It’s early January and snow is expected to blanket the area this weekend — the perfect time to be planning those summer picnics and camping outings.
At least it was a good time late last week for some savvy Will County residents.
Will County Forest Preserve camping and picnicking permits went on sale Jan. 2 and are awarded on a first come, first serve basis.
That morning, several people lined up at the forest preserve district headquarters in Joliet about 30 minutes before the start of business in order to reserve certain picnic shelters for certain dates this summer.
Chuck Boettger, of New Lenox, was there to reserve a very popular picnic shelter for a family reunion at Hickory Creek Preserve in Mokena off of LaPorte Road.
“It’s serene and it’s clean,” he said.
Boettger said he expects between 35 and 50 people for the reunion held every year on the second Saturday in September.
“That’s why I’m early, so I don’t miss out,” he said.
Mary Bryon and her brother, John Anderer, both of Frankfort, said they were there to reserve the same shelter on a different date.
They said they’ve been having their family reunion for more than 25 years and also expect up to 50 people.
Boettger said he was happy they were allowed to wait inside the building until they could reserve the permits, unlike in years past.
And lines are not as long as they were in years past.
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“Because permits are now available online, we don’t get as many people showing up in person,” said Cindy Cain, spokeswoman for the forest preserve district.
She said they still get some, though, showing up in person.
“Last year, a woman came before 8 a.m. because she wanted to book a specific picnic shelter and date for her daughter’s wedding, so it was important that she arrive early.”
Boettger said he’s not a fan of doing things online, so he preferred to come in person.
Lynn Kurczewski, director of visitor services for the forest preserve, said certain picnic shelters are very popular tend to be booked out fast.
For example, a shelter at Veterans Woods in Romeoville is usually booked for every weekend during the summer by the first two weeks of January, she said.
Kurczewski said the popularity of picnic shelters, overall, in the forest preserve has been increasing every year.
In 2014, she said there were 130 shelter rentals compared with 600 shelter rentals in 2018.
Kurczewski said the district’s more than two dozen shelters are now used by up to 40,000 people every year.
She said the sites are well maintained by forest preserve workers and visitors feel safe because the preserves are regularly patrolled by district police.
The district also has campsites in five different woods, mostly used by youth groups, such as Boy Scouts.
Bob Bryerton, an interpretive naturalist at the Goodenow Nature Center in Beecher, a very popular campsite, said scouts have chances to earn badges or parts of badges during their camping stay.
He said they can learn about water sources, different nocturnal animals, different trees and fire building.
Bryerton said scouts will even camp during winter to learn winter survival skills for their annual Klondike derby.
Picnic shelters are $70 for Will County residents and $140 for nonresidents.
Campsites are $20 per Will County resident and $40 for nonresidents.
Camping gear, such as sleeping bags, tents and cooking kits are also available for rent.
Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.