CHRIS FOX PHOTO
On Jan. 10, Villa Park Village President Albert Bulthuis joined other village officials to remove the holiday trees and decorations that lined the village’s portion of the Illinois Prairie Path. The Village of Villa Park and the Villa Park Chamber of Commerce co-sponsor the village’s annual Joyful Traditions celebration in early December. During the holiday season, area businesses and organizations adopt and decorate fir trees along the path. There were about 80 trees along the path during the recent holiday season. At the end of past holiday seasons, Villa Park Parks and Recreation Department staff members disposed of the trees by feeding them into a chipper. On Jan. 10, the parks and recreation department transported 30 of the holiday trees that lined the Prairie Path to Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn. The trees will be used for a variety of purposes—including providing wind screens for the animals at the wildlife center. The facility provides care and medical treatment for injured and orphaned animals. Villa Park Trustee Kevin Patrick, who has visited Willowbrook Wildlife Center since he was a child, helped to arrange the village’s donation of the trees. A photo from Friday morning at the wildlife center shows (left to right) Willowbrook staff members Kathleen Habbley, Justin Sharp and Emily Milleville; Villa Park Parks and Recreation Department staff members Luis Reynoso and Eric Landgrebe; Villa Park Trustee Christine Murphy, Villa Park Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Alesia Bailey and Trustee Patrick with his son Grant.
