Blooming Fest sprouts new Healthy West Chicago initiative
Tom Fessler was a complete stranger to gardening when he first stepped into a West Chicago Garden Club meeting.
The former West Chicago police officer didn't even have much of an interest in digging in the dirt, but his neighbor and her beautiful garden convinced him to give it a try.
“She invited me to come as her guest and the people were really nice,” Fessler said. “I've been in a lot of clubs and this group of people are the nicest group you'll ever meet.”
Fessler liked that the West Chicago Garden Club is open to anyone, rather than the elite structure of many other municipal garden clubs.
Today, nearly a decade later, Fessler is an avid gardener who has spent weeks — along with about 60 other club members — preparing for the group's annual Blooming Fest happening Saturday, May 16, in downtown West Chicago. The daylong event features gardening workshops, the club's annual plant sale, museum and car exhibits, a craft show, food, music and more.
Proceeds from the plant sale fund garden club activities, including bringing in speakers who visit meetings to discuss planting topics, as well as the club's own volunteer work. That work includes giving back to West Chicago with projects like landscaping the Kruse House Museum and local churches, and donating to local charities.
“We try to take it all and put it right back into the community,” Fessler said.
This idea of neighbors encouraging neighbors is what city officials are banking on for a new initiative, which they will unveil at Blooming Fest this year: Healthy West Chicago.
A group of citizens and community leaders have been working for more than a year on this program, which aims to make West Chicago a healthy city for residents, and an example throughout the region.
Mayor Ruben Pineda said the idea was sparked after he heard a speech several years ago by the mayor of Oklahoma City, who ultimately implemented a program that helped his residents lose more than 1 million collective pounds.
“He spoke about how it was one of the most obese cities in the nation and it bothered him,” Pineda said. “His younger population, they would leave for college and not come back because the city had nothing to offer. So he partnered with the community and city and made the goal to lose 1 million pounds. It ultimately changed their whole outlook on their community, infrastructure and sustainability, and I thought ‘We can absolutely do this.'”
Visitors to Blooming Fest should look for Healthy West Chicago signs and balloons to learn new ways to start cooking healthy meals and increasing physical activity. Representatives from a local sports training group will talk about stretching before exercise and avoiding injury. Residents also can learn about basic nutrition and portion control and how to modify recipes with healthier ingredients, as well as attend a Zumba demonstration.
“The bottom line this is: helping people to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” West Chicago spokeswoman Rosemary Mackey said.
Residents also can learn about the soon-to-be released Healthy West Chicago Community Action Plan, and how residents can be a part of making West Chicago the healthiest community in the region.
The Community Action Plan was developed through input from a survey conducted last summer. While the survey showed that 93 percent of West Chicago residents believe healthy eating and increased exercise are extremely important, only 28 percent said West Chicago is a “healthy” or “very healthy” place to live. Following the survey, 11 community forums were held for people who live or work in the city, including parents, faith communities, the West Chicago school districts, seniors, park district staff and more. All the ideas shared at the forums guided the development of the 10-year action plan, which then was presented to multiple technical experts who work to support healthy communities.
Pineda said West Chicago is in a unique position, since efforts for Healthy West Chicago coincide with the city's efforts to create a vibrant downtown district.
“So we've been reaching out to residents and saying, ‘How can you help us help ourselves to make this a more healthy community?' Perhaps they might suggest more bike paths, walking paths, mile markers or better restaurants,” he said.
“We've got one chance, and I think this could really make a difference in West Chicago,” he added.
To follow the progress of Healthy West Chicago, visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/healthywestchicago.
If you go
What: West Chicago's Blooming Fest
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 16
Where: Downtown West Chicago, along Main Street between Washington and Chicago streets
Cost: Free
Info: westchicago.org