For Stroll on State volunteers, it’s already beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Rockford

An estimated 4,000 volunteer hours are needed to make Stroll on State happen

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Outside, the leaves have switched from green to burnt orange, and the theme for many weekend events is centered around costumes and candy.

But inside a small workshop at the corner of Winnebago and Chestnut streets it’s already looking a lot like Christmas.

Ornaments are being sorted, giant gift boxes are given a fresh coat of paint, bows are being fixed, and fresh glitter is applied to give decor the look of sparkling snow.

It’s part of a monthslong process to prepare the city for its biggest holiday celebration a little over a month from now. Each Tuesday and Saturday, volunteers fill a building that GoRockford has dubbed Santa’s Workshop to create or fix the decorations that will fill downtown for the annual Stroll on State.

“We’re all doing it for the same reason. We all have this joy for Rockford, this thrill to see people of Rockford happy,” said Morgan Dolphin, a 25-year-old Rockford native who started volunteering as a 15-year-old Boylan Catholic High School student. “It’s all for the joy of it.”

This year’s Stroll is set for Saturday, Nov. 29 — the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, as always. It’s the 13th year of Rockford’s kick off to the holiday season, which turns downtown into a winter wonderland. Last year, an estimated 60,000 people attended amid sub-zero temperatures. Peak attendance was 87,500 in 2018.

It takes hundreds of volunteers and more than 4,000 combined volunteer hours to make Stroll on State happen. Work started in Santa’s Workshop in mid-September.

“We check literally every light string that goes on the main tree so that there’s not a bulb that’s out to start the season,” said Kristen Paul, executive vice president of GoRockford, which puts on Stroll on State.

The event is fully funded by sponsorships and its put on with GoRockford’s direction and a team of volunteers.

The work volunteers do involves everything from preparing decor to installations and brainstorming creative ways to make parts of Stroll happen. For example, this year the festival will have make-your-own s’mores for the first time. In previous years, the treat was prepared by someone else. This year, Julie Huber of GoRockford has been experimenting with different methods to keep the ingredients freshly pre-packaged so you can buy a s’mores kit and roast your own marshmallow.

A team of volunteers was also building frames for oversized light bulb decorations.

“We often see things that are these really cool commercial decor projects where one bulb is like ten grand,” Paul said. “We’re like, we can’t afford that, but what can we do that would still have an impact and still be cool.”

Inside a storage garage under the Jefferson Street bridge, Dale McCoy and Steve Williams have the task of ensuring 122 different decorative trees are all strung and lit properly. This past Tuesday, they were busy changing bulbs and tightening cords on metal fixtures.

“It’s a job, but that’s OK. It’s for the people,” McCoy said. “Everybody comes downtown and they enjoy it, that’s the main thing.”

Dolphin said that volunteers become like family after spending so many hours together. She also puts in a long day during Stroll on State, taking only a few hours for herself in-between setup and teardown work. She starts at 4 a.m. on the day of the Stroll, which ends at 9 p.m. with fireworks.

“I always make the tree lighting, always make the fireworks show. Then I’m here to help tear down, too,” Dolphin said. “Stay here all day long, and then have fun cleaning it all up at night.”

GoRockford is constantly recruiting volunteers for Santa’s Workshop, decoration days, day-off festivities and its back in the box cleanup in January.

“It makes the event day feel more special when you take the time to see behind the scenes and get to know some of the people,” Paul said. “Because then you’re walking down like, ‘I painted that, I made that, I was party of that.’ It makes it feel more like home.”

Volunteer | Santa’s Workshop

What: Stroll on State’s Santa’s Workshop is where new decorations are created and old ones are repaired. You don’t need artistic talents or carpentry skills to help out. The team has a job for everyone. Volunteers between ages 12 and 15 are allowed when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Volunteers that are 16-17 years old are allowed with a signed waiver by parent or guardian.

Where: 310 S. Winnebago St., Rockford

When:  6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays

Register: Go HERE

Other volunteer opportunities

Decoration Days: Volunteers are needed on Nov. 21 and 22 to put out gift boxes, light trees, hang garland and other decorations in downtown.

Stroll Day: Volunteers are needed to work a shift in a number of rolls from setup to shutdown on the day of Stroll on State, Nov. 29.

Back in the Box Day: Two volunteer shifts — one from 8 a.m. to noon and the other from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — run on Saturday, Jan. 10 to put away all the holiday decorations.

Sign up: Go HERE to learn more about all volunteer opportunities and to sign up.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas