By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A day after the city felt a record high temperature for that calendar date, it snowed in downtown Rockford.
Well, sort of.
Bubbly artificial snow flurries floated over the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau offices on Wednesday as buildup for this year’s Stroll on State got underway.
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The fake snow, which stopped a few passersby for photos with a costumed Grinch, was an added touch for the tourism bureau’s news conference detailing this year’s Stroll. The 11th annual event happens from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25 in downtown. The snow was an odd sight after temperatures reached 81 degrees on Tuesday, breaking a record set in 1963, according to the National Weather Service.
Those sudsy-smelling snowflakes foreshadow what’s to come during this year’s Stroll on State. Fake snowflakes have flown during the parade in past years, but this year will be the first time that you’ll be able walk through the falling fake snow at various locations in Stroll’s downtown footprint.
There will be four snow locations: State and Second streets by City Hall, State and Main near the visitors bureau, near the Iconic Energy Building (former Rockford Register Star), and inside a “larger than life” 20-by-20-foot igloo near Veterans Memorial Hall.
“You can walk inside a snow globe,” said Kristen Paul, vice president of destination development for the visitors bureau. “If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be shaken up inside one of those, you will have your chance this year.”
The snow is being made by Comfort 1st Insulation, a locally-owned company that specializes in home and attic insulation and energy efficiency assessments. Mike Callahan, the owner of Comfort 1st, said the snow adds atmosphere to the event.
“Everybody gets excited if there’s a little bit of snow and it’s not cold,” Callahan said. “It’s how it looks when it’s falling in the light, and it comes all together with people drinking hot chocolate and doing things with friends and family.”
He brought his hypoallergenic snow-making machines to the Festival of Lights a few years ago, and was eager to do the same for Stroll on State.
“I’ve been wanting to bring this snow to the Stroll on State for many years,” Callahan said. “We’ve already got a special event. I’d love to be a small part of this and help make it even more special.”
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Callahan said one of the stations will fire snow out of a 20-foot tall snowman’s arm.
“Anything we can do to bring more customers and put Rockford on the map is really what I care about,” he said.
The snow is just one new element for this year’s Stroll on State. There are also many classic attractions returning such as the Holiday Hot Rods Classic Car Show, a character dance party for kids, fireworks, a holiday parade, indoor and outdoor movies, the Dasher Dash 5K, s’mores stations, horse and wagon rides, holiday markets, hot chocolate stations and free ice skating inside the BMO Center.
“It is your chance to skate where future Chicago Blackhawks and our current Rockford IceHogs skate every week,” Paul said. “It is a great opportunity to experience a true gem here in Rockford.”
You can click through an interactive map of the attraction locations below.
Stroll on State, which attracted an estimated 70,000 people last year, was started in 2013 to bring the community together, kick off the holidays and support businesses in the downtown area.
“Downtown retailers as well as restaurateurs often call Stroll on State their 13th month, where they do as much business in one day as they do in any other given month during the year,” said John Groh, president and CEO of the visitors bureau.
The event is put on with financial support from more than 50 companies and organizations that provide sponsorship, including Illinois Bank & Trust, which is the presenting sponsor. The one-day festival also has hundreds of volunteers who setup, tear down and serve during the Stroll.
The result, Groh said, is the “best holiday fest in the Midwest.”
“Rockfordians, we can be very proud of Stroll on State,” he said. “It is a world-class festival for a world-class city.”
Know before you go | Stroll on State
When: 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25
Where: Downtown Rockford
Dasher Dash: Noon on Saturday, Nov. 25 starting at Beattie Park,
For all events and attractions: Go HERE
To volunteer: Go HERE
More info: gorockford.com/stroll-on-state
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas