The Chicago Park District has denied a permit for a Venetian Night paddling event planned on the lakefront on the south side next month.
Organizers say an alderman is the reason and they’re not accepting it.
The Rainbow Beach Park Advisory Council is the organizer of Venetian Kayak Night scheduled for August 8th under a full moon.
A parade of illuminated kayaks from the 71st Street Beach to Rainbow Beach.
A bio-degradable lantern launch.
A jazz quartet.
The advisory council president, Ana Marija Sokovic, says she emailed Alderman Greg Mitchell about it in May.
And he only responded on Tuesday after she posted a flyer about the event on Facebook.
“Listing the various concerns, safety, garbage, this and that, so he’s completely not in favor of this event, like, trashing it,” she said.
Sokovic said when she applied for the permit she was told Park District permits can take two-to-three weeks.
This one was denied in four days.
The event was granted a permit last year.
The lake was too rough for kayaking.
She said this is an opportunity for people to be “engaged with the lake.”
Sokovik is now taking it up with Park District General Superintendent Carlos Ramirez Rosa.
This is a statement from the Park District: The Venetian Kayak Night was proposed for the same date as the previously scheduled Night Out in the Parks Full Moon Jam (August 8th). Due to the scheduling conflict, the Park District could not accommodate the Rainbow Beach Park Advisory Council’s permit request for kayaking in the beach.
We’ve asked the Alderman and the Park District for comment.