The Third Annual Galesburg Express has plenty of activities to put the whole family in the Holiday Spirit Saturday, December 8th. The day begins at 8:00 am with Breakfast with Santa & Mrs. Claus at the Kensington Ballroom. The Galesburg Downtown YMCA will be having a Reindeer Ramble Fun Run beginning at 8:00 am. Jessica Linder with the Galesburg Chamber of Commerce says there’s plenty of downtown shopping and activities the rest of the morning and afternoon. “Galesburg Express this year, we have a number of shops that will be open and they’ll have different activities and crafts for the kids,” Linder said. “A lot of our arts organizations have events. The Orpheum will have showings of The Polar Express (and a) book reading. Prairie Players is putting on another short program this year. There’s fun stuff at Discovery Depot. Then the National Railroad Hall of Fame is wrapping up the day with a tree lighting.” The Polar Express reading and showing at the Orpheum is from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Santa’s House will be open from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. There will be trolley rides from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and carriage rides outside the Orpheum from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The tree lighting begins at 5:00 pm at the Galesburg Train Station. For more information, visit the Galesburg Express Facebook page.
It’s the final weekend for the Galesburg Gift of Lights at Lincoln Park. The drive-through holiday display is December 7th and 8th from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The cost is $5 per vehicle.
Friday, December 7th is the Galesburg Community Chorus performance of Handel’s Messiah. Messiah is an oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. Galesburg Community Chorus director Tim Pahel says it’s a piece composed of 53 different movements. “Just the first portion which is the first 21 movements is the Christmas portion,” Pahel said. “Sometimes organizations do sing-a-long Messiahs. So there’s a choir that’s performing on stage but people in the audience can sing along with those movements if they want to. People can go and just enjoy the music like a regular concert, or if they want to participate it’s their opportunity to do that as well.” Handel’s Messiah performed by the Galesburg Community Chorus is Friday, December 7th at 7:30 pm at the Firth Lutheran Church in Galesburg.
Saturday, December 8th beginning at 5:30 pm Bob and the Believers will be performing at Faith United Methodist Church in Galesburg. The cost is a free will offering.
