Editor’s note: Ask Us is a weekly feature published online Mondays and in print on Tuesdays. We’ll seek to answer your questions about items or trends in Rowan County. Have a question? Email it to askus@salisburypost.com.

SALISBURY — Putting up the city’s downtown Christmas decorations is no small task.

There are about 80 wreaths, 16 banners, two dozen crape myrtles wrapped in lights, enough strings of lights to create a bright downtown scene and one star carefully lifted above the center of the Square. The decorations go up roughly one week before the annual Christmas parade, the week of Thanksgiving, and come down in the new year.

This year, there was even a joint committee between the Salisbury Community Appearance Commission and Downtown Salisbury Inc. to discuss ways to improve the decorations.

For years, the city has relied June Goodman and Sons to handle the installation, removal and storage of downtown Christmas decorations. They are known to dress up in Christmas attire to put up the decorations, too.

The city sets aside $15,000 for installation, removal and storage, but this year it added $2,000 to add lights to the tops of the trees in the median on Innes Street. That was cut a number of years ago, but the joint committee this year requested they were added back, said Alyssa Nelson, the city’s urban design planner.

Public Works Director Craig Powers said city staff worked on Christmas lights in Bell Tower Green. Staff members also installed a Christmas tree in the park and created a structure to help it stay upright.

“Since this was our first time in the park there was a lot of modifications and moving around,” Powers said. “The process will be more streamlined next year and we’re already planning improvements with the BTG board and our Parks Department.”

Powers said the Bell Tower Green decorations also will come down some time after New Year’s Day.