The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce presents its new holiday window program, Window Wonderland, kicking off on Small Business Saturday, November 30, 2019, and running through December 30, 2019. Dozens of businesses across Wicker Park and Bucktown are decorating their windows in holiday themes, and shoppers can vote on the best windows for a chance to win raffle prizes. A special free public performance of holiday carols will be given by Chicago Children’s Choir’s new Bucktown Neighborhood Choir on Saturday, December 7 from 2 - 3 p.m., with the caroling route beginning at Robey Hall, 2018 W North Ave.
Chicago Children’s Choir’s new Bucktown Neighborhood Choir, launched in September 2019, will be giving its second public performance as part of the Window Wonderland holiday festivities, following its inaugural concert on December 4. The performance, consisting of classic holiday carols in the themes of winter, Christmas, and Hanukkah, will make three stops in the Wicker Park neighborhood: 2:00 p.m. at Robey Hall, 2018 W North Ave, 2:20 p.m. at TOMS, 1611 N Damen Ave, and 2:40 p.m. at Goddess and the Grocer, 1649 N Damen Ave. Learn more about Chicago Children’s Choir’s programs and neighborhood choirs at ccchoir.org.
To vote for best windows, shoppers will receive a passport with purchase from any participating Window Wonderland store, and get a stamp from each store they visit. Completed passports can be dropped off at ambassador locations on each main street in the Wicker Park and Bucktown commercial corridors, including Damen Avenue, Division Street, North Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue. With stamps from ten stores collected between November 30 and December 30, 2019, voters are eligible to enter a raffle for a $50 AMEX gift card, given to ten winners. Online voting via social media is also available with hashtag #WPBWindowWonderland.
Participating businesses of Window Wonderland include: Volumes Bookcafe, Alexandra Marks Jewelry, Allstate Insurance, CBD Kratom, Challengers Comics + Conversation, Club Lucky, Club Pilates, Dynamic Salon Studios, Earth Rider Cycling, Escape Artistry, Jackson Junge Gallery, Mac's Wood Grilled, Nature Yoga Sanctuary, Native foods, Nina Nightingale Silhouette Portrait Artist, Salon Blonde, Schott NYC, Store B Vintage, The Caban-Robinson Insurance Group, The CryoBar, and TOMS. For updates, go to www.wickerparkbucktown.com.
Chicago Children’s Choir (Josephine Lee, President and Artistic Director) is a non-profit organization that inspires and unites youth from diverse backgrounds to become global citizens through music. Founded in Hyde Park in direct response to the Civil Rights Movement in 1956, CCC has grown from one choir into a vast network of in-school and after-school programs serving 5,200 students across the city of Chicago. CCC has impacted the lives of more than 50,000 diverse youth throughout its 62-year history. Since its founding, CCC has focused on building programs that reflect the racial and economic diversity of Chicago. Eighty percent of youth served are from low-moderate income homes, with over 4,000 students annually participating completely free of charge. All singers in CCC programs receive some level of subsidy. High school seniors enrolled in CCC have a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate, becoming global ambassadors who carry on CCC’s core values in a wide array of professional fields. To learn more about Chicago Children’s Choir, visit https://ccchoir.org.
The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce serves as a cornerstone of the Wicker Park and Bucktown commercial districts, advancing the financial goals of neighborhood businesses through the creation of a dynamic economic climate, increasing the neighborhood's visibility and viability, and encouraging profitable relationships within the community. The Chamber administers Special Service Area (SSA) #33, guided by a volunteer Commission of SSA taxpayers who serve on active committees. For more information, please visit www.wickerparkbucktown.com.
Photo credit:Chicago Children’s Choir performance. Photo by Elliot Mandel. Previous holiday window display from a Wicker Park/Bucktown business. Courtesy of the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.