Santa visits families on Naperville Jaycees train
More than 900 people boarded trains Saturday in Naperville headed for a visit with Santa Claus.
Two runnings of the Naperville Jaycees' Santa Train drew crowds of families ready to get into the holiday spirit and see the big guy in red.
Kids like Lauren Power, 5, of Naperville, gazed down the train tracks in anticipation of the annual fun-filled ride to Brookfield and back.
“She loves the trains, so this is like the perfect combination — Santa and the train,” said Ted Power, Lauren's father.
Holiday spirit built as Jaycees members played “Frosty the Snowman” on guitar and tambourine. But the crowd about to board the 10 a.m. train waited in a drizzly rain, not scenic snow.
“It was more Christmassy last time,” said Jeremy Miller of Lisle, who rode the Santa train for the second year in a row with his wife, Erin, and their children Quinn, 4, and Lila, 2.
The family had fun singing songs, playing games and getting candy canes from Santa while aboard the train last year.
“It's a hot ticket,” Miller said. “It sells out every time.”
And even before the train arrived, carrying festive elves dressed in red and green, Quinn said he was looking forward to riding it again.
“Every winter can we go to the Santa Train?” Quinn asked.