Jaycees continue tradition of sharing Christmas glow

Sidney Jaycee members always try to create an extra glow within Sidney in the month of December and this year was no exception.

Members of the organization gathered around the traincars sitting along Legion Park Dec. 8 stringing Christmas lights for seven hours from engine to caboose for the community to view.

The lights illuminated the dark park and the 10th Avenue roadside that night and have been glowing bright ever since.

Amber Talich, in her second year as President of the Jaycees and chairperson for the event, said that some years the train has not been lit but that they hope to continue the tradition yearly from here on out.

“In the past the Jaycees have decked it all out and have done crazy things with it,” Talich said.

Gary Person a retired Jaycee said that the Jaycees are in place to serve the community and this is just one of the great things that they are doing to try and make it better.

“They help young adults learn leadership and training qualities and kind of learn at a hands on approach through community service,” Person said. “You learn how to run projects, you learn how to run an organization, you learn what commitment means and in the process you do a lot of good things for the community.”

Person said that the Jaycee program began in Sidney continuously in 1946. Though it started in the 1920s, the group became a “victim of the Great Depression,” Person said.

In 1990 Person said that Sidney’s Jaycee chapter was the largest in the world for a community under 15,000 in population, with 220 members.

“They’ve always done a lot of great projects and are real dedicated to the community and community service,” he said.

“Though today’s Jaycee group is quite a bit smaller, we very much appreciate the efforts of those still involved in keeping the tradition alive and the good work they are currently doing,” Person said. “They work hard and give a lot of themselves to make the community better.”

The Jaycees buy the lights with money from the proceeds of fundraising throughout the year, Talich said. Due to damage from the last hailstorm the group had to buy new lights this year.

Talich said that the reason for decorating the train is to spread holiday spirit throughout the city of Sidney and to give something for residents to view this season.

“We thought this would be a great thing for the community to enjoy. We hoped it would help spread a little more joy with people being able to see more lights in town,” Talich said.

Holiday cheer however was not the only ambition behind the decorations. Talich also said this project serves as a way to highlight some of the history that Sidney has to offer.

“We want to get more attention drawn to Sidney’s history. A lot of people drive by the train all the time, but you easily overlook things that you drive by. So it is suppose to bring attention to the history that exists here,” Talich said.

The City of Sidney along with the Jaycees were the ones to initially bring the train into the park and get it fenced off, she said.

Talich said that the lights will stay up until the beginning of January.