Tale of two Schaumburgs: Sister Cities ready to commemorate partnership in stone

Nothing yet is set in stone but if all the chips fall into place, it's likely that a sandstone monument will be chiseled into existence to mark the 25th anniversary of the twinning of the two Schaumburgs.

When members of the Schaumburg Sister Cities Commission and their counterparts from Schaumburg, Germany, the Schaumburger Deutsch-Amerikanische Gesellschaft met here recently for their annual planning session, the group climbed creative heights with a proposition to fashion a stone monument dedicated to those who left their native land and settled this area in the mid-1800s.

If agreeable to Mayor Al Larsen and Schaumburg trustees, the monument would take form and ultimately rest in the church courtyard of Apelern. Although it is still in the thinking and planning stages, the proposition first will follow protocol as Sister Cities Commission representatives present it to the Schaumburg Village Board for its consideration.

Juergen Watermann, a frequent visitor here and now vice president of the SDAG, talked about the enthusiasm of SDAG President Dr. Egon Crombach and SDAG members for the project proposed for the 25th anniversary.

"A highlight for us would be the placing of a stone monument in memory of the 17 German emigrant families from the village of Apelern in Schaumburg County," Watermann said. "This emigration has been researched historically and scientifically proven."

Meant as a tribute to the settlers of the past, those who left their towns such as Apelern, Obernkirchen, Minden, Buckeburg and Stadthagen to sail to American shores -- and eventually settle what English settlers called Sarah's Grove -- the proposed monument would match the one-ton friendship stone donated by German officials and dedicated 13 months ago to honor Schaumburg's 50th anniversary. That concrete sign of "gemutlichkeit," or "amicability," rests in a place of honor in the Schaumburg Convention Center. Gemutlichkeit is a key word in the relationship of the Schaumburg twinning communities.

A delegation of officers of the SDAG continues its visit until Saturday but last week the two organizations cooperated to propose plans for the future.

SDAG President Crombach, Watermann and board directors Klause-Dieter Budde and Anne Coert met with Schaumburg Sister Cities Commissioners Helmut Brenzinger, chairman, and Mary Nagy, co-chair. Other visitors are Crombach's wife Ursula, Coert's husband Ady and Watermann's teenage daughter, Stephanie. Among their adventures during their stay were outings to St. Peter Lutheran Church and its cemetery, Spring Valley Nature Center, the village hall and Woodfield as well as trips to Chicago and the Schaumburg Renaissance Convention Center.

"We also visited the Schaumburg Police Department," Watermann said, "and Dr. Crombach used that occasion to thank Director of Police Richard Casler for his input in the very successful police officer exchanges. Those exchanges again and again through the years were highlights for the policemen who participated. We consider them landmarks of the partnership."

Dirk Hahne, deputy police chief of Schaumburg Township in Germany and chief of the Buckeburg Fire Department, participated in the police exchange. He also is involved in management of the Buckeburg Hospital. A Minden police officer and a firefighter/paramedic, Sven Wiese of Stadthagan, who also is a team group leader of the Stadthagen Fire Department, participated in the exchange as well.

Schaumburg Police Canine Officer Mike Henley and his wife, Irene, hosted Budde and his wife, Lisa. Budde is a veteran of the police exchanges.

Among other plans for the new year are healthcare, teacher, soccer and fire and police exchanges.

WINGS auction: Mayor Bill McLeod and his wife Joane, whose focus is on WINGS, say they are exhilarated because the recent mayoral ball's silent auction had a profit of $20,000 for Women in Need Growing Stronger. That amount surpassed their goal of $15,000 by $5,000. WINGS provides services for women to end domestic violence and homelessness "one family at a time," according to its mission statement.

Two major contributions took that goal to its heights. Cabela's donated a Merkel 12 gauge side by side shotgun, which raised $4,500, and Hilton Garden Inn gave several overnights, a romance package and a duvet bedding package plus a percentage of the inn's profit for its last quarter, all of which stretched to $6,500.