How many shopping days? Christmas is coming early for Lynne Lichtenauer of New Lenox and her co-workers at Cornerstone Services Inc.
Planning for the Festival of Trees, which displays uniquely decorated Christmas trees and room settings, began in January, said Lichtenauer, who was in on the beginning of the annual benefit six years ago when she served as executive director of the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet.
“We’re decorating (some of) the trees right now,” she said.
Cornerstone, which serves people with disabilities, engaged Lichtenauer’s services earlier this year. Now she is overseeing the growth of the holiday fundraiser, which will double in size when it moves from the Rialto to Louis Joliet Mall this November.
The mall site allows more exposure, more decorations and “great visibility,” she said. “It takes (the festival) and makes it a regional event. . . . The Rialto is a beautiful setting, but you have to grow.”