City of Highland Park, Illinois - Government

08/11/2026

High school students, are you looking for a volunteer leadership opportunity that will help you build critical thinking and communication skills? The City of Highland Park Police Department's Peer Jury is a unique program in which teens work together to determine fair and meaningful consequences for peers who have broken the law. The Peer Jury program introduces students to the juvenile justice system and helps them gain insight into the decision-making process.

Peer Jurors serve in an important role through which they can help peers learn from their mistakes. Prospective Peer Jurors should listen respectfully to different viewpoints and consider difficult ethical dilemmas fairly and thoughtfully. Peer Jurors are expected to show empathy while holding peers accountable, and must keep case details confidential.

Peer Jurors meet monthly and participate in hearings as needed throughout the year. To learn more and apply, students should contact Detective Andrew Cumba at [email protected].

08/10/2026

The City of Highland Park is reviewing our sidewalks, shared-use paths, accessible parking spaces, intersections, and other City-owned pedestrian facilities to develop an Accessible Streets and Sidewalks Plan to make our community more accessible to all, regardless of ability. Participate in this process by completing the public survey: surveymonkey.com/r/HP_ROWADA

The purpose of this survey is to gather community input on accessibility barriers along sidewalks, shared-use paths, intersections, and public parking in the City of Highland Park. This survey contains 18 questions and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Once complete, you will be redirected to an interactive map where you can pin priority locations for accessibility improvements. The survey will be open through August 30, 2026.

Interested in learning more? Come talk to the project team at Port Clinton Square (600 Central Ave) on Friday, August 21, from 6 PM – 8 PM at the Downtown Concert Series!

Questions? Reach out to the project team at [email protected].

08/08/2026

Summer is still in full swing! Join the City of Highland Park Fire Department and McDonald's (1988 First St.) on August 10 from 9 AM - 1 PM for Frozen with a Firefighter. Meet Highland Park firefighter/paramedics and the Hamburglar, take photos in a real firetruck, enjoy a FREE small frozen drink, and get your child's car seat safety-checked to ensure proper fit and install.

08/07/2026

Spend a day at the theatre! Join the Highland Park Senior Center on Wednesday, August 12 to see Broadway In Chicago's The Notebook: The Musical at the Nederlander Theatre! Open to anyone 16 years of age and older, this is the perfect way to experience the fun of an afternoon at the theatre with convenient transportation and a trip leader.

The bus will depart the Highland Park Senior Center (1201 Park Ave. W.) at 11:30 AM, returning at 5 PM. Guests will enjoy premium orchestra seats for a special rate of $205 (members) / $235 (non-members). Please call 847.432.4110 to register!

Fall in love all over again with The Notebook, based on the bestselling romantic novel by Nicholas Sparks, inspired by the 60-year marriage of his wife’s grandparents and later adapted into the popular 2004 film.

Follow Allie and Noah, two souls from different worlds, whose passionate summer romance in the 1940s is threatened by social class, parental disapproval, and years of separation. The story moves between their youth and later years, showing how enduring love can survive time, distance, and life’s obstacles.

This enchanting production fully leans into the conventions of a memory play, with past and present blending in captivating ways. The orchestration is whimsical, fabulous, and brimming with musical magic that will delight every audience member.

Fee includes orchestra seating ticket, transportation, and trip leader.

08/07/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Tuesday for National Night Out! From the pool to the pavement, with hours of swimming, touch-a-truck, dunk tank, demos, bounce house, games, and more -- all set to a soundtrack by DJ Luna! The fireworks display was the perfect finale! 🎆 (Note: audio has been removed from the video clip of the fireworks display.)

National Night Out is an opportunity to highlight the partnerships between community members of all ages, police, non-profit organizations, and other agencies that are critical to building safer communities, and it wouldn't be possible without the generous support of businesses and organizations who donated or volunteered their time to present National Night Out. A very special thanks to our partners at the Park District of Highland Park, as Hidden Creek AquaPark hosted the pool party of the summer!

Many thanks to our event sponsors: City of Highland Park, Lions Club of Highland Park & Highwood, Target, Jewel-Osco, Sunset Foods, Relish Catering, BAPA – Bulgarian American Police Association, Costco, ABT Electronics, Highland Pop, Mutual Ace Hardware, and Congressman Brad Schneider.

