BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Downtown Inez will transform into a Christmas in the Mountains wonderland as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are put away. From holiday art painted on storefronts to magical light displays, carnival rides, a parade, and plenty of merriment and joy for people of all ages, folks will want to visit the Christmas in the Mountains festival to get into the holiday spirit.
Martin County Tourism commissioner Linda Lou Webb updated fellow commissioners in a special meeting Sept. 15.
Webb said the festival is still in the planning stages, but an ice-skating rink is a definite new attraction this year. According to Webb, the CIM committee is also working to bring back the popular carousel rides, a train, inflatables, hayrides, festival of trees and many familiar past attractions.
“We want to keep what we have and add to it each year,” Webb said.
The opening ceremony will be Sunday, Nov. 27.
“We’ll be doing a lot of things throughout that week,” said Webb. “Each night, we’ll have something going on.”
Some events the commissioner mentioned are Christmas movie nights for kids and adults, Mr. and Mrs. Christmas, cookie decorating, a car show and vendor fair, including live Christmas tree sales.
“Rides will be set up Wednesday night [Nov. 30] and be ready to go Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” she said.
There will be a mix of entertainment from amazing live music, cheerful Christmas carolers and choir singers, a DJ, and even dancers.
In addition to entertainment on the stage behind the courthouse, there will be entertainment on a second stage to be constructed on Main Street.
Webb described several new Christmas displays that folks can look forward to this year, along with seating throughout the city and a warming station.
“We will have a dance for the kids one evening,” she added.
The organizer is also in discussions with a local theater company about an outdoor performance of “A Christmas Carol” scenes.
The Gala and Home Tours will be back this year, as will the Angel Breakfast, carolers, a quilt show and a long list of favorites.
The CIM committee will announce the finalized schedule within two weeks.
Historic Courthouse
The tourism commission continues to work toward a state occupancy permit for the Historic Martin County Courthouse. Chairperson Nita Collier told commissioners the permitting process “is complicated.”
Collier announced plans to attend a meeting with state code officials, Martin County Judge/Executive Colby Kirk, architects, engineers and others “hopefully within the next two weeks.”
“Time is running out,” the chairperson said, adding that the engineer thinks he can get the state to push the permit through. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed.”
The permit issue came as a surprise to the board in June. A state inspector looking at the air conditioning plan advised Collier that a permit was required since the building occupancy had changed from government to public. Open House and several private events were postponed or canceled at that time.
Missionary groups volunteering with Appalachia Reach Out have worked on the old courthouse for the past year and recently refinished half the wood floor in the grand courtroom. Collier said there was still flooring work in the small courtroom and bridal suite, but all would require about one day to complete.
Plans for the historic building include a wedding venue complete with bridal suites, a kitchen and a reception area. The grand courtroom will also serve as a place for media productions, class mock trials, comedy shows and other events. Plans also include a commercial kitchen for canning, marketing and shipping local produce in cooperation with the University of Kentucky Extension office, the CDC and the Martin County Board of Education. The building will house a sewing center and possibly a Lyndon B. Johnson “War on Poverty” museum/library.
Other business
In other business:
• Collier announced that wayfinding signs for county parks were finished and would be delivered soon.
• Commissioner Katrina Sansom gave an update on Kendyl & Friends All-Inclusive Playground—The Christian Cage Campus. According to Sansom, organizer Kelli Jo Kirk Blair and Judge Kirk would meet the following week to discuss the location of the playground equipment in Warfield Park.
• Collier updated commissioners on renovations by ARO missionaries to Kingfisher Trail, which included new steps, bridges, aggregate, and cleaning buildings.
“It’s amazing,” she said, adding that the annual Heritage Days event would take place Oct. 8 at Kingfisher Trail.