One of Aurora’s annual holiday attractions returns this week as the Fox Valley Park District welcomes back the popular Holiday Express celebration at its Blackberry Farm at 100 S. Barnes Road in Aurora.
The holiday season event will have a Special Needs Night on Friday when the park will feature a lower-sensory environment. Opening night follows on Saturday, with the event running from 5 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 21.
Tickets again are $10 for those 1 year old and older. For tickets, go to www.blackberryfarm.info/special-events/holiday-express/.
The event’s popular holiday train ride, which has been billed as “a community tradition since 2006,” will again be joined by a variety of activities during the Holiday Express celebration.
Blackberry Farm Recreation Superintendent Becky Harling said staff members began setting up for the Holiday Express event more than a month in advance and that many of the popular attractions from last year will be back.
“We’ve continued to add lights and different photo opportunity displays to the park, but we’ve really not made a lot of changes this year in terms of the things we are offering,” Harling said. “We feel a lot of local people come year after year but this has a regional appeal as well. You don’t get to ride a holiday train just anywhere and it’s a great time for families.
“People are looking for those affordable things and I also think the size of our park is really attractive to people,” Harling added. “You can do all the different attractions with your littles without having to go across acres of land, which is really nice. I always feel like we’re busy but we’re never crowded. You can navigate the park at your own speed and jump around to different areas without feeling like you’re waiting in lines for hours.”
For those hoping to see Santa, he will be available every day the fest is open for photo opportunities. Guests can find him at the North Pole Oasis, otherwise known as the Carriage Museum, officials said.
Harling said there is also “a new train photo op – one of our old train engines that we decorated as well,” at the fest.
“This is a new spot for people to take photos which is nice, rather than people trying to rush the actual engine and get a photo,” she said.
Other attractions at the farm include holiday displays and a chance for kids to color a Holiday Express coloring book inside Huntoon House; the Candy Cane Village playground; the Sugar Plum Playland at Little Farmer’s Junction with a winter-themed sensory table; holiday stories inside the Gingerbread School House; a cafe offering treats and hot chocolate; and the Holiday Village in the Early Streets Museum which will offers crafts and holiday music.
Harling said despite the number of years Holiday Express has been offered, “I do still think we are a hidden gem where I still see people online saying, ‘I never knew this place existed.’”
“I think we’re still growing and people are finding us again,” she said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
