Itasca celebrates the holidays

Santa and his reindeer will stop by Itasca Tuesday evening to sprinkle the village with extra holiday cheer.

A Night with Santa will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with Santa's Light Parade, which will travel from Franzen School, at 730 Catalpa Ave., to the village's municipal complex at 550 W. Irving Park Road.

The roughly 20-unit parade of fire and police department vehicles, local business units and Santa on a sleigh will travel east on Bryn Mawr Avenue to Walnut Street and south on Walnut to Irving Park Road.

Upon arrival, residents and families can enjoy trolley rides, horse-drawn sleigh rides, reindeer, an ice sculptor, holiday crafts, carolers, hot chocolate and holiday cookies. The first 300 families also will receive a commemorative holiday ornament.

"It gets bigger every year, so we're trying to get more things for the people to do," said Rick Brogan, the Itasca Police Department's crime prevention officer.

The police department and village have been hosting the event for more than two decades for residents and employees of the village.

"We have a variety of things available this year and we're just tweaking it differently," Brogan said. "We're trying to accommodate people who want to be outside and people who don't want to be outside."

There also will be a toy collection box in the Itasca Police Department lobby, and residents are encouraged to bring a new and unwrapped toy for Santa to deliver. The box will be there now through Dec. 19.

"The amount of people who are asking for assistance is astronomical," Brogan said. "If people could bring unwrapped toys or gifts, it would be appreciated."

If you go

What: A Night with Santa in Itasca

When: 5:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9

Where: Santa leads the Light Parade from Franzen School, east on Bryn Mawr Avenue to Walnut Street, south to Irving Park Road and finishing at the municipal complex.

Cost: Free

Details: Call the police department at (630) 773-1004.