The Umbrella Girl has quite the history in German Village. She resides in a fountain in Schiller Park, and her legend actually goes back quite awhile, though the current Umbrella Girl arrived in the mid-1990s. Her predecessor was added to the park in the early 1870s, but she disappeared in the 1950s. Local sculptor Joan Wobst offered to design and donate a replacement sculpture that captured her interpretation of the Umbrella Girl. The current girl walks barefoot through the rain, holding her umbrella in one hand and her shoes in the other. Her fountain was designed by Phil Kientz, and its shape mirrors that of the umbrella the girl holds. During the holiday season, someone drapes the sculpture in a red and white cloak. On my recent visit, she not only had her cloak on, but she also had some lovely luminaries around her, and she was looking quite festive. read more