For one month, residents of Murray County and the surrounding communities can experience their own “hometown Hallmark movie special” with Chatsworth’s annual Christmas in the Park, said Elizabeth Robinson, who helps coordinate the event each year with Pam Bishop.
“It’s just a great holiday community event,” Robinson said. “Just like you see when watching Hallmark (Christmas) movies, we have that same feeling in Chatsworth.”
The free kickoff event, which will feature several holiday-themed entertainment offerings and treats, is Friday, Dec. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Chatsworth City Park at 400 N. Second Ave. Parking is free and will be available downtown along Second Avenue and at the nearby City Hall.
As part of a growing tradition, the park will be filled with 145 Fraser fir Christmas trees that will be lit during the kickoff event.
“The trees are between six and seven feet tall and they will remain up until Jan. 2,” Robinson said. “(Chatsworth) city workers and some of the city employees help put them up.”
Set to arrive on Tuesday, Nov. 26, from North Carolina, the trees are supplied through a partnership between the coordinators and Murray County Feed & Seed.
Robinson said each tree is sponsored by local individuals, organizations or schools, and is uniquely decorated every year.
“The trees are just beautiful,” she said. “It’s amazing to me that you can take the base of a tree and see all the different decorations they put on them. We have trees that are in memory of people and some from a lot of the civic groups, schools and a ton of businesses. Then, there are some that are just represented by families.”
Robinson said the trees can be decorated beginning Sunday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m., with all trees being fully decorated by Friday, Dec. 6, at noon.
“After Jan. 2, they’ll start coming down and once they’re undecorated, city workers typically arrange to have them taken to Carters Lake to help with their fish habitat,” she said.
Also during the event, Chatsworth City Park’s central fountain will be lit with a structure resembling a large Christmas tree, complete with a star on top, Robinson said.
“We’ll have a few new decorations put up around the park by the city this year,” she said.
Robinson said attendees can have their photo taken with Santa Claus while enjoying free “swag” and goodies, which typically include hot chocolate, cookies, candy canes, hot cider and popcorn.
“Everything is absolutely free,” she said. “You never know what companies and volunteers will bring.”
The park’s stage will feature performances, including by chorus groups from all of the elementary schools, both middle schools and both high schools in the Murray County Schools system, who will sing holiday classics.
“We will also have some cloggers, and Performing Arts Unlimited (a local dance studio) is going to open with their Christmas performance,” said Robinson.
Christmas in the Park is organized each year by Robinson and Bishop, both retired educators who worked for Murray County Schools. They also help coordinate Flags Across Murray, which has volunteers placing flags to honor local veterans at the Murray County Courthouse for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
“This is our fifth or sixth year,” Robinson said. “Originally, Pam and I, along with some other ladies, were headed to Pigeon Forge (in Tennessee) and we saw that Maryville, Tennessee, does something like this around their courthouse. So, we stopped and looked at their trees and we were like ‘We can do this.’ We presented it to Tyson Haynes, the (Chatsworth) mayor at the time, and it took off from there.”
Robinson said the event has grown in size year after year.
“It’s pretty spectacular,” she said. “The first year, our goal was 10 (trees). That’s how many we thought we could do. We wound up having more than 30. And it’s only grown each year.”
Robinson said staff and volunteers from City Hall have been “so supportive.”
“They help take care of getting the trees up, help us with the lighting and help us decorate,” she said. “We couldn’t do it without all of these other people.”
Robinson said Christmas in the Park is “a fun night” and welcoming to all.
“For those worried about an affordable and fun time, there’s no cost for anything,” she said. “If you need your family picture made with Santa, just come and you’re all set. There’s plenty to walk around and see.”
She said the event is ultimately a way to “give back” to the community while spreading holiday cheer.
“It’s just something for our community,” she said. “Murray County’s our home. Everybody can come and enjoy it.”