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4 | November 21, 2018 | The highland park landmark news
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Ronnie Wachter
Freelance Reporter
He looked at the piles
of snow, shoveled off to
the sides of Port Clinton
Square, and Bill Farrell
could only lament.
So close. His Boy Scouts
have served refreshments
at Highland Park’s “Light
Up the Night” festival for
years, and their most lucrative
days are always the
ones when it snows during
the event, not just before it.
But a snowfall that began
before dawn Nov. 17
and brought flakes down
all morning eased back
shortly before Santa Claus
arrived on a fire truck at
2:45, and likely cut into
the business for the Scoutmaster
and Troop 324.
“We prefer it snowing
and nasty,” Farrell said, but
his pack of 22 junior high
and high school students
had to settle for near-freezing
and breezy. “The colder
it is, the better the sales.”
But a crowd of hundreds
kept the Scouts’ lines for
hot chocolate and apple cider
lengthy, then shopped
in businesses on and around
the square. Visitors listened
to the Lake Forest Country
Day School Choir and The
Performer’s School A Capella
Group, took carriage
rides, drew raffle tickets for
prizes and, as darkness fell,
counted down to the lighting
of multi-colored holiday
bulbs on the buildings
and in the trees.
The afternoon was a
total success for Lilliana
Roman, a 6-year-old Highland
Park girl who sat on
the lap of Claus while her
father, Juan, took pictures.
Janine Mantis of Highland Park sits on Santa Claus’ lap
at Light Up the Night, Saturday, Nov. 17, in Port Clinton
Square. Alex Newman/22nd Century Media
The Romans stood in line
for several minutes, waiting
to share a moment with
the famed North Pole denizen;
after leaving, Lilliana
reported asking for a doll,
preferably Barbie.
“Like a princess!” she
shouted.
(Lilliana also claimed to
have been good all year.
When asked to verify this,
Claus said he would not
discuss “proprietary information.”
He also declined
to give a general
comment about Highland
Park children’s chances
this December.)
The afternoon was also
a success, albeit a pyrrhic
victory, for Barry, Ellen
and Elena Cohen, the
family behind Zac’s Zoo,
which made Light Up the
Nigh 2018 its first public
event since 2005.
Zac’s Zoo was founded
by Zac Cohen (son of
Barry and Ellen, brother
of Elena) immediately
after Hurricane Katrina
wasted much of New Orleans.
Seven years old at
the time, Zac began his
“zoo” as a drive to collect
stuffed animals for distribution
to traumatized children;
his effort sent more
than 10,000 critters to the
South, but ended after that.
Then, on Sept. 7, Zac’s
now 20-year-old life
ended in a motorcycle accident.
Seeking to honor
his memory, his family
re-opened Zac’s Zoo, and
are now collecting unused
stuffed animals, which
they will distribute to
nearby police and fire departments.
For more information,
send an email to
ZacsZoo98@gmail.com.
“We put hard work into
it, so it’s paying off,” said
Elena, 11.
And Light Up the Night
visitors filled up the Zoo’s
bins. Ellen said the most
common donations were
as expected — dogs and
bears — but she took personal
interest in one of the
most unusual findings, an
otter. She gave birth to
Zac in Monterey, California,
where the beaches are
filled with otters.
“Each day, we’re finding
different ways to be
happy,” Ellen said. “This
will be an ongoing effort.
The Zoo never closes.”