Yarnapalooza Brightens Up Downtown

Jefferson Matters: Main Street helped add some color to the long, cold days of winter with  “Yarnapalooza” in downtown Jefferson from late January through the end of February.

Yarnapalooza was a project of the Tower View Team of JMMS with support from the organization’s Promotion Committee. Also described as a “yarn bombing,” the event involved wrapping afghans, blankets, old sweaters, t-shirts, and other yarn- and cloth-related items around the trunks of the trees on the lawn of the Greene County Courthouse.  Mother Nature cooperated by providing a snowy, white carpet on the lawn almost every day throughout the five-week period.

TVT member Amy Roberts was instrumental in lining up area groups and organizations to participate in decorating the trees. The groups were initially to decorate their trees on the last Sunday of January, but an impending winter snow storm pushed that back one day to Saturday, Jan. 25.

The JMMS Promotion Committee gave each tree decorator a coupon for a free cup of hot cocoa at Homestead Bakery that day.

Plans called for the trees to remain decorated through mid-February, but feedback from the community was so positive that “Yarnapalooza” was extended through the end of the month. The Jefferson City Council and the Greene County Board of Supervisor both complimented TVT for its efforts in brightening up the downtown during and creating a nice respite from the long winter doldrums.

“We couldn’t have had such a great display without all of the organizations and individuals that participated,” said Deb McGinn, TVT Committee chair. “Even though it was very cold out that day, they stepped up like troopers and helped TVT create a fun, temporary art installation of yarn and fiber to the Main Street District.”

Participants in the “Yarnapalooza” tree decorating were: New Opportunities, Tower View Team, Linda Nichols, Amy and Jason Roberts and family, Jane Rowland, PAWS, RVP~1875/History Boy Theatre, Greene County High School, Jefferson-Scranton Elementary School, East Greene Elementary, Greene County Intermediate School, Greene County Middle School, Rhonda Nelson, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Mikki Schwarzkopf, Amy Milligan/Jefferson Matters: Main Street, ARC, JMMS Promotion Committee, Annie Ostendorf, and Relay for Life.