Winterfest in Flossmoor celebrates the season with community traditions

Flossmoor’s Winterfest Celebration is Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2 to 5 p.m., but get an early start with Santa who will be on hand for photos with pets from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Park Place in Flossmoor Park. The event is hosted by the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District.

From noon to 5 p.m., Flossmoor businesses will be open for special holiday activities and sales.

Walking tours to Janet Gustafson’s magical gingerbread display at her house will leave from Flossmoor Park between noon and 3 p.m. Residents will follow a trail down Braeburn Avenue to Gustafson’s home where she will give tours of this year’s creation explaining how she gets her ideas, how long it typically takes her to build the display and what inspires her to build a new gingerbread house each year.

Guests will find Santa in the lower level of the Flossmoor Public Library at 2 p.m. where he will be available to meet with children and take photos.  The Flossmoor Volunteer Fire Department Corporation organizes the photos with Santa. Once the photos are loaded to  the Village of Flossmoor’s Facebook page, people will be able to download the photos for their personal collections.

Police Chief Tod Kamleiter is set to read a story to children during the afternoon festivities.

Also at the library, Girl Scouts will be making holiday crafts, and this year there will be a clay sculpting craft using the village logo as a template. The creations can be taken home.

At 4:30 p.m., the Santa Parade organizes outside the library for the march to Flossmoor Park, and at 5 p.m. the Christmas tree and Menorah lighting will take place.

Winterfest is supported by the Village of Flossmoor, the Flossmoor Public Library, Flossmoor Business Association and the Flossmoor Volunteer Fire Corporation, with special thanks to Janet Gustafson, Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s National Honor Society and Parker Junior High’s National Junior Honor Society.