The 2020 holiday season proved to be successful for Great Bend’s Christmas Trail of Lights, in spite of, or because of, COVID-19, Community Coordinator Christina Hayes told the City Council Tuesday night. The numbers are in and she was pleased with the outcome.

On evenings from the Saturday after Thanksgiving through the week of Christmas, volunteers track the home county of the vehicles that passed through the Brit Spaugh Park entrance. During that span this past holiday season, the tally came to 2,440.

“We roughly collected 500 more than we did last year,” Hayes said. “I do think people were looking for social-distanced activities.”

The numbers since the trail’s inception in 2011 have been as high as 3,500. But, 2020 ranks as the third-highest visitation rate.

The trail is a massive annual undertaking involving city personnel who start installing the myriad displays before Thanksgiving. Volunteers man the Brit Spaugh Park trail head and Hayes helps coordinate the activities.

Of those licence plates recorded, 2,361 were from Kansas, 27 from Texas, nine from Colorado, seven from Oklahoma, and five each from California and Missouri. Additional states included Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,  Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 

Of the Kansas license plates that were reported, 1,993 came from Barton County, 75 from Pawnee, 46 from Stafford, 36 from Rice, 28 from Rush, 27 from Ellis, 25 from Russell, 14 from Ellsworth and 12 from Saline. In all, 48 counties were accounted for.

The volunteers also collect donations. This year, they received $4,900, up from $3,569 in 2019.

“This money goes towards the upkeep of the lights,” Hayes said. Sadly, there was some significant vandalism to the decorations this year, and some of those funds will have to be used for repairs as well.

But, there are plans to add to the exhibits next year, she said.