Holiday décor to light up the night at a village near you

Illumination will shout, "Happy holidays" when three villages use lights to jingle all the way into the New Year starting this weekend.

Basically the entire towns of Hanover Park, Streamwood and Rosemont will be lighted up with lights.

Hanover Park officials will light 16 trees at 6 p.m. Friday at village hall. The trees were procured from the Knights of Columbus. Several community organizations, including Hanover Park teams, will each don one of the trees.

"One Girl Scout troop will have a natural tree with birdseed ornaments that the birds can eat," said Kim Benedix, executive coordinator to the village manager. "The tree will be 'green' and eco-friendly."

The town's tree will be decorated to resemble the town tree of its sister city, Cape Coast Ghana in West Africa. It will include palm tree and crab ornaments and be decked in the colors of gold and purple.

Also trimming the agenda: caroling, dancing by the Allegro Dance Troupe, refreshments and a marionette show by Dave Herzog. Santa will be chillin' with his buddies after the tree lighting.

In Streamwood, jolly old St. Nicolas is up front and center before the tree lighting. Right after town folk light the luminarias at 6:30 on Friday, folks can visit him and his missus for refreshments at village hall. Music will also be provided by students from Streamwood High School. The Ceremonial Park tree lighting will take place at 7:30 p.m.

It took three months to set up Rosemont's holiday light display, which is visible from the tollway. More than a million holiday lights will begin their dazzling dance at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Donald E. Stephens Park at Scott Street and Higgins Road. The radiance should thrill the town's 50,000 visitors per day, busloads of seniors, carloads of families and residents.

"It's spectacular every year; I've never seen anything like it," said Pamela Hogan, a village resident. "I get a perk because I live right across from a park that is decorated with lights on every tree limb. People say I have the best view of the village."

Lights are only one gift you'll find in Rosemont's stocking of goodies.

"We'll have a petting zoo complete with donkeys, pigs, sheep, geese, ducks and more," said Susan Prather, village spokeswoman. "There's also a Santa Village with eight wooden frame houses."

Each town is sure to experience a "moment," best described by Benedix. "When everything lights up it's pretty neat. We go from total darkness to Wow!"

Holiday lightings

Hanover Park: 6 p.m. Friday at village hall, 2121 W. Lake St.

Streamwood: 7:30 p.m. Friday at village hall, 301 E. Irving Park Road. Luminaria lighting and caroling begins at 6:30 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus, refreshments at village hall after luminarias and before tree lighting

Rosemont: 6 p.m. Sunday at Donald E. Stephens Park at Scott Street and Higgins Road. Also, check out other displays at Bürgermeister Park, all interchanges down River Road, River Road Park, Dunne Park, Monument Park, Rosemont Theatre and Rosemont village hall. Santa visits from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dec. 19-23. Displays daily 5 p.m. to midnight through Jan. 6