In a show of community and a grand yuletide celebration, Park Ridge residents and more gathered at a local park near City Hall on Christmas Eve for a crowd sing-along of tunes of the season.
In his invitation to all to join the city’s second annual “Christmas Eve Community Sing,” Mayor Marty Maloney called it “something truly special.”
For 30 minutes at Hodges Park on Christmas Eve, in the city’s Uptown area, having had, “No rehearsals. No professional voices. No pressure at all,” the mayor had called for, the community sing took place. It was “just neighbors standing together, singing familiar carols, and sharing the simple joy of being part of this incredible community we call Park Ridge,” as the mayor had said.
Maloney said the community holiday sing-along was created to help bring people together in what he called a joyful way.
“Whether you come straight from church, take a break from dinner prep, or slip out after setting cookies out for Santa, we hope you’ll find half an hour to be part of it,” he said in his invitation posted on social media.
And people did just that: Took a break to join the community chorus of carolers.
The mayor said the event takes a beat from a tradition started nearly a century ago in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. He said the local version helps build something special in Park Ridge.
“Once you see it, it’s hard not to imagine the same warmth and magic right here in Park Ridge on Christmas Eve,” the mayor said.