High school students and thousands of participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities gathered at Maggie Daley Park and Butler Field for the Chicago Park District’s first All-Star Fest, featuring petting-zoo animals, sports, music, and a low-flyi
For the first time, the Chicago Park District opened its biggest celebration to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—then made sure the day felt like fun, not spectacle.
At Maggie Daley Park and Butler Field on Wednesday. high school students from Percy Julian High School stood close to an Iron Man-themed bouncy house. watched a Chicago Police Department pilot fly a helicopter low above the park. and waved hello as the aircraft’s lights flashed. For Emily Elzen. a Chicago Public Schools speech pathologist and supervisor for the Far South Side high schoolers. that wave landed in the middle of what she tries to give her students every day.
“You see the smiles that you’ve never seen before, and it makes you feel so good and realize that everybody deserves to be happy,” Elzen said.
The day brought together nearly 4. 000 people with cognitive disabilities. including students and participants from the park district’s Inclusive Community Sports programs—an effort funded by Special Children’s Charities. About 1,700 volunteers, teachers, coaches and additional support staff came out to mark the end of the school year. The schedule filled the park with activities ranging from a petting zoo to a wrestling match, mini-golf and other games.
Among the most popular attractions was a 7-foot python named Buttercup. Groups formed around the animal as friends lined up to hold the yellow snake. The petting zoo also included turtles, baby chickens, a chinchilla and an armadillo.
Participant Ania Wisneski, 25, said holding a snake for the first time was the best part of the event.
“I’m having tons of fun,” Wisneski said. “It means a lot, because I’ve been in a special rec world for long as I can remember.”
Special Children’s Charities Executive Director Amy Taylor said the goal was to create a space where people with many different disabilities could take part in the same kind of everyday joy.
“Traditionally, some of these events would be more athletics focused, and now we’ve opened this up,” Taylor said. “The biggest piece is just joy when walking through the parks seeing how excited and happy everyone is.”
As the music blared and bubbles floated through the crowd, participants moved between stations that went beyond traditional competition. They enjoyed arts and crafts. played bingo. blew bubbles. posed in a photo booth. and took part in physical activities including rock climbing. adaptive bike riding and dancing.
Eileen Guinane, Special Olympics administrator for the park district, said the event was designed as a celebration at the close of the year.
“We just wanted to throw a big party for these guys at the end of the year to celebrate all their successes and celebrate, you know, all the hard work that they put in,” Guinane said.
Guinane and Taylor both said they hope the celebration becomes an annual event. Around 1 p.m., with smiles still lingering and balloons and bubbles still moving through the air, students waved goodbye to police department horses before loading onto about 180 buses.
“We will be here again and again and again if we can,” Elzen said.
Chicago Park District All-Star Fest disabilities intellectual and developmental disabilities Maggie Daley Park inclusive community sports Special Children’s Charities Chicago Police Department helicopter Percy Julian High School