Wicker Park Advisory Council

Wicker Park Advisory Council is the volunteer council for Wicker Park itself, and the reason the park's dog run looks the way it does. Its Wicker Bark Committee, chaired by Kristin Drutchas, raised the money to rebuild the run with the Chicago Park District.

Wicker Bark, reopened November 2025

The rebuilt run opened on Saturday 15 November 2025. By the council's own account it is:

• almost 6,000 square feet of off-leash space, a 25% increase on what was there before
• an artificial turf run and play area, with "paw-friendly sealed and colored asphalt" elsewhere
• agility boulders, seating areas, a large sun shade structure, and a drinking fountain for dogs and people

The council says the committee raised "over $500,000," crediting State Representative Eva-Dina Delgado, Alderman Daniel La Spata, SSA #33, the Chicago Park District, and residents who gave close to $100,000 between them. The individual amounts the page lists come to rather more than the stated total, so "over $500,000" is the figure to treat as the council's own.

The run itself has its own page: Wicker Park Dog Friendly Area.

Why a dog run needs a council

The council's description of how Chicago Dog Friendly Areas work is blunt: volunteers "are required to be 100% responsible for funding the creation and build-out and managing regular maintenance." The Park District provides the site and the rules; the neighborhood provides the money and the labor. Wicker Bark is what that arrangement looks like when it works.

John Shirk is council president. The council points people to its own site for volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, and says it intends to build out the Wicker Bark Committee to keep the space maintained.