"When you need a break from the cold, follow the path into our Community Center to enjoy hot cocoa, sweet treats, and more festive indoor activities."
That line comes from the Darien Park District's listing for Winter Wonderland, set for December 11 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. The listing describes the event as taking place at "the newly renovated Westwood Park." It also describes one evening spread across two properties, with holiday lights and games outside, cocoa and crafts indoors, and a candy cane hunt outside again to finish. The City of Darien said in April that Westwood Park, at 75th Street and Fairview Avenue, would stay closed for as long as construction lasted. The renovated park is designed to work that way all year. Westwood Park and the Community Center at 7301 Fairview Ave. are becoming one connected site.
The Boardwalk Was Finished Before the Stage
Construction officially started on Monday, April 27. The Park District has posted dated progress notes ever since, and the order of the work is telling. By June 23, the boardwalk connecting Westwood Park and the Community Center properties was 90% complete. At that point the stage had only its front apron, stairs and floor poured. The July 9 update reported the boardwalk complete, along with the asphalt for the pickleball courts and paths.
The connection was finished first, and the amenities came after it. The newest posted update, dated September 4, 2026, reports two more milestones done:
- fencing for the pickleball courts
- the new Outdoor Stage structure and roof
Crews were grading and laying seed and blanket across the park, and shade structures for the t-ball dugouts had shipped.
The Fall 2026 program guide's site plan shows how the two properties fit together. It labels the Community Center, Fountain Avenue, Eagle Lake, the Southern DuPage County Regional Trail and 75th Street around the park. The plan is dated October 13, 2020. The design has been waiting about six years to be built.
What the Plan Puts on the Ground
The Park District lists Westwood as an 18.90-acre site. The guide's legend numbers the redevelopment in this order:
- Outdoor Stage with Dance Floor
- Vendor Parking
- 8' Wide Asphalt Path
- Boardwalk
- Interpretive Signage
- Age 5-12 Playground
- Pickleball Courts with Lighting
- Shade Sail
- Tee Ball Diamond
- Soccer Field
Two of those items exist mainly to serve gatherings: a stage built with a dance floor, and a dedicated parking area for vendors. Neighborhood parks don't usually get either. Along with the boardwalk to the Community Center, they make Westwood the outdoor event space for a building that already hosts much of the Park District's calendar.
A Stage Designed With Food Trucks in Mind
Park commissioners and City of Darien council members met jointly on January 12, 2026. Commissioner Ray Jablonski described the upgrades there, including a new entertainment pavilion and "adjustments to the asphalt path for food truck access." He also covered the lighting and sound for the pickleball courts. According to the minutes, those changes addressed earlier concerns about truck maneuverability and community feedback on lighting and sound.
The path was redesigned so trucks could reach the stage area, and that tells you how the park is meant to be used. The 8-foot asphalt path is wide enough for walkers. It was also adjusted to carry the vehicles that turn an outdoor show into an evening out.
The same meeting covered what happened to programming while the park was closed. Jablonski said some events, such as concerts, might move to Community Park's South Pavilion during construction, and that the City and Park District were coordinating on alternative venues. The minutes don't include a concert schedule for the new stage. Programming for 2027 hasn't been announced, so the stage's first full season is still unscheduled.
The Park District's March 9, 2026 board agenda lists a proposed award of $199,330 for the band shelter, the structure the site plan calls the Outdoor Stage. The same agenda lists $52,177.39 for playground equipment and $19,182 for a shade structure. Among the separately listed items, the stage has the largest budget.
Pickleball Moves Outside, Next to the Gym
The pickleball courts are the other half of the connection between the two properties. At the January meeting, Jablonski described four new lighted courts. Lights extend playing time past sunset, which matters most in spring and fall when evenings get dark early.
Indoors, the Community Center's fall open play for adults 18 and older runs on three courts in the gym, from 7:00 to 8:45 am. Registration is monthly for October, November and December. Each skill tier costs $25 for residents and $30 for nonresidents. When the registration system was checked, October's intermediate and advanced sessions showed a waitlist. November and December showed as available, as did recreational play for all three months.
The indoor courts filled up in their first month, and four lighted outdoor courts are about to open a short walk across the boardwalk. Once Westwood opens, the same address will offer indoor play in the early morning and outdoor play under lights in the evening. Until then, the Park District also lists four outdoor pickleball courts at Darien Community Park, at Plainfield and Clarendon Hills Roads. That listing dates from 2024, so check current access before you go.
How It Was Paid For
The Fall 2026 guide says the project was made possible with help from a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant from the State of Illinois. On November 10, 2025, the board agenda listed a Westwood Park construction bid award to Maneval Construction Co. Inc. for $1,503,487. The grant alone equals roughly 40% of that main construction contract. The stage, playground and shade structure awards were listed separately, and the published documents don't give a combined total. February board minutes describe the OSLAD funding as matching.
The January minutes also name what could come next at Westwood: more improvements for summer camp and preschool areas, and a new splash pad. According to the minutes, the splash pad would build on the popularity of the existing one at Garden View Park. Those plans are described as future work and aren't part of the current construction.
Across the Boardwalk This Fall
While crews finish seeding, the Community Center side of the site is busy. These Park District special events are listed there through the end of the year:
| Event | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Book Swap | October 7 | 5:00–7:00 pm |
| Pumpkin Carving Contest | October 12 | 5:00–6:00 pm |
| Trunk or Treat | October 23 | 6:00–7:00 pm |
| Halloween for Ghouls & Goblins | October 29 | 5:30–6:30 pm |
| Trivia | November 6 | 11:00 am–12:00 pm |
| A Dicken's of a Holiday Craft Show | November 14 | 9:00 am–3:00 pm |
| Holiday Luncheon | December 4 | 12:30–2:00 pm |
| Senior Event: Cookie Exchange | December 9 | 12:00–1:00 pm |
All eight are at 7301 Fairview Ave. Winter Wonderland on December 11 is the first event on the calendar billed at the renovated park itself. No registration is required. The event's calendar entry lists its venue as Darien Community Park at 7100 Clarendon Hills Road, while the description names Westwood. Check the Park District's page closer to the date before you head out.
When the Park Reopens
The Fall 2026 guide gives "expected completion in Fall 2026" and asks residents to check the Park District website for updates on a Grand Opening celebration once the project is finished. As of early October, no reopening date or ribbon-cutting has been published. The latest progress note on the District's capital projects page is still the September 4 update. Its remaining items were grass, seed and the dugout shade structures, the last steps before a park can open.
For anyone who lives near 75th and Fairview, the practical change is that two separate destinations are becoming one walkable site. Pickleball, playground time, a show on the stage and a stop inside for a program can happen in one visit, joined by the boardwalk built first.
Westwood Park is one of the amenities buyers and owners ask Sarah Diana about in Darien, and she follows these park projects through grand opening and beyond. If you're curious how improvements like this one fit into your plans for your own home, schedule a free consultation with Sarah.
