Christmas in Niles
2011
Christmas Celebrations
Santa Arrives in Riverfront Park
November 19th at 11 am.
Downtown Hometown Christmas Celebration
November 26th with Horse Drawn Carriage
Rides, Lighting of the Downtown Tree, Entertainment &
Shopping!
Visit with Santa Thursdays in December
starting December
1st at the Riverfront Cafe.
Lighting of the Historic Niles Train Depot takes place on
December
3rd
with
Special Live Entertainment.
Breakfast with Rudolph December 3rd at the Nugget Grille
downtown.
Check our
Calendar
of Events for more information.
The
2010 Lighting of the Niles Train Depot
The Historic Niles Amtrak Train
Depot was built in 1892 and is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. The historic depot has been used in
on-location scenes of at least three movies; "Continental
Divide", starring John Belushi and Blair Brown, "Midnight
Run", starring Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin, and "Only
the Lonely" starring John Candy and Ally Sheedy. It was
the latter of these three which spawned the tradition of adding
Christmas lights and decorations to the station annually.
Mayor McCauslin has routinely given a welcome to all visitors and a
Christmas Message address at the Lighting of the Depot Ceremony.
 Good evening~
Once again, it is truly my
privilege to be invited by the Garden Club to participate in the
annual lighting of our Depot. I also get to do one of my
favorite things at this time of year….. welcome Santa and Mrs.
Claus to Niles. I always hope it puts me on the nice list.
For those of you visiting our
community for this annual celebration, we welcome you with holiday
cheer. For those of you that already call Niles home, we share
our warm and festive greetings.
I think this is the tenth time
I have been honored to participate in the Depot Lighting and I am
thankful for each and every one of them. Those of you that
have been here or participated before, also know that this is my
favorite time of year.
It seems as though each year I
have shared my comments on the excitement of the approaching
holidays, my thoughts and words and indeed our celebration, have
always been tempered with the ever present concerns of the day.
I have yet to share this holiday tradition with you when we have not
been at war. I have yet to join you here at the Depot without
the looming threat of terrorism. I have yet to welcome our
Niles Christmas without some natural calamity or economic threat
clamoring in the not too distance. But together, we have
endured the hardships and downfalls, threats and conflict.
Together, we have continued to make Niles a wonderful community.
Tonight and during this season,
we relish in the excitement, the lights, holiday celebrations,
family and friends, hope for our children and hope for the future;
but let us also remember what this season means and what is truly
important. During this time of overindulgence, stress, and
hectic shopping; let us all remember to take just a few
moments to reflect on what is truly meaningful and count the
blessings that have been bestowed on us. Last year I asked you
to share your blessings with someone less fortunate. Tonight
and during this holiday season I also ask that you reflect on your
own blessings.
If you got up this morning with
a roof over your head, be thankful….many of our friends and
neighbors did not; If you got up this morning and had food to
eat, be thankful…..many people did not; If you got up this
morning with a job or purpose, be thankful….many people did not;
If you got up this morning and had someone you love and someone who
loves you, be thankful……many people do not.
And if you got up this morning
and you had all of those things, a roof over your head, food to eat,
a job or purpose, someone to love and someone who loves you; then my
friends you have absolutely everything that is truly important and
you have been blessed.
During this holiday season and
always, please keep those who protect us, our soldiers, our police,
and our firefighters in your thoughts and prayers.
On behalf of the City of Niles
and from my family, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Godspeed
for a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Mayor Michael McCauslin
Photo of Train Depot Lighting Ceremony by
Jessica Sieff of the Niles Daily Star
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