ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — As we enter the holiday season, the Quad Cities community is making sure there is plenty of festive fun.
That includes the Hauberg Estate in Rock Island, which hosted its annual holiday open house "Winter in Bloom" on Sunday. Poinsettias and Christmas trees could be found throughout the halls of the mansion. Festivities included carriage rides, arts and crafts and even a visit from Santa Claus.
"It's kind of our way of giving back to the community that supports us so, so much throughout the rest of the year," Hauberg Estate Assistant Joshua Rounds said.
Last year, Hauberg Estate staff and volunteers greeted nearly 1,200 guests at the event. "It's, I would say, a unique experience."
The Hauberg Estate, which is typically used for private events, decorates each room of the mansion for Christmas. "It just looks magical," Rounds said.
A place community members and city officials appreciate.
"It's a community asset," Luke Vanlandegen, the municipal services superintendent of Rock Island Public Works said. Valangedgen was joined at the mansion by multiple generations of family.
"I mean, obviously they're probably here for, for Santa," he laughed when speaking about his children. "I'm sure when you're a little kid all this stuff is pretty amazing. You just have to make sure they don't touch the fragile stuff.”
The mansion is owned by the city of Rock Island. In 2016, the Friends of the Hauberg Civic Center Foundation was formed to oversee the preservation of the site.
"That makes a great combination because you have the city's resources, but the foundation's administrative skill sets," he said.
Rounds said the estate flourished under the business direction of the foundation. "It's grown a lot," he said.
"There's a lot of incredible history here and it's one of the founding families of the Quad City community," Vanlandegen said.
"It goes back to the community supporting it, and loving it," Rounds said.