Due to the pending health crisis and current lockdown strategy for recovery, CAPA is unable to schedule, plan and prepare for the regular 2020 events at this time.
We are still hoping for some of the late season events such as the House Walk and Beer Walk. That will be decided by June. Please stay tuned for an update in a month.
We want to be sure that any event held or supported by CAPA is done wo with the concern of everyone involved. Stay safe.
Christmas Decorating Contest Results
December 2019
Annually, CAPA awards three homes in the Cathedral Area that decorate their homes for the Christmas season. This year, we awarded the homeowners of 704 Buell Ave., 1000 Buell Ave., and 708 Western Ave. each with $100 Home Depot gift card, as a thank you for brightening up our neighborhood! We appreciate the support of the University of St. Francis for providing us with a gathering space and shuttle bus, and the CAPA Members who participated in the voting!
Beer Walk tickets on Sale August 1st!
July 31, 2019
Tickets for the 3rd Annual CAPA Beer Walk (held on Saturday, Sept 28th from 1pm-6pm) go live at 10am TOMORROW (Aug 1st) and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/capa-beer-walk-2019-tickets-66123287533. If you hit the ‘Remind Me’ button on that link, Eventbrite will send you a reminder 1 hour before tickets go on sale. I will also send an email around at 10am tomorrow.
Tickets are $50 per person and include beer samples from 25 breweries, food tastings from 7 local restaurants, a souvenir glass, and the Walk will be held in 6 new backyards in the CAPA area. Tickets are limited to 4 per person and sell out quickly so we advice you to act fast if you would like to go.
There will also be a special Concert in the Park immediately following the Beer Walk. This event is facilitated by the Joliet Park District in conjunction with the CAPA Beer Walk.
CAPA Garage Sale Maps
July 30, 2019
45 Homes will be participating in the 2019 CAPA Garage Sale. For a list of the homes & map, click here: Garage Sale 2019 CAPA
Cathedral Area Preservation Association Block Party
July 22, 2019
Saturday, July 27, 2019
500 Block of Knox Place(between Douglas and Taylor Streets)
4pm – 10pm
Eat, drink, listen to music, and get to know your neighbors! Bring a side dish or dessert if you would like. There will be a taco truck from 5pm to 10pm offering $2 tacos, churros, ice cream, and pop. We will provide tables, chairs, and even porta-potties! BYOB
The Joliet Fire Department will have a truck on site from 4-5 pm. There will be plenty of fun activities for kids!
Email Jayne Bernhard, resident of 506 Knox Place, if you have questions. Jayne: jaynebernhard96@gmail.com
CAPA Garage Sale – AUG 1, 2, 3
June 11, 2019
To Participate:
-You must be a member of CAPA. If you are unsure whether you are a member, you can email membership@capajoliet.net to inquire. If you would like to sign up to become a member, please see our Join & Renew page.
-Send an email to capa.garage.sale@gmail.com with the following information by
Monday, July 29th
-Declare that you want to participate
-Name (first and last)
-Address
-List the day(s) you want to participate (Thursday, Friday, Saturday)
Answers to FAQs:
-All advertising is paid for and organized by CAPA
-You can participate all 3 days or any number of days that work for you
-Lists/Maps will be available at select locations and on multiple online venues
-You may elect to print your own (lists/maps will be sent via email)
-Advertised hours will be 8am-4pm. You can extend the time of your sale if you
choose to do so.
CAPA Valley Wine Walk 2019
May 30th, 2019
The 4th Biennial “CAPA Valley Wine Walk” is scheduled from 3pm – 7pm on Saturday, September 7th. Guests will taste twelve wines from around the world, served at four historical neighborhood homes. There will also be food pairings provided by Chef Tim Bucci and the award winning Joliet Junior College Culinary Arts Department. Wine orders will be available and each guest will receive a souvenir “CAPA Valley” wine glass.
Tickets are limited within each group. Group A will have their tastings in homes near the Raynor Ave Corridor, while Group B will have their tastings in homes near the Western Ave Corridor. The homes are within walking distance and your group will be scheduled to view each of the four homes within that Corridor, learn about wine, and sample the various wines and food provided.
Tickets will go on sale June 5th and are $35 + a small service fee. All ticket sales will be sold electronically at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/capa-valley-wine-walk-2019-tickets-62542590572.
Concerts in the Park begin this Friday!
May 15th, 2019
Friday, May 17th Strung Out (70’s Rock, Pop, AM/FM Radio)
Friday, June 28th Second Hand Soul Band (Motown/Soul/Rock & Roll)
Friday, July 19th Beach Bum Band (Tropical/Reggae/Rock/Country)
Friday, August 16th Anthem (Classic Rock)
Friday, September 20th Morry Sochat & the Special 20’s (Blues and Swing)
Concerts are held at Preservation Park (710 Taylor Street) 6:30-Dusk. Don’t forget to bring a picnic basket full of goodies and your lawn chairs!
