Plenty Returns to the Plaza
Daley Plaza Market Makes Welcome Return After COVID-Year Cancellation
In This Issue
• Daley Plaza Market’s Return, In Photos
• Nonprofit Job Opening
• Take a Quiz
Daley Plaza Market’s Return, In Photos
The anticipation for the return of Chicago’s Daley Plaza City Market — after its COVID-crisis cancellation in 2020 — was greeted with cloudy, breezy and unseasonable chilly weather and less than a mid-season complement of vendors.
It was wonderful to be back, nonetheless.
The four-decade-old local food fair is the flagship of the public Chicago City Markets, run by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Events, aka DCASE. Its presence in the government complex at the heart of the busy downtown Loop made it accessible to office workers and tourists alike. It was one of my favorite outdoor season breaks in the day when I worked a few blocks away in River North.
Even with the accelerated reopening of Chicago as most of its people are now vaccinated, the downtown area is adjusting slowly, with many offices and hotels not yet repopulated. Yet the market is back and as the warmer weather finally chases away the chill, it should again be hopping on the Plaza. — Bob
Nonprofit Job Opening
Organization: Izaak Walton League of America
Position: Agriculture Outreach Coordinator
Location: Illinois or Iowa
Job Summary: Working under the direction of the Agriculture Program Director, the Agriculture Outreach Coordinator is primarily responsible for developing and implementing strategies designed to achieve the League's public policy goals focused on clean water, healthy soils, and wetland conservation. The Coordinator will regularly educate, communicate with, and mobilize IWLA members, allies in the business community, and conservation organizations and agencies. The Coordinator will contribute to regional and local media strategies that support advocacy goals. The Coordinator will provide support for program fundraising efforts. This position is based in Iowa or Illinois, with potential periodic work in surrounding states.
Take a Quiz
A 2018 population estimate showed the resident population of Chicago’s Loop was:
a) 124,781
b) 67,122
c) 37,647
d) 4,965
Answer: c) Residential living in Chicago’s center of business, finance, government and theater is a relatively recent development. As recently as 1970, the U.S. Census reported only 4,965 residents in the neighborhood. A residential building boom during the first decade of the 21st century pushed the population to 29,283 in 2010 and it has grown more since.
I've always said that Daley Plaza is the heart of the City! So happy it's open and I can't wait until all our vendors are able to return. Thank you Local Food Forum for stopping by.