The holidays are here and in full swing following the Mayor’s Tree Lighting Dec. 1.
This was the largest turnout this event has seen in many years and we estimate there were 200 people in attendance, which was remarkable considering it was so cold that evening. Santa stopped by and handed out treats and many s’mores were made, the American Legion Tom Whitmore Post 28 gave out hot chocolate, the Sweetwater County Library handed out books to kids, and Leah Hoblit from the Green River High School put together an amazing choir to sing festive carols.
Everyone helped make the Mayor’s Tree Lighting special and it made for a wonderful community gathering that we were happy to coordinate. I wasn’t particularly in the holiday spirit, but after this I certainly am, and it made it feel like the Christmas season was truly beginning.
The URA/Main Street agency would like to take this opportunity to thank the Green River Fire Department for generously donating their time to hang the lights on the tree and we sincerely appreciate what a great job they did. We would also like to thank the Parks and Recreation Department for all of their hard work because without their dedication and know-how the Mayor’s Tree Lighting could not have been such a success.
What you may not know is that the Parks and Rec crews are the ones that made sure the tree would stay lit. They also decorated the Clock Tower itself with lighted snowflakes and garland, and they decked out the park with more snowflakes, as well as some banners and new lighted garland that were purchased by the Green River URA/Main Street Agency. This took some electrical engineering and they did a fantastic job. They really made the Clock Tower Plaza look special.
They also delivered fire-pits and the wood so that we could let the kids make s’mores and thankfully, to help take the edge off the biting chill. The fire pits also created a lovely place for people to gather, sip their hot chocolate and visit.
The Parks and Rec Department is always ready to provide whatever service is asked of them, and it is always without complaint. The Green River URA/Main Street Agency relies on them for many things throughout the year, Farmers’ Market being one of them. They are also highly relied upon for all of the main events in the city, including Flaming Gorge Days and the River Fest. These events could not happen without their hard work and expertise. In addition to events, they maintain all of the parks in the city, all of the trees and grass you see along Uinta, Riverview and Second South. They operate the cemetery and keep up all the landscaping and they are also responsible for the maintenance of all of the city buildings in town.
Now, in the winter when they aren’t shoveling all the snow at the various city locations, they are also the ones you see putting up the Christmas decorations all over town. Keep in mind, there are only nine full-time hands in the parks shop and if they have any “down time”, they also design and build the majority of the office furniture you see in city buildings. These guys are multi-talented, highly skilled and take pride in their work.
The things I am thankful for, and have listed here, are in no way all-encompassing and really don’t do justice to the reality of their daily accomplishments, nor does it reflect all the different agencies they serve. It is but a glimpse of the behind the scenes work that you likely aren’t aware of when it comes to maintaining a city, putting on events and giving you a community you can be proud of. This department tends to all the little details that some of us, including myself, don’t even think about when we do events.
It takes great people to make a great city and the ones we have in our Parks and Rec department are the best. We need to remind ourselves to say thank you more often for all the things they do and all they support. It is everyone’s goal to do a great job and to make Green River the best place to live, work and play.
Happy Holidays to all!
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