At 5:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, the Geneva High School drum and flag line will step off from Graham's Fine Chocolates & Ice Cream at 302 S. Third St. More than 100 people ringing bells will follow, carrying the first candy cane of the season to the mayor just before the tree is lit. The parade is named for Graham's founder Bob Untiedt, known around town as Geneva's "Chocolate Man," and anyone with a bell can join it.
Almost everything on Third Street that night works the same way. You don't need a ticket for the tree, the carolers, the chestnuts or the nativity. The Geneva Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Walk page puts the start at 6 p.m. Santa arrives and the tree is lit between 6 and 6:30 on the courthouse lawn.
Most of the rest of December 4 through 20 has a limit. Some events need a reservation, some sell a set number of tickets, and some run until the cookies or cocoa are gone. The first price change comes on Nov. 15, three days after this post goes up.
What needs a ticket, and by when
| Event | Date | Cost | The limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steeple Walk, Geneva Foundation for the Arts | Sun., Dec. 6, 2 to 4:10 p.m. | $20 through Nov. 15, then $22 | Ticket sales end Dec. 4 |
| Visit with Santa, Geneva Visitor Center | Dec. 4 evening, then Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 | $12 | Reservation required, "no exceptions" |
| Holiday House Tour, five homes | Dec. 4 to 5 | $42 | Can sell out |
| Lions Club Pancake Breakfast with Santa | Sat., Dec. 5, 7:30 to 11 a.m. | $10 adults, $8 ages 4 to 12 | Tickets through genevalionsclub.org |
| Gingerbread Barn Raising, Peck Farm Park | Sun., Dec. 6, 4 to 6 p.m. | $72 per group, $92 nonresident | Registration required |
| Lights & Flights Craft Beer Festival, Peck Farm Park | Sat., Dec. 12 | $55 general, $70 VIP | Ages 21 and up, ticketed |
Mid-November: two clocks start before the lights go up
The Steeple Walk deadline comes first. The Geneva Foundation for the Arts charges $20 per ticket through Nov. 15 and $22 from Nov. 16 through Dec. 4. The concert visits four churches: Geneva Lutheran Church, First Church of Christ, Scientist, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, and United Methodist Church of Geneva. The audience splits into two groups, each starting at a different church. Each stop has a 20-minute performance, and the musicians play every set twice so both groups hear all four. The Foundation asks guests to arrive by 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 6 for the 2 p.m. start.
The second clock is Santa's calendar. The Chamber's Visit with Santa page takes reservations at $12 per visit. Santa arrives Dec. 4 on top of the Geneva History Museum, greets the crowd from the stage, and then heads to his Winter Wonderland at the Geneva Visitor Center, 10 S. Third St., where he sees children until 9:30 that night. After that, visits run from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 5, 12 and 19, and Sundays, Dec. 6 and 13. On the booking calendar, sold-out dates show in red. The form asks for children's names, wish lists, pets and any sensory concerns so the visit can be tailored.
On Nov. 17, the Geneva History Museum opens its two seasonal displays, the Annual Geneva Giving Trees and the 18th-century crèche, both through Dec. 23. The crèche is a Neapolitan nativity with 46 figures. The originator of The Little Traveler first displayed it in the 1930s. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Sundays and Mondays. Local charities decorated the trees, and you vote for a favorite by buying tickets, with all proceeds going to those charities. Online voting stays open through Jan. 1.
Friday, Dec. 4: free, but some things run out
The night needs no tickets, but several of the most popular stops run while supplies last, so timing still matters. Here is the evening from the earliest start time, grouped by where each stop is.
Before dark, off Third Street
- 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh St.: a First Friday Holiday Walk Pre-Party with crafts, face painting and a drawing.
- 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, 102 S. Second St.: the 43rd Annual Cookie Walk. Buy an empty $20 pastry box and fill it with two to three dozen homemade cookies, while supplies last. The Cookie Walk runs until 6:30, so it overlaps the 6 p.m. tree lighting. Anyone who wants a full box should get there before the crowd moves to the courthouse lawn.
State Street
- 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., State Street between Second and Third: dancers from Midwest Dance Conservatory perform scenes from The Nutcracker in the windows of INLURO, House of 423, Blinka Optical, Zazu Salons and Scout & Gem. INLURO hands out a treat, and Blinka Optical gives out candy canes.
- Friday evening, State Street Jewelers, 230 W. State St.: chestnuts roasted over an open fire, free. State Street Jewelers also sponsors the tree lighting.
Third Street, from the courthouse south
- 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Third Street gazebo next to the History Museum: Cocoa on 3rd Street, which raises money for the Unitarian Universalist youth Habitat for Humanity trip.
