MUSKOGEE, Okla. — As you take down your holiday decorations a Muskogee business owner is asking you not to throw them away. He said they can help the city become Green Country’s next holiday destination.
Alex Reynolds runs Max’s Garage and Maxine’s Gastropub in Muskogee. He loves Christmas and decorations.
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“We love to go overboard on Christmas and do a big decoration,” he said.
Reynolds said they’ve gone all out for Christmas over the past 16 years and even have 400 Christmas trees on display, but now he has big plans for downtown Muskogee.
“We’re going to make a Christmas wonderland, it’s going to be marvelous,” he said.
He wants to make Muskogee downtown a Christmas destination and put decorations outside his venue and up the street, but to do that he needs more decorations.
“Ornaments, trees, decorations of all kinds,” he said.
Reynolds is asking for people to donate extra decorations or any decorations they don’t want anymore.
“Folks are taking down their decorations every week, or some are waiting a little longer, if you’re someone that wants to get new stuff, or you found out your pre-lit tree is not working altogether, we would love to take those and we will rebuild them and repurpose them and put them into a a different exhibit somewhere in downtown Muskogee,” he said.
Muskogee Mayor Marlon Coleman said making the city a Christmas destination will be a big boost for the city’s economy.
“It will open up opportunities for more vendors to want to be downtown, more businesses to want to be downtown, and it’s just going to be the launch of something really really good for the city of Muskogee,” he said.
Reynolds said he’s already had some donations but needs more.
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These people FOX23 spoke to in Muskogee are excited about creating a downtown wonderland.
“I think it’s an amazing idea because, you know, Muskogee needs to be revitalized,” said Staci Derruisseaux.
“Anything that can get Muskogee on the map basically and bring people in is a great idea, we have a great community,” said Jackie Hadden.
Reynolds is hoping the Green Country community can step up and help light up Muskogee. They have a warehouse set up to store decorations, to donate contact Max’s Garage or Maxine’s Gastropub in Muskogee.
They’re also looking for any volunteers, businesses or organizations that want to help make downtown Muskogee an annual Christmas destination.