Cedar Lake's Parade of Lights Asks to Take the Long Way Around the Lake

Last November, the Jean Eberle Parade of Lights lined up at 4:30 p.m. in the Hanover Central High School parking lot at 10120 W. 133rd Ave. It pulled out at 6 p.m. and ended at Town Hall.

This Saturday, November 21, it starts from the same lot but may finish somewhere else. The Cedar Lake Chamber of Commerce has asked the Town Council to let the parade travel down 133rd, go around the lake and end at the new fire station on Town Grounds. If the Council approves, the route ends at the town's new public safety campus. The Chamber also plans to put Santa at Town Grounds after the parade. Taken together, this year's holiday night leans toward the part of town Cedar Lake is building next.

The Request, in the Chamber's Words

Chamber Secretary Lynn Spinks sent the request in a letter dated September 15. It appears in the October 6 Town Council packet:

The plan is to leave Hanover Central High School's parking lot traveling down 133rd around the lake to the new Fire Station on Town Grounds. If one of the fire trucks and some of our first responders would be available to be in the parade, leading, and ending, it would be appreciated!

The letter asks for two things. The first is a longer route that follows the water. The second is fire trucks at both the front and the back of the parade, which fits a route that ends at the new fire station.

The Chamber lists the parade for 6 to 8 p.m. and says it "usually starts around 6pm." The same listing invites anyone who wants to ride in the parade to sign up. For the latest on the event, check the Chamber's Parade of Lights page before you head out Saturday.

Where the Requested Route Ends

Planning documents call the "new Fire Station" the Cedar Lake Municipal Complex. In February, the Plan Commission reviewed it as a subdivision for both the Police and Fire Departments, with a separate lot for each station along Constitution Avenue. The town's location page uses the name "Cedar Lake Municipal Complex (New Fire Station)."

At the October 15 project update, a project representative said construction was on schedule. Steel erection was underway and roof work was expected soon. If the request is approved, the parade will end at the site of the town's newest public building. The Chamber has already set the stop after the parade: "pop over to Town Grounds to see Santa himself after he wraps up the parade."

That's the big change from 2025. Last year's floats ended at Town Hall. This year the Chamber has asked to send them past the lake to Constitution Avenue, and Santa will be at Town Grounds either way.

The Trees Have to Be Lit the Night Before

The parade is one half of the weekend. The other half is the Chamber's 2026 Wonderland of Lighted Christmas Trees, which works differently from a typical town display. The town doesn't decorate it. Each tree is sponsored, and the sponsor decorates it.

Here's how the sponsorship page explains it. Leo's Home & Nursery buys and stakes every tree. Each one is a naturally grown tree about 5 to 6 feet tall, and the Chamber notes that "size and shape will vary." Sponsors pick a spot on a Google Map of tree locations, which numbers every spot by pole and tree. The Chamber's own example is "Pole 21 Tree 72, second choice Pole 22 Tree 75." The Chamber says the program supports its work promoting local businesses and "creating a welcoming downtown for residents and visitors."

This year's prices:

Tree sales ran from September 8 through November 13, first come, first served. You could reserve one at the Chamber's Welcome Center or online. Decorations have to be up by Friday, November 20, the night before the parade. So the trees will be lit when the floats roll on Saturday.

The Rules That Keep the Trees Lit

The rules are strict, and each one has a practical reason. The trees share power, so one bad strand can darken a whole stretch. Sponsors agree to:

1. Use outdoor LED lights only, tied or wired securely to the branches. The Chamber says zip ties "have seemed to work the best."
2. Secure all garland and ornaments so they can't blow loose.
3. Skip flashing lights and timers.
4. Keep decorations off the sign and the ground around the tree.

The Chamber enforces these rules. If a sponsor's lights keep tripping the circuit and darkening other trees, the Chamber will unplug them and remove the extension cord until the sponsor puts up proper lights. Anything left on the sign or the ground gets thrown away, and breaking that rule "could result in refusal of sale for a tree in the future."

That explains why the display looks the way it does. Every tree shows steady LED light, with nothing blinking and nothing piled at the base. Each one still looks different, because a different family, club or business decorated it.

About Six Weeks on the Poles

The sponsorship period starts Saturday, November 21 at 6 p.m., right as the parade begins. It ends Monday, January 4, 2027 at noon. Decorations have to come down by January 4. That makes the lit trees part of Cedar Lake's streets for about six weeks.

The parade is over in one evening, but the trees stay up for Thanksgiving week, all of December and New Year's. Each night is a chance to drive past and pick out the tree your neighbor, church group or favorite shop decorated.

A Stop on Wicker Avenue Before the Floats

If you want something warm before heading to 133rd, My Fair Sweets has opened at 13145 Wicker Ave. The Times of Northwest Indiana reported that owner Kandace Marie moved her bakery, dessert shop and cafe from Atlanta to Cedar Lake. The menu covers desserts plus sandwiches, salads, wraps and flatbreads. You could get dinner and dessert in one stop, then drive to the parade route before 6.

Here's the plan for Saturday night. Eat on Wicker Avenue. Find a spot near 133rd Ave. Watch the fire trucks lead the floats, if the Chamber's request is granted. Then follow the crowd to Town Grounds to see Santa. Over the next six weeks, the sponsored trees, staked by Leo's and decorated under the Chamber's LED rules, stay lit through January 4.

Getting a home ready to list right after the trees come down in January? The Ruvoli Group can plan photography and video so your listing goes live early in the new year with a plan already in place. Request Your Free Home Marketing Plan, and we'll build it around the Cedar Lake calendar.