As city officials and developers are making an effort to revitalize downtown Waukegan, repurposing older buildings and seeking proposals for a new one, the city’s youths are on a mission to add a decorative flair to the area.
Austin Cantu, a public relations specialist with the city and a 2020 Waukegan High School graduate, heard stories from his father about bustling retail businesses on Genesee Street and other features that made the downtown area popular. Cantu crafted a program to add to the area.
With the area currently decorated with cornstalks around light poles for a festive autumnal look and windows painted with a fall theme, he is partnering with Waukegan High School to help decorate the area for different times of the year.
“We not only want to make downtown where people enjoy the businesses and festivals, but for the entire community to enjoy, Cantu said. “Once we’re through fall, we’ll decorate downtown for the winter holidays.”
Dozens of high school students placed decorations on downtown light poles, and artists painted store windows on Oct. 4 in downtown Waukegan, initiating a beautification program to complement existing activities as part of Downtown Decoration Day.
Active beautifying downtown Waukegan early in his high school years, Cantu said he became responsible for ArtPark, a once vacant lot containing artwork on Genesee Street between Washington and Water streets. It was started by artist Jim Harrington in 1997.
Still connected to high school personnel, Cantu made arrangements with Maggie Strojoinc, a physical education teacher and the student council sponsor, to engage students to beautify the area with appropriate decorations each season. There are already a number of crosswalk murals.
“They’re all about making the city more beautiful,” he said of both projects. “We want to make downtown special so people want to be there.”
Strojoinc said she liked the idea when Cantu approached her and suggested it as a project to the student council. They liked the plan and became responsible for adding decorations to the area at the appropriate times of the year.
“The volunteers are all student council members,” Strojoinc said. “A lot of them are National Honor Society members. The students really want to do something to help their city.”
With several events coming to the downtown area in the next few months, Sophia Hernandez, a junior at the high school and a student council member, said she and her schoolmates are excited to add to the festive environment.
“There’s the Zombie Walk (on Dec. 18), and in December we have the tree lighting,” Hernandez said, “It’s important. It will make people feel good when they’re here.”
“We can help make a change here,” added Valeria Pulido, another junior at the school.
Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham said in a text that it is important the next generation of residents begin to take an interest in their community. The students decorating the area around Genesee Street are making a difference, he said.
“The City of Waukegan is thankful for the volunteers who stepped up and took pride in their city,” he wrote. “It was especially inspiring to see our youth taking the lead and seeing them take ownership of their community. Every volunteer truly helped make our city more beautiful and festive.”
When it came to painting some of the downtown storefronts, professionals like Cassandra Anzelone, manager of programming for the Art Impact Project, and Brenna Strojoinc, an artist affiliated with the Dandelion Gallery and Maggie’s daughter, were hired.
“This is the harvest with the full moon,” Anzelone said as she painted a mural on the window of Le Opera, a bar on the southeast corner of Genesee and Clayton streets. “We’re doing this to help the community.”
