Prairie Center for the Arts renamed after Schaumburg Village President Al Larson
Schaumburg's Prairie Center For The Arts has a new name honoring the man whose vision helped shape its growth.
A sign dedicating the new Al Larson Prairie Center For The Arts was unveiled Sunday to the cheers of village officials and the family of the 30-year Schaumburg village president.
The unveiling followed a ceremony that paid tribute to Larson and his contribution to preserve the site for the center at 201 Schaumburg Court, which opened in 1986 while Larson was still a trustee, and to nurture its growth.
It now includes a 442-seat theater that boasts such regulars as the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra, the Schaumburg Dance Ensemble and the Schaumburg Choral Program and attracts other local and national acts.
Amid the buzzing of cicadas, guests milled about the plaza as a group of youth performers played chamber music.
John Flamini, who chairs the Schaumburg Cultural Commission, noted Larson's passion for the arts, in particular crediting him with the development of arts programs for youth.
"Thanks to him, we now have a summer theater for young people, the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra, the Schaumburg children's choir and the youth choir and the Schaumburg Dance Ensemble. If you just look around the grounds and inside the Prairie Center, you will always see works of art on display. Al's vision has become our reality and is growing every year in this village."
Jennifer Nolin, Larson's daughter, said the village president and his wife Nancy raised their five children with an emphasis on the arts, "particularly music and theater. I grew up attending performances at the Prairie Center with my mom and dad, where I must admit that my appreciation for the symphony orchestra was slow to grow as a grade school child - but it did grow - and where my love for musical productions began and continues to this day."
Village Manager Brian Townsend said the arts venue is just one of Larson's accomplishments. When Townsend met Larson in 1993, there was no Schaumburg Convention Center, no baseball stadium, no sculpture park or town square.
"He was passionate and he had a vision. He wanted Schaumburg to be the best."
"To have my name placed on the Prairie Center For The Arts building is humbling indeed," Larson said.
He acknowledged the contributions of such Schaumburg luminaries as the late Maggie Atcher, the wife of former longtime Mayor Bob Atcher.
He referred to the center as the impossible dream of a "former boy soprano who would hide behind the organ when my voice began to change."
It was a dream "I could not have done without any of you. For that dream and for all future dreams I always will be in your debt."