Senior Holiday Luncheon at Merrimac

A luncheon and dance, without a posted run of show

The Chicago Park District describes this as its annual senior holiday gathering, combining a luncheon with dancing. It does not name the meal, list performers, give a sequence for the activities or identify the room. Anyone who needs meal or room information before deciding should check with Merrimac Park.

Further reading: Senior Holiday Luncheon at Merrimac | Chicago Park District ↗

Before Merrimac Park, Kolze’s Electric Grove

In the 1890s, hotel owner Henry Kolze developed wooded land near his inn as Kolze’s Electric Grove, an attraction for riders on streetcar lines reaching Dunning. The Park District’s history describes gas lighting, a nightly orchestra and beer sold by the glass. The grove made this location a picnic and dance ground long before it became parkland.

The Park District acquired land for the park in 1949 and 1950. It removed the grove’s dance shelter, concession stands, raffle tables and cafeteria while retaining many older trees, then developed the site as a park between 1951 and 1956. The original dining hall and tavern structure was later used as a fieldhouse before a modern brick fieldhouse replaced it in 1969.

The park’s name also reflects local history. In the early 1950s, the Park District considered whether to retain the Kolze’s Grove name; Merrimac was chosen instead. The name derives from a Native American word for sturgeon and was already associated with nearby Merrimac Avenue, Merrimac Gardens and a neighborhood organization.

Further reading: Merrimac Park ↗