Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces reopening of 22 Chicago beaches in video of herself knocking over her infamous cardboard cutout
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Almost all of Chicago’s lakefront beaches will reopen on Friday for the first time since September 2019, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Wednesday, following a loosely enforced shutdown throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
The return of a classic Chicago beach season will run through Labor Day, with 22 lakeshore spots in the city reopening all amenities except drinking fountains, which will remain shut off, according to a Wednesday news release from the mayor’s office. Lakefront concessions will offer indoor and outdoor dining options starting Memorial Day weekend as well. But the Juneway, Rogers, Howard and Fargo beaches on the Far North Side will not reopen because of rising water levels and erosion.
“Welcome back, beaches,” Lightfoot said in a video of her knocking over the now-meme-level cardboard cutout of herself that was perched in front of a beach entrance.
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Last March, the city’s popular public Lakefront Trail, beaches and playgrounds were closed as officials scrambled to respond to the burgeoning coronavirus pandemic. The shutdown later was criticized by some for inhibiting outside activity during a time of isolation, and in June, Lightfoot reopened part of the lakefront. This February, most of the shuttered public spaces were reopened except beaches.
The shutdowns were widely flouted, however, especially during warmer months.
“As the weather warms up and our city begins to safely return to a sense of normalcy, reopening our beloved lakefront beaches is the perfect way to turn the page on spring and get back to our favorite outdoor activities,” Lightfoot wrote in a statement.
She added, “while we are excited for folks to return to our beaches this summer, we still encourage everyone to be safe and continue to get vaccinated.”
