As our families throughout Oxford and Lafayette County gather to enjoy the Christmas season, there is one area of our city that is not so bright. Several years ago, Mayor Patricia Chadwick Lamar went out of her way to add beauty to our city, including landscaping throughout town and adding entrance signs to at least the southern and western entrance to Oxford.

Another one of her more beautiful contributions during her administration was to add Christmas wreath decorations that adorned South and North Lamar from “Three Way” to the hospital, University Avenue from the Highway 7 Bypass to the University Circle on the campus of Ole Miss, and all the way down West Jackson Avenue to its intersection with Highway 6. Since that time, these decorations have not been put up or have been lost or dilapidated over time.  The only area of town decorated at the present time is Oxford’s downtown square.

Easily, the vast majority of businesses in Oxford are located on the western entrance to our city and along Jackson Avenue from the entrance to the Ole Miss campus to its intersection with Highway 6 West. More visitors to Oxford and the University of Mississippi from out of town frequent this area of Oxford, and it goes without saying that a vast portion of sales tax dollars that are added to the City of Oxford treasury are generated in West Oxford. There are presently no Christmas decorations in the part of our city most visited by citizens, students, and out of town guests.

For the past three years, we have contacted the Mayor and each of the Board of Alderman to ask for the purchase of additional Christmas decorations, and we never received a reply.  As we travel to other cities throughout Mississippi, we have noticed that many municipalities that have far less populations and funding have heavily decorated their many thoroughfares with updated and brilliantly lit decorations for the Christmas holidays. Oxford has not.

We ask that you join us in asking our city, county, or civic leaders and organizations to develop a multiple year purchase plan to replenish the quantity of Christmas decorations, even ones that may be easier to maintain.  Then our hometown will once again be decorated for the holidays throughout all parts of Oxford to the beautiful extent envisioned by the late Pat Lamar.

Craig and Brenda Waller Gordon

Oxford