Park Renamed After Longtime Buffalo Grove Commissioner

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Saying how much he loved serving the community, the family of former Buffalo Grove Park District Commissioner Rick Drazner were on hand for a special ceremony over the weekend. Twin Creeks Park, located at 401 Aptakisic Road, has been renamed in the longtime Buffalo Grove Park Commissioner's honor.

Drazner, who served on the board for 20 years, had been reelected for another term in 2019 when he died suddenly.

“Everybody loved Rick," Buffalo Grove Park District Executive Director Ryan Risinger said at the ceremony. "He was a great person who loved this community, and dedicated countless hours to make it the kind of place it is today.”

During his many years on the Park Board, Drazner was a strong advocate for people with disabilities, as well as for the arts, according to a news release. He was most proud of Kendrigan Field at Twin Creeks Park that Buddy Baseball uses, and bringing the Community Arts Center to Buffalo Grove. He was also instrumental in the creation of Broadway Buddies, which, similar to Buddy Baseball, is a theatre program for people with disabilities.

Drazner was known as a kind person, who loved to make people laugh, according to the news release. His leadership within the community wasn’t limited to the Park District; he was a member of the Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove for many years, having served at one point as president of both organizations.

Drazner’s son Jeremy Drazner spoke at the park dedication and said, “Thank you to the Buffalo Grove Park District for this incredible honor. For 20 years my dad enthusiastically and proudly served on the Buffalo Grove Park District Board, and this is the greatest honor for him and our entire family. My dad loved serving Buffalo Grove; and, this park has meant a lot to him and my entire family.”

The Buffalo Grove Park District will "forever be affected and impacted by the contributions of Rick Drazner; and, now, the community will forever pay tribute to Rick Drazner’s memory and legacy with a park in his honor," the district said according to the news release.