CORRECTED
Logan County Board Building and Grounds Committee
Lincoln Downtown Businesses group present ideas for special holiday events in the Courthouse and Latham Park

 

[September 10, 2024] 

LDN has learned that there were errors in the original report on this topic and are publishing a corrected version. We apologize to all parties concerned.

On the evening of September 3rd, the Building and Grounds Committee held their meeting for the month. This meeting, among other things, saw the proposal of a couple of Christmas related events made by Kathie Williams. Williams, owner of Small Town Creations, was representing the downtown businesses on Lincoln’s Courthouse Square. During the meeting, Williams shared how the Christmas events held near Lincoln’s Courthouse Square encourage people from out of town to come and visit. Once here, many of these visitors become patrons of one or more of the local businesses. Williams’s suggestions for this year’s holiday season come from the same desire to see her business and others thrive.

The first of the two proposed events would be to have a group come and sing Christmas carols on the first floor of the Courthouse in the rotunda. Williams suggested a Saturday as the day of the week this could potentially happen, seeing as how more people travel on the weekends as opposed to the weekdays. This would also help avoid the normal operating hours of the Courthouse.

Williams was light on the details for this event, suggesting Small Business Saturday (November 30) as a potential date. She also shared that no singers have been chosen yet. Williams was open to the idea of having either kids or adults sing. The reason for Williams’s vagueness on details, she said, was a desire to not get people’s hopes up should the board not approve the event. She said that she would hate to disappoint a group of singers by having to deliver the bad news of the event being rejected by the board.

Committee Chairman Jim Wessbecher’s only real concern with this event was security. Seeing as how Williams’s proposed event would be inside the Courthouse and not outdoors, security would have to be present. The Courthouse is normally closed on the weekends, so security would be an extra cost in this case.

Wessbecher also asked about a time frame for the event. Williams informed him that she did not see it lasting more than an hour or two. While Wessbecher gave the impression that this event would be possible, he stopped short of making any promises.

The second event that Williams proposed was a live nativity scene. Williams informed the committee of the potential benefit to Lincoln’s economy, referencing how they requested the green and red lights that were installed around the Courthouse last year. Williams said that the downtown businesses are always looking for new things to introduce around the holiday season, enticing people to come and visit. Williams stated that she would like to hold this event outdoors at the Latham Park gazebo and bandstand. She also stated that she planned on having this event on a day separate from the Christmas caroling in the Courthouse rotunda. Williams stated that she plans on having the actors for this scene be a mix of adults and children.

Wessbecher once again asked about a time frame for this event. Williams did not have an exact one, sharing that she imagines it being more of an evening event, with businesses staying open later if they would like to. Again, Williams shared her desire to get permission for this event before planning many of the details. Wessbecher responded by telling Williams that it is difficult to support an event when there are still so many details to work out. Williams did add that she would like live animals for this event, but it was not a deal breaker if they could not have them.

These two events are still in the proposal stage but are not going to be discussed by the full board at the Workshop meeting later this month. The committee members wanted Williams to plan out more details before discussing these events with the wider board.

[Matt Boutcher]