By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
At the time, Nov. 29 was likely the coldest and one of the windiest days of the fall. Those conditions happened to fall on the same day as the city of Great Bend's Home for the Holidays Festival. During Monday's Great Bend City Council meeting, Public Relations Director Addi Crites said the weather definitely impacted the event, but nothing can completely squash the Christmas spirit, including for the parade.
"We did have a great turnout despite the weather and the winds," she said. "Initially, we had around 47 entries, but some people did drop out due to the cold, weather, and for safety reasons. We still had 38 entries, so I want to say thank you to all the entries that toughed it out. We had some really creative theme ideas for our theme: Holiday Movie Madness."
The cold weather drove many to the Trail of Lights. The Great Bend High School Class of 1985 volunteered at Brit Spaugh Park that night and counted 158 visitors between 6-8 p.m. Since opening this year, more than 1,000 cars have passed through the park between 6-8 p.m. while volunteers are counting.
Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Amanda Gaddis also presented during Monday's council meeting, though her figures reflected the 2024 economic impact of visitors in Barton County.
"Just a couple of highlights from that was $53.5 million in visitor spending in 2024," Gaddis said. "There were 677 total jobs supported through tourism, and $5.5 million in state and local taxes because of those local visitors."
Crites also reported the winners from the Home for the Holidays Festival parade. Those were:
Best Youth Group: Scouting America, Cub Scout Pack #157
Best Private Entry: Iron Therapy
Best Civic Group: Oxford House
Best Church Group: Seventh Day Adventists
Best in Parade: Barton Community College
Best theme: Encounter Church