Streamwood park up for Kellogg's grant

Hoosier Grove Park's popularity might be to blame for its current state, but it could also be its salvation, thanks to Tony the Tiger.

The Streamwood park is entered in an online contest sponsored by Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. Until Sunday, May 31, surfers can log onto frostedflakes.com and vote for Hoosier Grove so park district officials could get $15,000 to re-sod the park's soccer field.

"There's a lot of wear and tear on the field and not a lot of downtime," park district Executive Director Dennis Stein said.

Located east of Route 59 off Irving Park Road, the park's visibility makes it a thriving convergence point for a variety of outdoor sports enthusiasts. Stein said the park is frequented by many ethnicities and ages, including Hispanic and Polish soccer players and Asian cricket players.

"It's like a typical American melting pot," he said.

The park includes a full-size soccer field as well as a smaller field. While participants in the park district's soccer adult and youth soccer programs routinely play there, the fields also attract heavy usage from impromptu games. All that action prevents grass from taking root, leaving a coarse ground and puddles after rain.

Park district Commissioner Bill Wright plays and coaches soccer, and he entered Hoosier Grove in the contest after seeing Kellogg's Super Bowl ad, and received helped from a park district staff. Soccer teams from Hoffman Estates and Bartlett have also helped the grass-roots campaign, which has already earned Hoosier Grove more than 7,400 votes.

"The community has really gotten behind it," Wright said, adding that he's grateful to Kellogg's for making it this far.

Hoosier Park is among a group of 100 semifinalists that voters can choose from, a group that also includes projects in Aurora and West Chicago. People can vote once a day.

Streamwood Park District Assistant Superintendent of Recreation Kurt Reckamp praised his district's soccer programs and said the traffic at Hoosier Grove is a "direct reflection" of soccer's success in the area.

Wright said commissioners need to think creatively to find funding for projects, as they can't depend on state money. Regardless of whether they win the contest, Stein said the district plans to upgrade the facilities at Hoosier Grove.

Streamwood lacks vacant spaces, meaning there are few options other than Hoosier Grove for soccer players. The park district took control of Hoosier Grove, which was formerly farmland, in 1988.