s swim team and the adult masters swim group. The club’s group exercise studios are also bustling with an assortment of year-round classes that appeal to a variety of interests. Members participate in such classes as Zumba, Pilates, yoga, Body Training Systems (BTS), aerobics, cycling, step, and kickboxing. The club also offers three levels of personal training, so no matter where your fitness level is and where you want it to go, M-Fitness has a personal training program ready to be tailored to your needs. In addition, the club is equipped with Kidtown, a center offering supervised childcare for children aged eight weeks through 13 years; M Café, a delicious eatery led by award-winning Chef Mary Azzano; and the EMPORIUM pro shop, which is led by long-time buyer Suzanne McCullough. The shop is teeming with a multitude of leading brand name products, including Lilly Pulitzer items.
When it’s time to relax, members and non-members take advantage of the Spa at Midtown, a luxurious wellness and beauty center offering a full range of services. The Spa is complete with a hair salon, state-of-the-art pedicure chairs, nail services, massage therapy, body treatments, skin care and specialized treatments, and a full range of Aveda products.
Midtown Athletic Club is also highly active in the community, providing an assortment of exciting social and sporting events year-round. Kids enjoy the monthly Pizza, Pool, and Play gatherings, while adults engage in M Café Happy Hours. Entertaining social mixers, the Cooking Light Class, the Midtown Morning Club, the annual Summer Kick-Off, and the Member Artists Spring Fair are also part of the events calendar at Midtown. In addition to all of this, Midtown provides various American Red Cross training programs for the community and also offers corporate wellness programs.
The club boasts a rich philanthropic side. Besides being a large supporter of several local chambers— including the DBR Chamber of Commerce—Midtown raises funds for the City of Hope’s Breast Cancer Program, sponsors an annual Spin-A-Thon to raise money for the Leukemia Society, has made contributions to the Life Program at Highland Park Hospital, has donated equipment to District 113 high schools, regularly participates in after-school programs at area grammar schools, and has contributed to the Deerfield Food Pantry.
Ryerson Woods
The Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area, regarded as Ryerson Woods, is quite a unique sight in the county and beyond. In fact, the expansive preserve, located in Riverwoods, has garnered recognition for its ecological, historical, and architectural essence.
Edward L. Ryerson and several comrades arrived in the area during the 1920s and began establishing log cabins to be used for weekend getaways (some remain standing today). In 1938, Ryerson acquired 250 acres of farmland adjacent to his cabin, and by 1942, he had established his family summerhouse, Brushwood Farm, which is now home to the Friends of Ryerson Woods organization. During the 1960s, Ryerson and his friends began donating and selling the land they acquired over the years to the Lake County Illinois Forest Preserve District. In 1972, 279 acres of the Ryerson Conservation Area were dedicated as an Illinois Nature preserve.
Today, Ryerson Woods spans 552 acres of unspoiled native land. Hikers and cross-country skiers take advantage of the preserve’s 6.5 miles of scenic trails, which offer beautiful views of the encompassing wooded area and the Des Plaines River. Avid nature lovers revel in the preserve’s variety of state threatened and endangered wildlife and plant species such as the veery thrush, red-shouldered hawks, Cooper’s hawks, purple-fringed orchids, and dog violets, as well as more than 150 bird species and around 600 flowering plants.
Interested patrons take pleasure in the programming of the Ryerson Woods Welcome Center, a model of environmentally friendly building and design practices. The actual building was designÊed utilizing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines and “green” applications such as incorporating materials that employ the use of natural light, using geothermal heating and cooling systems, and recycling rainwater. The Environmental Education division is housed within the new Welcome Center, which offers engaging year-round programs for children, adults, teachers, and community organizations. Visitors can also enjoy various guided and self-guided programs, as well as activities at the preserve’s small farm area and butterfly garden.
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