The county Christmas tree pays tribute to all 42 municipalities, our school districts and more.
Uniontown, PA - The Fayette County Courthouse’s holiday decorations feature an extra special tribute this year.
Just inside the courthouse front doors stands a radiant Christmas tree, elegantly trimmed with hundreds of baubles, bells and more.
Look closely, and you’ll find 55 handmade ornaments - each featuring one of Fayette County’s 42 municipalities; its school districts; and the county itself. You’ll also see several special ornaments that came directly from the community.
In lieu of the county’s annual Magic and Mistletoe celebration, Fayette County Commissioner Chairman Dave Lohr was inspired to bring our communities together for the holidays in a different way. Magic and Mistletoe has not been held since 2019, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Lohr’s Chief of Staff, Debra Evans-Rhodes, said she reached out to community leaders requesting ornaments representing their municipalities, landmarks and more be donated or loaned to the county for the tree display. Receiving limited participation, Evans-Rhodes enlisted county buildings and grounds employee Kristin Zack to help craft and hang enough unique ornaments to fill the tree and ensure all communities were represented.
“It’s all about highlighting our communities. Fayette County represents all of these places,” Evans-Rhodes said. “We’re all part of this together.”
Zack has spent countless hours since November spearheading the courthouse’s decorating efforts, leaving its interior and exterior looking especially festive. Individual county offices have also joined in, decorating their office doors and filling the holidays with cheer.
Moving forward, Evans-Rhodes said they would like to have more formal ornaments; collect ornaments from every municipality and school district; and have all 42 municipalities set up their own Christmas trees representing their communities throughout the courthouse.
“This is just the start of something that we would like to see become a much bigger thing,” she said. “We have this big, old building with all this beautiful architecture, and we’d love to see people from the community coming in just to see the Christmas decor.”
The Fayette County Courthouse is located at 61 East Main Street in Uniontown. Those interested may stop by to view the county tree and other decorations during business hours through the end of the year.
To learn more about Fayette County, visit www.FayetteCountyPA.org.
Editor's Note: Photos attached (Courthouse Christmas Tree; Ornaments; Ornaments2; Ornaments3)
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This communication is part of the Fayette County PR Initiative, which is funded through the Fayette County Local Share Account (LSA) and Hotel Tax Grants in cooperation with the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Fayette Chamber of Commerce, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Fayette, The Redstone Foundation and other partners. This funding has been designated for the continued promotion and marketing of Fayette County, PA.
For more information, contact Kristi Rooker Kassimer, Public Relations Specialist, at 412-691-0262, kkassimer@fayettecountypa.info or Kaylie Moore, Community Relations Coordinator, at 724-430-1200 Ext. 1611, kmoore@fayettepa.org.
