Lights and decorations for the season get oohs and aahs in the Wicker Park Fountain Court for the seventh year

Wicker Park Fountain twinkles and sparkles with lights as the two rings of sumptuously decorated urns stand sentinel for a seventh holiday season in Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen.

Outside work begins with the basic lights in the fountain. Larry Clary and Jim Angrabright work in the bowl while Richard Tilley (r) and others work on the base

Doug Wood has the assistance while harvesting crab apple branches from Jane Wenger (in tree) and Ken Tyler

More than sixty people from across the Chicago area worked on Sun., Nov. 21, for all or part of the ten hours it took to decorate the historic fountain, twelve urns and the Field House doorways. The result is that the Park's Fountain Court area looks like a crown jewel on the background of evening blackness.  Its beauty holds strong during daylight without the lights as well.

The urns are filled with crab apple tree branches, greens, dried grasses and flowers from the 10,000 sq. feet of Community Gardens in the Park in addition to the branches of twenty purchased evergreen trees.  Add to that thirty bunches of red dogwood branches, eucalyptus branches, pine cones, ribbons, bows, metallic ornamental accents and tiny red lights and it is understandable how the overall effect is so festive and took so long for the workers to complete.

Greens begin to be added to the fountain by Joe Vallee (l), Denise Browning, Diane Mason and Paula Collins

Arcelia Eschotto and Joe Vallee are in the beginning stages of designing one of the small urns

The fountain bowls have 150 feet of purchased garland encircling both levels with lights and icicles entwined. Lights are wrapped around the fountains base and other decorations adorn the garlands and other fountain parts.

Inside the Field House, Mary Ann Pusz, Lyn Alsobrook, Natalie Konieczko and Ashley Venable assemble decorations to be used on the fountain and urns

The Wicker Park Garden Club, which is the event's designer, producer and promoter, donated $1,000 while it members and volunteers donated hundreds of more dollars in food, ornaments and other decorations. The Care of Trees donated the thousands of LED energy efficient 'green' lights and the Chicago Park District provided staff person Mike Zarcone's time for opening the Field house for the event and will provide the electricity for the display.

Scott and Ashley Venable have assistance from a young gardener as they begin decorating one of the large urns

Many residents and other Park visitors in the Park during the day, the sounds of holiday music, the lovely tasty food donated by volunteers and the comradery produced a wonderful warm glow of community as the 2010 holiday season begins.

To see a photo enlarged, click on the photo.

Carol and Ken Tyler put finishing touches on decoration in a large urn

Remi (r) directs his mom (Rebecca Wright) and dad (Andrew Wozniak) as they work on a large urn

Field House in background of this completed large urn

This closeup shows decorations attached to the goat heads that are part of the fountain's bowl border

Taking a well deserved break are Denise Browning, Jim Angrabright, Susan Fontana and Doug Wood