Celebrate Woodridge 2009
2009 was an exciting year for the Woodridge community and we are glad to have celebrated it with you!  The Village of Woodridge had a wonderful 50th Anniversary year, and the Park District had a great 40th Anniversary Year as well.  You are invited to take a look back on events that helped the community celebrate these milestones.  See the items below, or visit the links on the right hand side of this page to learn more about the celebration and activities that occured throughout the year.

  
Santa and Mrs. Claus during their visit to Woodridge.

Final Tally of Over $10,000 Raised for the 50 for 50 Food Drive
To mark the 2009 anniversary year, the Diversity Committee set out for a yearlong fundraising effort for the Woodridge Community Pantry. Titled the 50 for 50 Food Drive in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Village of Woodridge, the fundraiser collected donations to help support the pantry. Now, at the culmination of the year, the final amount collected is an astounding $10,237.54! This tremendous effort will go a long way towards purchasing approximately 29 tons of food for the pantry. Congratulations to everyone that supported this great effort and to Chris Hannigan-Wiehn who won the raffle! The winning raffle ticket was selected during the Tree Lighting Ceremony held Friday, December 4th. 

Tree Lighting Ceremony Concludes Anniversary & Marks the Holidays 
Celebrating a tradition nearly two decades old, people gathered and shared some holiday cheer last Friday to mark the Woodridge Special Event Committee and Village of Woodridge’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.  This year also helped conclude a year of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Village of Woodridge and the 40th Anniversary of the Woodridge Park District.  During the ceremony, a raffle drawing was held to name the donator of the Diversity Quilt to the Village of Woodridge.  Congratulations to Chris Hannigan-Wiehn on winning! Chris has been involved with the Diversity Committee since 2006 and has contributed a lot of time to Diversity Forums, the quilt project and other events.  The raffle was the ending event for a yearlong 50 for 50 fundraising effort that raised over $10,000 for the Woodridge Community Food Pantry.  Barbara and Roger Schmith were there to accept the donation on behalf of the pantry.

The evening also included the unveiling of a plaque marking the anniversary time capsule.  The capsule included DVDs, books, t-shirts, documents, membership rolls, photos and other memorabilia and will be opened in 2059.  Many thanks to the Lions Club of Woodridge, Woodridge Special Events Committee, Woodridge Public Works Department, and the many people that submitted items to be included in the time capsule.  Thanks to the local brownies, boys and girl scouts that helped with caroling and music, the families and organizations that decorated trees and everyone else that made the evening a wonderful holiday event!

Funding Helps Support Anniversary Events
The Celebrate Woodridge 2009 Committee invited all local community groups and organizations to pay tribute to the anniversary year by incorporating an anniversary component into an existing event or program, or creating a program dedicated solely to the anniversaries.  To support this anniversary effort, a grant fund in the amount of $15,000 was established to help seed anniversary celebrations. 
 
The grant program was an opportunity to recognize the many ways that organizations and individuals have contributed towards the success of the Woodridge community.  We thank all of the organizations who submitted grant applications for their participation in the anniversary celebration. 

Woodridge Pride Shown in Decorated House!  
Congratulations to the Schaudt family for showing their community spirit!  Their patriotically decorated home helped celebrate Independence Day along with the 50th Anniversary of the Village of Woodridge and the 40th Anniversary of the Woodridge Park District.
  

Decorations at 2929 75th Street helped with the Idependence
Day celebrations in Woodridge.

Celebrate Woodridge Parade a Sucess
Thank you to everyone that participated in and attended the Celebrate Woodridge Parade!  There was an estimated 5,000 spectators that attended, with over 100 parade groups and a total of 1,700 participants.  The parade route was 2 miles and it lasted for one and a half hours.  The Woodridge Park District, Village of Woodridge, Woodridge Police Department, Rotary Club of Woodridge, Celebrate Woodridge Planning Committee, and VFW Post #1578 were the coordinating organizations for the parade.

 

6720 Woodridge Drive was the winner of the parade route
house decorating contest. Congratulations on such a fine job!

Historical Photos of Woodridge
The Woodridge public library has gone through the painstaking process of digitizing many photos from Woodridge's past.  Click here to view the many interesting photos that they have archived. 

Click here for the 2009 Anniversary Event Calendar!