Correction: Amtrak personnel put up the lights.

The Niles Amtrak Depot is all dressed up for the holidays.

More than 10 members from the Niles Four Flags Garden Club made the transformation Monday, as they strung garlands tied with red ribbon around the fence and doors, and put up a Christmas tree and wreath weaved with maroon and gold ribbon inside. At each window, a lighted topiary added to the atmosphere.

The 26th annual decorating tradition precedes this weekend’s traditional Christmas lighting ceremony, which will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the depot, located at 598 Dey St. in Niles. The event is free and open to the public.

Niles Mayor Nick Shelton will attend the ceremony. Amtrak personnel will also be on site to lace the roof and window frames with Christmas lights. Visitors can also visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The building will be debuted with a final countdown, before the lights flick on and illuminate the night.

Longtime member and public relations coordinator for the garden club, Karen Persa, said the tradition is revered by the community, and draws hundreds to visit the historic station. 

“When they get out there and the lights are switched on, everyone is always like ‘oohh, ahhh,’” Persa said.

The ceremony pays homage not just to a festive tradition, but also to the important role, the station has played in Niles history.

The seasonal tradition started when the Niles Amtrak was featured in the 1991 movie “Only the Lonely.” For the scene with actor John Candy, the rooftop of the depot was decorated with Christmas lights. After the movie was shot, the film crew left behind the Christmas lights.

Shortly thereafter, members of the Four Flags Garden Club started a campaign, titled, “Keep the Lights Burning,” to continue to keep the depot lit each season. The fundraising paid for the depot to rewire the lights, as the movie crew had used a generator to light them before.

In the years following the campaign, Amtrak and the city of Niles have helped to replace the bulbs and check the wiring. In 2010, the lights were replaced with energy-efficient LED bulbs.

Twenty-six years later, the lights are still burning. 

As they worked on Monday, garden club members recalled the importance of decorating the depot each year.

Suzanne Beauchamp, of Niles, has been part of the garden club for more than 10 years. Beauchamp, the chairwoman for the club, said the decorations only add to the depot’s appeal.

“It brings back the history of the building, and adds a nice flavor for the passengers,” Beauchamp said. “It kind of takes on a life of its own after it’s all done.”

She thanked Pinecrest Christmas Tree Farm in Galien for donating a Christmas tree to the cause. The business also donated a tree for the decorating last year. 

Associate garden member Carole Bronicki, of Niles, has been with the club for 40 years. She has participated in the seasonal decorating for almost every year that the tradition has existed.

“I like the people I work with and making [the station] look festive,” Bronicki said. “We get a lot of great comments.”

As with everything the garden club does to preserve the station, they keep in mind the “garden heroes” who helped to put the station on the map.

Members said the storied history of the building cannot be told without recognizing John Gipner, who cared for and designed the station’s gardens starting in 1890. Gipner’s gardens and greenhouses were so lush they helped the city to earn its name as the “Garden City,” members said.

The station was the last stop before the train sped on to the World’s Fair in Chicago, so Niles became an important destination to those riding the rails.

Garden club members encouraged those looking to get in the spirit of Christmas to visit the Amtrak Depot this weekend, to take in the decorations and the history that continues.

For many, the ceremony has become a Christmas tradition.

“People look forward to seeing [the lighting], and enjoying the refreshments and entertainment,” Bronicki said.