Your say - Woodstock: Reader-submitted essays
We asked you what made your community special. Here's what readers had to way about Woodstock:
Best of both worlds
I like Woodstock because it is a small enough community that you usually run into friends when you go to the store, and it is a large enough that there are great cultural opportunities, both as an audience and a participant.
There is a sense of community and a sense of place, and through the train line and the highways there is a connection to the world beyond.
It is a town where a groundhog and a cartoon cop hold the keys to the city, and a town that headquarters organizations like the Family Health Partnership Clinic and PADS.
It is a town with leaders willing to be innovative and progressive, and it is a town that values its traditions and its past.
I like Woodstock because of its contradictions.
Bill Clow
Groundhog Day a unique event
As a lifelong resident and third generation native Woodstockian, I have been involved in numerous community events. But the one event that I enjoy working on the most is Woodstock’s Groundhog Days.
The committee came to life after the 1992 filming and has grown from 30 people gathering for breakfast in 1995 to a weeklong celebration. I never have worked with such a dedicated group of volunteers who don’t seem to mind getting out on one of the coldest months of the year to bring a little fun and frivolity to our city.
People come from all over the country and, yes, even abroad, to join us every Feb. 2. A special bonus for me came last year when my grandson was born on Groundhog Day. What could be more fitting?
Pam Moorhouse
Town welcoming for transplant
To me, Woodstock always will stand for acceptance and opportunity.
As a Chicago transplant, I went from the clanking of the “L” to the serenity of the jogging paths of Emricson Park. The job of a lifetime brought me to Woodstock, but the community spirit is what has impressed me the most.
From my first morning meeting of the Rotary club to an evening on the Square: I have marveled at how accepting and open everyone has been. This is a caring community that is quickly willing to lend a helping hand and one that supports its educational and civic programs.
I arrived here little more than one year ago, and I already feel as though I share a connection to the vision and purpose of my town. I have enjoyed learning about its history as well as learning the advantages of a central location and vibrant arts offerings.
The rare ability of obtaining such a feeling of assimilation so quickly is the quality of Woodstock that makes it so hard to explain but also makes me very proud to be a resident of Woodstock.
Brian McAdow
Memories framed by Square
I remember my first visit to the Woodstock Square in February 1997. I fell in love right then and there.
My husband and I moved into a little house north of the square that March with three precious kids in tow, ages 6, 4, and 6 months old. Little did I know then that the Square would hold a portrait of memories for our family.
I can’t count the number of times we’ve spent there since that first day. It’s my favorite place in Woodstock; actually, it’s one of my favorite places ever.
We’ve laughed, cried, eaten, celebrated, sang, loved, cheered, and grown on that beautiful Square!
I smile when I think of the concerts in the park, the Opera House, the farmers’ market, coffee and a good book, ice-cream, donuts, crepes, pizza, movies, the lighting of the Square, girl’s night out, shopping, dining, art shows, Harvest Fest, Groundhog Day, Fair Diddley, parades, picnics, snowball fights, and more.
And it’s not only the Square. It’s the people that make the Square what it is – the store owners, the community, those behind the scenes, the officers on duty, the friends you meet and make and those you love and hang out with while you’re there.
Our children are now 18, 16, 12 and 8, and I can’t think of a better place to raise a family. Woodstock is a beautiful place to live, laugh, serve, and love!
Thank you Woodstock Square for the joy and the memories!
Kerri Sutter
Theater makes this home
I’ve always had a creative side of me, but it wasn’t until my wife and I moved to Woodstock in 2001 that I truly found a wonderful outlet for that creativity.
I’m talking about two organizations that provide outstanding plays and musicals year in, year out: TownSquare Players Inc. and Woodstock Musical Theatre Company.
In high school, I’d done some acting, and years later, I appeared in a Bloomingdale community theater production. But those were nothing compared to the professionalism I’ve seen – whether in the audience or on stage – at TSP/WMTC shows. The commitment shown by those involved in these nonprofit community theater groups continually amazes me. Some of the most talented directors, actors, and staff regularly donate their time, or work for a stipend, just to entertain Woodstock Opera House audiences.
Since moving here, I’ve had the sheer joy of playing varied characters in 15 different TSP/WMTC shows, and I’m practicing for my 16th – “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!).” Based on our rehearsals, this will be a fun musical parody to perform and to see.
Woodstock has much to recommend it, but these groups and their shows make me proud to call it home.
Paul Lockwood
President, TownSquare Players Inc.
Woodstock values its tradition
Here are a few examples of Woodstock’s tradition: the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Woodstock one of 12 historic destinations; Orson Welles began his career in our town’s theater; and the Dick Tracy comic strip was created here.
But what really makes Woodstock special, though, is not its loose ties to pop culture but its commitment to tradition.
From preserving the historic Square and its quaint storefront shops to its building of new and modern schools, Woodstock has proven that it knows how to be traditional and current at the same time.
And Woodstock knows how to have a good time, too. Whether it’s a festival for Groundhog Day, a summer evening with a 100-year-old city band, an annual folk music festival, a sledding hill or a movie in the park, you always can find a reason to celebrate in Woodstock.
So while we have enjoyed Hollywood’s limelight at times, we are much more comfortable sipping cocoa, watching our breath in the cold air, and enjoying our children as they revel beneath the holiday lights of the Woodstock Square.
Mark Murray
One spot worth seeing
Woodstock is filled with many wonderful places. My wife and I moved here 24 years ago to raise our family because of the welcoming atmosphere that the town exhibits.
The Square is a unique place to visit, with many shops and restaurants, but what I like best about Woodstock is a hidden gem in the middle of the town that I call “The Albert Property.”
This 30-acre parcel is located across from Emricson Park on South Street and Tara Avenue. Many residents native to Woodstock might recall using this area as a short cut to Emricson Park starting at Forest Avenue. It is an area rich in biodiversity.
It hosts two main ecosystems: a woodland and wetland. And as a result, many flora and fauna frequent this spot. It accepts runoff from South Street, and the residents that surround its West side where its wetlands filter before depositing this water into the headwaters of the Kishwaukee River.
I try to take a walk through this site everyday during the summer, fall and spring months and at least once a week during the winter. Each time I walk the student-designed trail, I feel my tension disappear and observe something different.
One early morning before sunrise, I spotted a pair of sandhill cranes silently feeding in the wetland. A gentle rain almost masked their presence as they seemed to blend into the cattails and aspens.
The trail is less than a mile in length, but it is a perfect spot to relax and view nature. If anyone would like to help with the restoration and trail development on this site please contact Bill Donato at the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County at mcdef@owl.net.
Bill Donato
Pedestrians welcomed
I love Woodstock for all it has to offer within walking distance of our home.
Since I spend at least 15 hours a week in my car, I love that my family can walk to church, school, parks, restaurants, pubs, the movie theater, the opera house, my wife’s shop and other shops on the Square, concerts on the Square, the library and the train station.
What really makes Woodstock special to me, though, are the wonderful friends we encounter while enjoying all that Woodstock has to offer.
Joe Cox
