Lisle gearing up for Christmas celebrations
Lisle residents will have plenty of chances to celebrate the Christmas holidays with a variety of events sponsored by the village, Lisle Convention and Visitors Bureau, Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce and Lisle Park District.
The annual Santa Parade, featuring the official arrival of Mr. Claus, steps off at 3 p.m. Dec. 1 from Ogden Avenue and Main Street and works its way south through downtown, turning east on Burlington Avenue and ending at the village hall. Santa’s final destination is the Museums at Lisle Station Park, where he will take requests from boys and girls.
The traditional Lights of Lisle also will be Dec. 1, when roughly 2,000 luminarias line the streets at dusk. The official tree-lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m. at the village hall.
The Lisle Community Band will perform and cookies and hot chocolate will be served. Holiday song books will be available for community caroling and student performances will continue in the board room after the ceremony.
The 2012 Holiday Tree and Presents theme will find local merchants decorating their storefronts and Main Street streetscape planters, and trees will be decorated to light up downtown Lisle.
A trolley, complete with holiday music, will be available from 3 to 5:30 p.m. for free rides to view the decorations. Riders can get on and off at various stops.
Free hayrack rides will be available from 4 to 8 p.m. and run between the village hall and the Museums at Lisle Station Park.
The annual Heritage Society Holiday celebration, “Once Upon a Christmas,” runs from 3 to 8 p.m. Dec. 1 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Museums at Lisle Station Park.
Highlighting this year’s event will be an 1800s-era holiday celebration, complete with period costumes, demonstrations, children’s crafts, music, brick oven baking, model train displays, hay rides, blacksmithing and, of course, Santa.
The “Polar Express Santa Train” runs Dec. 2 from the Lisle Metra Station to Chicago and back for a 75-minute ride with Santa and his helpers, reminiscent of the Caldecott award-winning children’s book and movie, “The Polar Express.” Advanced tickets are required for either the 9:45 a.m. or 1:45 p.m. rides. Tickets are $16.
For details, contact the Lisle Convention & Visitors Bureau at (630) 769-1000 or visit StayInLisle.com.