Hoffman Estates Park District to celebrate opening of fully inclusive playground Saturday

The Hoffman Estates Park District is inviting the community to a celebration Saturday for the grand opening of the new fully inclusive playground at Vogelei Park & Barn.

The event held in conjunction with the Kids to Parks Day of Outdoor Play will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 650 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates.

Festivities will kick off with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 7,500-square-foot playground. The space was designed to be universally accessible, featuring dedicated structures for children of all abilities in two age groups (2-5 and 5-12).

The project was funded in part by a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources — the single largest grant ever awarded to the district.

Entertainment will include the Twister City Bubble Show from 10:30 to 11:05 a.m. and a juggling performance by Andy Head from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Lunch will be available for purchase from Fernando’s Street Kitchen food truck, with sweet treats provided by Kona Ice.

The district will provide a free shuttle service running every 10 minutes from 9:45 am. to 1:15 pm. Shuttles will pick up from Winston Churchill Elementary School and the AT&T building on Jones Road. On-site parking is restricted to limited handicap spaces, and police will be present to assist with neighborhood traffic flow.

The parking lot will be closed to the public at 5:00 a.m. and re-open at 2 p.m.