Cook County picnic permits on sale Tuesday

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Updated: January 30, 2012 10:03AM

When it comes to picnic permits, patience doesn’t pay.

Those who want to have a picnic at the Dan Ryan Woods forest preserve in 2012 in particular shouldn’t put off buying a permit when they go on sale at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

A total of 799 picnic permits were sold in 2011 for Dan Ryan Woods, 87th Street and Western Avenue, the most for any site in the Cook County Forest Preserve District, spokeswoman Karen Vaughan said. The total represents nearly 10 percent of the 8,122 permits sold districtwide, Vaughan said.

“It’s the proximity and tradition,” she said of the grove’s popularity.

Dan Ryan Woods is near the Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood communities in Chicago.

The permits are for sale online at www.fpdcc.com and at district headquarters, 536 N. Harlem Ave. in River Forest.

People like to buy permits early to guarantee they’ll get the grove they want, Vaughan said. Last year, 1,044 permits, approximately 13 percent, were sold on the first day, she said.

A permit for a basic grove with a shelter is $50. There is a $10 application fee for all permits. Prices vary depending on the group’s size and the grove’s amenities, Vaughan said.

Permits for groups larger than 399 must be purchased at district headquarters.

More than 1 million people participated in picnics with permits at district groves in 2011, Vaughan said.