GENESEO, ILLINOIS (November 29, 2021) — The 2021 Geneseo Christmas Walk will take place Saturday, December 11, 8AM-8PM, in Geneseo, Illinois. This year’s theme is “All of the Lights.” The 2021 theme focuses on spectacular Christmas light displays and was inspired by COVID-19 restrictions that “turned off the lights” on the 2020 Geneseo Christmas Walk, forcing organizers to drastically — but successfully — modify the event. With 2021 seen as a comeback year for many events, the 2021 theme is a response to the 2020 “lights out” event modifications, and the Geneseo Christmas Walk is going to turn on “All of the Lights” for visitors in 2021.
The following is a schedule of events for the day. Please watch for street closures throughout the day.
Saturday December 4, 2021
• 10AM: Luminary Bag Assembly and Storage — Richmond Hill Park Shelter #4 — Bring a scoop shovel! — VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Saturday December 11, 2021
• **HOLIDAY SHOPPING & DINING ALL DAY THROUGHOUT GENESEO! SUPPORT
SMALL BUSINESSES THIS HOLIDAY SEASON**
• 7AM: Barricades up for Jingle Run
• 7:30–8:30AM: Jingle Run 5K Registration and Packet Pick Up — Call to Victory Christian Youth Center — 218 S State St — VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
• 8AM: 2021 Geneseo Christmas Walk opens
• 8:30-10:30AM: Jingle Run 5K — Call to Victory Christian Youth Center — 218 S State St
• 10-11AM: Pick up and deliver luminaries from Richmond Hill to City Park — VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
• 10:30AM: Barricades down for Jingle Run
• 10:30AM– 12PM: Luminary Set Up at City Park — VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
• 12PM: Ribbon Cutting: Grit and Grace Nutrition — 128 S State St
• 1PM: Downtown barricades go up. State St closed to vehicular traffic.
• 2PM: Special Matinee: White Christmas Sing-A-Long — Central Theater — 111 N State St — Free will donations benefitting Brantley Francis Foundation accepted
• 3PM: Special Matinee: Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some) — Richmond Hill Players — Richmond Hill Barn Theater — 600 H K Robinson Drive
• 3:30–5PM: Lighted Parade Staging — Grace United Methodist Church — 318 N Center St — VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
• 3:30–8:30PM: Free Trolley Rides between Geneseo Moose Lodge and Downtown Geneseo
• 4:00-7:30PM: Civil War Re-enactors — Corner of State & Second St near Abraham Lincoln Bust — Downtown Geneseo
• 4:15PM: Lighting of the Luminaires at City Park and State St — VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
• 4:30–8PM: Central Bank Pavilion of Lights Display — 200 Block of N State St
• 5– 8PM: 2021 Geneseo Christmas Walk Living Windows — Downtown Geneseo
• 5–8PM: 2021 Geneseo Victorian Luminary Display — Geneseo City Park
• 5PM: 2021 Geneseo Christmas Walk Lighted Parade steps off towards Downtown Geneseo
• ~ 5:45PM: City of Geneseo Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony — Intersection of State and Second Streets
• 6PM: 2021 Geneseo Christmas Walk Lighted Parade — City Wide Route Begins — Expect traffic delays as the parade goes through Geneseo.
• 8PM: 2021 Geneseo Christmas Walk closes
• 8PM: Featured Movie – Central Theater – 111 N State St.
• 8–11PM: Moonlight Bowling — Lee’s Lanes — 925 S Oakwood Ave
• 9PM: Barricades come down, State St. reopens
Sunday December 12, 2021
• 11AM: Luminary tear down at City Park — VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Children’s activities will be hosted by Geneseo businesses all day:
• 10–11:30AM: Children’s Activity: Meet Santa Claus and free Kid’s Music Program — Musical Memories — 112 N State St
• 11AM–4PM: Children’s Activity — Make and Take Your Own Letter to Santa — RutabagA Art — 108 N State St
• 1–3PM: Children’s Activity — Jingle Bell Obstacle Course — Geneseo Community Center — 541 E North St
• 1–3PM: Children’s Activity — Make and Take Decorated Tile Coasters — Free for Kids and Adults — Geneseo Art League and Gallery — 125 N State St
• 2–4PM: Children’s Activity — Make Reindeer Food — My Moon Creations — 104 S State St
• 2:30–4PM: Children’s Activity — Meet Santa Claus — Front Porch of Geneseo Historical Museum — 205 S State St
• 7–9PM: Children’s Activity: Jingle Bell Skate — All Ages Welcome — Skate Rental Available — Geneseo Community Center — 541 E North St
Take in the sounds of the holiday season, experience a wide variety of live Christmas music at the Geneseo Christmas Walk:
• 11:45AM-4:30PM: Geneseo Middle School Swing Choir Caroling — throughout Geneseo
• 1–2:30PM: Live Music — Christmas Recital, Group 1 — Musical Memories — 112 N State St
• 2–3:30PM: Live Music — The Nice List — MIVA (performing above the Cellar) — 137 S State St
• 3:30–4PM: Live Music — Geneseo Elementary Schools Caroling — Intersection of State and First St — Downtown Geneseo
• 4–4:45PM: Live Music — Concordia Lutheran Church Handbell Choir — Musical Memories — 112 N State St
• 6PM: Live Music — GHS Madrigal Singers — Central Theater — 111 N State St
• 6PM: Live Music — Geneseo Community Choir performs on Front Porch of Geneseo Historical Museum — 205 S State St
• 6-8PM: Live Music — Christmas Recital, Groups 2 and 3 — Musical Memories — 112 N State St
• 6PM–8PM: Live Music — Travis Hosette, Professional Frank Sinatra Singer — Village Florist and Antiques — 108 S State St
• 6–8PM: Live Music — Geneseo Kitchen Band — Smith Studio & Gallery — 124 S State St
The following meal sites will be open during the Geneseo Christmas Walk:
• 3–5PM: Meal Site - Cookie Walk - Concordia Lutheran Church - 316 S. Oakwood Ave.
