Fox Lake ready to illuminate downtown
The village of Fox Lake will host its 53rd Annual Christmas Parade and Children's Party on Thanksgiving weekend. Parks and Recreation Coordinator Nancy Rogers tells us what you need to know.
Q. What makes this such a fabulous event?
A. It is an annual event that begins the holiday season.
Q. How long has this event been in existence? How has it changed, and what is new this year?
A. The event began 53 years ago by Walter and Anna Korpan and family, who were local business owners. Every year we grow with different themes and ideas. We add new attractions every year.
Q. What's the highlight of the event?
A. This years theme is '50s and '60s Rock 'n' Roll Christmas, and we have some wonderful parade entries. Of course the highlight will be Santa Claus following up the parade.
Q. What kind of activities will appeal to kids and families?
A. We start out with the Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, Nov. 27, at 6:30 p.m. at Millennium Park with Grant High School and Stanton/Lotus school providing music before the light switch is turned on by this year's grand marshall, Kay Starostovic, Grant Township supervisor. The parade the next day will have mascots from our Chicago teams along with popular characters and the U.S. Navy Color Guard and Shriners Motor Patrol and some really special floats. We then have a children's party immediately afterward at the Village of Fox Lake Lakefront Park facility, where the children may visit Santa and enjoy a hot dog and beverage and receive a candy stocking.
Q. What about adults? What does the event offer them?
A. The adults will enjoy reliving the past with some of the themed entries in the parade.
Q. What kinds of food and beverages will be for sale?
A. We will have hot chocolate and cookies Friday night at the Tree Lighting Ceremony, and the children's party will have food that will be of no cost.
Q. Tell us about the volunteers and organizers who pull this together.
A. The #1 team is the Korpans family that has helped continue their parents' and grandparents' tradition along with their friends that have been on the parade committee for many years. Two village employees, Tina Williams and Laura Rudkin, have joined the committee this year and contacted local businesses and presented their help and ideas to increase the number of floats this year. They are very talented and have put in many volunteer hours into this year's event. They are also working with Tom Muehlfelder, street department foreman, to put together a float that represented a popular spot in the Village of Fox Lake during the '60s. Some of the gals from the Wednesday Line Dancing class met to fill candied stockings. And students from Grant High School Student Council also met and filled the stockings. There are many more volunteers from each village department along with residents that are very dedicated to the community. I had no trouble getting the employees to put on costumes and participate on the floats. They always wonderful about lending a hand. And I appreciate all the work the street department puts in decorating the village and how beautiful it looks at the Millennium Park when the light switch goes on at the Tree Lighting Ceremony.
<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p> <p class="News"><b>What:</b> Fox Lake's 53rd Annual Christmas Parade and Children's Party</p> <p class="News"><b>Tree Lighting Ceremony:</b> 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, at Millennium Park, Grand and Rollins, Fox Lake.</p> <p class="News"><b>Christmas Parade:</b> Line up at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at Grant High School, 285 E. Grand Ave. Parade beings at 11 a.m., proceeding down Grand Avenue and ending at Town Plaza. </p> <p class="News"><b>Visit with Santa:</b> For children 10 and under. Saturday, Nov. 28, immediately following the parade at Lakefront Park, 71 Nippersink Drive. </p> <p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> Free</p> <p class="News"><b>For more info:</b> (847) 587-2151 or <a href="http://foxlake.org" target="new">foxlake.org</a>.</p>