Monday, November 23, 2009

Stay “Home for the Holidays” With Downtown Elgin’s Window Wonderland


One does not need to go far to have all of North Pole’s offerings at their doorstep. Downtown Elgin’s 11th Annual Window Wonderland will have all the holiday fixings on Saturday, December 12, 11am – 5pm. There will be live reindeer, chestnuts roasting, Polar express reading, a Christmas Queen, a Live Nativity scene, Ten Thousand Villages Bazaar, free ice skating and heated trolley rides, dog teams mushing around Downtown Elgin, the jolly Santa Claus himself and much more!

Plus there will be a fun-filled passport taking families to 35+ passport stops throughout Downtown Elgin where businesses and community groups will be offering goodies and/or special discounts, along with musical entertainment and activities. The more stops you go to the more offerings are available to you – free picture with Santa after 10 stops and a 50% coupon to a Elgin Symphony Orchestra Concert in the 2009 – 2010 season after 20 stops. Not sure of how you can get your family to all of these stops? Start early on December 5 as eight businesses will be stamping already – get your passport at participating businesses, the Gail Borden Public Library, the City of Elgin’s Tree Lighting ceremony, the Centre, or going to “It’s a Wonderful Life” a live radio play at the Hemmens that day.

Lastly there will be a competitive Window Wonderland contest of 35+ windows for the public to vote on their favorite “Home for the Holidays” themed window for the People’s Choice Award ribbon. These windows will also have a panel of judges who will choose 1st and 2nd place winners competing in the Student, Open, and Business categories and ribbons for the most Thematic, Creative, etc.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association’s event is sponsored in part by The City of Elgin, Country Financial, and Hampton, Lenzini, & Renwick. For more information about Window Wonderland call 847.488.1456 or go to www.downtownelgin.com.

Downtown Elgin’s Window Wonderland “Home for the Holidays” is one of many activities happening in and around downtown Elgin on December 12 and is part of the city-wide, nonprofit celebration of the holidays for the months of November and December. Some of these events are the Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s “Home for the Holiday “concerts at the Hemmens (www.elginsymphony.org ) and Midwest Dance Collective performing the Nutcracker at 1:30pm at the Elgin Art Showcase, Heartland Voices concerts at First United Methodist Church (www.heartlandvoices.org) , NENA’s “Home for the Holiday Tour” at various Downtown residences (www.nenaofelgin.org) , and Kim’s Black Belt Academy’s Toys for Tots Breakfast at their 5 S. Spring location. For further information go to www.elginhomefortheholidays.com

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