Eighteen years ago Martha Davidson and her family moved to Park Forest from Harvey.
”We bought our first house here and thought we`d stay awhile and then move on,” Davidson says. ”But this turned out to be a great place to raise kids. The schools are excellent, and the people are friendly.”
So they stayed, and they haven`t been sorry, Davidson says; one of the main reasons they did so was to take advantage of the village`s recreational and cultural activities.
An employee of the Park Forest Recreation and Parks Department for 13 years, she says village residents are ”responsive” and readily take advantage of the department`s programs and facilities.
As administrative assistant to John Joyce, director of recreation and parks, Davidson says her duties ”change from season to season,” but much of her job involves producing a monthly newsletter and program brochures. Published in the fall, winter and summer, the brochure lists the 80 to 100 classes and programs offered each season.
Davidson says it is a ”challenge to make things run smoothly” and meet brochure production deadlines. A couple of months before a brochure is scheduled for distribution, Davidson meets with athletic and recreation programmers who decide what activities will be offered. Then Davidson follows through with cover design, layout, photo selection and printing.
Her responsibilities also include helping with program registration and getting new programs into the computer. ”It is interesting because there`s something different going on every day,” Davidson says. ”This is a very busy office with people coming and going, phones ringing and people registering at the counter. I`m in the hub of the activity, and I enjoy it.”
Two annual events that require much of the department`s attention are the Park Forest Scenic Ten, a 10-mile race, and PIZZAZZ, a food and entertainment festival. The events, held on Labor Day weekend, take months of planning and cooperation among the department, residents, merchants and members of local churches and service organizations.
PIZZAZZ planning begins in January when the special events coordinator starts engaging entertainers, including clowns and musicians, Davidson says. By April Davidson is working with food vendors-at least 75 of them-to provide the cuisine for what is billed as the ”World`s Largest and Longest Progressive Dinner.”
Davidson says the 10-mile race, held on Labor Day, attracts runners from more than 20 states and offers participants awards and $10,000 in prize money. About 1,350 runners participated in this year`s race, Davidson says. Preparation included stuffing packets and coordinating information so that finish results could be matched with the correct running numbers.
”There`s never a dull moment around here,” Davidson says. ”I keep thinking things are going to slow down, but they never do.”
Joyce, who also is assistant village manager, has been working with Davidson for 10 years. ”I know I can trust Martha`s judgment,” he says.
”She knows the community and has its best interests at heart. She`s in tune with the department because she`s had so much experience within the organization. She`s dependable and conscientious.”
The department`s philosophy is to provide a variety of leisure services for people of all ages, Davidson says. About 6,000 people participate annually in activities that range from ”Toddling Tots Two,” a program for 2-year-olds and their parents, to the weekly senior citizen drop-in program, which features bingo, guest speakers and other social activities.
The department also offers other preschool, youth and adult programs;
arts and crafts classes; and athletic and physical fitness activities. Special events include bus trips to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park and other nearby places, and cultural activities such as plays and concerts at Freedom Hall, 410 Lakewood Blvd., the village`s cultural arts center.
To meet the requirements of people with special needs, the department is a member of the South Suburban Special Recreation Association. A cooperative of five park districts and two municipal recreation departments, the organization provides recreational activities for disabled children and adults.
Davidson, 45, began her career with the department in 1975 when she became a part-time teacher in the preschool program. About a year later she took another part-time job as a secretary in the business office. She held both jobs until 1981, when she dropped the preschool job because ”things just got too busy.” In 1986 she took her present full-time job.
”I grew into this job,” Davidson says. ”As we expanded programs and activities I had added responsibilities.”
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She and her husband, Rich, have two daughters, ages 19 and 21.
The recreation and parks department was established in 1951 and began with the development of a summer recreation program, says Joyce, who has been director of recreation for 15 years.
The system includes 22 parks (park sites were dedicated in the early `50s by American Community Builders, Park Forest`s primary developer) with 17 ball fields, 22 lighted tennis courts and designated picnic areas. There also are a 9-hole golf course, an 18-hole miniature golf course, 3 outdoor pools at the Aqua Center and indoor tennis at the Racquet Club.
The Thorn Creek Nature Preserve, at 245 Monee Rd., is managed by the villages of Park Forest and University Park, the Illinois Department of Conservation, the Forest Preserve District of Will County and the Thorn Creek Preservation Association.
The preserve has more than 800 acres of wooded trails, grassy plains, ravines and ponds. Its major purpose is ”the preservation of woods and habitat, observation and research,” Joyce says. Grouse, bobwhites and white- tailed deer are sometimes seen by the naturalists and school and scout groups who frequent the preserve.
Davidson says it is gratifying to see so many people taking advantage of the department`s programs, facilities and activities. ”We`re appealing to a diverse population, and so we try to provide something for everyone,”
Davidson says.
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For more information on the Park Forest Department of Recreation and Parks, call 748-2005.