Duneland Chamber Kicks Off The Season With ‘Hometown Holiday Celebration’

Duneland Chamber Kicks Off The Season With ‘Hometown Holiday Celebration’

Duneland residents kicked off the holiday season this year en masse at the Duneland Chamber of Commerce’s annual Hometown Holiday Celebration. This year’s celebration featured horse and carriage rides, a Retail Open House, a Tree Lighting Ceremony and a Twilight Christmas Parade that featured a wide array of floats from local businesses, police and fire departments, and many community organizations.

To see more photos from this event, click here!

“This has be a tradition for Duneland residents for many, many years,” said Maura Durham, Duneland Chamber President. “In recent years we’ve moved the festivities to small business Saturday to put the limelight on some of our downtown retailers. With that change two years ago, we also incorporated our Tree Lighting Ceremony.”

“We also had an essay contest winner, Maddie Stimmell, who is eight and a student in the Duneland region,” Durham said. “She read her essay which was about her favorite holiday tradition. After that there will be a countdown to the Tree Lighting and Maddie will light up the Christmas Tree, the gazebo and the rest of Centennial Park.”

After the Tree Lighting, the parade began to make it’s way down Broadway then to Calumet Avenue where spectators had gathered to see all the passing floats lit up with Christmas lights and holiday decorations.

“This is really the whole community coming together to put on an event,” Durham said. “Of course Santa is the big attraction at the end of the parade. He came to the Santa House to talk to the children and to start getting their wish lists for the season.”

One of the first participants in this year's Twilight Parade was Arnell Chevy Kia who brought along three decorated cars and trucks as well as Jessica Piazza, Arnell’s Internet Manager.

“This is our 5th year in the parade,” said Piazza. “We brought along a Corvette, a Silverado and a Kia Soul. Our own Ed Anderson decorated each vehicle and it took him at least four hours!”

There to emcee the event and get the crowd on their feet and ready was Ric Federighi, General Manager of WIMS, AM 1420, who was also simulcasting the event.

“It’s all about getting together with your family, the community and it’s about the children and making memories,” said Federighi. “Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces and the great weather, I just love this kind of stuff. We had a chance to walk around downtown and through the parade route and it’s just great to see so many people out.”

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Mistletoe Market, Chesterton’s European Market all dressed up for the Holidays on December 5th from 9am-3pm, and Santa Claus will be visiting the Santa House at Thomas Centennial Park every Saturday from 10am-noon and 1pm-3pm until Christmas. To find out more about these events and other news about the Duneland Chamber, visit: http://www.dunelandchamber.com/