By Patti Carter, Chester recreation director
CHESTER – We invite you to get in the spirit by decorating the outside of your house and yard in the most festive and creative manner and to compete in the holiday home lighting contest.
Nominate your own home, your neighbors, family or your friends by submitting an address to the parks and recreation office at city hall. 618-826-1430.
So get in the holiday spirit and dazzle us with your decorations.
Deck the halls, rooftops, and yards with the brightest of lights and show us your holiday spirit.
The addresses of all nominations will be posted on our social media for anyone wanting to drive and look at the holiday homes.
Business owners are invited to decorate their storefronts in the most festive and creative manner to challenge your fellow business owners to a little friendly, holiday competition.
Nominate your business by submitting an address to the parks and recreation office at city hall. 618-826-1430.
So get in the holiday spirit and dazzle us with your decorations. Deck the halls, rooftops, and sidewalks with the brightest of lights and show us your holiday spirit.
Visit our website for categories, rules and information on the lighting contests.
The annual grand illumination of the community Christmas tree, Chester Square Gazebo Park and Chester Memorial Park will be held Thursday, November 30th at 6 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus will make their first visit of the season to kick off the holiday celebration. Join us for cocoa and visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Pastor Mike Fogerson will offer the community blessing of the season and Mayor Tom Page will share holiday tidings with our little town.
You asked to have it back and we are going to bring it to you!
Reindeer games will be held Friday, December 1, beginning at 6 p.m. Reindeer games is an adult scavenger hunt. Please visit our website for rules and registration information. The City of Chester proudly presents our annual lighted Christmas parade. The parade will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. The parade will form in front of Chester High School. Participants should turn onto Hoppe Drive from State Street to line-up and may begin doing so at 4 p.m. (not before). All entries must be in place by 5:15 p.m. The parade will step off at 5:30 p.m, move southwest on Swanwick Street. It will turn left on West Stacey Street and immediately right onto State Street. It will continue on State Street ending at Church Street, (Chester Car Wash) where parade participants will turn right on Church street and left onto Swanwick Street.
Have you seen the spirit of Christmas, first hand?
I have, in the smiles on the faces and the excitement in the eyes of the children lining the street waiting on the lighted parade to come by.
Oh, I have seen them jumping with excitement and waving their hands.
I have heard the excitement in their voices and I have seen the sparkle in their eyes as Santa rolls by waving.
Each little boy and girl feels like Santa is waving just to them!
You can feel it.
As the parade makes it’s way down the route you see folks huddled around a fire, children playing and roasting marshmallows, old friends chatting, new friends in the making, folks bundled in warm clothing, and little ones tucked inside the warmth of a car or the arms of a loved one. For a little while time seems to stop and take you to a nostalgic place.
A place where you remember the wonder of Christmas when you were a child.
Where the stress of the day doesn’t matter.
Where you get to see Christmas through the eyes of a child.
Where you can experience the feeling of christmas and feel the joy of a small town Christmas celebration.
We want to fill the streets with a parade of lights for our kids.
Our parade has no theme and there is no entry fee.
It is dark so you don’t need to have an elaborate float – just lights on a moving vehicle or person, a tractor, a car, a truck, a bike!
If you have an entry in another parade we would love to have you share it in ours.
All businesses, civic groups, organizations, churches, neighborhood groups, and individuals are invited to participate. All entries are required to be lighted.
Entry forms are available at www.chesterill.com, the Christmas on the River Facebook page, chesterrecreation@chesterill.com and at Chester city hall.