Angel Towne Park to celebrate 25th anniversary

Over the span of a few days in 1994, hundreds of people came out to build Angel Towne playground in Algonquin.

Volunteers worked 12-hour days, using 4,000 pieces of lumber and 20,000 nails and screws to get the job done.

The group was made up of a mix of people who had been in town for a long time, and people who were “basically new,” said Tim Stirneman, who, along with his wife, Karol, were the founders of the project.

“That was the coolest thing about it,” he said. “Some people stayed all weekend, some people stayed a few hours.”

For many, building the playground was a chance to get to know their neighbor, and do something nice for their community, he said.

"It's kind of emotional ... thinking about it again," Stirneman said. "It was such a huge part of our life for
18 months."

Now, 25 years later, there will bean anniversary celebration for the playground from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Towne Park.

More than $80,000 was originally raised for the playground through garages sales, engraved bricks, a phone-a-thon and other fundraisers.

The original plan for the playground included a pirate ship, elephant slide and a rocking horse, as well as accessible features for disabled students.

While the park only took days to build, it took 18 months to plan, get publicity, organize and gather interest for it.

“It became like a second job for many of us,” Stirneman said. “There was just a lot of time involved.”

According to a news release, the 9,000-square-foot playground was completed ahead of schedule.

The name “Angel Towne” came about because there were about three or four child deaths in the area before the playground was built.

“In light of that, we thought wouldn’t it be nice if we named a playground after these kids?” Stirneman said.

Algonquin Trustee John Spella’s father, former Algonquin Village President Ted Spella, was involved in approving, planning and building the park.

Back then, Spella pointed out, they didn’t have the crowd-funding websites or other digital platforms to raise money like people do today, yet they still executed their plan and were able to raise tens of thousands of dollars.

“Personally, to me, it was always my favorite park,” Spella said.

Spella still remembers when his father, full of excitement, told him about the idea for the playground.

“Somebody’s always down there, playing in the playground,” he said. “It’s just a good park. It’s friendly, it’s part of the downtown aura that has always been there.”

Updates to the playground since it was first built include putting in new bridges, new pollinators and natural grass, Spella said.

“We were fortunate that the village has done a really good job keeping [Angel Towne playground] up,” Stirneman said. “It’s very well-maintained.”