13Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Community» REGIONAL TRAVEL

Find German farm living in Schaumburg When it comes to

finding an escape from the stresses of city living, the vil-lage of Schaumburg would probably not be the first place that comes to mind.

But the northwest suburb, sometimes dubbed “Little Chicago,” is full of surprises.

Many people prob-ably aren’t aware that the city was named after Schaumburg-Lippe – a section of Germany where many of Shaumburg’s earlier residents hailed from.

As a way to pay homage to its Ger-man past, the city houses and supports Volkening Heritage Farm, located at Spring Valley Nature Preserve, 201 S. Plum Grove Road.

While strolling along a wooden walkway leading to the farm, visitors will come across a sign that tells a story about Schaumburg’s past. From 1840 to 1960, Schaumburg was basically a collection of family farms populated by hard-working German Americans. The heritage farm represents those forgot-ten years. Staff and volunteers dress in period clothing and work with authentic tools and equipment while demonstrat-ing farm work and household chores.

The farm features a visitor center, farmhouse, a re-creation of an 1880s kitchen garden, an outhouse, a summer kitchen, smokehouse, fruit orchard, chicken coop, tool house, manure piles, barn, springhouse, corn crib, hog house, equipment shed, pastures and crop fields, wood lot and a windmill.

The 135-acre preserve and park include the farm, walking trails, an arbo-retum, a log cabin and a nature center. There also is a small gift shop at the Volkening Heritage Farm visitor center.

The farm offers a variety of programs for the Schaumburg school district, including story-time sessions; a “Hands on History” program, where kids complete chores that children living on farms in the 1880s would have had to perform; a “Farms and Food” program, where children participate in a meet-and-greet with farm animals; and a “Heritage Quest” program, where kids

venture off on a quest to find out what people do on the farm. The Spring Valley Nature Center also offers a variety of activities throughout the year, many of which involve Volkening.

Patty Kennedy, program coordina-tor, said Volkening tells the story of what Schaumburg was like before the community expanded and places like Woodfield Mall came into existence.

“The story of the first Germans in Schaumburg is easily lost,” she said. “The farm helps re-create [the tale] and introduces people to German-related facts about the area. ... Spring Valley it-self also is a nice oasis to suburban life.”

On my recent visit, I encountered a couple of volunteers strolling around in 1880s attire.

Volunteer Carol Anagnostopoulos, who has volunteered for three years, stopped to chat and share her thoughts about why the farm is important to Schaumburg.

“I live in Arlington Heights and didn’t know this farm was here,” she said. “After attending a fall event – the hog house to smokehouse event – I was impressed.”

Anagnostopoulos said she loves the variety of programs Volkening offers and enjoys dressing up in period attire and playing along with the 1880s theme. Working on the farm, she said, intro-duces new generations of children to farm life.

“There are so many people who visit from other countries,” she said. “They recognize farm life and are happy they have the opportunity to show their chil-dren how they grew up. And it gives our children a chance to have an authentic farm experience.”

Is a visit to Volkening worth the trip?The nature center and quaint heri-

tage farm are indeed a welcome escape from the chaos of Schaumburg – I used to work in the area and if I would have known such a place existed, I would have definitely used it as an escape. I think a trip out to Volkening Farm would be a hit with most young children, though older kids might be bored. It is also a quiet and reflective place for solo visitors or couples to stroll around and find a few moments of reprieve.

Most importantly, in a largely urban-ized area like Schaumburg, I think the farm is a blessing and a remarkable

window to the past. Spring Valley Nature Center and Volken-

ing Heritage Farm are definitely worth the visit, if people are in the area.

Spring Valley Nature Center is open year-round. The farm and farm activities are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Satur-day and Sunday, April through October.

For information, call 847-985-2100.

Visitors can experience what rural life was like in the 1880s at Volkening Heritage Farm. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY RHONDA MIX

Roaming WithRhonda

RhondaMix

Staff writer Rhonda Mix writes about region-al travel destinations for The Independent and also maintains a travel blog at www.midwesternadventures.com. To suggest your favorite travel destinations in Illinois or Wis-consin, email rhonda@thewoodstockinde-pendent.com.