While Elizabethton set up their Christmas lights almost a month ago, residents may have noticed a larger presence of lights at the Covered Bridge. It is not an illusion; there are more lights at the park, and the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation intend to keep that going in the future.

Program/Special Events Coordinator Kelly Kitchens said they wanted to pay special attention to the Covered Bridge Park and what it can bring to the community at large.

“We really wanted to make it a focal point,” Kitchens said. “We wanted to add to what we have there.”

Parks and Rec’s decorations compliment the lights in downtown Elizabethton, lighting up the other side of town that typically had lights in only a few places, including the courthouse and the fir tree.

“We want to make it a destination to visit,’ she said. “We want to make it a place to be.”

A few weeks ago, Parks and Rec put out a PSA on their Facebook that they were noticing a string of vandalism reports about their new displays, but since that went out, Kitchens said the issue has seemingly been resolved.

“It takes all of us to care for our spaces,’ she said. “We are saying ‘Hey, this is a place we all love.’”

Since the new lights have debuted, she said the community’s response has been extremely positive.

“People enjoy being at that park,” Kitchens said. “The feedback has been amazing. People have been posting pictures and videos of the lights.”

She said not a day goes by when they do not hear praise about the new lights, which she said are here to stay.

“People really love being down there,” she said. “People enjoy being at that park.”

She said the lights also serve as another place to spend time with family when the sun goes down. Before the new lights, it was often too dark to hang out at that part of town safely.

The lights will serve to highlight the  Christmas at the Covered Bridge celebration tonight from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

“This really adds to the program there,” Kitchens said.