McLean County, IL Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Section 282-10 governs group access to Comlara Park's designated picnic shelters. Subsection A opens a reservation window running from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, during which groups and organizations can secure exclusive shelter use depending on group size; § 282-10B limits each shelter to one reservation per day, though other parties may still use it before the reserving group arrives and after it leaves. The reserving party gets a one-hour grace period under § 282-10C; if nobody from the group shows up within an hour of the stated arrival time, the McLean County Department of Parks and Recreation can cancel the reservation outright and hand the shelter to someone else.

Group size is capped at 150 people per shelter under § 282-10D, and a larger group must book both shelters if both are available. Reservations under § 282-10E must be made at least one week in advance, by telephone, by mail, or in person at the Comlara Park Headquarters Building, 13001 Recreation Area Drive, Hudson, Illinois, and must be accompanied by the fee set in § 282-12E, except telephone requests, which the Department holds open for three days pending receipt of payment. Once confirmed, § 282-10F requires the shelter be posted with the reserving group's name, date and time.

Fees are non-refundable except with at least 24 hours' cancellation notice for an alternate date, and shelter fees are waived when the Department of Parks and Recreation itself sponsors or co-sponsors the event, per § 282-12E.