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Lombard, Illinois · The Lilac Village

The Lilac Post

Sunday, October 25, 2026

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Lombard, Illinois · No. 3

The Sunday Lilac Post

Sunday, October 25, 2026

Lilacia Park’s next phase, a new gas main downtown, and Halloween on Saturday

The Lombard Park District is finishing design work to fold the old library site on Maple Street into Lilacia Park, with construction planned from April through November 2027 if the schedule holds. Downtown, Nicor Gas starts a new gas main along St. Charles Road the week of Oct. 26, and the village’s contractor begins manhole and storm drain inspections nearby on Oct. 27. Halloween is Saturday, with trick-or-treating recommended from 3 to 7 p.m., and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

This week’s story

Lilacia Park expansion moves into construction documents

The park district is finishing design work on the former library site and expects construction documentation through the end of the year.

Path and gardens in Lilacia Park, Lombard

Visitors approaching Lilacia Park from Maple Street now see open ground where the former Helen Plum Library once stood, with a historic coach house from the original Plum estate standing as the most visible structure at the corner of Maple and Park. The Lombard Park District acquired the cleared site earlier this year and is designing how to knit it into the existing gardens.

The transfer of the Maple Street property followed an agreement the library and park district announced in March 2023. As part of that deal, the park district contributed $350,000 toward demolishing the old library building and also purchased library-owned open lots, according to reporting in the Daily Herald. The library had moved to its new building on Main Street in 2023.

Park district executive director Joe McCann told the Herald at the time that the acquisition offered a chance to expand the park, add open space, and create another prominent entrance. He envisioned future work focused on gardens, pathways, and access, while leaving other amenities open. A temporary fence was put up so new grass could establish.

Keep reading

Still making news

Election Day is Nov. 3: find your ballot and read our picks

This is the last Sunday Lilac Post before the Nov. 3 general election. Our voter guide, under Vote 2026 on our website, shows the exact ballot for your street address and the paper’s pick in each race, and the full slate prints from the same page. Our editorial with every pick, race by race, runs in the Opinion section of this edition.

Find your ballotRead Our view

New gas main on St. Charles Road

Nicor Gas begins installing a new gas main along St. Charles Road between N. Lincoln Avenue and Main Street the week of Monday, Oct. 26, and expects to finish by Saturday, Nov. 21, weather permitting, the village says. The road stays open, but drivers should expect temporary partial lane closures, and parking and sidewalk access may be limited near the work.

Village release

Halloween is Saturday

The village recommends trick-or-treating from 3 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Lombard police are stepping up enforcement against impaired driving through the morning of Monday, Nov. 2, and remind drivers to slow down and watch for pedestrians in neighborhoods, the village says.

Village release

Manhole and storm drain inspections start Oct. 27

The village’s contractor, Gewalt Hamilton, begins inspecting manholes and storm drain inlets along E. St. Charles Road, Western Avenue, and St. Charles Place on Tuesday, Oct. 27, weather permitting. The work should take about two weeks, and drivers may meet temporary lane closures while traffic stays open, the village says.

Village release

Free leaf collection starts Nov. 2

Lombard’s free fall leaf program runs from Monday, Nov. 2, through Friday, Dec. 11. Residents can put out an unlimited number of paper yard waste bags of leaves on their regular collection day without stickers.

Read the story

Village Hall is not a polling place

Lombard Village Hall at 255 E. Wilson Ave. will not serve as a polling place for the Nov. 3 general election. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and DuPage County voters can use the Vote Anywhere program to vote at any Election Day polling place in the county, the village says.

Village release

Opinion

Editorial

Our view: The Lilac Post’s picks for the Nov. 3 election

By The Lilac Post · Editorial · Thursday, October 22, 2026

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and early voting is already open in DuPage County. What follows is the paper’s view of the races on Lombard ballots, in the order you will find them on the ballot. It is opinion, and we label it that way. The Lilac Post is an independent local paper, not affiliated with the Village of Lombard, and these picks are the paper’s own. No campaign, party or outside group asked for them, saw them ahead of time, or paid for them.

We weigh every race the same way and in the same order. First come life and family: protecting unborn children, supporting the traditional family, and defending parents’ freedom to homeschool or to choose a private school. Next come limited government and lower taxes. When we say we endorse a candidate, we know enough about their record and stated positions on those first questions to back them with confidence. When we say we prefer a candidate, we favor them, but their public record on life and family is thin, so the pick leans on fiscal positions or party. We don’t endorse Democrats unless they are clearly pro-life, and we found none on Lombard ballots this year.

Keep reading on the Opinion page

Sports: last week and this week

Glenbard East opened the IHSA Class 7A playoffs with a 42-14 win over Bartlett and plays at Kenwood on Oct. 30, when Montini hosts Geneseo in the Class 4A first round.

Final scores

Coming up

All sportsStandings and season results

Featured events this week

Mon, Oct 26 to Sun, Nov 1.

Monday, October 26, 2026

  • Finance & Administration Committee · 6:00 p.m.

    Village Hall · 255 E Wilson Ave

    Add to calendar

  • Genealogy: We the Native People · 7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

    Helen Plum Library · 411 S Main St

    Add to calendar

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

  • Barbara’s Book Club · 6:00 p.m.

    Barbara’s Bookstore, Yorktown Center · 203 Yorktown Shopping Center

    Add to calendar

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

  • Zoning Board of Appeals · 7:00 p.m.

    Village Hall · 255 E Wilson Ave

    Add to calendar

Thursday, October 29, 2026

  • ★Drop-in & Dance: Monster Mash · 10:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

    Helen Plum Library · 411 S Main St

    Children ages 1 to 5 come with an adult for props and a silly, spooky playlist, and costumes are encouraged. The program repeats at 1:30 p.m.

    Add to calendar

  • ★Howl-oween · 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

    Yorktown Center · 203 Yorktown Shopping Center

    A dog-friendly evening offers pet vendors, photo backdrops, and tricks for treats. The pup costume contest is at 6; sign up at the Yorktown table in Center Court.

    Add to calendar

Saturday, October 31, 2026

  • ★Trick-or-treat window · 3:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

    Neighborhoods

    The village recommends 3 to 7 p.m. Porch lights on means candy. Lights off, or the village’s “No Trick-or-Treating” sign, means skip the house.

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More stories worth your time

Market

Toys R Us returns to Yorktown Center

A 7,500-square-foot store on the lower level of the JCPenney wing brings the toy retailer back to Lombard for the first time in nearly a decade.

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Von Maur entrance at Yorktown Center