Nola Sizemore

Staff Writer

The Evarts Tourist and Convention Commission recently held a special called meeting where a decision to purchase new Christmas lights for the city was approved. Hoping to beautify and enhance the city for those living in the area and those visiting, a committee of three city council members agreed to help with the purchase.

“The city decided to purchase one of the lights to help tourism with the costs,” said Mayor Eddie Manning. “Council members have discussed trying to purchase one per month to help replace the old ones we have had for the past 15 years.”

Manning said the lights they now have, which are placed on poles throughout the city, are outdated, missing bulbs and “went through a flood years ago.”

“Tourism doesn’t necessarily mean you bring visitors in from other states,” said Manning. “Tourism can mean bringing someone from Harlan into Evarts to visit. One thing people in this area seem to like to do during the Christmas season is to ride around with their families and look at all the beautiful Christmas lights. We want our citizens to have a sense of pride when they ride through their city. It just makes the city look more attractive. If people see their town looking nice it may encourage them to want to help do even more to beautify the area.”

Manning said the city’s official Christmas tree will also be moved this year from atop city hall. He said they are talking with a local business about placing the tree atop their building to be more visible.

“If we like the Christmas lights we’ve ordered when they arrive, we plan to move forward with the purchase of more so that eventually all of them can be replaced,” said tourism clerk Kristi Lamb. “Tourism will pay for six and the city will pay for one, for a total of approximately $1,875. The lights will be six foot silhouettes with multi-colored lights. We may not be able to replace them all, but this is a good start.”

In other commission action, a special called meeting was set for Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. to discuss approximately $10,000 in coal severance funds the city will receive for adventure tourism.

“My advice to the tourism commission is that they compile a list of their wants and needs,” said Manning. “They should prioritize their wants and take care of their needs first. Then we can all get together and do a scope for the county.”

Reach Nola Sizemore at 606-573-4510 or at nsizemore@civitasmedia.com