Derek Berg was feeling pretty good the morning after the Clarendon Hills Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Holiday Walk and Market Friday evening attracted a large gathering in the village’s downtown area.
“It really was well-attended, more people than I’ve seen and especially compared to last year,” said Berg, the Chamber’s president. “We spread things out beyond South Prospect (Avenue) this year to include some other downtown businesses and areas, and that worked out well.”
Berg said changing the route of the always-popular horse-drawn carriage rides was especially well received.
Heather O’Hara, who has lived in Clarendon Hills for 16 years and always looks forward to the Holiday Walk, was one of those people.
“”I really liked the new route for the carriage rides, the way it went through the alley,” she said. “The way they had things set up made it less congested in the main business district, which was nice. The whole thing was very well organized.”
The only downside of the evening for O’Hara was when she told her nine-year-old daughter it was time to go home.
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“She cried when I told her we were going home at 8 o’clock,” O’Hara said. “She really enjoyed it and got to do some fun things, including crafts.”
O’Hara said the Holiday Walk is a good example of what Clarendon Hills is all about.
“Clarendon Hills is such a special place,” she said. “You know you’ll probably run into someone you know when you go to this. I really like the camaraderie.”
Jenny Schoenberger has lived in Clarendon Hills for the past nine years and also has been a regular attendee of the event.
“My husband grew up in Clarendon Hills, and he went when he was growing up,” she said. “It was really great (Friday). It puts you in the Christmas spirit. The whole community comes out for a really nice social gathering.”
This was the first year Friday’s event was called the Holiday Walk and Market, after 65 years as the Christmas Walk. The event has found a home on the first Friday of December.
The updating of the name from Christmas Walk to Holiday Walk was necessary in order to comply with the bylaws of the Chamber of Commerce, Berg said. The Chamber bylaws state that its activities shall be nonpartisan, nonsectional and nonsectarian, he said.
“It really was basically the same event, with some improvements, and a different name, which nobody seemed to mind,” Berg said.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.