By Joe Lacdan
jlacdan@mysuburbanlife.com
ok -jsh With a few pieces of cardboard and some light bulbs, the residents of the River Estates subdivision in St. Charles have started an electric holiday tradition.

Each year, the River Estates homeowners association produces some creative holiday floats in St. Charles’ annual Holiday Homecoming and Parade celebration.
 
During October, about 30 residents gather in the country house log cabin — the meeting place of their neighborhood that lies in the northern area in unincorporated St. Charles — to build and decorate their holiday float. This year, the residents constructed a gingerbread house float on a flatbed truck that will be accompanied by gingerbread children riding in golf carts provided by the nearby St. Charles Country Club.

The residents said building holiday floats fosters friendships among neighbors.
“We all get along really well and just kind of put our heads together and come up with different ideas,” said Sharlene Thomas, River North resident and organizer. “We just like getting our neighborhoods together. This is just a chance to do something together.”

The residents also get together to make floats for Serendipity, a St. Charles Venetian night celebration in August.

“We always look for something to get the families and kids involved, and everyone always has a good time,” resident Scott Swayze said.

In 2007, the residents made a replica of a Fox River boat. Using only cardboard and lighting, the decorations are generally inexpensive and the group requires $200 to $300 per year in donations to fund the float.

“It brings such a good turnout; there’s a lot of people in St. Charles,” Thomas said. “It’s a really nice family thing to do with everyone. It’s really beautiful to see all the lights in downtown.”