WOODLAWN — The 63rd Street drummers say they’ve been shut out of the lakefront park where they’ve gathered almost daily since 1970, performing for many thousands of people and attracting wide recognition as an iconic cultural institution.

Aside from meeting up in a cramped area for a Block Club photo shoot for this story, the drum circle hasn’t convened at the park since the beginning of July.

That’s when the Chicago Park District installed a new gated parking system, with sharply increased parking rates, in the lot serving the 63rd Street Beach House, according to Debra Lawson, a drummer who organized the 63rd Street Drummers Affiliation to advocate for the group.

Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th) said he hopes the Park District will make accommodations for the drummers. The Park District didn’t

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