The elk pen at the Ned Brown Forest Preserve at Busse Woods near the intersection of Higgins and Arlington Heights roads is a popular stop for many families, but its origins are a little more macabre. When the forest preserve district was first created, commissioners used to hunt elk in the preserve and donate the meat to orphanages.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
Elk Grove Village is home to one of the world's largest industrial parks and to quiet residential neighborhoods. Its giant business tax base allows the village to provide lots of services and amenities while keeping taxes low. Sitting in the shadow of O'Hare International Airport, with which it has had a love-hate relationship, the village will turn 60 next year.
My assignment was to spend one hour β no more, no less β roaming around the village, photographing things that caught my eye. I photographed the obvious and the obscure, the big things and small, but all are identifiable to Elk Grove Village.
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And tell us what photos are your favorites. Which ones stir a memory for you? Where do you love to go in town?
So here's βAn Hour in Elk Grove Village.β
Joe Hagenauer has been an Elk Grove Village resident, partially lured here by the fishing provided by the waterways within the Ned Brown Forest Preserve at Busse Woods. The retired hardware store employee said he'll spend about three hours at a time fishing two poles at the preserve's main lake.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
Most weekday mornings Raul Farfan, a 33-year veteran of Jarosch Bakery at 35 Arlington Heights Road in Elk Grove Village, can be found pounding dough and adding fruit filling to the hundreds of desserts that fly out the door of the 50-year-old business.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
The interesting thing about the flag decor of the children's wing of the Elk Grove Village library at 1001 Wellington Ave. is that the scores of flags were chosen to represent the ancestry of all the children who go to school in the village, according to Youth Services Director Adelaide Rowe.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
If you want to reserve the Elk Grove Village Park District's Pavillion Carousel for a birthday party or other event, be prepared to call a year in advance, officials said. Since its installation 20 years ago, the carousel has been in hot demand.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
This chilling bear statue greets all visitors who arrive at the Elk Grove Village Park District Pavillion at 1000 Wellington Ave. and is part of a larger group of statues that dot the landscape around the village's municipal complex.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
The tiny Elk Grove Cemetery rests near the eastbound on-ramp to I-90 off Arlington Heights Road and is the final resting place of Aaron Miner, a soldier in the Revolutionary War who settled in the Elk Grove area in 1833 and died in 1849 at age 92.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
The Elk Grove Village Fire Department's newest piece of equipment is a massive quintuple combination pumper aptly dubbed "Quint 7" was being tested out at Station 7 by Lt. John Kelly, left, and Firefighter Jorge Sigler.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
For 53 years, Elk Grove Bowl has served as one of the most identifying architectural features in the village. Located at 53 S. Arlington Heights Road, the bowling alley is available for parties, league play and also recreational bowling.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
Faced with the prospect of missing league night, Sara Bruno of Roselle stopped off at Elk Grove Bowl during her lunch hour recently to "pre-bowl" so her scores could be counted for her league team.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
For 30-plus years, Judi and Abraham Aguilar's Tapalpa Mexican Restaurant has been a culinary fixture thanks to the attention of cooks like Mario Ramirez, left, and Justino Ramirez.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
While Tapalpa pays the bills, Abraham Aguilar's true love is gardening. The Aguilar's home on Ridge is easily recognizable by all the flora and garden features Aguilar has lovingly installed over the years, including handmade birdhouses that encompass his yard.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
Museum Coordinator Audrey Ko said amenities in the "children's room" at the Elk Grove Park District's Schuett-Biermann Farmhouse are intended to replicate life in the 1800s.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
Most weekday mornings, the Rose Garden Cafe at the corner of Higgins and Arlington Heights roads in Elk Grove Village is teeming with hungry patrons who stopped off on their way to work or are waiting for colleagues before a breakfast meeting.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
Arguably one of the most photographed structures in Elk Grove Village, the pirate ship at the Elk Grove Park District's Pirate's Cove play area is a signature feature of the district's expansive recreational facilities.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com
Home of the Grenadiers, Elk Grove High School boasts a student enrollment of roughly 2,000 annually and is located adjacent to the bucolic Ned Brown Forest Preserve at Busse Woods.
Jake Griffin/jgriffin@dailyherald.com