NEW LENNOX, IL — You maybe I want to add carrots to my shopping list this Saturday. Or sugar cubes. Or peppermint.
Several furry faces will greet shoppers outside the New Lenox Walmart on Saturday, Dec. 2, as four-legged Salvation Army “bell ringers.” The Will County Trail Riders will greet customers with 10 to 12 horses in the club. They accept donations to nonprofit organizations, and they also accept carrots and other snacks as tips.
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The group of trail riders is in its eighth year of raising money in partnership with the Salvation Army, and last year reached a record high of $1,100, club president Bruce Bochenek said.
This group includes a variety of horses, from miniatures to ponies and horses. They are scheduled to take place outside both doors of the New Lenox Walmart, 501 E. Lincoln Highway, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. He said Bochenek loves putting the spotlight on horses. That’s what he said.
“This puts the horses out in the field with all kinds of people,” he said. “It makes the horse’s heart grow fonder. That’s my favorite part.”
Visitors can pet the horses, take photos behind the cutouts, and give them treats. Miniature horses will visit the store from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Horses come in rotation throughout the day until 6 p.m. They dress appropriately for the event, including horns and Christmas colors. It is recommended that you have a mobile phone ready to take photos. Bochenek and his wife Ben and Boomer also appear.
Bochenek said the horse has been a big hit at the store.
“They are our biggest draw to the Salvation Army,” he said.
Bochenek said she loves seeing people happy around the horses.
“Some people went to Walmart and bought carrots and brought them home and gave them to us to feed to the horses,” he said.