The Galesburg Area Chamber of Commerce is announcing a new downtown Holiday festival coming to Galesburg this year.“Galesburg Express: Believe in the Magic,” a downtown Holiday festival is something that the chamber has kept under wraps while they’ve planned the last few months.
The Carl Sandburg train that originates in Chicago will be have performers fixed from Sugar High Theatricals on the ride from Princeton to Galesburg that day.
Chamber Executive Director Jessica Linder says they hope it creates a “Polar Express type environment.”
Once in downtown, actors and singers will be performing along downtown streets, the Orpheum Theatre will have two screenings of “The Polar Express” and Prairie Players will perform 30-minute adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” throughout the day.
Linder tells Galesburg’s Morning News on WGIL that fests like this are common in other communities, so why shouldn’t Galesburg have one?
“I think it’s a great chance for us all to come together and celebrate and it’s a weekend in December when we’d all be hibernating anyway so why not get out and shop all of our businesses downtown and throughout the community,” Linder says.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting Discovery Depot in the afternoon and they the day will be topped at 5:30 p.m. with a Christmas tree lighting out in front of train depot.
They’ll use the big pine tree that sits next to the depot. Carolers and speakers will help to set the holiday mood.
The Knox County YMCA is helping the chamber find a special child that will get the honor of lighting the tree.
The downtown Holiday festival is Sunday Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
