French market, Prairie Path combine for new downtown Glen Ellyn attraction

Here's an idea for a relaxing summer afternoon: Pack a picnic of fresh fruits and gourmet cheeses at the French market, enjoy the spread at a revitalized park and then, perhaps to work off your overindulgence in Parisian delicacies, play a round of Ping-Pong.

That's all possible now in downtown Glen Ellyn. Its open-air market boasts a new location near Prairie Path Park, where a beautification project has added new amenities — permanent Ping-Pong and chess tables — and landscaping.

A ceremony to officially unveil the park's offerings will be held at noon Sunday, June 4, the opening day of the French market at its new venue on the south side of the Metra tracks, west of Main Street.

The Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce partners with Bensidoun USA, Inc. to operate the weekly market that will feature 40 vendors at the start of the season.

The market previously set up shop at a village-owned parking lot across the street from the former McChesney & Miller grocery store. But that store has been vacant since October 2014, and developers have eyed the property and the parking lot for a potential apartment and retail complex.

Organizers say the higher-profile site is intended to draw foot traffic from commuters and Prairie Path users. With more customers, the chamber wants to double the number of market vendors in two years and add to its entertainment lineup, says Executive Director Dawn Smith.

Underneath colorful canopies, shoppers can find a mix of local vendors and “fresh farm fruits and veggies,” Smith says. Downtown favorite Marché (fittingly French for “market”) will showcase its gourmet cheeses.

“We have some fabulous florists,” Smith adds. “Some really beautiful, fresh flowers are going to be cut.”

The market will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday in June through the end of October.

The park's makeover, meanwhile, was the result of a collaboration between the village, park district and Glen Ellyn Public Library. The Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn also awarded a $10,000 grant, while the village kicked in $1,500.

Rotarians and public officials even provided the labor. Earlier this month, they planted flowers — coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and bee balm, among other varieties — and mulched the roughly one-acre park between Forest Avenue and Park Boulevard.

Ping-Pong and chess players can bring their own equipment or borrow paddles and pieces during normal business hours at the Glen Ellyn Civic Center, 535 Duane St.

With the support of the Rotary grant, the library installed another permanent feature. As they stroll through the park, readers can scan nearly two dozen illustrated storyboards that tell the 2017 tale, “Plant the Tiny Seed” by Christie Matheson.

The library plans to introduce a new story three times a year, Executive Director Dawn Bussey says. The youth department also will bring more exposure to the park with a “Play Outside” event July 7, and a Ping-Pong tournament July 26.

The previously underused park is now a “greatly improved green space” downtown, Bussey says.

“I just think it's so fabulous,” Bussey says. “When you're on the Prairie Path, you now realize that there's a park there.”