Holiday lights back on in Gladstone Park as symbol of hope

by BRIAN NADIG

Motorists traveling by the Chopin Plaza traffic island at Milwaukee and Elston avenues may be wondering why the holiday lights are on at night — four months after Christmas.

The lights were recently reactivated as a symbol of hope during the pandemic.

“It’s a reset. We just wanted to bring it back to Christmas …maybe give you a little reminder of happier times,” Gladstone Park Neighborhood Association vice president John Garrido said. Each

ovember the association and Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce decorate the traffic island, which is named after the composer Frederic Chopin.

Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th) assisted with efforts to get the city to turn the electricity for the lights back on, Garrido said. Plans call for the lights to come at night until the crisis is over, he said.

The early morning snow of April 17 combined with the lights made for a picturesque setting on the island. “I guess Mother Nature takes ‘reset’ requests literally,” Garrido said.