Long Grove Vintage Holidays opens with some new traditions
Historic downtown Long Grove invites holiday revelers to take a break from online or big box shopping this year and rediscover the magic of the holiday season beginning today.
The annual Long Grove Vintage Holidays campaign is what the classic holiday experience is all about ... quaint shops, old-world charms, and family memories. Organized by the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association (HDLGBA), Vintage Holidays 2020 features merchant open houses, holiday music and carolers, twinkling lights, horse-drawn sleigh rides, visits from Santa, and new this year — a holiday selfie station, a tree lighting ceremony, a virtual 5K and more!
The HDLGBA is following state and local safety guidelines for all Vintage Holiday events, including the practice of social distancing, mask-wearing requirements and the implementation of hand sanitation stations. Vintage Holidays 2020 runs every weekend from now through the weekend before Christmas — with the exception of the Virtual 5K scheduled for January. Highlights include:
Tinsel & Traditions: — Holiday Open House Kickoff: Restaurants, boutiques and shops throughout historic downtown Long Grove will stay open late on Nov 12 (5 to 8 p.m.) for shopping, sipping and dining (ugly sweater wearing encouraged!). Visitors to Vintage Holidays after the 12th can then enjoy decorations, sales and specials on merchandise, food, drinks and more throughout the remainder of the campaign.
Holiday Music and Carolers: On weekends beginning this weekend, visitors who stroll historic downtown Long Grove during Vintage Holidays will enjoy festive holiday music or live carolers setting the mood throughout the season. Details will be posted to LongGrove.org as performance times and locations become available.
Horse-Drawn Sleigh Rides: Starting Nov. 21, and continuing every subsequent weekend before Christmas, groups of up to 10 (family and friends only) can get in the holiday spirit with socially distant carriage rides (every other row will remain empty) throughout historic downtown Long Grove. The horse-drawn sleigh rides, which cost $15 per group, have a new route this year and the scenery will include iconic holiday characters and decorations from the past through the current day. To manage crowds and lines, groups need to reserve a time slot online at http://longgrove.org/festivals/holiday-season. Sleighs will be cleaned after every ride and every rider is required to wear a mask (masks will be provided free to those who do not have one).
Visits from Santa: Vintage Holiday's littlest visitors always enjoy the opportunity to visit with Santa, and 2020 will be no different (besides the wearing of masks and some social distancing!). Dates and times will be shared on LongGrove.org when available.
Holiday Sip, Shop & Dine Gift Promotion: To thank patrons for supporting the historic downtown Long Grove businesses, the HDLGBA is offering a free gift with purchase promotion. Collect $150 (pretax & tip) in receipts from historic downtown Long Grove shops and restaurants, dated Nov. 27 to Dec. 23, and redeem them for a free gift at the Long Grove Visitor's Center (308 Old McHenry Road) during business hours.
Holiday Selfie-Station (NEW): This year, historic downtown Long Grove will have a holiday-decorated staged location to take photos and share with others their historic downtown Long Grove Vintage Holiday experience! Visitors can create instant fun as they gather around the front porch of the Farmside building (across from the Visitor's Center) to take Instagram worthy selfies to with family and friends. The holiday selfie station is sponsored by Broken Earth Winery, Chatterbox, Landmark Exteriors and Weichert Realty.
Town Traditions Tree Lighting (NEW): On Dec. 5, historic downtown Long Grove will celebrate the lighting of its first official holiday tree from 4 to 5 p.m. (located near Paddy's on the Square, 228 Robert Parker Coffin Road). The festive occasion will be rung in by a visit from Santa, holiday stories and singalongs. Guests are welcome to bring an ornament or decoration to add to the tree that highlights a favorite holiday tradition that evening or anytime during Vintage Holidays (organizers are hoping to fill the tree with an eclectic array of traditions from all holidays that will delight and inspire).
Historic Downtown Long Grove Virtual New Year's Day 5K (NEW): Sponsored by Buffalo Creek Brewing, the 1st annual Historic Downtown Long Grove Virtual New Year's Day 5K is a fun way to cap off the holiday season and start the New Year off right by running the “fluff” out of 2020 for a good cause! The event gives participants the whole month of January to get their run done (January 1, 12 a.m. — January 31, 12 p.m.) in support of Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter and healthy lifestyles. This is a virtual run but will have lots of community engagement with social media, the posting run of results, and photos. Registration is open now at https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/LakeZurich/HistoricDowntownLongGroveNewYearsDay5KVirtualRun.