A busy holiday season planned in Western Illinois

MACOMB (WGEM) – Heading into the vacation season, cities all through Western Illinois are gearing up for the festivities.

Over the weekend, a synchronized mild show was lit in Chandler Park in downtown Macomb.

Efforted by Western Illinois College retiree Monte Colley, the show lights activate and off to the beat of Christmas songs heard on Macomb space station 89.1 FM.

Colley started the method of synchronizing the show to every of the seven present songs in January as he stated it may possibly take as much as 50 hours to sync the lights to a single three minute tune.

“It’s all networked collectively and just about all of them are pixels, so you’ll be able to program each single mild any shade you need and there’s about 50,000 of them [lights],” Colley stated.

Colley started the sunshine show greater than 15 years in the past at his dwelling. Nevertheless, transferring to a distinct home known as for the show to make a transfer to Chandler Park.

Colley stated his profession in engineering prompted him to showcase the lights yearly.

“Once I got here to work for Western, I labored for services and extra within the administration, and I nonetheless wanted that area of interest to do the engineering sort stuff the place you construct it, you watch it and it really works,” Colley added.

Colley plans so as to add one other tune or two to the repertoire subsequent yr.

A light-weight present might be seen from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on a regular basis by Jan. 1.

On Dec. 2, Downtown Macomb can be the location of the Dickens on the Sq. “A Magical Vacation” occasion.

Click on right here for a full calendar of occasions in Macomb.

Nauvoo Festivities to Kick Off

About an hour west of Macomb, Nauvoo has vacation plans of their very own.

Beginning on Thursday, Dec. 1, the Nauvoo Space Chamber of Commerce is internet hosting a tree adorning contest.

Chamber President Tom Grant stated the purpose is for there to be as many Christmas timber down Mullholland Avenue (the primary drag on the town) as there probably might be.

Beginning Dec. 3 is Merrymaking on Mullholland. From 2 p.m. to five p.m. on Saturday, sure native companies may have one merchandise marked with a purple ribbon. Discovering the merchandise ends in a prize.

When receiving a prize, the service provider will award a ticket to actions together with decoration making with Cambre Home, nativity show on the Havenlight Gallery and extra.

Additionally on Dec. 3 is the Nauvoo Hearth Safety District’s annual soup supper.

Grant stated these vacation occasions add to Nauvoo’s small city appeal whereas additionally selling the idea of procuring native this vacation season.

“Because the seasons change, generally it may possibly get the place you simply keep in your house as a result of perhaps the climate is just not all that nice or perhaps there’s not plenty of actions occurring within the space,” Grant stated. “Nauvoo needed to let everybody know that we’re nonetheless open for enterprise, for enjoyable and for household actions.”

Deliberate for Dec. 9 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. is the Previous Nauvoo Group Christmas Stroll. This occasion contains free wagon rides, storytelling, dwell nativity and music.

On Saturday, Dec. 10, there will likely be a dwell present by Nauvoo’s Annual Handel’s Messiah Choral Efficiency at Legacy Theater in Carthage, Unwell..

The 2nd Annual Dickens Christmas Ball at Smokin’ Weapons Occasion Middle is deliberate for Dec. 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.. The occasion contains dance instruction, Victorian dancing and parlor video games.

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