Ah the great outdoors! The small Village of Port Barrington in Illinois, USA was established on just this premise. It is home to roughly 1,500 residents, as of the 2010 census. In 2019, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of our incorporation. This bug will help us share our story, and our message of "Friendly by Nature" with the world! Maybe you'll choose to come visit us someday!
This recreational community, located in both Lake and McHenry Counties, has walking, biking and snowmobile trails, boating, fishing, and several parks and marinas within its boundaries. Founded by Tyra Nielsen in 1927 as Fox River Valley Gardens, the village was incorporated in 1969. It adopted the name Port Barrington in 2003.
Tyra was a real estate agent from Chicago. She (yes SHE) began to establish the village in the 1920s as a business of summer cottages, situated on the Fox River roughly 45 miles northwest of Chicago.
Established as a waterfront vacation destination, she began by having channels dredged off the river to increase the waterfront access of her cottages. The man-made channels, known as Nielsen Channels, connect the village of Port Barrington to the Fox River.
This bug began its journey at Ray Pregenzer Beach park, named for the man Tyra hired, Ray Pregenzer, to dredge the channels.
The park has always been a family picnic and swimming area, with a small sand beach along the shoreline where visitors can now watch as boats whiz past on the river. The peninsula that the parks sits upon is prone to flooding when the water levels rise. In major flood stages, its common for water levels on the road to be as deep as a foot. Sand bagging becomes a community event, with a sand bagging station located a short walk away.
Many of the cottages Tyra had built still line the shorelines of the village today, although many have been heavily remodeled to where they might not be recognizable as originals.
While Tyra founded the village, another woman, Clara Hermann, established the original General Store in the village, Hermanns Rest-a-While, which still operates today as a bar and grill. If you visit, you might think it's Cheers, where everyone knows your name.
The village named its central park, adjacent to Village Hall, Hermann Park, in honor of Clara. It is a hub of the community, featuring a pavillion, playground, fishing pond, basketball hoop, horseshoe pits, large field, indoor Heron Room (in the old Police Station), free little library, and ice rink in winter months. The pond's benches allow viewing of wildlife, including turtles, frogs, and waterfowl. The village mascot, the blue heron, makes frquent visits.
You also can't miss Clara the dinosaur. Installed in 2018, Clara sits in front of a historic ivy backstop of an old baseball field, with a lineage to Wrigley Field.
The pond was dredged in the early 1980s to accept runoff when storm swers were installed on S Circle Ave. Underground piping connects the pond to the Fox River for drainage. Local fisherman later stocked the pond with fish captured from the river.
Adjacent to the park is Village Hall. It was built in 1976 by an all volunteer labor force, made up of local trademen who were village residents. The entire budget for the building was $20,000. It came in under budget!
The large blue spuce near the pavilillion and basketball court was planted by Girl Scout Troop 1101. It is lit every holiday season and also serves as backdrop to the annual bunny visit.
Throughout Nielsen Channels and the Fox River, you can regularly see the village's mascot, the Great Blue Heron, wading just off the shore. In the spring of 2019, squadrons of white pelicans, often mistaken as swans, filled the channels for weeks. White swans, though, are also known to be active in the area.
Neighbors are often seen fishing from their backyard piers. A 39" northern was recorded in 2019, and catching 30+ crappie in a day isn't unheard of. Ice fishing is a popular winter activitye, bobhouses on the ice and snow mobiles and sleds throughout the channels.
The Fox River Preserve of the Lake County Forest Preserve is also within the boundaries of Port Barrington, offering its own marina, pavilions, and connecting trails for more outdoor enjoyment. You might even spot nesting pairs of Bald Eagles!
The Preserve is home to multiple caches, which all provide incredible, scenic views and various levels of terrain and difficulty. Favorite points abound, with days of family fun to be had enjoying the outdoors.
The Broken Oar, a famous destination in all seasons, sits on the northwestern edge of the village. The Marina, Bar, & Grill is situated on 7 riverfront acres with some of the most scenic views found on the lower Fox River. Begun as a small riverfront bar with seats for but a dozen or so patrons, it now in its third decade and has become a destination for customers from all over the Midwest. At times, the number of guests of the Oar may approach the population of our village!
Patrons enjoy panoramic views, a spacious skydeck, the Oar stage and party tent, year round riverfront dining, and the largest beer garden in McHenry County. They offer unmatched outdoor entertainment and daily special events all summer long. Broken Oar provides the best people watching around - with boaters, golfers, car collectors, motorcycle enthusiasts, teams and families all blended together to enjoy the festivities.
Port Barrington has its own Public Works Department, responsible for maintenance of parks, snow removal, storm sewer, and minor road repair. Police protection is provided by McHenry & Lake County’s Sheriff Departments. Most of the Village residences have sanitary sewers serviced by Northern Moraine Wastewater Reclamation District and private wells.
Annual recreational events in Port Barrington include the Village Garden Party which is held in Hermann Park featuring food, games, raffles and live music; holiday parties for children; the Community Garage Sale; “Concerts-in-the-Park”; Kids’ “Splash” Day, and the Chili Cook-Off Contest. Local establishments host winter activities, including Ice Fishing Derbies, Snowmobile radar runs, and fundraising events such as the River Shiver.
Thank you for reading the story of our small community. We hope you carry our mission of Friendly by Nature forward, and further the journey of our Travel Bug to more waterfront communities throughout the world!
Caches in the Port Barrington 50th Anniversary series include: