Lighting up the countryside
Bunker Hill Holiday Lights adds colorful energy to the holidays
The Neff Grocery is part of the Holiday Lights display each Christmas at Bunker Hill . Provided photo .
BY MARVIN HOLMAN MARVIN . HOLMAN @ DANCOMNEWS . COM
The Bunker Hill Holiday Lights event has been a tradition for many years . In the last year , it has picked up a little more juice .
In 2021 , Kennekuk County Park added the Brooks family Christmas lights and displays to continue the tradition that started south of the park on Henning Road .
“ Chuck Brooks and his wife , Rita , lived a short distance south of the park and they put on this tremendous display in their yard ,” Vermilion County Conservation District Volunteer Coordinator and Environmental Education Supervisor Lara Danzl said . “ Chuck passed away in 2021 and was a member of the board of directors , so he had a link to the park . When he passed away , his wife , Rita approached the park and said would we be interested in using the displays at the park to add to the Bunker Hill Display Lights .
“ We agreed and we started to use it last year . The number of people who came in to see the lights was
Christmas lights frame the old-time sign at Neff Grocery at Bunker Hill . Provided photo . fantastic to see . Chuck ’ s lights and displays are still used for people to see and it is a great addition to the Bunker Hill lights and it is great for us that they are there .”
There were 8,400 vehicles that came through the park last December , according to Danzl , and while some may have come through to hike , hunt or fish , she said at least 70 percent were there for the light display .
Everything starts off on Sunday , Dec . 4 , with a Holiday Open House at Bunker Hill . That is an event that Danzl has been a part of since the beginning .
“ I was hired as volunteer coordinator in September of 1998 and we had an event to meet the new volunteer coordinator for all of the volunteers and we made it an event for the
20 ILLIANA MAGAZINE — WINTER 2022