Home for the Holidays was a “big success,” Great Bend City Coordinator Christina Hayes told the City Council Monday. One of the highlights was the Grinch.

David Roat was at the Trail of Lights entrance booth dressed as The Grinch and had many people stopping to ask for a photo with him.

“I’ve heard so many compliments about the Grinch,” Hayes said, adding her phone “blew up” with calls about how great the Grinch was.

There were many people to thank, from city employees to her staff at the Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau, as well as volunteers.

“I heard there were 900 hot dogs and 65 gallons of hot chocolate given out there.” The Barton County Fair Board provided a Christmas corn hole game and the Busy Buzzards Petting Zoo was “super popular.” People could ride the Dolly Trolley the Shriners gave away funnel cakes. Sarah Krom was the Grand Marshal of the parade.

“It was a wonderful event to kick off our Christmas season.”

City Administrator Logan Burns’ report on city happenings also started with holiday news. He thanked the public lands staff for their hard work putting up the Christmas lights.

“Our parks and downtown look great,” he said, noting the Trail of Lights is always a favorite for local families and also brings a lot of out-of-town visitors.

Looking ahead to future events, there will be a June Jaunt/Party in the Park work session on Jan. 6.

In other news, Burns said there is a new recruiting video that showcases Great Bend employees and the benefits of working for the City. It can be seen on the Great Bend City Council Facebook page and on the Explore Great Bend website.

Solar regulations

Burns reported that the planning commission’s public hearing on solar regulations was on Nov. 25. The planning commission recommended a 1,000-foot setback from any residential property line with a residential dwelling on that tract. The proposed regulations will come to the city council for consideration at the Dec. 16 meeting.