LAKEVIEW — The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce has put out a calendar of holiday-themed activities that support local businesses.
From a neighborhood tree-lighting ceremony to ice sculpture demonstrations, the series of events will offer ways for neighbors to get into the holiday spirit while shopping local.
“The holidays are here once again, and our retailers and restaurants are eager to dive into their busy season and serve their customers,” said Carisa Marconet, events and marketing director of the chamber. “With lots of holiday events coming up, we hope customers choose to stay in Lakeview and Roscoe Village and spend their dollars locally to support our small businesses.”
The festivities will kick off 6 p.m. Sunday outside St. Alphonsus Church, 1429 W. Wellington Ave., where Lakeview’s community Christmas tree will be lit. The event will also feature live performances and a visit from Santa Claus.
From Nov. 27-Dec. 26, neighbors can download a “Lakeview Holiday Passport” from the Eventzee app, which will reward people for shopping at local businesses.
The Eventzee app is available from Google Play and the Apple Store. It will reward people with points for stopping at local businesses. Each business will have a unique QR code which can be scanned; once at least five codes are scanned, users will be entered to win prize packages filled with goods from local businesses, according to the chamber.
Other holiday festivities:
- Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27, when people are encouraged to do their holiday shopping at local businesses.
- A Lakeview menorah-lighting ceremony 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at the corner of Marshfield and Lincoln avenues.
- The Southport Holiday Stroll and Cocktail Crawl, 5-9 p.m. Dec. 3. Businesses along Southport Avenue from Belmont to Irving Park Road will stay open late, offering special holiday deals and festivities, like carolers, photos with Santa and other surprises. The ticketed Cocktail Crawl features two routes, which will provide participants with 10 holiday-themed cocktail samples while they enjoy the Holiday Stroll.
- Roscoe Village Winterfest, Dec. 4-5. This weekend celebration will feature a window-decorating contest as well as arts and crafts, a visit from Santa and carolers on Sunday.
- Ice sculpture demonstrations, which will happen at some point in December. Dates, times and locations will be announced soon.
More information on the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber’s holiday festivities can be found on its website.
Jake Wittich is a Report for America corps member covering Lakeview, Lincoln Park and LGBTQ communities across the city for Block Club Chicago.
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