Crowds were light on two recent evenings when I swung by a home in the 17300 block of Avon Lane in Tinley Park.
The spectacular display of holiday lights and decorations draws visitors from all over the world. Families bring children who marvel in wonder at the giant inflatables, storybook miniature villages and thousands of twinkling lights.
More Top Picks Best Home Gym Setups For Apartments
“It takes over 200,000 lights to create our display,” the Kowalczyk family wrote in festive lettering on a board filled with fun facts about the attraction.
If you haven’t visited, you should check it out. Pictures and videos shared on social media, reports on TV news and other accounts fail the capture the full effect of experiencing Avon Lane in person.
I was prepared to encounter a massive throng of humanity. An electronic sign warned of possible heavy traffic ahead as I drove east on 175th Street toward 88th Avenue, east of La Grange Road.
I followed signs directing traffic to a vast parking lot at Prairie View Middle School. However, the lot located about a half mile from the attraction was empty on one visit. A handful of vehicles were parked there during the other trip.
I must have lucked out, because I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the canopies of lights without feeling crushed by large crowds. I was worried about safety, with COVID-19 case counts rapidly rising and health officials expressing concerns about the omicron variant.
But the experience felt safe. It is outdoors, after all. Some visitors wore masks but most didn’t. At least during the two times I visited, crowds were small enough that people were able to practice social distancing.
I was able to forget about the pandemic for a little while. I soaked up the spirit of Christmas and admired the passion and effort that people put forth to create the display.
“It takes about two weeks to set up the display with countless hours from family and friends,” the Kowalcyk family wrote on the board.
There is so much detail.
“We add decorations every year,” they wrote. “We handmake as many as possible.”
The sheer scale of the operation is staggering. The logistics must be overwhelming.
“We store the decorations anywhere possible, in a shed, the attic and two trailers off site,” the Kowalcyks wrote.
Perhaps most impressive is the lack of vanity attached to the project. There is no sense of anyone obnoxiously showing off. Rather, there is a spirit of sharing and giving back to the community.
“Since 2013 we have donated over $102,000 to charity,” according to the Kowalcyk sign.
Visitors dropped money into a collection box for Together We Cope, a local charity that runs a food pantry and resale shop to help people experiencing homelessness and families that may have less than others.
Sounds of children laughing, shouting and squealing with delight filled the air. A sound system piped in Christmas carols and other music at a low volume. Mist from a fog machine wafted in a gentle breeze. Avon Lane is a magical place.
The attraction felt public, even though most of the display is on private property. Lights and decorations cover the public sidewalk and parkway near the street. I wondered what it was like to live in a home where a crowd of strangers stood in the driveway every night throughout December.
I could see why some neighbors recently attended a Tinley Park Village Board meeting to ask village officials to address traffic, litter and other concerns. Police blocked streets leading into the Avon Lane neighborhood.
Visitors parked along 88th Avenue, but there is no sidewalk on the east side of the street. Families with young children in strollers either walked in the street or on grass off the curb.
Visitors cut through yards of corner lots. It is winter and grass is dormant, but I wondered whether the trampled lawns would bounce back in the spring.
People walked on a lawn to avoid an icy patch on a sidewalk. Water appeared to flow regularly from a home, probably ejected from a basement’s sump pump. The situation created a slip hazard in subfreezing temperatures and a muddy mess when the thermometer was above freezing.
I wondered who would be liable if a visitor was injured in a fall or struck by a vehicle. I don’t want to be like Scrooge, but I saw hazards away from the display that quickly brought me back to reality.
The Avon Lane display itself is idyllic. The attraction’s place in the real world, however, is where Santa’s reindeer meet the road, so to speak.
For the first time this year, people are publicly debating whether the attraction has outgrown its home in a residential neighborhood. After a handful of neighbors expressed concerns during a village board meeting this month, Tinley Park Mayor Mike Glotz said officials wanted to help broker a compromise.
More Top Picks Best Automatic Pet Feeders For Cats
“We have to find a way to work together,” Glotz said. “We do have to find that middle ground.”
The award-winning display has grown gradually over the years.
“We’ve been decorating since 1990 and our first award was in 1996,” the Kowalcyks wrote.
Now, police direct traffic and restrict vehicle access to the neighborhood. Visitors are welcome 5-10 p.m. through Dec. 29, the Kowalcyks posted on social media.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the future is uncertain. Live in the moment. Stop and smell the roses. Admire the sunrise, or sunset. You never know what tomorrow holds.
With that thought in mind, visitors ought to carve out time within the next week to visit Avon Lane and experience the holiday lights attraction.
There is every reason to hope concerns will be addressed and the attraction will continue welcoming visitors for many more years. Then again, there is no time like the present to enjoy the experience while you can.
Merry Christmas.
Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.