(Editors note : This column will appear in several issues each year. If you would like the State to know what you are doing, send two short paragraphs of news briefs to Editor, Illinois Parks & Recreation, 600 E. Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, Illinois 60016. We will uss as many articles as possible.)

EVANSTON—Arts in the Park

Make a date with a stage for next summer. Amateur and semi-professional talent is being booked now for the 1974 Arts in the Parks series to be conducted by the Evan-ston Recreation Department.

The free presentations will take place from June 24 through August 16 at various parks throughout the city. The purpose is two-fold—to provide the public with a summer's worth of delightful entertainment and to encourage budding Chicago-area performers by supplying a platform, an audience and other supportive services needed to help launch the starstruck.

The casting call covers rock, folk, and jazz instrumental groups or soloists, dramatic and humorous skits, stand-up comedians, solo or ensemble dancing, pantomine, drill teams, individual vocalists, and choral groups including Gospel singers; plus novelty acts suitable for family audiences.

One major highlight will be the Second Annual Pan-African Art Festival, August 1, 3, and 4, at the lakefront. Following the 1973 precedent, this event will feature displays of Black Art in a wide variety of mediums including water color, oil, sculpture, mono-prints, charcoal, and collage, as well as the opportunity to hear poets read from their own published works and to attend other audio-visual presentation by authorities on Black Art.

The grand finale for the cultural series will be an indoor concert.

It is hoped that through the Arts in the Parks, a genuine communication will be established between people in the arts, people in parks and recreation, and people in the community.

MORTON GROVE BUYS $1 MILLION IN LAND

The Morton Grove Park District must pay $1 million for 15 acres owned by a developer, a Cook County Circuit Court jury decided.

Purchase of the property, was approved by voters in a referendum Feb. 3, 1973 by a margin of 2 to 1.

The developer, Shaf Home Builders Inc., had asked $2.3 million for the property. The Park district offered $990,000 during the court proceedings.

According to Thomas Foran, attorney for the park district, the jury deliberated 4V2 hours on the condemnation suit before reaching a verdict. The park district is pleased with the verdict and plans to begin construction of facilities in Spring.

The Mason City Development Association recently deeded eight (8) lots to the Mason City Community Park District for use as a neighborhood park.

(Front row L to R) Paul Doyle, President and Dr. V. E. Price, Secretary, Mason City Development Association; John Skaggs, President and Harold Griffin, Secretary, Mason City Community Park District; (Back row L to R) Robert McNeil and John Doyle, Jr., Mason City Development Association; Robert Bergman, Mason City Community Park District; Robert Cunningham, Mason City Development Association; A. H, Blessmor and Donal Cain, Mason City Community Park District.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 27 May/June, 1974