Bowling Green rings in holidays with Light Up BGKY, parade

Published 2:53 pm Tuesday, December 10, 2024

by Jack Dobbs

Christmas lights in Bowling Green went up and the mercury went down Friday night as the city flicked the switch on several thousand Christmas lights at Fountain Square Park and the Christmas tree at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, rounding out a weeklong holiday celebration across town known as Light Up BGKY

Multiple holiday events went on in town throughout the week before the lighting ceremony Friday night. When it came time to light up the SKyPAC tree, the duties were handed off to Warren County Judge-Executive Doug Gorman and his granddaughter Emery Parrish.

“Since it was my first experience (lighting the tree) it was pretty fun,” Parrish told the Daily News. “I would say it’s a beautiful sight and a great way to share holiday spirit.”

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This was the third consecutive year SKyPAC has hosted a tree lighting. This year’s tree stands around 30 feet tall and was donated by the local Beard family.

The lights on the tree were strung by personnel with Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, and the topper was created from debris sourced from a house on Magnolia Street that was damaged during the Dec. 11, 2021 tornadoes.

Jeff Reed, head of Arts of Southern Kentucky, said the tree lighting “is becoming a tradition” for the Bowling Green community.

“It’s so exciting to see families here with the excitement of lighting the tree,” Reed said. “It adds to the festivities of the season and it gives people another reason to come to SKyPAC.”

Following the lighting of the tree at SKyPAC, attendees and representatives from local government traveled up the street to Fountain Square Park to flip the switch on the thousands of Christmas lights hung on the trees around the square.

Bowling Green Mayor Todd Alcott and City Commissioners Carlos Bailey, Melinda Hill and Dana Beasley-Brown were the button-pushers for an event Alcott described to attendees as “a Hallmark moment.”

“We want you to enjoy these lights throughout the season with your families,” Alcott said.

Downtown BG Development Coordinator Telia Butler told the Daily News the idea of having staggered lighting times at different locations around downtown only started a few years ago when SKyPAC held its first tree lighting ceremony.

“It’s really great to show the community what the power of working together means,” Butler said, comparing Light Up BGKY to Duncan Hines Days. “We did a week of stuff together in June and here we are six months later doing a week of stuff together in December.”

Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Landscape Supervisor Chris Basham said crews from BGPR began hanging lights at Fountain Square just before Halloween this year, a task that took around a month and a half to complete.

He said during the light stringing process there were a few hang-ups that appeared, such as issues with electrical outlets around the park. However, all the lights were installed in time for Light Up BGKY.

“It’s a team effort between us and our electricians who work together to make sure everything comes on,” he said.

As Friday rolled into Saturday the city geared up for the annual Jaycees Christmas Parade, which began moving at 9:30 a.m. with the theme of “An American Christmas.”

The parade featured around 120 entries and was led by representatives from local government and the Warren Central High School Marching Band, who performed iconic Christmas songs such as “Jingle Bells.”

The parade began at SKyPAC and traveled up College Street before turning onto East 12th Avenue and then traveling down State Street to the finishing point near Circus Square Park.

Mary-John Carmon, Christmas parade coordinator for Jaycees, said the parade is something the organization looks forward to year after year.

“It’s our way to give a little Christmas back to the city,” Carmon said.

About Jack Dobbs

Jack covers city government for the Daily News. Originally from Simpson County, he attended Western Kentucky University and graduated in 2022 with a degree in journalism.

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