A Message from Naperville Illinois

 

 

 The bitter cold may have put a chill on the proceedings, but several hundred Naperville residents still took a break from the Black Friday shopping frenzy to send a message of goodwill for the holiday season.  Residents began to assemble at the downtown Millennium Carillon (tower) about 1:30 p.m. Friday in preparation for the city’s holiday card community photo shoot. City staff in orange vests handed out tickets to help participants arrange themselves in one of the five letters of the word “PEACE.”
High atop the Carillon ( tower), several city of Naperville photographers prepared to shoot the photo for the city’s electronic holiday card, which will be posted on the city’s website at www.naperville.il.us where everyone will be able to view it and share it with friends and family.

“Naperville is a community that comes together time and time again to support and encourage each other,” Mayor A. George Pradel said. “We’re telling the world that Naperville is a city that promotes peace on earth, peace throughout our nation and peace right here at home.”

The photo shoot, which drew national attention to Naperville, had another purpose: City staff thought a unifying community event would lift residents’ spirits in the midst of a still-struggling economy. City staff estimated that about 500 residents turned out for the photo shoot  despite frigid and windy conditions. “I’m thrilled with the crowd that’s here braving the elements,” Pradel said.
As the crowd gradually filled in the letters stenciled onto the lawn, the carillon chimed out familiar holiday tunes, and residents stamped their feet and rubbed their gloved hands together to keep warm.

Grandparents Tom and Dawn Cooney, who live in Aurora’s Stonebridge neighborhood, brought their four grandchildren to the event because the Naperville Riverwalk has been a favorite family destination. The Johnson children, Brooklyn, Matthew, Kiersten and Ben, ranging in age from 5 to 9, were bundled against the chill. “We liked the idea of it,” Tom said. “We thought it would be a nice thing to do with the grandkids. This will be a great keepsake to look back on.”