25 Volunteers Make Award-Winning Dreamway Trail A Reality

BARRINGTON, IL — More than 25 volunteers made a newly refurbished 1.5-mile trail in downtown Barrington, which recently received a Governor’s Hometown Award as well as an American Public Works Association Award, a reality, village officials said.

A ribbon cutting for the Joe Kelsch Sr. Dreamway Trail will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Langendorf Park near the splash pad. A community walk will be held after.

The refurbished bike and pedestrian path runs alongside the revitalized Flint Creek from Langendorf Park at one end to Barrington High School on the other. Joe Kelsch Sr. spearheaded the effort to create a bike and pedestrian pathway from the high school to the park.

"The Dreamway Trail is named in honor of the late Joe Kelsch Sr. to memorialize his persistent vision within the Flint Creek Watershed," according to a news release from the village of Barrington. "This restoration was made possible by community partnerships and volunteers’ vision of creating a beautiful and dynamic natural area within the Village of Barrington."

Volunteers spent a total of 1,250 hours working to make the trail a reality. An Illinois Environmental Protection Agency grant as well as funds from the village of Barrington, the Barrington Park District, and District 220 schools helped bring the $516,000 to fruition.

"Before, this portion of Flint Creek was one of the most endangered in Lake County," according to a village news release. "Today, when members of our community walk along its banks, they see a significantly improved streambed with newly installed native plants and trees, as well as a beautiful, family-friendly pathway that provides convenient connectivity for our residents to walk or bike from one area of town to the other."