BEDFORD – The Lawrence County Courthouse is once again adorned with a Christmas star to celebrate the Christmas season.
Lawrence Circuit Court Judge Nathan Nikirk and his wife Amy Nikirk made a donation to the North Lawrence Career Center to cover the expense of the star and to ensure that no tax dollars were used for the project.
“My wife and I worked closely with welding instructor David McCart, his students, and Lawrence County director of maintenance Dan Bush to help bring back the star. It is very exciting to showcase the talent of the welding students in a grand way like this, I am so proud of the students who constructed the star,” said Judge Nikirk.
In 2021 several courthouse employees formed a Christmas committee consisting of County Auditor Jessica Staggs, Allison Lewis, Shelly Walls, Dan Bush, Ashley Case, Sherriff Branham, and Judge Nikirk.
“My brother, Scott Nikirk, is the one that originally mentioned the star to me back in 2020, and the attempts over the years to bring the star back by various groups. As a result, I began researching the star. With the help of Joyce Shepard at the Lawrence County History Museum, I discovered that two stars were constructed and installed in 1960 by Horace Richardson, who was the director of the Parks Department for the City of Bedford at the time.”
Joyce Shepard with the Lawrence County History Museum found a Bedford Daily Times-Mail article dated December 2, 1961, regarding the star. The article explains that Mrs. Ruth Voris was on the Bedford Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee in 1960 and she conceived the idea of two 25-foot stars to sit atop the Lawrence County Courthouse on the east and west sides.
Judge Nikirk added, “I spoke with Jay Fiddler of Johnny’s Signs, Inc. and he explained that the original stars constructed in 1960 were in disrepair in the late 1960s and he constructed two new twenty-foot aluminum stars that used glass tubes filled with neon in the early 1970s. The stars that Mr. Fiddler constructed were installed in the late 1960s and were used until the early 1980s when they were removed.”
Unfortunately, the neon stars were disposed of and since that time several civic groups have tried unsuccessfully to bring the stars back.
“I have great memories from my childhood of attending the annual Christmas parade with my parents and family, visiting the courthouse to see the Christmas lights, and walking around the square to see the downtown shops during the holidays. Hopefully, the star will bring back fond memories for people that recall the original stars and create new memories and traditions for children today, “said Judge Nikirk.
Judge Nikirk would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to the new Christmas star: Commissioners Rodney Fish, Wally Branham, and Dustin Gabhart for authorizing the committee to erect the new star on the courthouse. Dan Bush, Kelsey Young, Scott Nikirk, Kaden Nikirk, Eli Nikirk, and the entire Christmas Committee for their hard work on this project. Bedford Chief of Police, Terry Moore, for providing a police escort to safely transport the star from the high school to the courthouse. A special thank you to McIntyre Bros. Construction, specifically Jeff McIntyre, Ryan Griffith, and crane operator Brett Jean for providing the crane and expertise to hoist the star atop the courthouse free of charge.
Finally, thank you to welding instructor David McCart and his students.
The students that worked on the star are Reece Cobb, Draven Eads, Levi Guarneri, Garett Hayes, Autumn Holmes, Keaton Hutton, Cameron Holt, Jake Kinser, Jack Morgan, and Cole Smith.
“The dedication and hard work of the students put into the project brought back a tradition that began 62 years ago and that will be on display for many years to come,” said Judge Nikirk.
The star is 20 feet tall, contains 1,000 led lights, and will be on display nightly through the end of December. The official lighting of the star will take place in conjunction with the grand marshal ceremony before the annual Christmas parade on Saturday, December 3, 2022. The grand marshal ceremony begins at 5:00 p.m. and the lighting of the star and courthouse grounds will take place at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Miss Indiana statue.
