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Did You Know? Dancing Platforms Were Once Common in the Forest Preserves.

people dancing on a platform in the woods
"Dancing Platform," undated. Forest Preserve District of Cook County Records, University of Illinois at Chicago Library. [FPDCC_00_06_0013_0160]

If you’re taking a hike in the forest preserves and come across what looks like an old concrete patio, chances are you’ve discovered a former “dancing platform.”

In the Forest Preserves’ early years, we installed hundreds of these platforms to meet the demand for community dances. The platforms were so thick and heavy that when the sites lost popularity, many were left in the ground for nature to reclaim.