Sleepy Hollow begins celebrating its 50 years
The late Floyd Falese started Sleepy Hollow more than 50 years ago by buying farms in northwest Elgin. The village incorporated in 1958 on April 29 with fewer than 500 residents, 60 horses and an area of about 1,100 acres.
This 50-year milestone was celebrated April 29 in a neighborly way at the Sleepy Hollow village hall. The event could have been a scene painted by Norman Rockwell. Between 6 and 8 p.m. the little village hall was filled with a constant stream of residents. Past and present village officials were on hand to share memories. Longtime residents brought memorabilia to show to others.
Through reading the yellowed newspaper articles, watching the developer's promo (now on a DVD), and hearing the many experiences shared by both new and old residents, the story of a community began to form.
In future columns I hope to give you a little of the flavor of the history and happenings of the Village of Sleepy Hollow. Being a birthday celebration, there was of course wonderful cake to enjoy -- three cakes, in fact, to accommodate the crowd.
Special T-shirts are available for purchase at the village hall to commemorate the occasion. They are burgundy-colored, with a Headless Horseman clutching a 50th anniversary banner emblazoned on the front in white. On the back is written "The 'Happening' in the Hollow 2008." The shirts cost $15 each (two for $25); any profit goes to the Sleepy Hollow Service Club to help defray the cost of the celebration.
By 1977 the population had risen to 2,000, and Sleepy Hollow had four full-time employees -- three policemen and am ad works man. A silo was the village's tallest building. In an article, then-village clerk Bonnie Pofahl said, "We don't have a downtown. When you drive through Sleepy Hollow, you'll see a big gray building with a blue cap on its silo. It's been a pig farm, a cow barn and a horse barn. Now it's the village hall."
It is still the village hall and police station. It's been upgraded a bit and is now red with a white cap on the silo. Village President Stephen Pickett in his welcoming speech said, "What will become of Sleepy Hollow in the next 50 years? Sputnik was launched in 1957 and it's not still around, but Floyd Falese's dream still lives on."
He went on to explain, "Sleepy Hollow would not be here if not for the spirit of volunteerism. This is a village of volunteers. The village trustees and president are all volunteers -- and what would the holidays of Easter, Halloween or Fourth of July be like without the Sleepy Hollow Service Club? In Sleepy Hollow the employees are just as proud of the village as the residents.
"The next four or five months will be full of special events," he said.
Pickett urges everyone to stay here on July 4 because "it will be the beginning of a new legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Summit Center Garage Sale and Auction: Summit School Early Learning Center is hosting its second annual garage sale and silent auction from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 15 and 16. The center is at 799 S. McLean Blvd. in Elgin, just south of Elgin Community College.
You can bid on such diverse silent auction items as a family pool pass from Elgin Rec Center; SportClips haircuts; dinner at JuRin Japanese Restaurant; dinner at Jimmy's Charhouse; two heart scans from Sherman Health Center; a Kanga Bounce Jump House rental; a bed and breakfast evening at Englewood Spa and Resort in Itasca; and family passes to the Field Museum, The Art Institute or the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Garage sale items include household goods, adult, children's and baby clothes, DVDs, video games, books, baby strollers, car seats, walkers and lots of toys.
Proceeds go to the school for sensory equipment for children with special needs. Call (847) 488-9207 for more information or to donate items.
Dundee Lions Club breakfast: Looking for a great Sunday breakfast? You have been reading about all of the Mother's Day brunches; here is a delicious bargain. The Dundee Lions Club will host its Dundee Lions Club breakfast from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 18 at Dundee Highlands Elementary School, on South Fifth Street in West Dundee.
At the low price of $5.75 for adults and $4 each for children you can afford to look like a real hero and take Mom out for two Sundays in a row. You can dine on all-you-can-eat biscuits, sausage and gravy, pancakes and syrup, scrambled and fried eggs, coffee, orange juice and milk.