Project Acclaim’s 2019 Neighborhood Hero Award Project – Nominate today!
May 15th, 2019
Nominate someone who has great landscaping or facade improvements! See the below graphic for details. Email projectacclaim@gmail.com for questions.
2019 CAPA Scholarship Applications Open
May 1, 2019
Calling all high school seniors! CAPA offers two $1,000 scholarships to applicants who are pursuing education beyond high school. Applicants must make sure they live within CAPA’s boundaries and have attended a Joliet area high school for at least three years. The application and requirements are available HERE.
Applications are due by June 14th. If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Chemers at achemers@gmail.com.
CAPA Garage Sale
April 19th, 2019
Thursday, August 1st, Friday, August 2nd, & Saturday, August 3rd
To Participate:
-You must be a member of CAPA (see below)
-Send an email to capa.garage.sale@gmail.com with the following information by
Monday, July 29th
-Declare that you want to participate
-Name (first and last)
-Address
-Phone number
-List the day(s) you want to participate (Thursday, Friday, Saturday)
Answers to FAQs:
-All advertising is paid for and organized by CAPA
-You can participate all 3 days or any number of days that work for you
-Lists/Maps will be available at select locations and on multiple online venues
-You may elect to print your own (lists/maps will be sent via email)
-Advertised hours will be 8am-4pm. You can extend the time of your sale if you choose to do so.
Membership:
All participants of the Garage Sale need to be members of CAPA. Membership is $15 per year or $40 for three years. CAPA will continue to organize, advertise, develop lists/maps, and pay the permit fee for the Garage Sale. If you are unsure whether you are a member, you can email membership@capajoliet.net to inquire. If you are not a member, you can join HERE or request one from either email listed above.
Volunteer Opportunities to Help Brighten the Future!
March 21, 2019
If you are one of the many people in our neighborhood who would like to make the world a better place, there are plenty of opportunities to do so right here, at Riverwalk Homes, formerly known as Evergreen Terrace. Here are some of the programs which could use some volunteers:
- after-school programs to help kids with reading and mathematics;
- help for older kids with civics, advanced math, and the basic skills and knowledge to be productive citizens;
- help for adults studying for high school or higher diplomas in order to acquire the skills for decent jobs;
- help with Riverwalk’s new food pantry, coordinated with the St. Johns pantry and open to anyone in the community;
- the annual Back to School Fair the Saturday before school starts;
- and
- in the spring and fall, Riverwalk’s organic garden.
We suggest that anyone with a few hours a month to spare seriously consider using that time to help a person in need of knowledge, skills, and encouragement.
For more information, call Bob Nachtrieb at 815-722-0261 or Liz Protich, Program Manager at Riverwalk Homes, at 815-770-5672. Either Bob or Liz can provide you the application form, or you can download it here: Riverwalk Vol Application.
2019 CAPA Annual Meeting
February 10, 2019
We had a wonderful time at the CAPA Annual Meeting last night at the The Jacob Henry Mansion Estate celebrating a fantastic year and preparing for an even better 2019! We look forward to it every year to get to know new neighbors and to socialize with old friends. We changed things up a bit this year with raffle prizes and a scavenger hunt of CAPA members and we had quite a lot of fun doing it! A special thank you to the ROTC and the Joliet Township High School band for the entertainment. These students are extremely talented! And thank you to all of our CAPA members who attended and those who continue to support the Cathedral Area!
Interested in hosting the 2019 CAPA Wine Walk or Beer Walk?
February 4, 2019
Did you know that the CAPA Beer Walk & Wine Walk Committees start planning 9 months in advance? If you’re interested in hosting either event at your house/backyard this year, please let us know! Feel free to send us an email at capajolietemail@gmail.com. It’s a great opportunity to get involved in CAPA and we promise it will be a lot of fun! The Wine Walk and Beer Walk committees will take care of all the planning. You’ll just open your door (or fence) to the attendees and enjoy the event!
This Olde Housewalk Donates $3,000 to the Jonathan E. Ellis Scholarship Fund
January 27, 2019
With proceeds from the 2018 This Olde Housewalk event, CAPA was able to donate $3,000 to the Jonathon E. Ellis Scholarship Fund at the University of St. Francis. We’re proud to say that this donation has allowed the scholarship to become fully endowed and will now allow its funding to move forward in perpetuity.
The Jonathan E. Ellis Scholarship is awarded yearly, divided between an international student and an athlete (2.8+ GPA) who exemplifies the spirit of St. Francis. The student must have attended the University of Saint Francis for a minimum of one year and must exhibit the qualities that include good moral character, integrity, and good sportsmanship.
