Light Up Lawndale organizers working on brighter display after vandals struck last year

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A West Side community is ready to fight back against a possible "Grinch."

Someone vandalized holiday lights in the city's Lawndale neighborhood last year.

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But, this year, thousands of lights are going up along Douglas Boulevard. It's three days from the big reveal of Light Up Lawndale.

"Just being able to put a smile on people's faces, it means a lot," said Princess Shaw, Light Up Lawndale executive director.

Shaw said the first holiday lights fest was four years ago, as something nice for the people of Lawndale during the pandemic, and it grew.

This year, the director of Riot Fest and Ald. Monique Scott are working on a bigger, brighter Light Up Lawndale.

"Really looking to transform this space, so the entire neighborhood can really enjoy it, really good to have something like this in your own back yard," Riot Fest Director George Herrera said. "We are going to make this so nice that hopefully people won't want to mess with it."

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Last year, someone cut many of the lights on Douglas Boulevard

The vandals destroyed more than 500 strands of lights that would have been reused.

"It made me feel really, really sad," Shaw said. "We weren't sure if we were going to do it again this year. To cut them, that's just taking away the holiday spirit for anyone who was enjoying them."

Shaw has been getting sponsors and donations, and they still need a few hundred more strands to make sure they have enough lights to cover the area this year, and show the spirit of North Lawndale to those who pass by.

"Now, they are seeing a different light of Lawndale, versus always seeing something bad coming across the news. Now, they are seeing something good," Shaw said.

Organizers and volunteers hope it will be a special holiday event despite the efforts of some.

The official light up is 4 p.m. Saturday at the intersection at Douglas and Independence boulevards.