By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–Yes, there is a Santa Claus climbing the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Tennessee, that is.
In a Christmas surprise for the city of Paris, a super-secret operation was brought to light (literally) Monday evening, when the 16-foot Santa Claus was illuminated on the city’s Eiffel Tower.
A good-sized crowd gathered at Eiffel Tower Park for the big reveal, singing Christmas carols along with the KPAC Harmonix group, drinking hot chocolate and enjoying candy canes.
With the help of the City of Paris, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Paris Board of Public Utilities, the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Paris Association led the initiative to add the 16-foot tall lighted Santa Claus, who appears to be climbing the iconic 70-ft Eiffel Tower.
Chamber CEO Travis McLeese said, “Kim Foster, Jennifer Morris, Tony Lawrence and the entire Parks and Recreation crew have done an amazing job making Eiffel Tower Park a destination. When we started the brainstorming process on what we should do this Christmas, we knew we wanted to contribute to their efforts. We know how easy it is to click a button and drop an item into an online shopping cart. We believe projects like this and our events that we create provide a festive energy that gives shoppers an experience. We were thankful that Terry Wimberly and our friends at BPU have the knowledge and ability to make this come to fruition”
The funds were raised as a collaborative effort through all of the Downtown Unwrapped Sponsorship opportunities. Those partners include the Paris BPU, Jamie Orr with Orr Investment Management, ServPro LBL North and South, My Favorite Things, Mockingbird Catering, Henry County Medical Center, Street Dynamics, Michael Sargent State Farm Insurance, BOI LLC, and Chesemore Dental Group.
City Manager Kim Foster said, “The City is super excited to partner with the Chamber and the Downtown Unwrapped sponsors to add Santa to the Eiffel Tower for the Christmas season! He will add a festive touch to the park and give visitors yet another reason to come take their picture at the tower.”
Photo by Shannon McFarlin.