Ridgeville Park District

What Ridgeville Park District does

Ridgeville Park District is a special-purpose unit of local government established in 1939, providing community recreation services to over 10,000 households in South Evanston, Illinois. The district's statutorily defined service area spans Greenleaf to Howard and Chicago Avenue to the North Shore Channel, and it operates with a lean team of 12 employees from its headquarters at 908 Seward Street, Evanston. Its portfolio includes year-round classes, summer camps, free neighborhood celebrations, facility rentals, the Concerts on the Ridge summer series, the Reba Native Plant Garden programming, and the Ridgeville Urban Farm initiative in partnership with Evanston Grows.

The district runs its operations on the MyRec.com Recreation Management Software platform, which handles online registration, program management, facility booking, and account management through the ridgevilleparks.myrec.com portal. Marketing and community outreach are conducted through the district website, the #myridgeville social media identity, Constant Contact email newsletters, and bilingual Spring/Summer program guides.

Ridgeville's revenue model is anchored in local property tax and public funding as a government entity, supplemented by program fees from classes and camps, and by corporate and organizational sponsorships (including J Blanton Plumbing, Country Financial, School of Rock, Pope John, Gather Fair Trade, the Geoff Brown Team, and arts councils at federal, state, and local levels). Most community events are offered free of charge, and programming is intentionally positioned as affordable and accessible. The organization is governed by an elected board of commissioners and is not owned by, affiliated with, or funded by any private equity, venture capital, or parent corporate entity.

Name

Ridgeville Park District

Legal name

Ridgeville Park District

Website

https://ridgeville.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ridgeville Park District is a public park district in South Evanston, Illinois, established in 1939, that provides affordable community recreation — classes, summer camps, concerts, and free events — to over 10,000 households, funded primarily through local property taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Recreation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

Keywords

• Public park district
• Community recreation programs
• Parks facilities management
• Youth summer camps
• Community events hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Taxes: As a public park district, primary funding comes from local property taxes and public funding mechanisms. District serves over 10,000 households in South Evanston.
2. Program Fees: Revenue from year-round classes, summer camps, and recreational programs. Programs are designed to be affordable for community members.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsorships including financial support from companies like J Blanton Plumbing (ROCKSTAR sponsor), Country Financial, School of Rock, and others. Also receives support from arts councils.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ridgeville Park District operates public parks and recreation facilities in South Evanston, delivering year-round recreation classes, summer camps, concerts, theater and dance performances, community celebrations, and facility rentals to local households. Programs are designed to be affordable and most community events are free, with online registration and bookings handled through the MyRec.com Recreation Management Software platform.

Product overview

Ridgeville Park District operates as a community recreation provider using MyRec.com Recreation Management Software as its core technology platform for online registration. The district offers a unified portfolio of recreation services including year-round programs and classes, summer camps, community events, facility rentals, and special programming such as Concerts on the Ridge and the Reba Native Plant Garden. The primary digital interface is the MyRec.com-powered website which handles activity registration, calendar management, and facility reservations, while most community events are offered free of charge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recreation Programs Year-round classes, summer camps, and community programs designed to be affordable for residents of the South Evanston district, available across age groups.
• Online Registration System Web-based registration platform powered by MyRec.com Recreation Management Software that enables residents to sign up for activities, programs, events, and manage accounts.
• Facility Rentals Parks and district facilities available for reservation by community members for private events, gatherings, and activities.
• Community Events Free neighborhood celebrations, family-friendly gatherings, concerts, theater and dance performances, and seasonal festivals open to all ages and community members.
• Concerts on the Ridge Summer concert series featuring live music performances including rock and other genres, sponsored by J Blanton Plumbing as 2026 ROCKSTAR sponsor.
• Reba Native Plant Garden Program Native plant garden offering community celebration events with crafts, snacks, nature activities, and games for all ages, including an annual Garden Celebration.
• FestPass 2026 Seasonal festival pass program providing discounted access to multiple summer events and activities throughout the 2026 season.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MyRec.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationRecreation Management Software provider powering the online registration system, program management, facility booking, and account management for Ridgeville Park District. Website uses MyRec.com platform for all customer-facing operations.
• J Blanton PlumbingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerROCKSTAR sponsor for the 2026 Concerts on the Ridge event series. Local plumbing company providing financial sponsorship for community entertainment events.
• Country FinancialminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor of Ridgeville Park District with logo displayed on website. Local financial services office in Evanston.
• National Endowment for the ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal arts funding body supporting arts and cultural programming at the park district. Logo displayed as program supporter.
• Illinois Arts CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerState arts council providing funding and support for arts programming including concerts, theater, and dance performances.
• Evanston Arts CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal arts organization supporting arts and cultural activities in Evanston. Logo displayed as program supporter.
• Evanston Urban Garden / Evanston GrowsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Evanston Grows organization for the Ridgeville Urban Farm initiative. Referenced as part of the general information section.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Boys & Girls Club of Evanston: Community nonprofit serving Evanston youth with after-school programming, summer camps, and enrichment activities that partially overlap Ridgeville's youth and family programming.

Direct peers

• Oak Park Park District: Illinois community park district operating parks and recreation programming with a comparable mission of providing affordable community recreation and free events.
• Glenview Park District: Chicago suburb park district operating parks, recreation classes, camps, and community events with the same Illinois special-district structure and community recreation mission.
• Morton Grove Park District: Nearby small Illinois park district offering community recreation programs, parks facilities, and events at a comparable scale to Ridgeville.
• Niles Park District: Neighboring northern Illinois park district serving Niles residents with parks, recreation classes, and community programming under a similar public-sector funding model.
• Park Ridge Recreation and Park District: Chicago suburb park district offering recreation programs, parks, facility rentals, and community events with a similar tax-funded operating structure.
• Wilmette Park District: Adjacent North Shore Chicago-area park district offering recreation programs, classes, camps, parks, and community events with a similar tax-funded, public-sector operating model and household-scale service area.
• Skokie Park District: Nearby Illinois park district operating parks, recreation programming, and community events with comparable scope, tax funding model, and household reach to Ridgeville.
• Des Plaines Park District: Northern Illinois park district operating parks and recreation programming under the same special-district public-sector model serving a similar household base.

Broad incumbents

• Evanston YMCA (YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago): Regional YMCA branch providing fitness, recreation, youth camps, and community programming in the same Evanston market, with broader facilities and a statewide footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ridgeville-park-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ridgeville Park District