A holiday celebration rolls into Lisle

The weather felt better suited for the Easter Bunny, but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from visiting the Museums at Lisle Station Park Sunday to celebrate the impending arrival of Christmas.

The visitors got a chance to see a couple of live reindeer, take part in children’s craft activities, learn about old-fashioned brick-oven baking and of course, meet Santa Claus.

Sunday’s activities were part of a weekend-long holiday celebration at the museum campus, which is run jointly by the Lisle Park District, the village and the Lisle Heritage Society. The buildings provide a glimpse at what life was like in the area during the 19th century.

“The turnout has been fantastic,” said Brian Failing, museum curator for the Lisle Park District. “We were wondering what effect the nice weather would have, but this has been one of our busiest years.”

Sunday’s attendance received a boost from the Lisle Polar Express, a train that stopped at the Metra station in downtown Lisle on its way to Chicago. Train riders were treated to songs, a reading of the beloved holiday story “The Polar Express” and other activities as they headed toward the city.

Carla Richmond, of Naperville, hustled her son, Tyler, from a visit with Santa in Lisle Station Park to the platform where people waited to board the Polar Express train.

“Tyler’s obsessed with Angry Birds,” Richmond said, referring to the popular video game. “Santa was encouraging, but he didn’t guarantee anything. I could tell my son loved seeing him.”