The Hickory Meadows sign depicts a pair in matching late 19th Century skating gear. As this land was farm land well into the late 1950s, I am guessing the AHPD took some artistic liberties. I applaud them for the effort, it may be the best AHPD sign. Outside of the sign, the park features a warming shelter and, for about 8 days a year, a skating rink and hockey rink.

Of note for the runner: Hmm, it has a cut-through to get to Green Slopes park when it is not filled with run-off water.

North of Oakton, south of Thomas are the twin parks of Green Slopes and Hickory Meadows. Sometimes a park, sometimes a lake, always a pair of retention basins. We start with Green Slopes in Part 1. This sprawling park is nestled next to the Orchard church and features a Sledding Hill and Tennis Court. Before I am corrected by the Picklers, part of the Tennis Courts have been reconditioned to become Pickle Ball courts (Holmes Jr. High PE teacher Ms. Boyd was only 3 decades early on calling Pickle Ball the sport of the future).

Of note for runners, the Sledding Hill is a great place to hill train. Early mornings in the summer you can join others testing themselves on a resource not found often in the Heights, a “hill”.

None other than Thomas Middle School Girls! On October 14th, Thomas Girls won the 4A State Championship. Here is a picture before they made their way down to Bloomington to capture their crown!

Sorry, this is not an investigative blog.  The link is below, but the guy did some some amazing things for the community – including coming up with Northwest Highway.  He also owned an opera chair factory in town, so he probably deserves a bigger park.

Here is a Daily Herald article from 2011

While his impact on the town was great indeed, I am more concerned with this nice little park tucked behind the city’s post office that bears his name.  This park also wins the award for coolest park sign. first, it set back from the road when approached from the south.  Second, it was built to withstand all a hurricane.

Some may look at downtown Arlington Heights as the cultural center of town.  But look closer and you will discover a park with an aging Cultural Center that has produced artists and dancers since the Johnson administration.  Plus, it has the first “Lake Arlington” – a pond with an imposing fence and oddly shaped, space-age concrete benches.