There she was, Snow White turning her own fairy tale upside down. First, she eschewed the traditional poisoned apple for a cup of hot chocolate. Then, instead of making the Seven Dwarfs pull their own weight, she towed them around Ravinia Park in a bright red Radio Flyer wagon.
Masquerading as the beautiful emigrant from the Enchanted Forest, Sharon Jozsa of Chicago and her wagonload of stuffed Disney dolls were among the many attractions at the Ravinia Festival’s seventh annual Winter Wonderland, held last weekend in Highland Park. “This is our way of thanking the people of Highland Park and the surrounding communities for supporting us throughout the year,” said publicity coordinator Philip Koester.
Several thousand people took advantage of a cold but sunny afternoon to attend the event, which featured caroling, horsedrawn hayrides, a holiday raffle, an outdoor scavenger hunt and creative indoor activities for kids. It was sponsored by Crayola and the Kohl Children’s Museum in Wilmette.
“This is our first year here, and we’re really enjoying ourselves,” said Nancy Clarkson of Gurnee, whose children Melissa, 21 months, and David, 8, had just fashioned snowflakes out of glitter. Meanwhile, James Jarvie of Highland Park was trying to coax his daughter Emeline, 4, into showing off her cookie creation.
A crowd also gathered in front of Ravinia’s Martin Theatre to enjoy songs of the season as performed by the Warren Newport High School choir, one of six middle school and high school choirs from Lake and Cook Counties that performed there throughout the day.
Live musical entertainment featured in Bennett-Gordon Hall included the Eileen Boevers Traveling Troupe, a group of talented youths from the Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park; 78 rpm Blues, the blues-ragtime duo of Ted Parrish and Rick Sherry of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago; and the Mostly Madrigal Singers, an octet from St. Charles.
Admission was free with the donation of a non-perishable food item to benefit the Deerfield Township Food Pantry, which distributes the food to less fortunate families in Highland Park, Highwood and parts of Lake Forest and Deerfield.
