COVID-19 forces ‘Christmas Town USA’ McAdenville to trim its lights display, events
McAdenville, known as Christmas Town USA, will trim its lights display and a number of related events to help prevent spread of the novel coronavirus, officials in the Gaston County town said Wednesday.
The annual display, now in its 65th year, attracts a half-million visitors each December to the town of about 660 people.
Last year, USA Today named McAdenville’s display of hundreds of thousands of lights among the 10 Best Public Holiday Lights Displays in the U.S.
The event is still a go for Dec. 1-26, but nightly hours have been cut to 5:30-10 p.m. And the popular tree-lighting and yule-log ceremonies have been canceled.
Trees will be lit in the downtown area from Pharr Family YMCA on Main Street (N.C. 7) to the Spruced Goose Restaurant on Wesleyan Drive near the lake.
But areas where the public traditionally gathers will not be lit, including the Christmas Town Lake, officials said.
The Christmas Town 5-K, meanwhile, will be virtual this year.
And no refreshments will be handed out by homeowners and members of churches and organizations. Neither will they offer photo opportunities — all measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
“Christmas Town U.S.A. will continue in 2020, but in a compliant manner,” Christy Gliddon, Pharr executive vice president for human resources, said in a statement. “We want folks to feel safe in McAdenville as they enjoy this spirited tradition.”
Because of the smaller event this year, some homeowners may opt to keep their lights packed away, officials said.
Visitors, meanwhile, are asked to respect homeowners by staying on the sidewalks.
Details: McAdenville-ChristmasTown.com.