Biking Through Historical Evergreen Park

The preservation, archiving and display of Evergreen Park’s history has developed quickly in the last few years, under the guidance of Historical Commission Chairman George Peso and his dedicated group of volunteers. The 125th Anniversary of the Village’s incorporation was celebrated with a major exhibit in 2018 and a more permanent display room is being developed in the Senior Center to open this fall.

Getting Evergreen Park younger generation interested in the Village’s history is the next priority, and taking an active part in that mission is the Evergreen Park Youth Department, under the guidance of Youth Director Ms. Pyeisha Allen.

The Youth Department is already a very active, vibrant wing of the Village, as Ms. Pyeisha has developed successful programs and events engaging the kids of the community. In addition to the Youth Center/Game Room itself (open to kids 5th to 12th Grade), there have been field trips, celebration days, art classes, community service projects and, most recently, a Youth Garden project on the Community Center property.

The two factions of the village came together on a recent lovely Saturday morning as they presented their second successful “Historical Bike Tour” on July 30.

Bike-riding families and individuals signed up with the Youth Department for the event, which was a pleasant, relaxing bike tour around several points of interest in the Village. Stops were made at Circle Park, the Village Hall and other key areas of Evergreen Park. Historical perspectives were given by Commission members Gary Westefer and Karen Buikema, along with Chairman Peso himself.

The morning ride ended back at the Community Center, where the Youth Department threw a short reception with sweets and refreshments in the Youth Center.

“This is the second time that we hosted the tour,” commented Ms. Pyeisha. We did it during the summer of 2019 and then were shut down for two years because of Covid. We were very blessed to have such a beautiful day and everyone. . .including Mayor Burke . . .enjoyed the opportunity to ride around and enjoy our Village and receive even a small historical perspective of our Village”.

George Peso was enthusiastic about the event. “We can’t wait to get our new and improved display room open this fall at the Senior Center. Mayor Burke is excited to have us offer field trip opportunities to our schools, which we will easily be able to do in our new home."

Ms. Pyeisha is excited for the success of this event, plus the programs that she has planned for the future. “I have a great staff working with me here in the Youth Center, and we are very grateful to the Historical Commission and the Mayor for their support,” she said. "I am very thankful to our Evergreen Park Police Department and Fire Department for helping us and keeping us safe. And thank you to our sponsors," she continued. “We are looking forward to excellent community collaborations!”