If you’re looking to take your family for a drive in this dark evenings to get a dose of holiday spirit, you’re in luck. The tradition of Urbana’s Candlestick Lane, otherwise known as Grant place, has been revived. After a year’s absence, the street will have its traditional lighting ceremony on Saturday evening at 6 p.m.
“We still have several residents on the street who have been there since the original Illinois Power contest that started Candlestick Lane back in 1963,” said Deborah Hogan, a married mom of two and Grant Place resident since 2005. “They have been instrumental in keeping the tradition going, and those of us who have moved there have taken on the tradition as one of our own. Last year, without the ceremony, Christmas didn’t quite feel complete.”
This year’s ceremony will feature children from the street who will light each house individually. Streets will be closed off starting at 5:30 though the end of the ceremony, so foot traffic is safe, Hogan said.
For more than 40 years, Candlestick Lane was the area’s top destination to view Christmas lights. But last year, the street was a shell of its former self.
“In the past few years, several of the houses have been empty, as residents have moved away, and with the housing market down, some houses sat empty last year,” Hogan said. “There were so many empty houses last year that the block decided to forgo the ceremony, though many of us still decorated our houses. This year, we have been fortunate enough to have several of the houses full of individuals and families who are enthusiastic about joining the tradition.”
Hogan’s home display includes an eclectic bunch of decorations, from a Nativity scene to an Illini football player to candy canes. This year, her family added a Santa hanging off the roof, as if he slipped off, “trying to inject more humor into an already fun tradition,” she said.
To get to Grant Place, take Floria Ave east to Philo Road. Go north on Philo Road to Fairlawn Drive. Go West on Fairlawn Drive. Grant Place is located north of Fairlawn Drive. Here’s a map.