The Willow Hill Lights Drive-Thru Holiday Event in Northbrook has returned to Willow Hill Golf Course for a third year with more than one million lights.
The high visibility hill on closed landfill land is situated along Glenview and Northbrook business districts. Northbrook hotel guests along Founders Drive come upon the unexpected sight of holiday lights sparkling over a lake near the hotel’s parking lot.
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Residents of a nearby Northbrook senior living facility also experience the lighting as an evening backdrop.
Kent and Kari Knebelkamp, Northbrook residents for 21 years and the parents of three grown children, have a multi decade lease with a refuse company and have operated Willow Hill Golf Course since 2019.
The course includes a dome capable of hosting athletics and now the hill is aglow as a holiday show featuring a 2.5 mile drive.
“It’s growing leaps and bounds,” Kent Knebelkamp said. “The kids love it.
“This is a place for families to create traditions.”
On a balmy Friday, Dec, 8 evening, first in line as the show opened were John and Laurel Cramer of Jefferson Park and children Tim, 2, and Ben, 3.
John Cramer was looking forward to showing the boys, “the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Illuminated displays reflect faith traditions and include a section honoring the military.
Light offers, “a little bit of hope,” Kari Knebelkamp said. “We need to see something that we can hold on to, and it’s silly, but it’s a 20 minute drive through this light show that might do it for some people.”
Seen on Dec. 8 was a bus from Emerald Place, a memory care community in Glenview. The Northbrook Park District has made an event out of it called the Sights and Sounds of the Season.
There were two Park District holiday trolley tours that Friday which departed from the Park District’s leisure center and included cookie decorating and hot cocoa plus holiday caroling by Glenbrook North High School choral members.
Tour guide Nancy Eschker, Park District recreation manager, said on Friday as the trolley arrived, “This is just wonderful, we’re just having a fabulous time, all the children are so excited to be here.”
Visitors can expect traditional displays such as the 12 Days of Christmas. There are dinosaurs, Toy Land, and trips through kaleidoscope lighted tunnels. Motorists can set their radios to 89.9 FM for holiday music.
“We estimate that the show is about 35% larger this year as far as displays go,” said Susan Fraser of Northbrook, the golf course’s director of operations.
“What I love most about the Lights (event) is the joy that it brings not only to the Northbrook and Glenview communities but to the whole Chicagoland.
“It’s so fun to work the ticket booth and see retirement home buses filled with excited residents, cars filled with giddy kids and even the occasional puppy wowed by the lights,” Fraser said.
“Now in our third year, it is exciting to see how the Willow Hill Lights is becoming a holiday tradition for many.”
Light Show Director Keith Wickless of Wheeling and of the Glenbrook South High School Class of 2021, said of planning, “There’s a ton that went into this.”
Wickless started working at the golf course two summers ago as range staff, picking up golf balls, “and then they decided they wanted to do the holiday light show the first year so I was very involved with that.
“It just starts one section at a time and you just start bringing out the displays and setting them up, staking them in, then eventually we work our way throughout the whole show,” Wickless said.
The centerpiece 25 foot holiday tree has 20,000 LED lights.
“We can control that one (the tree) from our phones, so we can go in and say, ‘Play this effect at this time,’ and sync up everything.
“It’s amazing,” Wickless said. “I love that tree.”
People were seen popping through vehicle sunroofs to take in the view and snap photos of Chicago’s skyline to the southeast from the top of the hill welcome gate.
Of the illuminated gate, “That one is awesome. A lot of people like taking pictures of that one,” Wickless said.
Wickless and Santa’s helpers began planning this year’s show last February.
“We just say what went well, what we should improve on, and what type of purchases we want to make for the following year,” Wickless said.
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“Some of the challenges are with the technology,” Wickless said, adding staff ensure that wiring is properly regulated with electrical flow, using, “a lot of problem solving,” with “just a lot of troubleshooting.”
The past two years have seen 20,000 cars driving through (each year) and estimates this year are the same.
The event charity partner again this year is (portion of proceeds) beneficiary TotalLink to Community, a Northbrook nonprofit organization that assists young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Kari Knebelkamp said, “They’re just a great organization.”
Emily Raming, TotalLink to Community’s executive director said, “TotalLink to Community is excited to share in the festivities of Willow Hill Lights as the 2023 charity partner.
“The holiday light show is a must-see for people of all ages, and attending it will do good for the community.
“We are grateful to Willow Hill Lights for their support and for allowing us to raise awareness about our mission, empowering adults with disabilities to thrive by working, socializing, learning, and contributing to the community,” Raming said.
“Bring joy to yourself and others by making a reservation today.”
The show runs through Jan. 6. Visit https://www.willowhilllights.com/ and https://www.totallink2.org/
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.