Coronavirus In Illinois: Crystal Lake Neighbors Taking Walks In Costume To Cheer Each Other Up

CHICAGO (CBS) -- In northwest suburban Crystal Lake, a new way to make daily walks more interesting is catching on fast.

Amy Paulus dressed up as a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and her son, Jack, joined the fun by dressing up as Santa Claus for their family walks during the COVID-19 outbreak.

"We're practicing being safe, and just trying to spread happiness, and make people at least get a laugh when they see us," Amy Paulus said.

It started out as a joke between two neighbors; dressing up to make the walks a little more fun.

Then a few posts later on the Crystal Lake media page brought other neighbors out, and another T-Rex has since joined the crowd.

Paulus says it's especially needed in these uncertain times, especially because this neighborhood has already gone through a lot. A vacant lot now stands in memory of A.J. Freund, after the house where the 5-year-old boy was murdered was torn down.

"We all kind of all needed some lifting up after all that. It's a way for people to express themselves, meet people, and enjoy people who have the same kind of humor and who are not going to take themselves too seriously," Paulus said.

The group has been asked to show up outside a little girl's house on Wednesday to sing happy birthday from the sidewalk.

Paulus said she loves meeting new people in her neighborhood, and expects her family's walks to grow each day. Of course, they're walking six feet apart from each other because of the coronavirus outbreak.