Villa Park’s Rugaard Gazebo is named after Regin “Ray” Rugaard, who died in 1989. Rugaard was a longtime Villa Park businessman and community leader who owned and operated the Villa Park Fuel and Material Company on Villa Avenue. The gazebo is a focal point of many village activities, including the Thursday Summer Concerts series. The pictured plaque, located near the bottom of the gazebo, shows the correct spelling of Rugaard’s name (with one g and two a’s, not two g’s and one a), which is frequently misspelled.