- Shortly after 6 p.m., courthouse lawn: Santa Lucia and her attendants arrive and hand out Swedish pepparkakor cookies. Then the tree and the downtown holiday lights come on, and Santa arrives. The lawn's North Pole Post Office stays up all season for letters to Santa.
- 6 to 9 p.m., Graham's, 302 S. Third St.: the 31st Annual Candy Cane Pull. Candymakers stretch, twist and shape peppermint by hand, and every cane made that evening is given away free.
- 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m., Geneva Lutheran Church, 301 S. Third St.: the confirmation class presents a Live Nativity on the front lawn, with hot chocolate and cookies from the congregation.
- 6:30 to 8 p.m., St. Mark's Church, 320 Franklin St.: Carols in the Chapel. The entrance faces Fourth Street.
One block off Third, on James Street
- 6 to 8 p.m., Harvey's Tales, 216 James St.: Cash for Cocoa, $2 a cup, cash only, with all proceeds going to Anderson Humane, while supplies last. Mike Hensel reads from his new book, Santa Go To Bed.
Shops stay open late too. The Little Traveler at 404 S. Third St. is open until 9 p.m., with free cookies, cocoa and hot cider in its Atrium Cafe from 6 to 9. Midwest Nice, inside The Berry House at 227 S. Third St., hosts Rising Lights from 6 to 9 p.m. The shop carries goods from more than 100 local artists and makers.
Saturday and Sunday: back to the ticket list
The Holiday House Tour runs both days. The Chamber's tour page lists five homes, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, self-guided. Tickets cost $42. Before Dec. 4, pick them up at 8 S. Third St. On Dec. 4 and 5, pickup moves to Little Red Barn Door at 21 S. Third St. Little Red Barn Door also sells any tickets left on the day, but the Chamber warns the tour may sell out.
Saturday starts early. The Geneva Lions Club serves its Pancake Breakfast with Santa in the Geneva High School cafeteria, 416 McKinley Ave., from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for ages 4 to 12, and children 3 and under eat free. The Chamber's program lists live music, photos and crafts with the breakfast.
After breakfast, the free events start again downtown:
- Preservation's Christkindlmarket, 513 S. Third St., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: local artisans, lunch, warm drinks and live music.
- Horse-drawn carriage rides: sponsored by Elements Massage. Rides are free from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends from Dec. 5 through Dec. 20, per the Chamber. They start and end at South Third and James streets and travel along Third Street to the courthouse and back.
- The Little Traveler's Art by Rozanne Showcase: holiday and winter artwork by Rozanne Priebe, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- The Friends of Geneva Library book sale: at 227 S. Seventh St. It runs all three days and goes to half price on Sunday.
- St. Mark's Players' A Christmas Carol: Saturday at 6 p.m. at 320 Franklin St., with a set and Dickens-era costumes. It's free.
Sunday, Dec. 6, has two ticketed events in the same afternoon. The Steeple Walk runs from 2 to 4:10 p.m. Peck Farm Park's Gingerbread Barn Raising starts at 4 p.m. at the park's Orientation Barn. The concert ends 10 minutes after the barn raising begins, so a family can't fit both into that afternoon. One gingerbread registration covers up to six people, and it includes the barn, frosting and candy.
Peck Farm lights up a week before downtown
The Geneva Park District turns on Winter Wonder Lights at Peck Farm Park, 4038 Kaneville Road, a week before the Christmas Walk. The lights stay on from 5 to 10 p.m. every night from Nov. 28 through Jan. 1. Walking the paths is free, and no registration is needed. The free kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 28, runs from 5 to 7 p.m. The courtyard lights come on at 5 p.m. sharp, and there's cocoa and s'mores by the fire pit, holiday music and a station for writing letters to Santa.
New this year, the Park District is adding a ticketed event. Its Lights & Flights Craft Beer Festival on Saturday, Dec. 12, is billed as the first of its kind at the park. General admission runs 4 to 7 p.m. for $55. VIP admission costs $70 and starts an hour early, with a commemorative pint glass. Designated-driver tickets cost $15. Every guest gets 15 sample pours and a commemorative glass. It's the same day as Santa's second-to-last Saturday downtown, so households with both kids and adults 21 and over can do one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
The last ticketed event at Peck Farm is on Monday, Dec. 21, the winter solstice. Bagpipes & Bonfire runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Peck Farm Picnic Shelter, and registration is required. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children for residents, and children 2 and under are free. The museum's crèche closes two days later, on Dec. 23.
If you're hosting family in Geneva for Christmas Walk weekend and someone asks what homes like the ones on the House Tour are worth, The Lance Kammes Team can give you a straight answer using current local sales. Get a Free Home Valuation, and enjoy the candy canes on Third Street.
