sch review 03 09 06 North and west ... the best Reunion party officially kicks off 50th anniversary celebration BY MATT KIEFER STAFF WRITER Schaumburg marked its 50th anniversary Tuesday night by reflecting on its roots as a small farming community and looking forward to big plans for the future. About 400 members of the Schaumburg community were on hand for "50 Years ... A Reunion" held at the Prairie Center for the Arts. The event was held in commemoration of March 7, 1956, when newly sworn Village President Louis Redeker, six trustees and the village clerk signed the incorporation papers that brought Schaumburg into existence. The first 50 years of the village's history were brought to life Tuesday evening by artifacts on display in the Prairie Center lobby, including a 1947 atlas of the area that is now Schaumburg, pictures of St. Peter Lutheran Church and other local landmarks, along with countless other pieces of the past. In the auditorium, students from Schaumburg High School presented a detailed chronology of the community, starting with its 1956 incorporation as a 2-square-mile farming town with 156 residents. "It's hard to believe it would emerge into what it has today," remarked Schaumburg High School student Luke Liu. The screening of a video oral history, "The Early Years," edited by Jack Netter, featured interviews of Schaumburg residents who lived here when the area was farmland as far as the eye could see. Some residents recalled when it was a busy day to see five cars traveling up and down Roselle Road, while others remember when Plum Grove Road was one lane, and drivers would have to pull over onto the shoulder to let oncoming cars pass. Still others recounted that land could be purchased out for $1.25 an acre, or how some early residents were kept awake at night by howling wolves climbing onto the roofs of their homes. Other speakers that evening reflected on the evolution of Olde Schaumburg Center at Schaumburg and Roselle roads, where the corner was once home to a feed shop, a general store, a few taverns and a gas station. There were memories of former Village Trustee Herman Winkelhake, a farmer who served on the board from 1956 to 1967, who would arrive at Village Board meetings late during summer months because he had to milk his cows at sunset. A panel discussion in the auditorium included LaVonne Thies Presley, who grew up on a family farm and is involved with the local historical society; Russ Parker, who served on the Plan Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals during the years of Woodfield development and other developmental growth; and Jack Siegel, the first and only village attorney, who successfully upheld Schaumburg's right to incorporate during a three-day trial in 1960. "It is apparent that this community is just beginning to dream of the potential that we have here," Siegel observed during the discussion. Local musician Dan Marcotte presented a lighthearted music video featuring a song he wrote about the village. By the end of the song, the audience was singing along with the chorus: "Schaumburg, Schaumburg, Schaumburg north and west ... Schaumburg, Schaumburg, Schaumburg is the best." Amidst champagne toasts and birthday cake, with the Schaumburg Youth Symphony Orchestra playing in the background, guests also looked forward to the future -- the opening of the Schaumburg Convention Center this summer, the STAR Line train service headed this way and the remaining 50th anniversary celebrations taking place over the course of the year. On March 11, the celebration will continue with the program, "Our Stories, Our History Storytelling" at the Prairie Center. Other 50th anniversary-themed events this year include the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra Americana Concert at the Prairie Center on April 9; the Prairie Arts Festival May 27 and 28 at Atcher Municipal Center; the Music Series at Town Square this summer; the Schaumburg Convention Center grand opening in July; the Images of Schaumburg Historic Photo Display at the Schaumburg Township Building in July and August, and at the Schaumburg Township District Library in October; Septemberfest on Sept. 2, 3 and 4; the Fire Station/Public Safety Memorial Dedication Sept. 19; the Holiday Tree Lighting on Nov. 24 and Christkindlesmarkt on Nov. 25 and 26; and the Anniversary Ball co-sponsored with Elk Grove Village on Dec. 31 at the Schaumburg Convention Center.