The Festival of Lights parade, and fireworks afterward, drew a large crowd from all over the Illinois Valley and the Chicago suburbs to downtown Ottawa Friday night. Foot traffic and car traffic were heaviest from about 6 to 7 when the fireworks started over Allen Park which were visible for miles.
Only minor traffic rerouting was needed, if you were headed south on La Salle, friendly police with flashlights guided the left lane east at LaFayette towards Columbus where you could still get to the YMCA parking lot and have a wonderful glimpse of the fireworks from the Fox Riverwalk. There weren’t many open parking spots at 7 when the 15-minute long sky show started.
A line of Chris Kringle huts along Jackson Street at the South end of Washington Park and at Jordan Block looked more like a scene from Germany than Illinois where many Christmas traditions we are all so familiar with started. All in all about 90 bakers and candymakers make up this year’s Crhistkindl market in Ottawa. They will be selling their luxury and unusual baked wares on Saturday and Sunday.
Christkindl markts (literally Christ Child market) originated in Nuremberg, Germany in the 13th century to celebrate Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. The idea came to the US in about 1995.