Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: Which 2025 Park Ridge decisions will matter most in the years ahead?
And on the Park Ridge Patch calendar - Willow Hill Lights - Open nightly thru Jan 4
Hey hey Park Ridge! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- Which 2025 Park Ridge decisions will matter most in the years ahead?
- How new park rules could change federal agents’ access in Park Ridge
- How is the Pickwick Theater’s architect reshaping a teardown-prone Elmhurst block?
Also on today's calendar: Willow Hill Lights - Open nightly thru Jan 4 and 2 more events.
Find out what's happening in Park Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Park Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Wednesday: A little snow, up to 1", with a high of 34 and low of 9 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
- Thursday: Colder with partial sunshine, temps: high: 23, low: 18.
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 29 and low of 15 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
• Park Ridge's Top Stories of 2025 (journal-topics.com) — From partisan-tinged local elections to a narrowly averted Pickwick Theater disaster, 2025 brought big changes and close calls in Park Ridge. Residents saw a Farmers Market relocation debate, new e-bike and e-scooter rules, the reopening of the expanded Oakton Sports Complex, and approval of new gateway signs that will reshape the city’s entrances. 
• Park Ridge Park District Adopts Immigration Enforcement Related Ordinances (journal-topics.com) — Park Ridge Park District has approved two new ordinances limiting how federal immigration agents can operate on park property and at the district’s Nature Preschool, in line with new Illinois law. The rules spell out when agents must show warrants, restrict use of parks for immigration enforcement, and aim to reassure residents they can use local facilities without fear of them becoming enforcement sites.
• A teardown-proof Zook in Chicagovland gets a $1.5M makeover (therealdeal.com) — Park Ridge readers may be intrigued to learn that architect Harold Zook, designer of the city’s iconic Pickwick Theater, also created a rare 1925 cottage in teardown-heavy Elmhurst that just hit the market for nearly $1.5 million. The fully renovated home showcases preserved storybook details alongside modern finishes, highlighting ongoing tensions between historic preservation and new construction in nearby suburbs.
📸 Around Park Ridge
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Park Ridge
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Willow Hill Lights - Open nightly thru Jan 4
Willow Hill Golf Course, 1350 Willow Rd, Northbrook
5:00 pm
Saturday January 3
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- This week, food events delivered to you from Quartino, Urbanbelly, Smoque BBQ, & more!
3:00 pm - Novel Needles: Knit, Crochet, and Stitchery Group
Roden Branch Library , 6083 North Northwest Highway , Chicago
1:30 pm - Everyone's favorite Chicago-style pizza from Pequod's is headed to you! Order by noon.
5:45 pm - Master Bespoke Tailor Launches Hands-On Fashion Classes at E.W.S. Fashion Academy, est. 1995
137 N Oak Park Ave , Oak Park
9:00 am
Friday January 2
Monday January 5
Tuesday January 6
Saturday January 10
📣 Park Ridge Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
- Winter Break Camp - Wednesday, Dec. 31
Norridge Park District , 4631 N Overhill Ave , Norridge
9:00 am - Noon Year's Eve Party
Back of the Yards Branch Library 4650 South Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609
11:00 am - Adult Grab and Go: Resume and Job Hunting Tips
West Addison Branch Library , 7536 West Addison Street , Chicago
11:00 am - New Year's at Noon
Oriole Park Branch Library , 7454 West Balmoral Avenue , Chicago
11:30 am - Family Fun: New Year's Eve Craft
McKinley Park Branch Library 1915 West 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609
2:00 pm - New Year’s Eve Une Annee Family Pajama Party — Une Année | Hubbard's Cave
Une Année | Hubbard's Cave Brewery & Barbecue , 6343 W Gross Point Rd , Niles
4:00 pm - Teen Study Hour
Chicago Bee Branch Library 3647 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60609
5:00 pm - Origami Night for Teens
Chicago Bee Branch Library 3647 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60609
6:00 pm
Wednesday December 31
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Park Ridge PatchAM possible:
- Appliance Repair Park Ridge — (847) 449-5310
Local Same Day Appliance Repair in Park Ridge - Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
🪧 Patch Classifieds
- BHHS Chicago Hosted The Sunshine Kids for Annual Teen Getaway to Chicago
Chicago real estate brokerage Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, and its philanthropic arm, the Kindness Foundation, hosted The Sunshine Kids... (More info)
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Napleton Honda of Morton Grove owes me money, I have a document from them specifying the amount and date due, it is pretty overdue and they keep delaying.
I also have had to spend a lot of time chasing them down, most people said they would call back and don't. I have tried filing complaints with the… (Nextdoor Park Ridge Central) - A large fire has broken out in a pile of scrap metal at a recycler on Central south of the Ike, with no injuries reported.
4:18PM on Dec 29: A fire has broken out in a large pile of scrap metal at a recycler on Central south of the Ike, with no injuries reported. (Nextdoor )
- Chick-fil-A posted a job opening for Back of House Team Member in Niles. Apply here.
- Woodward Inc. posted a job opening for CNC Milling/Gearing/Swiss Machinist II or III - 3rd Shift in Niles. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Park Ridge here.
🗞 Nearby News
Niles
- Heated hand protection (safetyandhealthmagazine.com)
- Chicago 2025 In 100 Photos: Moments To Remember From The Neighborhoods (blockclubchicago.org)
Rosemont
- Lunchbreak: Bub City Daybreaker Breakfast Burrito (wgntv.com)
- These IL Retail Stores Could Shutter In 2026 As Business Closures Continue (patch.com)
- Purdue's senior stalwarts aim for the mountaintop (purdue.edu)
Des Plaines
Ok Park Ridge! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I heard there’s only a 50 percent chance of snow.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!
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