With the feeling of Christmas still lingering in the air, the Knox City Council this week discussed the possibility of hosting a Christmas market– a street market featuring nativity scenes, nutcrackers, books, hand-crafted items, and other traditional Christmas goodies like cookies, soups, almonds, and other treats.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers explains that with a Christmas market, the city could combine its Christmas events into one weekend bonanza.
“I think the best thing would be to incorporate Knox’s tree lighting ceremony and the fire department’s Christmas parade all into one weekend event,” said Chambers.
Knox Animal Control Officer Tom Bazant approached the council with a proposal for the event, offering to handle the organization of the event to get it started. He told the council that he has eight vendors who have expressed interest in setting up booths next year if a Christmas market were to be held but a number of issues still need to be addressed, including the location of the market. Bazant recommended using Sandy Acres Park because of its location, but Chambers was uneasy about that location due to the sparsity of parking availability.
Chambers said that the idea could work, but he will need to check with the Park Board before any decisions can be made regarding use of the parks. In addition, he will need to check with the city insurance because some events require special insurance, and finally, the city attorney will need to approve it as well.
