‘Sweet' was the theme of Morton Grove Valentine's Day community events
'It's a nice event to have a special night with a parent and child,' said Claire Baumgartner, recreation supervisor for the Morton Grove Park District, which sponsored the event. 'You get some one-on-one time with your child so they can feel special for a night. It's just nice to get dressed up and go dancing.'
According to Baumgartner, new additions to the dance included giving out glow sticks at the end of the night and having sponsor Play and Spin onsite with giveaways, including candy and game cards for activities at the Niles family-friendly entertainment center.
She said My Little Sweetheart Dance included a dinner of chicken, French fries, salad and mostaccioli – all provided by local restaurants – and, of course, music.
The 77 registrants this year were comparable to the approximately 80 dance attendees in 2024, Baumgartner said. Attendees, who came from Morton Grove and surrounding towns, each received a goody bag with Valentine's Day-themed items including pencils, bracelets, candy and temporary tattoos.
'It's a longstanding event so people know it's a lot of fun,' she said.
Activities included games such as limbo and freeze. There was also a contest to guess how many Starburst candies were in a jar. Baumgartner said Morton Grove resident Mattie Speilburg, 8, won the candy-filled jar after guessing 63, which was closest to the actual number of 62.
Valentine's was celebrated for more than a day in Morton Grove.
Baumgartner said a new event was the holiday-themed Paint N Snack on Feb. 8 at Prairie View Community Center to celebrate Galentine's Day with friends. There, Lena Roy led nine attendees in painting a tree with red and pink flowers. Snacks included cheese and crackers, fruit and brownies.
'We thought a Paint N Snack would be fun so we decided to do it once a month,' said Baumgartner, who explained that the inaugural session was in January and the next one is on March 15.
The annual Valentine Cake Decorating returned Feb. 13 at Prairie View Community Center.
Participants received six mini heart-shaped cakes. The approximately 18 attendees were mostly Morton Grove residents between the ages of 3 and 6 accompanied by their parents.
'I brought in icing, some tips to be able to make designs in the icing, colored sprinkles, Sweethearts candies with the words on them, M&M's and a bunch of different stuff to decorate with,' said Baumgartner.
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