City of Medicine Hat parks manager Dave Genio spruces up a tree in Kiwanis Central Park. (Photo Courtesy Chris Brown)

By Chris Brown

Spreading spirit and cheer

City invites Hatters to decorate park trees for the holiday season

Nov 30, 2021 | 3:28 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – If things go the way the city’s parks manager hopes, small pockets of holiday spirit will fill Medicine Hat’s parks this month.

And it’s all thanks to a city resident.

“I wish the parks and recreation department could take credit for this idea but we were approached by a resident back in 2020 that mentioned it would be really cool to be able to decorate city trees,” explains parks manager Dave Genio.

They didn’t have time to get it done last year so they kept the idea for 2021.

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Residents can fill out an application for their chosen tree or trees on the city website now and can begin decorating on Dec. 1.

Genio says they hope many residents will take advantage of the program.

“Hopefully to see people that are going to go to their local parks and take some decorations out there and involve themselves in some of the holiday spirit and holiday cheer and put some decorations on our trees and you know, make them more beautiful than they already are,” he says.

People are asked to use shatterproof decorations and that lights be solar or battery powered.

Genio also says people must not use nails or anything else that would permanently damage the tree and suggests zip ties to secure decorations and lights.

Decorations and lights must be taken down by the applicant before the end of January.

For more information visit the city’s website or call the parks and recreation department at 403-529-8333.