Dan and Shirley Millard to serve as Honorary Chairpersons for 2008 Carlinville Christmas Market

CARLINVILLE, ILL. -- The Carlinville Christmas Market Foundation (CCMF) announced that Dan and Shirley Millard have agreed to serve as Honorary co-Chairpersons for the 19th annual Carlinville Christmas Market festival to be held December 5, 6, and 7 this year.

“Christmas Market is a tribute to Christmas traditions and the romance of celebrating them on an historic town square, but it is also an economic boon for Carlinville and the Central Illinois region around us,” said CCMF President Lea Hudson. “Considering what Dan and Shirley have contributed to our economic growth and our combined efforts to make Carlinville a better place to live and work, this partnership is made to order.”

CCMF Vice President Jeff Link concurred. “One of many projects that the Millards have contributed to Carlinville is the gazebo in the center of the square, including its recent renovation. It’s become such a recognized symbol of our town that we decided to make it the Christmas Market logo when the Foundation was established early in 2006. Both Carlinville and our holiday festival owe them sincere thanks for that alone.”

The Millards have, however, done much more to earn the honor of headlining the 19th annual Christmas Market. Dan owns Central Illinois Steel Company (CISCO) in Carlinville and the Best Western on I-55 east of town, both of which have contributed jobs and prosperity to the area. He and Shirley were named co-Citizens of the Year by the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce in 2007. As residents since 1961, they have regularly contributed financial, material, and volunteer support to Blackburn College, Carlinville Area Hospital, the Carlinville school system, the county jail, the public swimming pool, and Loveless Park, among others.

Dan and Shirley also have been involved in and supported Crime Stoppers, Catholic Charities, the Lions Club, Rotary, the Elks Lodge, the library, and the county fairgrounds. “Like Senator Deanna Demuzio and Blackburn President Mim Pride before them, our 2008 Christmas Market honorary co-chairs, Dan and Shirley Millard, represent the care, commitment, and vision that a proud town needs in order to prosper,” Hudson added.