Edwin Deicke, Lima Tessendorf, Edward Piske, Michael Kiley, and Irv Wasserstrass served as the first Board of Commissioners of the Park District, which was founded in April of 1965. Their first meetings were held at the Deicke residence, known then and now as Sun Valley Farm, which is located on West Main Street. At these meetings they planned what they were going to do for the community. Many other Park Commissioners have been elected and have served on the Park Board. They were: Frank Parisek, Ed Ream, Harley Makeben, John Tures, Bill Ruth, Len Bohart, Mary Jo Mercer, and Wendell Weltzien, Tom Jurs, Darryl Gurnett, Charles Olsen, Dan Woodcook, Graham Knott, Barry Borcgart, Sandra Wright and Clark Borhart, Robert Tures. The current park board members are Charles Yerke, Dr. William Awe, Tom Secreato and Jerry Neppermann.

The main founders of the park district were Mr. Edwin Deicke and his wife Lois. They donated $35,000 to purchase part of Donahoe's Woods on the West side of Route 47. After they bought the land they donated it to the Park District. Mr. Edwin Deicke served as one of the first board members and remained an honoree Commissioner until his death in 1994. On December 31, 1999, the day before the year 2000, Mrs. Deicke passed away. Edwin Deicke donated 28 acres of land on Route 47. This park was then named Deicke Park. Inside Deicke Park there is a three-fourths of a mile-jogging path around the perimeter of the park. Also there is a baseball diamond donated by Del Web. There are two tennis courts, horseshoe courts, sand volleyball courts, two basketball courts, four picnic shelters, an oversized pond, two playground areas, and a log cabin. Before the Toll-way and Route 47 there was a log cabin located in Donahoe's Woods. The Huntley Boy Scouts constructed the cabin in Donahoe's Woods in the late 1920's. At the time there were no roads into the woods so logs were dragged to the cabin by horses and a Ford Model-T truck. It has recently been reconstructed from its previous place. It now stands, very steadily, in Deicke Park by the Huntley Park District Administration offices.

Besides Deicke Park, the district owns several other parks. Ol' Timer's Park is located on Church Street and has many of the same facilities as Deicke Park. They also have parks that are located in Southwind, Wing Pointe and Town and Country Subdivisions. The Sun Valley Farm is located on West Main Street. This farm used to be owned by Mr. and Mrs. Deicke. Then it was sold to the Park District with the aid of a Department of Natural Resources grant. Now the Farmstead still holds the name Sun Valley Farm but the surrounding 62 acres has been renamed "Betsey Warrington Park". The park's namesake was the Districts first Recreation Director serving in that capacity for 21 years. She retired in 2001 and moved to northern Minnesota.

The Park District plays an important role in the community. They provide pre-school classes, before and after school care programs, a Fitness Center, Teen Center, recreation classes, and they provide Middle School dances every two weeks. Some popular classes that they have are aerobics, ballet, tap, poms, computers, Tae Kwon Do, and tumbling.

The Park District has developed a Recreation Path Conceptual Plan. The District has worked with the Village of Huntley to create an ordinance requiring developers to make allowance for pathways through new subdivisions. The path will connect parks, neighborhood villages, shopping areas, schools and conservation areas.

When Huntley was laid out on April 14, 1853, land was set a side for a town park. On an old map open space was identified as the City Park. This City Park is now the town square and has been officially named "James Dhamer Park" after the late Mayor. The Village of Huntley owns this park and through an intergovernmental agreement the Park District maintains it.

One of the Park District newest projects is "Stingray Bay." This Family Aquatic Center is located off of Main Street in the southern 20 acres of Betsey Warrington Park. In "Stingray Bay" there are two water slides, two diving boards, a sand area, a playground, bubblers, concession stands, and a sitting area.
Another project the Park District is working on is changing South School into a community center.

It looks like the best is yet to come. Remember to: Take Time for Fun (TTFF)  

By : Ashlee Bianchi, Tasha Condon, Leah Coleman, & Jessica Palmer
Acknowledgments: We would like to thank Huntley Park District Staff members Thom Palmer, Betsey Warrington and Beverly Eisenmenger.