Above / Naperville is blessed with park settings and forest preserves that give visitors a chance to feel as through they’re “a million miles from Monday,” to use a slogan from an ad campaign to promote Illinois back in the mid-1990s.
Summer wildflowers are in bloom, the walking and bike trail provides a peaceful path to nature, and signs indicate all is well for fishing in Lake Osborne, just south of the Naperville Public Safety Center, and accessible from both Aurora Avenue and Oswego Road.
The reservoir offers a spacious place for bass fishing (no more than six) from the shoreline, biking and walking on paved trails around the lake and picnicking by the gazebo. Some seasonal precautions are advised.
The path around Lake Osborne leads to the back of the Naperville Public Safety Center where flags fly high over a special memorial designating appreciation for public safety and first responders near the entrances to the Naperville Fire Department and the Naperville Police Department.
Lake Osborne is named to honor Marjorie Osborne
Named to honor civic leader Marjorie Osborne, an advocate of water resource management, the park is located just west of the Public Safety Center along Aurora Ave.
When digging into the history of Osborne’s local leadership, interested residents will learn that in June 1972, a referendum caused the dissolution of Elementary District 78 and High School District 107 and the formation of a 32-square-mile Community Unit School District 203 that exists today. Osborne ended up being elected on Aug. 12, 1972, to serve the new district with Daniel Butler, Mary Lou Cowlishaw, John Dahlberg, Dean Davis, Wilma Reschke and Andrew Wehrli.
In the mid to late 1980s, Osborne, a former member of the Naperville Plan Commission, also served as president of the local preservation society.
Go Fish!
More than ever, a good getaway with a fishing buddy provides a release from the pressures of daily life.
Coupled with the human need to connect with other individuals as well as the joys of experiencing simple pleasures, fishing also teaches patience.
‘Be patient and calm; no one can catch fish in anger.’ —Herbert Hoover
Reports from anglers over the years say they’ve caught catfish, bass, bluegill and carp in Lake Osborne.
So… Buddy up, pack a picnic with plenty of water, grab a tackle box and fishing poles, and venture to Lake Osborne or one of Naperville’s many fishing ponds, possibly right in your neighborhood.
By car, Lake Osborne is located just west of the Naperville Public Safety Center at 1320 Aurora Avenue. Parking is available.
One more thing: When sitting on the bench along the trail at Lake Osborne near Oswego Road looking west, reflections and sunsets can be spectacular throughout the year. And again, you’ll feel a million miles from Monday right here in Naperville.
