As the white lights behind the Riverwalk Amphitheater lit up, so did Cliff Preston's face.

He's walked along the Riverwalk in downtown Naperville daily for years. He talks about it the way one would of a child.

"I check on it every day," he said Friday night. "It's a habit I've gotten into."

When he's not at home, his wife knows he's at the path, but she doesn't mind. After all, he is the chairman of the Riverwalk Commission.

Friday was a special day for the commission and the Riverwalk Foundation. It was their first winter solstice event - titled "Celebrate a Season of Lights" - and Preston was the host.

The lights behind the wall of the amphitheater were the foundation's first gift to the Riverwalk. Members flipped the switch for the first time as a crowd of roughly 200 watched and cheered.

"It's amazing how beautiful the Riverwalk is at night," said Pete Stefani, a member of the Riverwalk Foundation and the commission. "This is a great enhancement to that."

The lights cost the foundation around $20,000, he said. The money came from fund-raisers and donations.

While the lights were the main attraction, there was more to the celebration.

Led by Brian Lynch, a former Broadway actor who now serves as theater arts director at North Central College, the crowd joined in a holiday sing-along and watched children perform a variety of activities on the amphitheater's stage.

Several local businesses also sent vendors out with roasted peanuts, hot cider and the like.

"We like that there is so much to do around here," said Naperville resident Sharon Wehrli, who attended the event with her 4-year-old son Jake. "We went to the Summer Solstice event and it was great so we came here."

Wehrli takes Jake to the Riverwalk at least three times a week during warmer weather, she said.

"He grew up here, we've been taking him here since he was born," she said.