Round Lake Beach planning anniversary celebrations

The 75th anniversary of Round Lake Beach's incorporation isn't until next year, but plans to mark the milestone are well under way.

Residents will be hard pressed to miss the fact the anniversary is pending, as village leaders will spread the word in a variety of ways throughout the year.

Rather than a one-day bash as an observance, the strategy will be to involve the community in its history and give everyone a chance to participate or contribute.

“I really want this to be an all-community event,” said village Trustee Judy Armstrong, co-chair of a special 75th anniversary committee. “Whatever their age, whatever their neighborhood ... I want them to experience some part of the celebration of our 75th.”

Committee members have met three times and developed a preliminary strategy focused on publicity and fundraising.

“The reason you work so far ahead is because there's a lot to this,” said Carl Schrimpf, who served as mayor for 20 years in separate stints spanning parts of four decades. “It's not, ‘Let's have a picnic.' What is the theme? What do we want to do?”

The village plans to partner with businesses and civic groups and organizations for sponsorships and to raise the profile of the 75th anniversary at events such as Beachfest and the cemetery walk.

“We want the world to know and we want residents to participate,” Armstrong said.

The village board last week authorized spending up to $10,000 for public relations materials and startup costs for various activities this year and next.

Armstrong described it as seed money the committee hopes to offset with sponsorships.

Armstrong and Trustee Larry Mount, who also is on the 75th anniversary committee, recently were given authority by the village board to act as purchasing agents and enter into contracts or agreements for services with vendors or providers.

Village board approval is not required, but the expenditures will be discussed first with Mayor Rich Hill or Village Administrator Dave Kilbane.

The timeline this year is heavy on public relations and fundraising.

“The challenge is how do we pay for it?” Schrimpf said. “We're coming up with different things to raise funds.”

A dinner dance, festivals, a young author's contest and a lakefront celebration are among the activities envisioned for next year. But there is much to do and much to come.

“That was sort of my vision — Round Lake Beach is a village of progress — to have a progressive celebration throughout the year,” Armstrong said. “It's part of a whole. There will be a number of big events and a number of smaller events.”

As for history, the extension of rail lines and later the advent of the automobile brought visitors to what then was a popular resort area.

In the early Depression-era days, L.B. Harris, a Chicago real estate developer, began marketing property in what became Round Lake Beach as a desirable place to live full time.

Buyers were attracted by inexpensive homes near a wooded lake. By the mid-1930s, there were nearly 200 residents and the area began evolving from a collection of summer cottages to that of a small village.

Demand for municipal services grew and residents in the subdivision on the north side of Round Lake voted to incorporate in January 1937.

The original village officers included village clerk John Charles Ness, who had played two seasons in the major leagues as a first baseman — with Detroit Tigers in 1911 and the Chicago White Sox in 1916.

Residential development took off in the postwar 1940s and with the addition of a golf course, the village began to thrive. It now is the seventh largest community in Lake County with a population of 28,175, according to the 2010 census.

With no museum or historical society, the village will devote part of the anniversary effort to soliciting memories, memorabilia or other historical records of the village's early days.

“We've sort of become known as the people who are looking for these sorts of things,” Armstrong said.

Anyone interested in helping with the anniversary planning or who has historical information to share can contact Armstrong at (847) 691-6988 or trusteearmstrong@aol.com.