• 4–7PM: Meal Site: Pasta Supper (Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Homemade Desserts) — First Lutheran Church — 114 E Main St
• 4–7PM: Meal Site: Chili, Hot Dogs, Hot Cider, Hot Chocolate, Desserts — First United Methodist Church — 302 N State St — Free Will Donations Accepted
• 4–7PM: Meal Site: BBQ Pork, Brats, Soup/Chili, Pie, and More — First Presbyterian Church — 133 E North St
• 4-7:30PM: Meal Site: Chicken Dinner — Open to Public — $12 to $15 per person — Geneseo Moose
Lodge #990 — 1025 S State St —TROLLEY STOP!
Warming stations will also be available at the following locations:
• 4–8PM: Warming Station: Geneseo Chamber Info Center and Christmas Card Stamping — Hanford Insurance Agency — 119 S State St
• 4PM: Smores Station — New Life Fellowship — Intersection of State and Second St
• 4PM: Warming Station: Hot Cocoa Booth — First Congregational Church — All proceeds benefit mission projects — 100 block of S State St
• 4PM: Warming Station: Free Hot Apple Cider — First Baptist Church — Intersection of State and Second St
• 4PM: Warming Station: Caffeine and Carbs Pop-Up — Central Bank Pavilion of Lights — 200 Block of N State St
• 5PM: Warming Station: American Family Insurance — Michele Weber-Enck Agency — 229 S State St
• 5PM: Warming Station: Free Hot Chocolate — Geneseo Evangelical Free Church — Intersection of State and First St
• 5PM: Warming Station: Free Hot Chocolate — Concordia Lutheran Church — 100 block of S State St.
The Geneseo Christmas Walk Stamp will be available for your Christmas cards at the Geneseo Chamber Information Center, located in Hanford Insurance, 119 S. State Street from 4:00 – 8:00 pm. so drop off your postage-paid cards and special elves will stamp and mail your Christmas cards for you!
Returning to the Geneseo Christmas Walk is the “City-Wide” Lighted Parade, in which mobile floats will travel along a five-mile route in Geneseo past local senior care facilities. The “City-Wide” route will step off at 6PM from the Geneseo City Park, following the traditional Downtown Geneseo Lighted Parade route and Tree Lighting Ceremony at 5PM. The “City-Wide” Lighted Parade route started in 2020 during the pandemic as a way to bring a part of the Geneseo Christmas Walk joy to area seniors who were isolated due to COVID-19 restrictions. The 2020 Geneseo Christmas Walk Lighted Parade was acclaimed for its innovation in safely presenting a Christmas event during the pandemic both virtually and in person from the comfort of one’s home or car, like a drive-up movie. One year later, this new feature is here to stay by popular demand!
A new feature in 2021 is the Central Bank Pavilion of Lights, located in the 200 block of N State St.
Guests of the Geneseo Christmas Walk can immerse themselves in walk-through lighted Christmas light displays, providing the perfect Christmas time photo opportunity with friends or family. The Central Bank Pavilion of Lights will debut from 4:30–8PM, and will remain lit for the rest of the holiday season in Downtown Geneseo. The Central Bank Pavilion is a semi-permanent multi-purpose public use area that was converted from a parking lot into a common outdoor dining area to support local restaurants during COVID-19 mitigations in 2020 when indoor dining was not allowed. Since its establishment in 2020, the Central Bank Pavilion has hosted diners, gatherings, class reunions, live music, and now, interactive Christmas light displays in Downtown Geneseo. The Central Bank Pavilion of Lights is sponsored by: Central Bank Illinois.
This year’s Geneseo Christmas Walk Ornament was designed by Sheila Wigant-McGee from RutabagA Art and features a Victorian couple cast in a bronze-and-resin mixture, which is very durable. Ornaments are $15 each and available at RutabagA Art, 108 N State Street, Geneseo Art League, 125 N State Street, and Smith Studio and Gallery, 124 S State Street. Quantities are limited.
Also available in 2021, Hanford Insurance Agency partnered with the Geneseo High School Art Club to host a contest for GHS Art students to design a Christmas Walk ornament. This year’s winning design was created by Tessa Wilebski, a junior at Geneseo High School. The GHS Art Club Christmas Walk ornaments will be available at Hanford Insurance Agency during the Geneseo Christmas Walk, located at 119 S State St, 4-8PM.
The Geneseo Christmas Walk has been a regional favorite holiday destination event since 1986, attracting thousands of holiday revelers to Geneseo annually. The evening will be filled with Christmas magic in Geneseo and we invite you to join us both that evening and at any time in Geneseo, Illinois. While in Geneseo, visit our many fine restaurants and shops. Most events are free unless otherwise indicated; some meal and warming sites will accept free will donations.
For more information, call the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce at 309-944-2686.
