Darien Residents 'Disappointed' In Cancellation

DARIEN, IL — Darien Mayor Joseph Marchese said Monday he decided to cancel the traditional holiday trolley tours for a second year because of the pandemic.

At a City Council meeting, Marchese spoke about the trolley tours in response to questions from Alderman Eric Gustafson.

"It's a school bus. For the sake of people's health and to be proactive, I made the decision not to run the trolley this year," Marchese said.

Gustafson replied, "There's a lot of people disappointed with that."

The mayor said he would rather err on the side of caution because the coronavirus is still being transmitted in town.

"If you have been on one of those school buses, they are very crowded. There's moisture building up on the windows to the point where people have to take paper towels to wipe the windows down to even see any of the houses that have been decorated," Marchese said.

The tours are designed to give people views of houses with Christmas light displays.

"We're doing all we can to let people know where those houses are," Marchese said.

Even before the pandemic, interest in the holiday trolleys had been falling for years, City Administrator Bryon Vana said.

Marchese also said the traditional tree lighting at the Old Lace Schoolhouse and Museum, where the local historical society is, will be changed this year. Part of the event used to be held in the building's basement.

"The basement area of the historical society is very small. When they traditionally had it down there, they had a lot of people in a small space," Marchese said. "To avoid any more spreading or transmission, they decided this year to have it outside again as well."