ANSON, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – It’s an Anson holiday tradition, not the lights or the trees, but the hay bales. 

Residents say they anticipate the time of year when Anson high school and middle school art students turn regular hay bales into works of art. 

“They think of things that I never would have thought about,” said Anson Middle School art teacher Erica Jones. “Every year they get better and better.”

The decorations have become a tradition in Anson for the past three years, but this year the tradition is expanding into two neighboring cities. 

Anson Chamber of Commerce manager Tori Norman has led the initiative to expand, saying she got the idea after realizing how popular the hay bales had become. 

“I was going through Hawley and they were painting a hay bale,” said Norman. “It was a mother and her kids loved coming to Anson and loved seeing the hay bales and asked, ‘Mom how come we can’t do this?'”

The tradition has now expanded into Hawley and Stamford creating what Norman calls the Hay Bale Trail.

Norman says she hopes the tradition will grow into an entire Jones County tradition in the coming years.