By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Downtown Hays is sparkling a little bit brighter this holiday season thanks to local youth groups.
Members of Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H and Big Brothers Big Sisters hand made oversized Christmas decorations for the two “community trees” just north of the Hays Public Library on the corner of 13th and Main.
The tall evergreens sit on Ellis County property. The Ellis County Commission was “delighted” to again grant permission for the holiday decorating as it has for many years.
Seven-year-old Eva Betz and her brother Evan, 9, are members of the Gemini Juniors 4-H Club. They, along with their mom Lynette, were recently hanging the ornaments after school.
“We made snowflakes, tree ornaments and paper snowmen,” Eva said. She had some help from Evan attaching decorations to limbs she couldn’t reach.
“I climbed up on that,” Evan explained as he pointed to the limestone base of the Statue of Liberty monument located between the two trees. “And, I jumped up on trees.” Evan was able to pull down several higher branches low enough for Eva to attach them firmly with fasteners made of pipe cleaner.
Decorating the highest branches of the towering evergreens was left to the Boy Scouts of Troop 101.
When plans to use a bucket truck fell through, a stepladder was quickly retrieved from the library. To reach even higher, troop leader Steve Urban and several scouts went across the street to borrow a long extension ladder from Ralph’s Electric, one of the contractors working on a historic building renovation for the new EyeSmile Vision and Dental practice.
Logan Leiker, brothers Steve and Kade Urban, Luke Montgomery, and Graysen Smith helped each other place the ladder against the sturdy trees. Kade did most of the climbing, working his way carefully step by step to place decorations about a third of the way up from the tree bases.
“Just hang them up as you go up the line, Kade,” advised troop leader Urban.
The scouts were working on their religion badges, which require community service.
“Unfortunately, there’s is no ‘Christmas Tree Decorating’ badge for the Boy Scouts,” Urban quipped.