CAPA Beer Walk Donates $3,000 to Cornerstone Services
January 26, 2019
The CAPA board, members of the CAPA Beer Walk committee, and Mayor O’Dekirk were pleased to present a donation to Cornerstone Services, Inc.at our monthly meeting last night. Cornerstone Services has been an advocate for people with disabilities for nearly 50 years and has helped over 200 people this year find homes. We are proud to have them in our community and look forward to working with them even more in 2019. And we thank everyone that participated in this year’s CAPA Beer Walk to help make this donation possible.
Holiday Decorating Contest Winners
December 21, 2018
We would like to congratulate the 3 homes that were chosen as this year’s winners for the CAPA Holiday Decorating Contest. Each home owner was awarded with a $100 gift card to Home Depot and all were very pleasantly surprised! Our judges had a wonderful time checking out the lights and were impressed at all of the Christmas spirit. Thank you to the University of St. Francis for the hot cocoa bar and the shuttle ride through the neighborhood! We wish everyone a happy holiday!
Feed My Starving Children volunteering
November 28, 2018
The CAPA board and members of the CAPA Beer Walk Committee had a fun time today packaging food for Feed My Starving Children. We were amongst 110 people who packaged 131 boxes of food, which totaled to 28,296 meals for hungry children all over the world. We look forward to more volunteer opportunities and working with the community.
Two Scholarships Granted to CAPA members
August 17, 2018
CAPA is proud to present $1,000 scholarship awards to two neighborhood students as they pursue a higher education. The checks were presented to Ava Wendel and Alexis Samuels by the CAPA board, Mayor O’Dekirk, Councilman Mudron and CAPA’s Scholarship & Grants Director, Andrew Chemers. We wish Ava and Alexis the best of luck as they go off to college!
2018 This Olde Housewalk
July 5, 2018
The Cathedral Area Preservation Association proudly presents This Olde Housewalk 2018! The Housewalk will be held on September 9th from 12pm to 5pm. Tickets available now by calling Denise at 815-723-7603 ($20) or through https://www.eventbrite.com/e/this-olde-housewalk-2018-ticke…($20 + $3.16 service fee).
A ticket to This Olde Housewalk allows you to explore the interior of 5 historical homes and the LaVerne & Dorothy Brown Science Hall at the University of St. Francis. At each stop, you’ll learn about the location’s history and design. A trolley will be available to ride between homes.
2018 CAPA Beer Walk
June 20, 2018
Mark your calendars! The CAPA Beer Walk 2018 will be held on Saturday, September 29th! Tickets will go on sale on August 1st from https://www.eventbrite.com/e/capa-beer-walk-2018-tickets-47224178790?fbclid=IwAR1QSFAwu2lrpOVncIDI3HC5YGu_LIWKhAnGV651qYDnAfrffmSXxJBPZRI. This year’s Beer Walk will be hosted in 6 backyards, with 24 breweries and 6 restaurants.
New CAPA Signage
June 12, 2018
At last night’s meeting (June 11), the Cathedral Area Preservation Association (CAPA) Board of Directors accepted a hand-crafted sign designed and built by Joliet Central High School alumnus (’17) Andrew Gabl and Cary Nick.
The 4-foot sign, crafted to withstand weather conditions, is the third sign created to distinguish the CAPA area. The newest sign will be located at the Six Corners intersection within the Cathedral Area boundaries.
Over 100 hours were dedicated to the project. “It was a team effort,” stated Gabl, referring to the partnership with Nick.
CAPA extends a big thank you!!!
Annual Garage Sale
June 9, 2018
The Cathedral Area Preservation Association of Joliet will be hosting their annual neighborhood-wide Garage Sale on Thursday, Aug. 2nd, Friday, Aug. 3rd & Saturday, Aug. 4th. Follow this Facebook Event for more details including a list/map of the homes participating this year.
If you live within the Cathedral Area and would like to host your own garage sale, please email capa.garage.sale@gmail.com with the following information:
-Declare that you want to participate
-Name (First and Last)
-Address
-Phone Number
-List of day(s) you want to participate
*Please note that you must be a CAPA member to participate. If you’re not currently a member and wish to become one, please email membership@capajoliet.net.
Scholarship Opportunity!
May 4, 2018
Calling all High School Seniors! CAPA will now be offering two $1,000 scholarships to applicants who are pursuing education beyond high school. Applicants must make sure they live within CAPA’s boundaries, are current CAPA members, and have attended a Joliet area high school for at least three years. Along with their completed application, scholars will need to include a copy of their high school transcript, the acceptance letter from whichever school they are attending in the fall, and an essay to be judged. The application can be found HERE. Applications are due by June 1st. If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Chemers at achemers@gmail.com. Good luck!
