Pick Up Your Copy At Your Nearest Community Center!
There is something about fall that makes the community feel a little more familiar. The mornings cool down. Soccer fields get busy again. Families start talking about Halloween costumes, holiday photos, weekend plans, and the traditions they want to make time for before the year gets away from them. Somewhere in the middle of all that, a copy of the Southgator ends up on the kitchen counter with a few pages folded over and dates worth remembering.
That time of year is here again.
The 2026 Fall Southgator is now available at Southgate Recreation & Park District community centers, bringing together the programs, events, projects, and community stories happening across the District this season.
This issue carries the theme Growing Forward, the next chapter in a year that marks Southgate Recreation & Park District’s 70th anniversary. After spending the summer celebrating the people, places, and memories that helped shape the District, fall turns the focus toward what comes next: continuing traditions residents know while thoughtfully improving the parks, facilities, programs, and public spaces that will serve the community for years to come.
Inside this issue, fall starts with plenty of reasons to spend time together close to home.
Families can capture a new season of memories during Pictures in the Park, while four-legged family members get their own day out at Pups in the Park. October brings the Fall Community Yard Sale, Splashing Pumpkins at Christine Thompson Aquatic Center, and the annual Halloween Carnival and Haunted House at Jose P. Rizal Community Center. As the holidays approach, residents can look ahead to the Fall Vendor and Craft Fair, Letters from Santa, and Evening with Santa.
The Fall Southgator also goes beyond the event calendar!
This season’s spotlight looks at how the District is changing the way it cares for parks and public spaces through electric vehicles, battery-powered maintenance equipment, solar panels, and EV charging infrastructure. These investments are helping reduce fuel use, emissions, and noise while supporting cleaner day-to-day operations across District facilities.
Residents can also catch up on improvements happening throughout Southgate, including accessibility work, new trail connections, neighborhood park projects, and continued progress at Fruitridge Community Center and Park. At WildHawk Golf Club, readers can learn more about course improvements and the new patio shade structure designed to create a more comfortable place to gather before or after a round.
You will also find youth programs, adult activities, senior programming, aquatics, community sports, facility information, and a new Fall Activity Page with puzzles, coloring, and activities for families.
📱 To explore programs or register online, visit our Online Registration Page
📍 Looking for locations and hours? See our Community Centers Page
📖 Want to browse upcoming activities by category? Check out Programs & Activities
📢 Stay up to date on District news and announcements by signing up for our monthly E-Newsletter
If you are figuring out what fall looks like for your family, the Southgator is a good place to start. Pick up a free printed copy on your next visit, leave it somewhere everyone can find it, and start circling the things you want to do together. Growing Forward is not only about where Southgate is headed. It’s about continuing to create reasons for neighbors to gather, families to participate, and new memories to take root right here at home! 🐊
