JERSEYVILLE – The Jerseyville City Council passed a series of several items on Tuesday related to this year’s Downtown Country Christmas Festival, set for Nov. 29 to Dec. 31, 2025.
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The following items were unanimously approved:
A $7,000 tourism grant submitted by Downtown Country Christmas Festival Inc. for marketing of the 2025 festival events.
Approval of the usage of City Center Plaza on Saturday, Nov. 29 from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. for the festival.
A motion to waive the rental fee for Downtown Country Christmas Festival Inc. to use City Center Plaza.
The approval of certain road closures during the festival:
Jefferson Street from East Arch to East Pearl Street; Pearl Street from State Street to Jefferson Street; alley connecting East Pearl and East Arch Street; each to be closed from 12 to 6 p.m. during the festival.
The south end of the alley connecting East Spruce and East Pearl Streets, as well as city parking lots C and D, will also be closed from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the festival.
A motion to change the festival parade route on Nov. 29, 2025 to follow Jefferson Street from East Arch to North Snedeker Street and into the Jersey Community High School (JCHS) parking lot.
A request from Downtown Country Christmas Festival Inc. to keep all light displays lit through Dec. 31, 2025.
Beth McGlasson, president of Downtown Country Christmas Festival Inc., said at Tuesday’s meeting she’s hoping for even more community participation this year.
“We’re really making a concerted effort to push more traffic to State Street, both the days of the festival and throughout December,” McGlasson said. “The other thing is, we’re really looking to up the community involvement in this and really get the buy-in from the community. Everybody loves it, but if you have somebody who’s helping with it and is invested in it, it’s a whole different ballgame then.”
Mayor Kevin Stork said data has shown the increased foot traffic which accompanies the festival has a positive effect on the downtown business district.
“We had done the data analysis from prior [festivals], and we do see an increase in traffic in all of our downtown businesses, so it’s definitely a worthwhile event to put on each year,” Stork said. “We look forward to it again.”
McGlasson clarified the parade route is being changed to better accommodate the JCHS students taking part in it. Instead of ending at Dolan Park as in years past, this year’s parade will end in the high school parking lot, though McGlasson said the park will still be lit for visitors to enjoy.
She added that previously, event organizers had to install extra lighting near railroad crossings and hire buses to transport students from the park back to the high school. This year’s changes aim to simplify the process for event organizers and students alike.
As for the request to keep all light displays lit, McGlasson said several past visitors of the Christmas lights display at Dolan Park have asked why the lights weren’t actually on during Christmas Day. With no council members opposed to a few more days of holiday festivity, the request and all other festival-related items were approved unanimously.
