Publications & Sites 
Grove employee loves the holidays
More information
• Meet Kris Van Voorhis (or Santa and his wife ) at The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave. in Glenview.
• Call 847-299-6096.
• Visit www.glenviewparks.org
Updated: November 13, 2012 3:24PM
GLENVIEW — Kris Van Voorhis, a former 29-year resident, may no longer call Glenview home, but she comes home for the holidays each time she punches in at work during the season.
“It’s fantastic,” said Van Voorhis, program supervisor at the Glenview Park District’s Grove National Historic Landmark on Milwaukee Avenue.
“I’ve been here since 1983,” she said. “I started as a volunteer, came on staff part time a couple years later and I’ve been full-time for about 16 years, and I still love coming up the driveway every day.
“It’s something different all the time, and the changes have all been wonderful.”
One of her favorite times of the year is, well, now. Van Voorhis, whose first name is Kris with a K, can’t help but fluff the holiday bows on all things Candy Cane Lane-inspired.
The 27th Annual Old-Fashioned Holiday Craft Faire, which opened Nov. 1, reopens Nov. 8-11. The hours are 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, and 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Enjoy Grannie’s Christmas Cottage, the Sugar Plum Café, Holiday House, Gingerbread House and the Snowflake Chalet and Mistletoe Cabin.
Admission is adults $5, children, $1.
The day after Thanksgiving, the Kennicott House reopens as a holiday store from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays from Nov. 23- Dec. 23.
“It’s something different every year that I get to do, and it’s a wonderful fundraiser for the Grove Heritage Association and all of the monies benefit The Grove,” Van Voorhis said.
Van Voorhis and her husband Don have four children, all Glenbrook South High School graduates (Sarah, Aaron, Nathan and Mark).
A holiday setting at the Grove fosters neighborly fellowship.
“The setting in the buildings and the homes this year is outstanding,” she said. “We change our themes every year to a certain extent to keep the customer and crafter interest up.”
All wares displayed and sold here are selected by a jury.
“Jewelry is always a great big seller,” Van Voorhis said. “Ladies love the jewelry.
“Personalized ornaments are very popular, all our merchandise is handmade, American handmade by local and surrounding states by crafters and artisans.”
And while Kris with a K is not Mrs. Claus, she laughed at the suggestion that her first name has a holiday jingle to it.
“I’m not Mrs. Claus,” she said. “We have another Mrs. Claus.”
