By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
What goes up must come down. Newton's Law applies to the city of Great Bend's Christmas light displays. Director of Public Lands Scott Keeler said the lights begin going up the first day of November, and now it will take about a dozen city employees about two and a half weeks to take down all the lights at Brit Spaugh Park, Veterans Memorial Park, and the Barton County Courthouse, and another week or two to get everything sorted and put away.
"We start the day after Halloween, and it's pretty much non-stop, and we're still fine-tuning stuff that first week we're open - getting timers and little sections that went out," Keeler said. "Tearing down is just the complete opposite process. We try to make repairs we know throughout the season, and segregate things we know need to be rewired."
This season the lights stayed on a little longer than usual due to the popularity of the Dolly Trolley Holiday Lights Tours, which were free to the public.
"They will be on up through (Jan. 7)," said Keeler. "The trolley rides through town were very popular this year. With a little miscommunication, they scheduled for the first week of January. The last scheduled ride they have is Jan. 7, so when we return on (Jan. 9) they will be turned off and coming down."
The lights went on after Thanksgiving to coincide with the Home for Holidays Festival Parade. The .15 percent qualify of life sales tax helped bring in additional funds for the displays this year.