Zabrocki Plaza Tree Lighting Ceremony Set for Friday

Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki is ready to officially kick off the holiday season on Friday, Dec. 2, and he's inviting the rest of the village to join him. At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, residents are encouraged to head to Zabrocki Plaza for holiday music, refreshments and socializing and then, at 6 p.m. the mayor will light the 35-foot tall Christmas tree in the plaza.

“[The tree lighting] is really a chance to gather around the ol' Christmas tree,” Zabrocki said. “It's a chance to really keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas.”

The mayor and the residents who attend the tree lighting won't be the first people to announce the holiday season has begun, as the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce and several sponsors decorated Christmas trees that currently line Zabrocki Place and the surrounding area for the Chamber's Trim-A-Tree even on Saturday, Nov. 20. The display features trees donated by Home Depot that were decorated by various businesses and groups in the village and will remain up throughout the holiday season.

“It's a great way for the businesses to get together with other organizations in the village,” said Bob Haustein, chamber president. “The businesses have the choice of either decorating the trees themselves, or letting one of the other organizations in town here decorate it. … It's really a lot of fun for everyone who came out.

With the Trim-A-Tree event having taken place already, Zabrocki said it's now time to really get into the holiday spirit with the official tree lighting ceremony.

“It's a great community spirit,” Zabrocki said. “People come join in the singing, all those kind of things, it really calls to mind home, family and the fire place, that kind of thing.”