When I think of the holidays in Moultrie, one of the first things that I think of is the Canopy of Lights and how happy it makes me feel when I’m walking home from work underneath it. I’m a sucker for Christmas lights and I suspect that most of you are, too!

“As a child who grew up in this community, I remember being in awe of the lights strung from the courthouse square. As an adult, I find the lights just as breathtaking, and I am honored to be a part of the team that helps create the wonderful Christmas atmosphere that people travel from states away to enjoy,” said Caroline Barber, Executive Director of the Moultrie Convention and Visitors Bureau, when asked about her memories of the lights.

To me, there’s nothing that reminds you more of what it’s like to be a kid again than seeing Christmas lights and we have one of the most magnificent displays in the state of Georgia and an award-winning event, “Lights! Lights! Thanksgiving Night!” to go with it. From its humble beginnings around 1945 as a way of celebrating the end of W.W.II, this event has become a holiday tradition that has continuously expanded over the years to include stilt walkers, a stolling piano, reindeer, live music at the amphitheater and a family favorite, the train ride around the square. And don’t forget Santa who always makes Moultrie part of his holiday plans. 

The lights themselves have expanded over the decades, as well, starting in 1934 with lights being placed along the sidewalks in front of the stores. A strand was also run from each corner of the square to the top of the courthouse — only four strands — and then a big white star was placed on top. This gave it the appearance of a giant Christmas tree. Years later, after the light display was expanded to the outer streets, the phrase Canopy of Lights came into use.

Nothing gets me into the holiday mood more than seeing those coils and coils of cable that start to appear sometime around the first of November. City employees start hanging the canopy way before most people have even begun to think about the Christmas holidays. Former City Utilities director, Roger King, helped design the lay-out of the canopy when he had worked for McLean Engineering Company in the early Nineties. He said that in the 1960’s when they redid the courthouse, it made it virtually impossible to put the star on the very top of the building. He said the stars that are there now were purchased and donated by Moultrie High School Class of 1963.

Today, the current version of the canopy features approximately 7,500 energy efficient, faceted LED bulbs instead of the original bulbs, which were retired and transformed into keepsake ornaments in 2016. According to Director of Utilities Elvira Gibson, the work on the canopy begins the week after the Sunbelt Expo each year, starting with the testing and replacement of bulbs in each of the strands of lights.

“There are 40 strands of lights that hang from the top of the courthouse and create the main canopy. There are 250 streamers that hang across the roadways within the nine-block area around the courthouse,” she said.

The next phase is hanging the the support and electrical feed wires before hanging the streamers and then testing the lights comes next. It’s pretty much “all hands on deck” to accomplish this feat with a majority of the Utilities Department staff involved with some part of erecting the canopy. The electric department installs the guy wires, electrical connections, streamers of bulbs and the stars at the top of the Courthouse cupola and the Gas and Water Department staff erects the community Christmas tree at the amphitheater.

“It takes about a month from start to finish “Lights! Lights!”, while also maintaining the normal workload,” she said.

So, folks be patient and careful when you see the guys out working around the square in November. They are working very hard to get our wonderful canopy of lights up in time for Thanksgiving night!

“One of the many unique things about Moultrie would certainly be the Canopy of Lights.This time-honored tradition carries significant meaning for many generations. It becomes a part of everyone who visits. We are delighted to be able to continue bringing the Canopy of Lights to life in the City of Moultrie,” said Gibson.

As far as the Georgia Downtown Conference Premier Special Event award-winning event, itself, its beginnings were, in 1999, when the Downtown Merchants, with the help of the Main Street Program, planned an event for Thanksgiving night of that year. The Downtown Economic Development and Public Relations director, Amy Johnson, recounts that there were 15 shops open, carriage rides, pony rides, giveaways and Santa that year. She said that it brought approximately 3,000 people to downtown but it has steadily grown to approximately 15,000 people coming for the event, both from the community and outside of the community. I can vouch for out-of-town folks coming to the event because I’ve talked to folks from Atlanta, Tallahassee and as far away as Boston, Mass., who have enjoyed Moultrie’s Thanksgiving night activities.

“It’s a great time to showcase our community to visitors. It seems to be a time when our citizens take ownership of this unique holiday experience and want to share and show it off to others visiting our downtown area. Moultrie really takes pride in its Thanksgiving night celebration,” said Johnson.

This year’s “Lights! Lights! Thanksgiving Night!” will be Nov. 23, starting with most of the downtown shops opening, at 4 p.m., and the lights being turned on by Santa and his helpers at 6 p.m. Santa will also be on his sleigh throughout the evening for a great picture opportunity.

Something to look out for, throughout the month of December, said Johnson, is that participating merchants downtown will open on Sundays so you can get your Christmas shopping done. Other activities, in December, will include the Moultrie Service League’s “Santa Stroll n’ Roll”, the annual Christmas Parade, Second Saturday and a “Worship Under the Lights” presented by Mount Olive Baptist Church. You can check-out the Downtown Moultrie website for dates and more information on the activities that will be happening in December.

“We’re getting more and more groups and churches that want to be a part of the downtown holiday season festivities,” said Johnson.

Another tradition that goes along with the holiday season in Moultrie is the annual, local artist designed, Christmas ornament that highlights one of our local historic buildings. This year’s ornament will feature the Griner’s Jewelry building and it was designed by Fielding Thomas. Ornaments will be available starting the week of Thanksgiving.

“Here is something with possibilities of growth and development. The decorations of this year can be stored and put up again next year at small cost. And then a little of the new and novel added year by year will eventually make it possible for the community to break out in a blaze of glory almost over night. Nothing will do more to bring the Christmas feeling and nothing will be more impressive to those who come here to visit or to shop through the holidays,” a writer reported about the lights in a December, 1933, edition of the Moultrie Observer.

It seems to have been a very prophetic observation and it makes you wonder what the reporter would have thought about our canopy of lights today and the spectacular event that happens every Thanksgiving night in downtown Moultrie. I hope to see you on the square because you better believe that is where I will be on Thanksgiving night. It is truly a magical experience that makes you feel like a kid again…and really…how often do we get to do that.