Winter Wonderland kicks off the holiday season in Lincoln

 

[November 28, 2022] 

The Christmas holiday season kicked off in a very traditional manner on Friday evening, with a walk through a winter wonderland.

The Winter Wonderland tree lighting was hosted Friday evening by Kathie Williams and Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch. A large crowd gathered to help with the count down and the lighting of dozens of live Christmas trees temporarily planted on the lawn of the Logan County Courthouse.

As everyone stood in the darkness awaiting the moment, Williams thanked all those who had contributed to the success of the evening. She paid special thanks to staff from Cresco Labs that had assisted in getting all the trees in place on a very cold and windy weekend.



Williams also asked for a moment of silence for those who were with us last year, but not this year. Remembering loved ones lost and honoring them at Christmas time was an important part of the evening.

Mayor Welch spoke, noting the community is returning to a sense of normalcy after the multiple years of suffering through pandemic restrictions and the complications that came with them.

He noted that he had been around the square earlier in the day and felt the ambiance and the festive mood reflective of a Hallmark movie.

Each year, local businesses, organizations, and individuals can sponsor a tree on the square. As a sponsor, they receive the tree, a sign with a message from the sponsor and they could decorate the tree to reflect a specific theme, honor a loved one lost, or evoke a feeling of happiness in the viewers.

This year, the trees were beautifully done, with many following specific themes. Some of the more interesting included the tree sponsored by ME Realty and decorated by Marsha Fernandez.



The ME team has a history of designing incredibly unique themed trees and this year was no exception. The tree was transformed into a yeti, reminiscent of the one included in the story of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer on the island of Misfit Toys.

Another attention getter in the lineup of trees around the courthouse lawn was the tree sponsored and decorated by Dave and Becky Katz. The tree looked good enough to eat. It was decorated to reflect all the sweet at edible treats that we people love, big soft pretzels, milkshakes, donuts, and cupcakes just to name a few. While the rules of decorating include nothing edible on the trees, the décor of the Katz tree was very convincing. Accented in pale blue with lots of white including large snowflakes and stars and pastel-colored lights of pink, green and blue, the tree drew plenty of attention on Friday night.

Around the square, guests spent quite some time, visiting trees with special meaning for them personally as well as admiring the beauty of all the others on display.





Friday evening was also the first night of Horse Drawn Carriage rides around the square in Lincoln. The carriage rides were an ideal way to see all the trees from a comfortable seat and a slightly raised angle, viewing the heart of the city in a whole new perspective.

The trees will remain on the Logan County Courthouse Lawn until New Year’s Eve. The lights are on day and night, and each tree has a story tell in daylight and dark.

If you haven’t made your way to downtown Lincoln just yet please put it on your Christmas to do list for some time soon.

[Nila Smith]