Schaumburg holiday market likely gone

Speculation that vendors themselves might resurrect this year's canceled Christkindlesmarkt in Schaumburg, while not impossible, is probably very unlikely.

Village officials announced last week that finances were forcing this year's European-style, open-air holiday market to be shelved.

The news fueled speculation that participating vendors might put it together themselves - much as the residents of the Timbercrest and Woods subdivisions self-organized their annual garage sale in the absence of a formal leader a few years back.

But as Schaumburg's Cultural Services Director Betsy Armistead points out, the village did much more than just provide the parking lot space at Town Square at Schaumburg and Roselle roads.

Held outdoors during Thanksgiving weekend, the event requires the tents, heaters and portable toilets the village has provided and paid for - not to mention the entertainment, Armistead said.

While stranger things have happened, it seems unlikely that the vendors and artisans who sell at Christkindlesmarkt would be more able than the village to afford to organize all these things, she added.

Though Schaumburg had successfully hosted the three-day event for a decade, last year the village lost between $10,000 and $15,000 on it.

And, the village is projecting an overall $6 million deficit in its budget for next year.

While there's hope Christkindlesmarkt isn't gone for good, its return is contingent on an improvement in the village's financial situation, Armistead said.