Norge Ski Club, Christmas tree farms, Santa parades. Here are a few of McHenry County’s favorite things

Originally homesteaded in 1836, the farm, located in Spring Grove, has grown to more than 500 acres and contains more than 50,000 trees and other crops, according to the farm’s website. The fifth and sixth generation of the Richardson family own and work on the farm.

The first Christmas trees were planted in 1982 and, after some trial and error, the family has since figured out how to grow 11,000 new trees every year.

As a member of the Woodstock Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, Eugenia Mansfield (left) organized the party in Woodstock, according to the McHenry County Historical Society. Among those pictured are Rita Griswold and Sarah Satorius.

Originally started in 1905, Norge Ski Club, located in Fox River Grove, is the oldest ski club in the U.S. that has remained continuously opened, according to its website. Today, it trains Olympic athletes and has hosted tournaments in various places, including at Navy Pier.

In December 2002, the club acquired a new ski ramp that still is in use today. The ramp, a 70-meter one from Minnesota, replaced a smaller, 60-meter one, officials with the club said. It was purchased for $1, the Northwest Herald reported at the time.

Originally built as a clinic in 1956, a McHenry Hospital addition was soon built near the clinic on Waukegan Avenue, according to the McHenry County Historical Society.

A new hospital was built in 1984 on Route 31 and Bull Valley Road after the population grew substantially, and it was named Northern Illinois Medical Center.

In 1995, Centegra Health System, consisting of hospitals in Woodstock and McHenry, was formed, according to Northwestern Medicine’s website. In 2018, the system joined Northwestern, bringing the hospitals under the Northwestern umbrella.