New LED lights will light up Moultrie as Santa leads Thanksgiving night countdown

MOULTRIE — Seventy-two years ago, W.E. Aycock, a great promoter of his hometown, took it upon himself to string four strands of lights at the Colquitt County Courthouse. Aycock took them down and put the same four strands back up faithfully through the year 1940.

The businessman’s holiday spirit and love for Moultrie endured as a holiday tradition that’s still being celebrated today.

With the world at war, Aycock’s lights remained stored away until 1947. That Christmas season was one of great celebration as troops returned home from the battlefields of World War II. Up went the same four strands of lights.

As the first of the baby boomer generation was beginning to toddle about, more stands were added in the years that followed. Streets were crossed from one side to the other with the colorful bulbs. By the early to mid-1960s, the four strands had grown into what is today called the “Canopy of Lights.”

Between 7,000 and 8,000 lights are strung from the courthouse now, forming a canopy that stretches over nine blocks.Visitors, sometimes from several generations, have made the lighting of the canopy and city Christmas tree an annual tradition on Thanksgiving night. Moultrie has no plans to change that.

What is new this year is that all those old bulbs have been replaced with LED lights. According to Amy Johnson, Main Street Director for the city of Moultrie, the decision to modernize the lights has been a topic of consideration for a few years. The Moultrie City Council and Utility Department decided 2016 was the year to follow through. Johnson said the new lights are expected to be brighter and less expensive to operate.

So what does a city do with 7,000-8,000 old screw-in multicolored light bulbs?

The city’s answer was turn them into ornaments and allow folks to own a piece of a long-treasured tradition. What initially sounded like a pretty good idea has become much more popular than ever expected. Johnson says that since first announcing the availability of the ornaments on Facebook on Nov. 11, the phones have not stopped ringing.”

The Main Street office staff has been unable to keep up with the orders and “we have called in volunteers, including students from Colquitt County High School, to help fill the orders.”

Each bulb ornament comes with a hanger and a tag explaining a bit of its history. The ornaments are selling for $8 each.

“I have no idea” how many lights have already been sold, Johnson said in reply to a question. But she noted that it is all she and her staff and volunteers can do to keep up with the orders being shipped “all over the country.”

Shipping costs depend on the number of ornaments ordered.

“We have had people come in and buy one ornament and others buy 50,” Johnson said.

All proceeds from the sales will be split evenly between the city’s utility department, to offset the cost of the new lights, and the Main Street office, to assist with numerous downtown improvements, some already in the works, others still on the drawing board.

The history of the Christmas lights, as fate would have it, came straight from Santa Claus himself. When not busy with the Christmas season, Santa can be found at the Museum of Colquitt County History. While working this “other job,” Santa Jack Bridwell serves as executive director of the museum. He said he remembers coming to town (from Doerun) as a child with his father to see the lights.

“Mr. Aycock was a great supporter of his hometown and even had a talking watermelon he would bring to town … but that’s another story,” Bridwell said.

Asked about his seasonal job, the museum director replied, “First and foremost, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. But the holiday is truly for the children, and that’s why I do it.”

Bridwell said he books holiday appearances “by March for December 2017.” But those interested in seeing Santa sooner can look for him in Moultrie on Thanksgiving night.

Thousands of people show up each year for the “Lights! Lights!” event. Johnson said that more are expected this year than ever before with the excitement surrounding the new lights. This year’s event will include music by Crossing 47, live reindeer, pony rides and more.

At least 20 stores in the downtown Moultrie square will be open for business. And, yes, there will be a tent set up for selling the historic bulb ornaments. When the band strikes up “Here Comes Santa Claus,” all attention will be focused on the amphitheater stage. Santa will indeed appear and lead the crowd in a countdown from 10, at which time the canopy and a giant Christmas tree will light up.

Santa Claus will stay around for photographs, and the festivities and shopping will carry on for a couple of more hours.

The lights for the canopy and tree are on a timer and come on every night at dark and go off at 1 a.m. from Thanksgiving through New Year’s night.

For more information about the countdown and/or to purchase ornaments, call the Main Street office at (229) 890-5455.