Oak Forest Puts Another Paw Forward for the Canine Kind

The community proved it's not too ruff to show its support for a dog park.

The Bark for a Park committee and its leader Ald. Laura Clemons (1st Ward) hosted a Nov. 2 to raise funds for . 

Volunteers served dinner and raffled off prizes throughout the night at the . For a $10 ticket, guests received: salad, all-you-can-eat pasta, garlic bread, dessert and soft drinks or water. 

The event brought in $1,170 from the raffle baskets and dog crate prize. Roughly 110 people bought tickets at the door ($1,100), and pre-event sales at about $1,190. Clemons estimates they served about 300 people total. 

"We were thrilled to see so many families and their adorable children attend," Clemons said. "Everyone seemed to have a great time."

All profits from this event will be used for the creation of a dog park in Oak Forest. The proposed park, which could have benches, doggy bag stations and a water fountain or two, would cost an estimated $10,000. 

If built, the two-acre dog park at 158th Street and Central Avenue will have a fence running from a gated north entrance, bordering a public skate park, to a gated south entrance, bordering the back entrance of grocery. Several other locations are also being considered for the park, Clemons said.

Depending on how much funding the community can raise from residents and sponsors, Clemons said at a previous meeting, it could take a day, a week or six months to begin construction for the new park.

Check back with Patch for updates on how much money the event raised.

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