Mount Carmel dedicates town park improvements
MOUNT CARMEL — Gene Christian is gone, but he is certainly not forgotten. The longtime Mount Carmel alderman and Hawkins County Commissioner passed away on June 3 of this year at the age of 83, but it was decided back in September that his memory would be honored at a new building being constructed in the town’s park. That vision became a reality on Tuesday, Nov. 3, when the town celebrated the grand opening of the newly-christened Eugene “Gene” Christian Memorial facility, and held a ribbon-cutting with several local dignitaries from in and out of the town participating. At the same time, the George Eidson Pavilion, which was refurbished using some of the money from a grant awarded through the 2023 Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF) program, was reopened. The grant was for $200,000 and carried a $200,000 local match. It enabled this work, along with new playground equipment, swings, and the new pickleball courts that opened in 2025, to become a reality. “(When) I was being told what all was going on today, I thought, how fitting. Because if you knew Gene, there’s one thing you knew about him is that he loved the community that he served
