Tradition is important for small cities like Niles.

It is nice knowing that every year we can expect to enjoy such things like seeing the beautiful sculptures at the Hunter Ice Festival, watching people paddle dragon boats on the St. Joseph River in the summer and witness the thousands of lights on the Amtrak Depot burst to life in time for Christmas.

By all accounts, Saturday’s lighting of the Amtrak Depot was another wonderful event, enjoyed by adults and children of all ages.

Called Hometown Christmas, the annual event serves not only as a celebration of the upcoming holiday, but also as a reminder of a small part of the Four Flags city’s rich history.

In 1991, a movie crew for the John Candy film “Only the Lonely” came to Niles to shoot the movie’s final scene — a holiday scene at the historic Amtrak Depot.

Christmas lights were placed on the roof of the depot to create the atmosphere. When the crew was finished filming they left the lights behind.

Ever since then, the Four Flags Garden Club has created a holiday event around the lighting of the lights on the depot. It happens every year on the first Saturday in December.

It was a natural fit for the Four Flags Garden Club, which has volunteered to maintain the gardens and landscaping at the depot for several decades.

If you were one of the many people who enjoyed Saturday’s Hometown Christmas, we hope you took the time to thank a member of the garden club.

Without them, we would have one less tradition to look forward to every year in Niles.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.