Before the Arb Lights Its Tree, South Barrington's Quiet Conservancy Gets Its Busiest Saturday

When was the last time you parked on Bridges Drive and walked into the prairie instead of toward the shops? For a lot of South Barrington households, the 35 acres on the west side of Bartlett Road are something you drive past on the way to The Arboretum. This fall the village is trying to change that, and Saturday, Nov. 7 is the first big public morning of that effort.

The Conservancy now has a reconstituted commission and a state grant behind it, and a footpath already runs from it to The Arb. Across two Saturdays, a week apart, the town's season moves along that path, from a pumpkin pile in the prairie to a 52-foot tree in Main Street Plaza.

Saturday Morning on Bartlett Road

The village's 2nd Annual Pumpkin Smash runs Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the South Barrington Conservancy. The Daily Herald's suburban pumpkin smash roundup lists the address as 1 Glacier Circle. Parking is in the Conservancy lot on Bridges Drive, which sits between the picnic grounds and the prairie trails and has a bike rack.

Here's what the village has lined up:

• Goebbert's is coming back with its apple cider donuts and hot cider.
• A candy cannon, also from Goebbert's, fires once during the event.
• Two ways to get rid of a pumpkin: smash it with a mallet, or drop it in the composting dumpster.
• A friendly rivalry. The village's September message invited the East Dundee Fire District and the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District and floated a smash-off between the two.

The village asks you to register ahead of time by emailing Makayla Terfehn at [email protected] with your name and the number of people coming.

This is only the second year. The first Pumpkin Smash was set for Nov. 8, 2025. According to the village, SWANCC and SCARCE suggested the idea, and the event was open to the public from the start.

The Commission Picked Up Its April 2021 Minutes

The pumpkins are the fun part. The bigger change at the Conservancy is who is now looking after it.

The Conservancy Commission met on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, at 2 p.m. in William R. Rose Hall at Village Hall. The posted agenda shows how long it had been idle. Its first item of business was approving the minutes of the commission's last meeting, held April 15, 2021. Next came discussions of the Conservancy Master Plan timelines, the tasks for a request for proposals on that plan, and a regular meeting schedule.

The revived commission is larger than the old one. In the Sept. 11 Mayor's Message, Mayor Paula McCombie said the board expanded it from five members to seven because the applicant pool was so strong. Interviews were run by McCombie and Trustee Daniel Zierk, who chairs the board's Conservancy Committee. At the first meeting, Namrata Shah was named chair. Diane Bodkin returns from the original commission. The other commissioners are Godambe, Llerena, Anslow, Frain and Abbassi.

There are two separate groups here. In April, the board formed the Conservancy Committee to oversee grants and promote the space. It is made up of trustees: Zierk as chair, plus Trustee Shahzad Kazi and Trustee Dr. Hina Patel. The commission is the resident volunteer body. Under the village's description, it brings recommendations to the board and, once a plan is approved, manages and regulates the Conservancy under the mayor's oversight.

Why Now: $600,000 From Springfield

All of this restaffing has money behind it. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Jan. 14, 2026 list of OSLAD park grants includes a line for the "Village of South Barrington, South Barrington Conservancy – $600,000."

In April, the village said the grant would pay to develop passive recreation amenities, improve habitat conservation and create educational features. The mayor has said the Conservancy Master Plan was "instrumental in securing the grant funding." Residents got their first look at that plan in the fall of 2024, when the village invited them to review amenity options and concept plans with Upland Design Ltd., its landscape architecture consultant.

As of the October agendas, the plan is in the planning stage. Both the trustees' committee and the new commission have the RFP and timelines on their agendas as discussion items. So when you walk the trails on Saturday, you'll see the Conservancy as it is before the grant work starts.

What You Are Walking Through Today

The village describes the land as lightly wooded prairie and wetland. The upland areas are a mix of tallgrass prairie and cottonwood groves, and a large marshy pond feeds a stream that winds southwest across the property. If you have a few minutes after smashing your pumpkin, here's a loop from the parking lot:

1. Start at the picnic grounds next to the Bridges Drive lot. A small arboretum there features native trees, including Ginkgo, Bur Oak, White Oak, Kentucky Coffee Tree and Smoke Tree.
2. Take the mowed trail or the wood-chip trail into the prairie. Native plants grow on the entrance mound, along the trails and in dedicated gardens.
3. Stop at the observation platform over the big pond. The wetland is habitat for migrating waterfowl.
4. Look for the nesting boxes. They're placed throughout the property for bluebirds and tree swallows.
5. Head out on the pedestrian path to The Arboretum of South Barrington, which the village added to connect the prairie with the shopping center.

The village maintains the land with controlled burns, targeted herbicide and volunteer weeding and brush control. If you'd like to help with planning or restoration, the village asks you to call Village Hall at 847-381-7510.

A few posted rules apply. The Conservancy is free and open from sunrise to sunset. Groups larger than 15 need a village permit. Swimming and wading in the ponds aren't allowed. The posted regulations also bar domesticated animals, so check with Village Hall before bringing a dog.

One Week Later, the Other End of the Path

That footpath leads to the next Saturday on the calendar. The Arb's Holiday Tree Lighting is Saturday, Nov. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. Our team, the Rob Morrison Team at Coldwell Banker, is the presenting sponsor along with Wickstrom Auto Group. The other listed sponsors are the Village of South Barrington, Rickey Rockets Fuel Centers and Goldrush Gaming.

The evening runs in this order:

• 5 p.m. parade down Main Street with Santa, dancing elves, stilt walkers and the Gingerbread Man, finishing in Main Street Plaza.
• Stage performances and a holiday tent with balloon artists, face painters and strolling magicians.
• The lighting itself. Tina Bree of Star 105.5 lights the 52-foot tree, followed by a light-and-music show and a Ready-Set-Dance holiday dance party in the plaza.
• Georgio's signature hot chocolate, served from a giant cocoa mug.

If You Drive In on Barrington Road

The Barrington Road signals have changed since last year's holiday season. Starting Oct. 5, IDOT switched the corridor's left-turn signals to "lagging left." Through traffic now gets the green first, and the protected left arrow comes later in the cycle. The village's September message explained that the change is meant to clear oncoming traffic out of intersections, and that it's part of IDOT's signal modernization along the corridor. So if you're turning left on your way to The Arb, expect to wait through the green before your arrow.

The Rest of the Season on the Calendar

The fashion show features looks from J.Jill, LOFT, Soma, White House Black Market and Chico's. The Santa photo line closes at noon sharp.

We're proud to help light The Arb's tree, and we keep an eye on how projects like the Conservancy's master plan affect life in South Barrington. If you'd like to talk about the village, its open spaces or what's changing around The Arb, the Rob Morrison Team is glad to help. Schedule a consultation today.