Elburn ushers in the season with Christmas Stroll

The Christmas season officially arrives in Elburn on Friday.

Santa will light the village Christmas tree in front of the American Legion hall at 112 N. Main St. at 5 p.m., which kicks off the Elburn Christmas Stroll. The stroll continues in and around downtown until 8 p.m.

Families can pet a live reindeer at Coldwell Banker Leuer Realty at 138 N. Main St., have a photo taken with a live Barbie at Kettley Realtors, 8 S. Main St., or play life-sized Candyland at the Elburn Herald, 123 N. Main St.

And that's just for starters.

A free heated shuttle service will be available to downtown events, to the Town and Country Library at 320 E. North St., to the Elburn and Countryside Community Center, 525 N. Main St., and for the first time to the Elburn Metra station.

"We're hoping that people in Geneva will take Metra and come to our event," said Bob Britz, chair of the Christmas Stroll and a member of the Elburn Chamber of Commerce.

"Also new this year, St. Gall's parish will have nativity scenes on display inside the church," Britz added. "Plus, the American Legion will have a card table set up at the legion hall and at the community center so that people can stop and send a letter to one of our troops serving overseas."

Store fronts will display Christmas scenes and businesses are urged to remain open until 8 p.m.

At the American Legion

The American Legion will also host a business expo. Businesses outside of the downtown area can set up informational booths in the lower level at the American Legion, and at the community center if more space is needed.

At the community center

Midtown Martial Arts will present a black belt demonstration at 7 p.m. and the Kaneland High School Madrigals will sing at 7:30 p.m. at the community center. There will also be free train rides driven by Santa, wine tasting and party tray sampling, and a silent auction to help raise funds for the center.

The Blackberry School of Ballet and Dance will present demonstrations and tickets will be on sale for "The Nutcracker," which will be performed at 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at the center. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children and seniors.

Other sites

Guests can enjoy the music of the Jazz Lizards and the Kaneland High School Madrigals and have pictures taken with Santa at the Town and Country Public Library.

The mansion at the Great Lakes Leadership Center, 526 N. Main St., will be decorated for the season.

The Elburn and Countryside Fire Department will host an open house at 210 E. North St. that features a safety house and a tree-burning demonstration.

For information and a map, visit www.elburn.com.