And thank you to the non-profit and community organizations who participated, including: the City of Highland Park Resiliency Division, Park District of Highland Park, American Legion, Curt’s Café, CTAD – Community the Anti Drug, District 112 Education Foundation, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago, Glenview Public Safety Dispatch, Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, Highland Park Community Early Learning Center, Highland Park Community Foundation, Highland Park Library, Highland Park Masonic Lodge, Highland Park Historical Society, Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center, Rosalind Franklin University Children’s Advocacy Center, Lions Club of Highland Park & Highwood, Moraine Township, North Shore Mosquito Abatement District, Secretary of State Organ Donor Program, Sister Cities Foundation, SWALCO, Target, Trek, United Way, Veterans Crisis Line, Volunteer Pool of Highland Park.

08/04/2026

Tonight's the night - National Night Out, capped off with a spectacular America250 fireworks display! The fun begins at 6 PM at HiddenCreek AquaPark tonight, Tuesday, August 4. Browse through the images below for fireworks viewing areas. Check out all the information on this special event at cityhpil.com/news_detail_T8_R244.php.

08/03/2026

Dog owners, it's time to renew your pup's City of Highland Park dog license! Renewals for the 2026-2027 license year are now open. Renewal fees are $7 for spayed/neutered dogs, and $12 for unaltered dogs. Thanks to Harvey, Pepper, and Milo for modeling this year's Liberty Bell dog tags! 🐶

A current rabies vaccination certificate is required if the previous one has expired. As a reminder, renewals can be completed online and printed renewals will not be sent. Existing license holders will receive an email with instructions to access the online portal. City staff will review your application and notify you by email when your invoice is ready. Upon payment, a dog tag will be mailed. More information is available here: cityhpil.com/news_detail_T8_R246.php

Questions? Reach out to the Finance Department at 847.432.0800 or [email protected].

08/03/2026

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will start work on the IDOT/City of Highland Park Sidewalk Improvement Project beginning today, Monday, August 3.

As part of this project, northbound Sheridan Road will be closed from approximately Roger Williams to Cedar. Traffic will be detoured west on Roger Williams Avenue and then north on St. Johns Avenue. Local traffic will be able to access residences via southbound Sheridan Road. All other users are encouraged to follow the detour to minimize traffic while construction is underway. Residents are encouraged to avoid walking/biking in the construction zone. Please drive with caution while crews are working.

Work scheduled for the week of August 3 includes project layout activities, the installation of construction signage, and the start of excavation for the new sidewalk.

Construction is anticipated to continue through November, with final landscape and restoration work expected to be completed in early 2027.

Learn more at cityhpil.com/construction.

07/31/2026

Due to the forecasted storms, tonight’s concert at Port Clinton has been canceled. But stay tuned to Enjoy Highland Park — we’ll be announcing a rescheduled date soon!

⚠️DUE TO INCOMING STORMS, TONIGHT'S DOWNTOWN CONCERT HAS BEEN CANCELED.⚠️
Treasures of Thailand will be rescheduled to a future date, stay tuned for updates!

🍲You can still stop by (1849 Second St.) for takeout & (1823 St. Johns Ave.) for drinks!

Learn more about Downtown Concerts at Port Clinton 👉 https://bit.ly/3VRVTIk

07/30/2026

McClory Trail users, please be aware that a fallen tree near the intersection of St. Johns Ave. & Marshman Ave. is blocking part of the southbound bike path. City contractors have been dispatched, and crews will be working on the trail this afternoon (July 30, 2026) to clear fallen limbs.

Additionally, the McClory Trail is slated for maintenance beginning Monday, August 3, 2026. The City's contractor, Guy Scopelliti Landscaping, will be mowing and conducting clearance pruning. Work will focus on correcting any vegetation encroachment issues along the gravel trail and impeding the St Johns Ave. right-of-way. This work is crucial to ensuring the trail remains accessible and safe for public use, as well as facilitating future maintenance by Public Works’ operations division.

Work will start at the north end of Mulberry Pl. Crews will then move south, concluding at the trail entrance at the Braeside Train Station.

Equipment including trucks, chainsaws, and mowing equipment will be utilized on the trail itself. The presence of this equipment may cause some interruption to trail users. However, a full closure of the trail is not anticipated at this time. While work is in progress, signage will be posted at trail access points (Lincoln Ave W, Beech St, Roger Williams Ave & Lambert Tree Dr) notifying pedestrians of maintenance operations.