Roots, Rows & Recess: West Pullman's Summer of Green Is Blooming at the Park and in the Soil

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/West Pullman · July 8, 2026

West Pullman is growing — literally — and this July, two of the neighborhood's most grounding community assets are in full swing. West Pullman Park, the beloved 16.33-acre green anchor at 401 W. 123rd St., is humming with its popular six-week summer day camp, running Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through July 31. Kids are filling the park's gymnasiums, courts, baseball fields, spray pool, and playground daily — and the park's rare natural savanna, one of Chicago's few remaining native landscapes with its canopy of mature oaks, hickories, and cherries, offers a stunning outdoor classroom right in the backyard of the Far South Side.

Meanwhile, just across the neighborhood, the We Sow We Grow teaching farm — founded by West Pullman's own Natasha Nicholes — continues to quietly cultivate something powerful: a love of the land among South Side residents. Nicholes, recently spotlighted by Chicago Magazine as one of the neighborhood's most inspiring community voices, has been planning monthly community farm visits to bring more West Pullman neighbors out to the farm at 12000 S. Emerald Ave. It's hands-in-the-dirt, community-rooted programming that puts West Pullman on the map for urban agriculture.

This summer, between the park's packed youth schedule and the teaching farm's growing community outreach, West Pullman is proving that green space and grassroots programming go hand in hand. Get your kids registered for remaining summer camp sessions at chicagoparkdistrict.com, and follow We Sow We Grow for upcoming community farm days.

Sources:
1. https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/west-pullman-park
2. https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/february-2026/a-locals-guide-to-west-pullman/