It's the last chance to shop for unique goods at Ottawa's Chris Kringle Market and get your holiday scares on at Insanity Haunted House!

Celebrate the New Year at these exciting events in northern Illinois.

Stage 212 will hosting a special entertainment event at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, when Her Majesty’s Radio Theatre presents Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol: The Ghosts of Christmas.”

Bring the kids to see Santa Sunday, Dec. 21 at Hank's Farm in Ottawa.

Leave the cooking and clean up to someone else on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Visit these spectacular light shows and displays this Christmas season.

Check out these theaters across northern Illinois that are bringing holiday classics like "The Nutcracker" and "A Christmas Carol" to life this season.

Check out these sparkling wine selections

Tour La Salle's Hegeler Carus Mansion and Ottawa's Reddick Mansion during holiday open houses this weekend.

Experience a Victorian Christmas as the Reddick Mansion in Ottawa.

The Village of Ladd will host its annual Christmas Walk from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, featuring activities throughout downtown.

Celebrate the holidays with a family brunch at these locations in northern Illinois.

Stage 212 will host three performances of 'Joy to the World: A Holiday Revue to Benefit the Auditorium' this weekend.

The show is a fundraiser supporting the recent renovation of the auditorium. It will feature local performers singing and dancing to a variety of holiday favorites.

The beloved Chris Kringle Market runs through Dec. 21.

You’ve seen one of the film adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” – maybe you watch one every year – why not make the traveling radio show a Yuletide tradition, too?

Bureau County Chorus and Princeton Community Band will perform a joint Christmas concert Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Community Life Center at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Princeton.

Check out the shows and live performances at venues like the Rialto Square Theatre, Woodstock Opera House, Raue Center for the Arts, Egyptian Theatre and more!

Make plans to spend a day exploring the historic city of Galena during the holiday season.

Ottawa's Chris Kringle Market opens for the holiday season Friday, Nov. 28, which is also the same day as the Festival of Lights Parade at 6 p.m.

Celebrate the holidays with friends and family at these favorite bars and taverns in northern Illinois.

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 27 in 2025. Make your dinner reservations now and leave the cooking and clean up to someone else!

Princeton's Christmas Walk Weekend kicks off Friday, Nov. 21 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 23.

Here are the winners for the best coffee shops in the Best of the Fox, Best of the Illinois Valley, DeKalb County's Finest and Sauk Valley Favorites contest.

The weekend kicks off Friday, Nov. 21 at Tangled Roots Brewing Company.

Audiences will notice some real magic inside Stage 212 now that the La Salle theater has undergone major improvements. And what better way to showcase the overhaul than with a little on-stage magic?

The Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra will perform its first regular-season concert in Streator in recent history at 3 p.m. Nov. 9 at Streator High School.

Tickets include Leinenkugel-inspired dinner and beverage tastings and a chance to win great prizes.

NCI ARTworks and Heritage Corridor Destinations will exhibit the work of several artists in Utica and then in Peru.

The Model Train Fair & Farm Toy Show is Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Bureau County Fairgrounds.

Seasoned performers are getting in on the act in Dixon, where seniors' talents are getting an encore performance, thanks to a new theater group.

Check out this list of national chains and locally-owned restaurants offering specials to service members on Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11.

‘Lincoln’s Ottawa: Stories from Valley View’ take guests on a tour of several historic sites in the Illinois Valley related to Abraham Lincoln.

Open Prairie United Church of Christ will hold its annual Christkindlmarkt, a traditional German Christmas market, on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Explore the fine wines of Italian winery Tenuta Luce as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

La Salle's Frosty on First festival kicks off Friday, Nov. 7 and continues Saturday, Nov. 8. Ottawa's Shop, Sip & Sparkle also runs Nov. 7-8.

Frosty on First will run from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, immediately following the Run Run Rudolph 5K

From Romeoville to Pontiac, you’ll be surprised at all the hidden gems you discover during your wine-sampling excursion.

The Treehouses of Starved Rock are steps away from Starved Rock State Park’s system of picturesque hiking trails, canyons, waterfalls and bluffs.

National Sandwich Day is Monday, Nov. 3 Check out these award-winning sandwich shops in DeKalb, Kane and McHenry counties, Illinois Valley and Sauk Valley.

Check out this list of the best bakeries and donut shops in DeKalb, Kane, Kendall and McHenry counties, the Sauk Valley and the Illinois Valley.

Country Music powerhouse Lainey Wilson will perform on the Grandstand Stage on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at the Illinois State Fair

Make the end of summer more memorable by planning a getaway at a unique resort or bed & breakfast in northern Illinois

Visit Insanity Haunted House in Peru or Nightmare Haunted Attraction in Princeton this Halloween weekend... if you dare!

The little castle on Main Street in Ottawa has life once again, as Keely’s Castle recently opened at the site of the former Prince Castle ice cream shop.

Discover the colors and activities of autumn at these parks in the Illinois Valley.

Explore haunted houses, trails, campgrounds and tours located in Starved Rock Country in La Salle County.

Starved Rock Coffee Co. uses coffee beans from all over the globe to build a line of coffee named after local natural wonders.

Check out these delightfully frightening haunted houses in northern Illinois, guaranteed to bring the scares this season.

Wine & Art Walk is Saturday, Nov. 8 at Heritage Harbor in Ottawa.