The glow of colorful lights in the dark night prompted Dana Korneman and his family to take a detour on their way home from a recent afternoon at the circus in Chicago.
“We were going down (Interstate Highway) 55 to Clinton (Ill.),” Korneman said. “We turned around and came back.”
The Joliet Symphony of Lights, a holiday exhibition of 15 large illuminated scenes and numerous smaller Santas, stars and candy canes, draws people from far and near to the intersection of Interstate Highways 80 and 55.
Despite an afternoon of clowns and high-wire acts, sensory overload hadn’t gotten the best of Korneman and his extended family.
Tucked into the back seat of the family’s minivan, Korneman’s 5-year-old grandson, Logan Karr, shared without coaching which of the light display he liked best.
“David and Goliath,” he said.
His mother, Janell Karr, explained, “It was real creative. They had to time the lights so (David’s) stone would hit Goliath.”
It might be fitting to include this tale of the triumph of good over a powerful enemy in the holiday display. The Joliet Symphony of Lights raises funds for MorningStar Mission, which helps those struggling against hard times and problems such as addiction to drugs or alcohol. The Joliet agency provides food, clothing and shelter to the homeless.
Marilyn Farmer, who serves on the mission’s board, got the idea to organize the Symphony of Lights about four years ago when she saw a similar display during a visit to southern Illinois.
“I went to the light show, and I came back and said, `Boy, that was fantastic. There must be some way we could do that here and have it be a fundraiser for the mission.’ ” The local light extravaganza began in 1994.
Organizers estimate that this year 50,000 people will view the displays, including a nativity scene and all of the 12 days of Christmas. The exhibits are along a U-shaped drive at the Leisure Lake Membership Resort.
Signs encourage cars, vans and buses driving through the exhibit to tune their radios to 97.5-FM, a low-frequency transmission set up just to play holiday songs and carols continuously for the event.
Some of the animated light displays measure more than 75 feet wide and 30 feet tall.
“It’s so beautiful with the lights reflecting off the lake,” Farmer said. “My favorite scene is of the 12 drummers drumming.”
More than 100 volunteers put up the lights and performed other tasks related to the light display, including ticket sales and two Dinners with Santa held during the event. The 300,000 or so lights are attached to steel frames and hoisted into place by a crane.
In addition, about 50 local businesses served as sponsors of the show, donating goods and services or funds. Farmer estimated that the light display will raise $70,000, and after expenses about $15,000 will go to the mission for its operating costs. For 1998, the mission’s annual budget is estimated at $400,000.
Sandra Perzee of Joliet, a volunteer for the mission since 1975, said the display is a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season and supports a good cause.
“If the mission wasn’t there, these people would fall through the cracks,” she said. “They wouldn’t get the help they need to change their lives.”
The mission serves meals to 275 people a day, provides short-term shelter and offers an intensive six-month program geared to helping people overcome addictions, find employment and live independently. It’s run by Rev. William Jenkins, who recently came from Peoria, where he had been working as a troubleshooter for the International Union of Gospel Missions. A dozen men are taking part in the intensive addiction therapy program. “I always say, `We give them the word of God and give them work, and then their self-worth goes up,’ ” Jenkins said.
The men attend counseling sessions, study the Bible and are responsible for cooking, cleaning and doing custodial work at the mission.
In the past year, six men have graduated from the program. They are an inspiration to Jerome Jones, a 39-year-old who is working to overcome an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Jones (who preferred not to use his real name) believes his participation in the program will help him reunite with his wife and four children.
“Any problem you have, (the staffers) are willing to step in and talk to you about it,” Jones said. “They got me back in contact with God.”
The mission’s staff includes Jenkins, his wife, Kay, who works as Jenkins’ assistant; a program director; and a coordinator of the mission’s 50 volunteers.
The mission is one in a network of 350 missions that are part of the International Union of Gospel Missions, headquartered in North Kansas City, Mo. Jenkins said the missions served 30 million meals in 1996, provided a place to stay for a night or longer to 12 million people, and distributed 20 million articles of clothing.
The light display will provide only a small portion of the local mission’s annual budget, but it has another positive impact–spreading holiday cheer and reminding people that this season is dedicated to giving to others.
Gavin Hatch, his wife, Charlie, and their daughter, Savanah, 4, recently traveled from Newark, in Kendall County, to view the light display.
The adults liked the turtle doves scene, which they said signifies peace and good will. Their daughter liked a figure of Santa Claus toting a bag stuffed with toys and presents.
Farmer said she enjoys seeing the eyes of children as they view the display. Her own eyes were shining when she hit the switch that illuminated the light display for the first time three years ago.
“I was choked up,” she said. “We had work so hard to do this, and then it was a reality.”
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The Joliet Symphony of Lights is on display through Dec. 28 at Leisure Lake Membership Resort, at Interstate Highways 80 and 55 in Joliet. It runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily. The cost is $7 per carload or minivan, $10 for a full-size van. Buses and tour groups are $2 per person, with a minimum of $50. For information and directions, call the hotline at 815-773-4435.
