FROM THE EDITOR

T.S. Eliot grew up in St. Louis, a little more than 100 miles from my house. So, it's likely he knew something about the general climate of the area.

He told us, "April is the cruelest month." And, although literary critics don't read that poem or that line as I do, this time of year I often look to my lawn and think: "April is the cruelest month."

See, I dream of grass. Not a big dream - not putting green grass - but, maybe, fairway grass. In April, it seems tantalizingly possible. The man at the hardware store offers me the promise of suburban respectability. All it takes is four bags and spreader and voila.

But, I'm experienced enough to know, even in April, that voila assumes that everything stays in balance, that it doesn't rain for 27 straight days, that I'm not on vacation and unable to water during July's week of 99-degrees and deadly sun.

The cruel price of April is committing to doing my part, knowing all the while that something I can't control or anticipate can doom me to a crunchy brown nothing by State Fair Week.

It's the same with any endeavor. In February, Chicago Tribune subscribers read two stories of park programs that started with April-like promise, but took two separate trajectories.

There are no more 7th and 8th grade dances at the Frankfort Park District. Not because they weren't well planned, well organized, well run or well attended, but because the youngsters couldn't behave civilly. After repeated warnings, the teens failed to rein in their hormones, and organizers were forced to pull the plug on the too, too dirty dancing.

Not two weeks later, the Trib ran an item about the Chicago Park District's Gloves not Guns program. "Park District program teaches boxing as an alternative to violence," read the headline. Now I could be wrong, but somewhere in this program's planning stages, I imagine there was somebody who questioned the notion of teaching children to snap out left-right-left combinations as a means to turn them away from violence. But program organizers believe they are teaching the kind of discipline to 8- to 17-year olds that will help them make better decisions across all aspects of their lives.

One program goes on, the other is suspended. Does that mean that one agency succeeded and the other failed?

No. To my way of thinking, both agencies are doing right. And doing right is never failing. At Chicago, the early promise has borne out well, so far. At Frankfort, things didn't stay in balance: unanticipated and uncontrollable elements visited the program, and organizers, rather than let the situation get away from them, acted rationally and reasonably. But, you won't see the folks at Frankfort giving up on teen programming. They'll work up different programs and strategies to cope with the conditions, because that's what smart professionals do.

I commend all our state's agencies that face the cruel promise of every April with sober hopefulness, confident in their abilities to deal with the literal and metaphoric droughts or floods that always, inevitably come.

So, here's to a great season with plenty of green grass.

— ROOD WHELPLEY
Editor

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Illinois Park and Recreation
(ISSN 0019-2155) is published bimonthly at 211 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, Illinois, by the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. Annual subscription rates: $6 for IAPD/IPRA members; $25 for non-mernbers; $30 foreign; $20 educational institutions. Single copies: $2 members; $5 nonmembers. Periodicals postage paid at Springfield, Illinois and additional post offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Illinois Parks & Recreation, 211 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, 1L 62701-1186. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily express the official views of the IAPD/IPRA. Likewise, the publication of any advertisement is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or services offered. Members of the IAPD and the IPRA and other interested persons are encouraged to submit articles and illustrative photos for possible publication in the magazine. Send for manuscript guidelines and deadline dates: Editor, Illinois Parks & Recreation, 211 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1186, 217.523.4554, rwhelpley@ILparks.org, www.ILparks.org. By submitting articles for publication, authors are assigning the copyright to the Illinois Association of Park Districts.

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