Community Clean-Up and Cookout
April 27, 2018
Join the Cathedral Area Preservation Association, St. Raymond, St. John’s Neighborhood, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties for the ultimate neighborhood clean up on Saturday, May 19th at Preservation Park. We will supply garbage bags, gloves, Home Cut Donuts and coffee. Help us in keeping the Cathedral Area clean! A neighborhood cookout will happen right after the clean up at 417 Taylor St.
NEW this year: If you are a current CAPA member and would like some assistance in cleaning up your yard on May 19th, we are teaming up with Cathedral of St. Raymond Parish and School and will have student and parent volunteers to help with chores like raking and picking up litter. This will be part of the BEST Program (Business Executive Strategy for Transformation) at St. Rays, which works to establish mission, values, and goals to ensure that they continue to be a thriving school. If you’d like to sign up for this free service, please call or email Nicole Mikuzis @ 773-875-4550/ nicolemikuzis@gmail.com.
CAPA General Spring Meeting
April 25, 2018
Join us for our General Spring Meeting on Monday, May 14th at 6:30pm. Mayor O’Dekirk will be giving an update on the city and will be able to answer any questions you may have. There will be a presentation on the Old Joliet Prison Project from CAPA President, Quinn Adamowski, and Joliet Area Historical Museum Executive Director, Greg Peerbolte. We will also have a vote on some recent CAPA bylaw revisions, which can be found HERE.
Summer Concerts
April 20, 2018
Concerts will once again be held the third Friday of the summer months at Preservation Park, 710 Taylor Street at 6:30PM. Presented by the Joliet Park District, you are invited to enjoy this FREE concert series. Also this summer, don’t forget that the Joliet Area Historical Museum offers a summer concert series. All Museum concerts start at 7:30pm and take place on the Museum rooftop. Tickets for Museum members are $8 and non members are $10.
Preservation Park
Friday, May 18th
– Cadillac Grove (Blues, Funk, Soul & Rock)
Friday, June 15th
– The Cruisers (Rock & Roll)
Friday, July 20th
– Nova Soul (Soul Music)
Friday, August 17th
– James Bulanda (Frank Sinatra Tribute)
Friday, September 21st
– AD3 Acoustic Trio (Acoustic variety)
Joliet Area Historical Museum
Thursday, May 24th
– South Side Exiles
Thursday, June 14th
– Generation Concert
Friday, June 29th
– Righteous Hillbillies
Friday, July 13th
– Great Moments in Vinyl
Thursday, August 9th
– Cadillac Grove
Friday, August 25th
– M&R Rush
Friday, September 14th
– Strung Out
CAPA Wine Walk Donation to Farragut
February 22, 2018
The Cathedral Area Preservation Association (CAPA) Board of Directors presented a $1,600 donation to support education at Farragut Elementary School at its February Board Meeting.
Farragut Principal Brenda Reiter-Gorman accepted the donation, which will be used to enhance classroom education. “We are so grateful for CAPA’s donation,” said Brenda Reiter-Gorman, “The money will be used to directly benefit our students.”
The donation was one of three that have been recently presented from proceeds raised from the CAPA Wine Walk and the first annual CAPA Beer Walk.
2018 CAPA Annual Meeting
February 4, 2018
We had a great time at the CAPA Annual Meeting last night at the beautiful Jacob Henry Mansion. Thank you to the ROTC and the Joliet Township High School Student Ambassadors for their outstanding presentation. We also recognized our neighborhood police officer, Pat Blatti, for his years of service to the Cathedral Area, as well as CAPA board member, Denise Powers. We had a fantastic year and look forward to everything that’s ahead in 2018!
CAPA Receives the 2017 Association Award from the Joliet Chamber of Commerce
January 11, 2018
CAPA was honored to receive the 2017 Association Award from the Joliet Chamber of Commerce and Industry at their annual dinner and “Celebration of Success”. Thank you to the Joliet Chamber of Commerce for our recognition and thank you to the 2017 CAPA Board Members for all of their hard work and dedication to the Cathedral Area and beyond.
Holiday Decorating Contest Winners
December 21, 2017
The annual CAPA Holiday Decorating Contest was held last night and our judges had a wonderful time looking around the neighborhood at all of the beautiful homes with their decorations! We saw more holiday spirit this year than ever. Congratulations to the winning home owners at 950 Glenwood, 350 Whitney, and 701 Raynor. They each received a $100 gift card to Home Depot. And CAPA would like to thank the University of St. Francis for their partnership in the contest and hospitality for our judges. Happy Holidays!
CAPA Beer Walk Makes Local Donations
December 5, 2018
Because of the great success of CAPA’s first annual Beer Walk, CAPA Board members had the privilege of presenting St.Raymond School with a $1,000 check to benefit the school library & also presented a check to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will County!
Cathedral Area Preservation Association 