All is calm and a lot is bright in downtown Joliet

Several years ago, my son Timothy Baran and I walked around downtown Joliet one evening shortly before Christmas and took photos of holiday decor.

I wound up running some of those photos in The Herald-News. Timothy and I had so much fun that year, we repeated it the following year, even heading out to the West side for some photos, too.

We skipped it last year during the pandemic and missed it. Somehow, we had created a tradition.

So we earlier this week, Timothy and I headed downtown after hours to walk and take pictures. I pointed out landmarks from my childhood (I’m 60 and grew up in Joliet) that are either changed or gone altogether.

Certainly, the downtown was not this quiet back in the 1960s and early 1970s. Except for one person at an ATM, we didn’t see anyone else the entire time.

But despite the quiet and lack of activity, we found, and enjoyed, plenty of good old-fashioned holiday spirit and plenty of photos to share with readers.

1 of 44