Pingree Grove park is starting to take shape

Pingree Grove residents know how to keep the party going.

This time, the latest stop on the town's year-long 100th birthday festival is Centennial Park, which officials will dedicate later this month.

The park, built on an acre donated by Cambridge Homes, the town's big home builder, will feature a monument that pays tribute to the Pingree family, the town's founders.

It also will include a pair of benches and 70 bricks locals had engraved with names of notable villagers, some current residents and messages.

The bricks, which arrived Tuesday, will be laid out in two connecting circles that symbolize the old Pingree Grove linking with the new community, said Cathie Vavra, chairwoman of the village's centennial committee.

The park's location also makes reference to a connection between the old and the new, she said.

Centennial Park is on Reinking Road flanked by the new and old parts of town. Cambridge's playground and park are nearby.

As part of a new tradition in town, officials hope to plant an evergreen tree in the park for the village to hold Christmas tree-lighting ceremonies, Vavra added.

The park's additions don't stop there.

"Hopefully, in the next year or so, we can raise money to build a gazebo or something like that," said Vavra, also the village's events coordinator.

Funds generated from the bricks and benches cover the park's cost, which the village and committee helped fund.

The dedication ceremony also includes a ribbon cutting and flag raising and is scheduled for noon Oct. 21. Descendants from the Pingree family have been invited to attend, Vavra said.

Pingree Grove turned 100 years old on Valentine's Day and events have been held all year in connection with that birthday.

The final stop on the town's birthday parade is a gala on Nov. 3 at the Cambridge Lakes Community Center. Its silent auction will raise money for Little Angels, an Elgin home for disabled children and adults.