Mack Manor Aims To Open Holiday Display This Weekend

FOX RIVER GROVE, IL — A popular drive-thru holiday display is hoping to open its gates this weekend.

Mack Manor, located at 1100 Algonquin Road in Fox River Grove, should be open on, or around, Dec. 14. Those interested in checking out the free, drive-thru display should keep an eye on the Mack Manor Facebook page for more updates.

Laura Mack, who, along with her husband, David, and son, Jonas, are the masterminds behind Mack Manor, says the holiday display will include some larger additions, a new front "window" and the replacement of some "old-time favorites."

This past year, the family opted to nix its annual Halloween display to focus on offering just its Christmas show. Next year, they will only offer the Halloween show, Mack told Patch in September.

There was no specific reason that prompted their decision to offer only one, instead of the two, holiday shows per year and it was something they "wrestled with for a couple years," Mack said. Typically, the Halloween show would open the first weekend of October.

"When everything was up and running, the sense of satisfaction would run through your mind and it all seemed worth it. But we realized that these commitments to the displays was getting to consume too much of our lives," she said. "The obligation was from August to January, every waking moment we were either planning or working on the displays."

"We have a growing family, including grandkids, and we would like to spend more time with them and visit other family members," she added.

The Mack family, along with their helpers — who they refer to as their "Krew" — have created both the Halloween and Christmas displays since 2009.

"The amount of work it took to take Halloween down and set up Christmas was almost impossible, both physically and mentally draining," she said. "Losing sleep at night, missing out on many events and functions. It started moving from being 'fun' work to being more 'work' work. And just being tired for months at a time was miserable."

"We are not getting younger," she added. "We felt the best compromise would be to cut back instead of just stopping."

This Year's Christmas Display

Mack said Mack Manor's Christmas opening was delayed due to there being so much to get done and not enough help to get it all done.

Once open, Mack said she hopes to have the display up through New Year's Day. The hours will be 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

She advises people to not wait too late in the season to stop out.

"In the past, snow and ice has shut us down before Christmas," she said.