Longtime Naperville resident shares memories in new documentary

Naperville resident Herb Nadelhoffer knows his latest film isn't going to be a box office blockbuster like "Avatar."

No epic battle between civilizations; no murders, love stories or special effects.

Unless you count the fight against the chinch bug plague, the love of the land and of a way of life now in suburbia's past.

The 81-year-old Nadelhoffer documents all that in "Farmers, Cows, Corn & Hazy Memories," a 45-minute exploration of farm life in the Naperville area during his lifetime. The film premieres at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 21, at North Central College's Meiley-Swallow Theater, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville, and subsequently will be shown on Naperville Community Television, Channel 17.

Nadelhoffer spent more than three years putting together the documentary, but portions of it include film he shot as far back as the 1930s.

"I filmed it because I wanted to get these stories out," Nadelhoffer said. "I hope it has appeal for everyone."

The stories are told with good humor and fond remembrance. The tellers are people with long roots in the area. Corn, an all-important major crop for local farmers, is the theme that binds the film together.

Nadelhoffer recalled that his own father, Carleton Nadelhoffer, used to plant Indian corn among the other corn in field. Laughter rang out at harvest time when the finder of Indian corn claimed the designated prize - a kiss from the person of his or her choosing.

Cheryl Keller had a different kind of corn story to tell. Her husband, Frank, was busy planting corn when she told him their baby was ready to make its arrival. He drove her to the hospital where she had the baby and he returned home to continue planting corn.

"That didn't sit too well with Cheryl, but she laughed about it," Nadelhoffer said.

The chinch bug wiped out acres of corn and other crops in the 1930s. One of the interviews in the film recalls that plague, which was even more devastating out West, Nadelhoffer said.

"Chinch bugs were like a moving carpet of black and white going across the ground," he said.

Nadelhoffer recorded some of his interviews at the Wheatland Plowing Match and Sycamore Steam Show. The sounds of corn shellers, corn choppers and a country band hum in the background.

"The modern generation, they have to have three or four things going at once, otherwise it sounds dull," he explained.

Renaissance manThis isn't the first farm documentary that Nadelhoffer has shot. An early community producer at NCTV17, he and his wife, Mary Lou Wehrli, produced "Black Acre: A Remembrance" in 1993. The video is available at the Naperville Public Library and online through the library's Naperville Heritage Collection.For his current documentary, Nadelhoffer got help from NCTV17 staff to convert different types of film shot years before into a digital format."It's a lot more difficult than starting up a John Deere tractor on a cold winter day," he quipped.Matt Peace, associate producer at NCTV17, edited the documentary. The film reflects Nadelhoffer's personality and includes watercolors of farm life Nadelhoffer has painted, he said."He is a Renaissance man. He's always finding something to do in the world of arts and crafts," Peace said. "He's never stopped learning. He lives life like he was in his 20s or 30s."Nadelhoffer has taken watercolor classes at the College of DuPage for the last four years and admits to playing a little guitar, but downplays his abilities at both. An avid reader, he enjoys history and has spent time trying to stir public interest in finding use for the farm buildings located at the Greene Valley Forest Preserve, owned by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District."He has a strong passion for life in its entire sense," Peace said.Farm life and beyondMaybe it was growing up on a farm that gave Nadelhoffer his appetite for life. His family lived on a 175-acre farm on 71st Street in what is now Woodridge. His great-grandfather, John Nadelhoffer, had purchased the property in 1854.Nadelhoffer, his older brother, Carleton, now deceased, and young sister, Caroline, would leave the house barefoot in the morning and spend the entire day playing outside, he remembered. They gradually learned to do chores like gathering eggs and took on more responsibilities in helping to run the farm as they grew."We were never, ever bored. We were always building things or making things or doing things," Nadelhoffer said.The farm was rented for several years after his mother died and his father became unable to farm. Nadelhoffer taught school and got a graduate degree in drama at Northwestern University.By 1965, encroaching development and increasing property taxes made it clear the era of farming was past. Nadelhoffer worked with surrounding property owners to organize a parcel to sell to a developer for what later became Woodridge Center.That experience got him involved in land planning and home building. After learning timber frame construction could be used in houses as well as barns, he spent 24 years building timber frame homes - selling his last one in 2004 when he retired.Nadelhoffer may have left the farm, but the farm didn't leave him. He is writing what he calls "farm stories," in addition to completing the documentary. His wife said the stories in the film are worth sharing."There's a lot charming images," she said. "It's a fun piece."bull; Do you know someone with an unusual job or hobby? Let us know at sdibble@dailyherald.com, (630) 955-3532 or 4300 Commerce Court, Lisle, 60532.If you goWhat: Premiere of "Farmers, Corn, Cows Hazy Memories"When: 2 p.m. March 21Where: North Central College's Meiley-Swallow Theater, 31 S. Ellsworth St., NapervilleCost: Free, donations to Loaves Fishes Community Pantry acceptedInfo: gloriousmoment.comTrue20001284Naperville resident Herb Nadelhoffer, producer of the new documentary, "Farmers, Corn, Cows & Hazy Memories," shows artifacts from his days on his family's farm.Scott Sanders | Staff PhotographerTrue