December 16, 2023

I was disappointed that the Campfire, Carols, and Chestnuts program at Isle a la Cache was full, so went to a bonfire at Camp Shabonna Woods instead. Although it was gloomy and rainy, it didn’t look like it’d been canceled. And this was the sort of thing I’d bought a poncho for, right?

Surprisingly, the Forest Preserve folks managed to get both a good bonfire and campfire going and maintain them. Not surprisingly, not that many people showed up (maybe they didn’t have ponchos, unlike me). There were so few the Forest Preserve representatives told us to have as many cookies as we wanted.

Fortunately, as a campground, Shabonna Woods has a good-sized covered picnic shelter, so except for checking out the fires we could stay dry. The shelter is where we and a couple families gathered to hear ghost stories — ghost stories featuring people the teller had known that happened in places in Chicago area residents would know. Oooh — scary. One is not far from me . . .

At some point, I noticed I’d gotten an email earlier in the afternoon through Yahoo, which I rarely use — except for the Forest Preserve District of Will County. As it happened, they were letting me know they’d opened the program to the wait list. By the time I realized this, however, it was getting late in the evening, and Isle a la Cache is far from Shabbona Woods. It also wasn’t going to be any drier. Maybe next year . . . but the bonfire and ghost stories were worth it.

December bonfire at Camp Shabonna Woods

8 photos