Visitors take selfies with the Historical Harrison County Courthouse in the background after the opening lighting ceremony for the Wonderland of Lights on Nov. 27, 2019, in downtown Marshall. (Les Hassell/News-Journal Photo)

MARSHALL — Marshall’s Wonderland of Lights will look different this year after city commissioners approved modifications to the event because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of communities in Texas are dealing with this, and some have flat out canceled their events, and we do not want to do that,” said Rachel Chapman, Main Street Manager.

The changes included the cancellation of a number of “high-touch” events, according to Community and Economic Director Wes Morrison, which would be difficult because of social distancing.

The canceled events include ice skating, the carousel, train rides and Santa’s Village.

Parts of the event that will remain include the lights on the courthouse and horse drawn carriage rides from a private company, Sacred Spur Carriage Co., which will have to follow sanitation and social distancing guidelines.

“As everyone knows, it is hard to conduct these events amid requirements,” said Community and Economic Director Wes Morrison.

Morrison said a newly formed feasibility committee met and discussed what options the city had for Wonderland of Lights and what events could still happen safetly.

That committee determined Wonderland of Lights will kick off as usual with the lighting ceremony planned for Nov. 25 — the day before Thanksgiving — though the lighting will be virtual and streamed live on Facebook.

Instead of Marshall’s traditional Christmas Parade, this year the city will host a reverse Christmas parade, in which community members can drive a designated route any time during a specific weekend and vote virtually on the best participating business, building or lot along the way.

The annual Wassail Walk also will be modified, with community members using disposable cups instead of the traditional souvenir mugs and voting virtually for the winners. Participating businesses will be responsible for maintaining social distancing regulations, and extra sanitizing stations will be placed around downtown during the event.

The walk is scheduled for National Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28 and will be moved to the evening to ensure the lights on the courthouse come on during the event.

And the outdoor Christmas market also is still planned for this year, with the event planned for two weekends instead of one. Booths will be spaced 10 feet apart during the event along North Washington Avenue, and all shoppers and vendors will be required to wear a mask.