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Happy Friday, Naperville. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! In today’s edition: Cosley Zoo festival of lights, a Lisle indoor recreation proposal, holiday parade of lights, and more. Let’s get to it!
— Cait Baker
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📰 In the news
Santa crafts and cocoa: Cosley Zoo’s Festival of Lights and Christmas Tree Sale runs in Wheaton Nov. 28 through Dec. 30, featuring 20,000 lights. Admission is free, and donations are encouraged — get dates, hours, and details.
Residents’ priorities shape plans: Lisle Park District’s feasibility study projects a proposed indoor recreation facility could cost up to $43 million, with cost recovery covering operations and no property tax hike if voters approve — get the study highlights.
Chicago-area data expansion: Edged US broke ground on a second Aurora data centre with waterless cooling expected to save 277 million gallons annually. Built for AI, it is slated to open in 2027 — read the full story.
Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.
Scams are rampant: Last week, my step-dad got a call from someone pretending to be his grandson, all beat up and asking for bail money. They knew his grandson’s name, how old he is, and what city he lives in. How? Data brokers. They sell your info to anyone willing to pay for it (yup… anyone). Incogni removes your info from all of those sites so scammers can’t use it against you. Annual plans are 55% off until Sunday — check it out here.
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🫶 We got your back
Big day for Main Street: Small Business Saturday hits Naperville on Saturday, Nov. 29, with downtown shops rolling out sales and in-store cheer. The “shop small” push, sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, comes amid higher costs for independents. Since 2010, consumers have reported spending about $210 billion across 15 Small Business Saturdays, and local dollars recirculate at higher rates than chain spending. See which shops are participating.
Beloved chain’s new format: Plainfield finally got its Portillo’s, but don’t look for a dining room. The new spot is pickup and drive-thru only, with two lanes, plus delivery and catering. It’s the chain’s fourth pickup-only model, joining Joliet, Rosemont, and Orland Park. Hot dogs and Italian beef, to-go forever. Get all the details.
Crate-digging made easy: Family-owned since 2014, Purple Dog Records buys and sells new and used vinyl, spanning classic rock, jazz, punk, hip-hop, and fresh releases. Knowledgeable staff and deep crates make browsing easy… your turntable will feel appreciated.
Health drinks that don’t taste like grass: With tasty tea and matcha blends for everything from recovery and radiant skin to energy without the crash, a metabolism boost, and immune support, everything in Pique’s lineup tastes as good as it makes you feel. They’re clean, there are no additives, and all new monthly subscriptions are 20% off for liferight now. Yup… literally forever (or until you cancel).
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📆 Around town this weekend
All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.
Today
✨ Holiday Parade of Lights @ Downtown Naperville | Friday (11/28) at 7:00pm – Holiday Parade of Lights is rolling through downtown under twinkling trees with bright floats, local tunes, and enough sparkle to make your HOA jealous. Kids go wide eyed, parents sip cocoa, and yes, Santa still shows. Grab a curb spot, soak up the hometown glow.
🎤 Friday Night Concert Series – Val Leventhal @ Two Way Street Coffee House | Friday (11/28) at 8:00pm – Friday nights call for music and good coffee, so head to Two Way Street, our 50-year folk haunt, for Val Leventhal’s genre-mixing set. Toss in the suggested ten bucks, enjoy lyrics you can actually hear, or stream from the couch like a seasoned local.
This weekend
🎄 Marmion Christmas Craft Show @ Marmion Academy | Saturday (11/29) at 9:00am – Marmion’s Christmas Craft Show is taking over 48,000 square feet with 300 crafters, so you’ll get your steps in. Browse for gifts, buy for yourself, refuel with Belgio’s lunch, and hit Sunday’s Bloody Mary and Mimosa bar. Five bucks in, free parking, holiday spirit included.
🛍️ Holiday in Bloom Weekend: Love Local Saturday @ The Growing Place Aurora | Saturday (11/29) at 10:00am – Skip the big-box circus and show some hometown love this Saturday. Aurora and Naperville Holiday Shops, family-run and festive, have complimentary cocoa, coffee, and treats, plus $10 toward spring when you spend $100, so your shopping and your community both get a win.
🧶 Chunky Knit Blanket – Bring Your Own Yarn @ Pinot’s Palette | Saturday (11/29) at 10:00am – Ready to trade small talk for big yarn? Pinot’s Palette is hosting a bring-your-own-chunky-yarn blanket class, with step-by-step guidance, wine, and a relaxed, beginner-friendly setting. Grab about four skeins of Jumbo 7, invite a friend, and leave with a cozy, smugly handmade throw.
💡 Peppermint Path ‘Flip the Switch’ Celebration @ Lisle Community Park | Sunday (11/30) at 5:00pm – Bundle up and watch them flip the switch on Community Park’s Peppermint Path, near the Van Kampen Stage. Hot chocolate from St. Joan of Arc, twinkly lights, and a month of after-dark Snow Strolls with festive photo ops, perfect for festive photo moments.
🧘 Reiki & Sound Healing with Tina & Becky @ The Agape House | Sunday (11/30) at 6:00pm – Let Tina Santana and Becky Page guide you through a reiki and sound healing meditation that turns your to-do list into white noise. Think bowls, breath, and an overdue reset, the kind where shoulders drop, eyes soften, and you remember what calm feels like.
🎶 Great Moments in Vinyl plays Electric Light Orchestra @ The Venue | Sunday (11/30) at 7:00pm – Nothing beats singing along to ELO with a crowd that actually knows the harmonies. Great Moments in Vinyl brings the spaceship vibes to The Venue, all strings, stacked vocals, and guilty-pleasure choruses. Leave the yard work for Monday, and let Mr. Blue Sky handle morale.
Next week
📚 “Literary Gardens” with Cindy Crosby @ White Oak Library District | Monday (12/1) at 7:00pm – Trade your pruning shears for a bookmark and join master gardener and natural history writer Cindy Crosby for a stroll through gardens in literature. From Christie to Pollan to The Secret Garden, you’ll leave with fresh eyes and a reading list that multiplies like mint.
🥫 PSC Gives Back: Feed My Starving Children Dinner @ Feed My Starving Children | Tuesday (12/2) at 6:00pm – Skip the holiday chaos, do the good kind of busy with Mission BBQ, then pack meals for kids at Feed My Starving Children. Only 20 spots for the PSC crew, so wear blue, throw on a hairnet and jump in, and RSVP to Dawn.
🎺 Concert Winds Fall Invitational Concert @ Wentz Concert Hall & Fine Arts Center | Tuesday (12/2) at 7:00pm – Whether you hum Sousa or pretend you know the new stuff, North Central College Concert Winds teams up with Plainfield East High School for a proper band night. Expect crisp playing, familiar standards, and contemporary pieces that prove reeds can surprise, and delight.
Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →
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🎶 Live music & entertainment
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🏠️ Price is right – Naperville edition
How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).
Listed by: Kim Preusch (@properties Christies International Real Estate)
Classic divided-light windows with transoms, white shutters and millwork, and Brazilian cherry floors set the vibe. A soaring foyer opens to a two story family room with a floor to ceiling limestone fireplace. The Viking powered kitchen brings miles of cabinetry, an island, walk in pantry, butler pantry, and a private office.
4,003 square feet above grade, plus 2,038 square feet in deep pour basement with rec space, bath, and fifth bedroom. Primary suite adds a sitting area, spa bath, and Juliette balcony. Pergola, masonry fireplace, outdoor kitchen, three car tandem garage, one mile to downtown Naperville, District 203.
Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →
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