November 12, 2024
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5 Things to do in Will County: Santa Send-Off, DIY holiday lights tour, winter hike

Enjoy 2 twists on the holiday concert: classic rock and spoken word

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
Santa Claus and friends cross the bridge over the Des Plaines River on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, at Plainfield South High School in Plainfield, Ill. Local families wait for a glimpse of Santa Claus during the Santa Send-off event. With the help of Joliet officials, Santa traveled through downtown Joliet, concluding his trip at Plainfield South.

Santa Claus and friends cross the bridge over the Des Plaines River on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, at Plainfield South High School in Plainfield, Ill. Local families wait for a glimpse of Santa Claus during the Santa Send-off event. With the help of Joliet officials, Santa traveled through downtown Joliet, concluding his trip at Plainfield South. This year's event begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 at the intersection of Woodruff and Draper in Joliet and finishes at intersection of Ridge and Caton in Joliet. (Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com)

1. Classical Blast will present its “Dark Side of the Yule” Christmas meets classic rock concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, inside the auditorium theater at the Joliet Area Historical Museum. Tickets are $10 for museum members and students and $14 for the general public. Purchase at jolietmuseum.org/upcoming-programs. For information, visit jolietmuseum.org or call 815-723-5201.

2) Enjoy a variation of a holiday concert by attending “An Evening of Music and the Spoken Word” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at 15629 S. Rt. 59 in Plainfield. The St. Mary’s Symphonic Choir will perform with orchestra and narration under the direction of Terry M. Henderson II. Tickets are $10 and available at smip.org/concert.

5 Things To Do near me

5 Things To Do

3) The 2021 Santa Send-Off will start at 10 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Woodruff and Draper in Joliet and will head west, finishing at intersection of Ridge and Caton in Joliet. Find a spot on the route at joliet.gov/residents/santa-send-off and wave to Santa as he drives past on his way to the North Pole. Santa’s route will take about 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete. The University of Saint Francis’ student-run radio station 88.7 WCSF-The Spirit of Christmas will host a special Santa Send-Off themed program from 10 to 11:30 a.m. JCTV Channel 6 and the city of Joliet’s Facebook page will broadcast the start of the parade. For information, call 815-724-3734 or email ksmith@joliet.gov.

4) Enjoy a winter hike and craft from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon After the hike, attendees will warm up indoors with a cup of hot cocoa and special ornament or card. Free, all ages. Register by Friday at reconnectwithnature.org or call 815-722-9470.

5) Take a drive around Joliet (or explore a new neighborhood) and view all of the holiday lights and decorations by using the map at joliet.gov/holidaylights. If you’d like to show off your outdoor holiday decor, submission guidelines are available at the same link.

Would you like your event featured in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to The Herald-News’ community calendar at shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/local-events where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature.

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