Here's how a Pueblo gardener helps illuminate the holiday season in city parks

During most of the year, the only gardener in Pueblo’s parks and recreation department is busy taking care of plants in city parks or getting ready for the next season.

But Jennifer “Jenn” Dabney has something else to do around the holidays: work on the holiday light displays in both of Pueblo’s largest city parks.

New this year is a tree at the centerpiece of the roundabout near the entrance of City Park, which Dabney and her co-workers crafted from PVC pipes.

Dabney has been working in the parks and recreation department for eight years. She started as a mower and gradually started helping more with the Christmas decorations within the parks.

“Whenever you’d bring up Christmas, all of the guys act like you’re signing them up for a root canal,” Dabney joked.

Over the years, she started helping out with some of the lights around the parks and taking on more responsibilities. Dabney goes on Pinterest for Christmas inspiration.

One of the challenges is placing the lights at the Mineral Palace Pond. Dabney credits the Northside crew for a “phenomenal job” on putting them up, which involves going on a small boat to place the solar-powered lights.

Crews need to make sure that they “secure everything” down, especially on fairy lights, so geese don’t munch on the wire.

Dabney emphasized that it’s a team effort to get everything done and thanked everyone else who helps out with the lights in the park.

She hopes that Pueblo families can enjoy the holiday lights with each other and have a good time.

“Christmas is supposed to be a magical time where it's all it's pretty — there's lights and people are supposed to be nicer to each other,” Dabney said.

Anna Lynn Winfrey is a reporter at the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: This Pueblo gardener brightens up the holidays with light displays