Christmas season kicks off in downtown Macon with 500,000 lights, Macon Pops performance

It’s that time.

For the next month or so, downtown will light up like a — well, like a Christmas tree.

Beginning with tonight’s free, live concert by the Macon Pops at 6 p.m., the Main Street Christmas Light Extravaganza will light four and a half city blocks with 500,000-plus dancing lights through Jan. 2.

Each evening there will be four, nearly 45-minute light shows on the hour beginning at 6 p.m. They’ll feature one of two different programs of recorded Pops music.

The lights, the music – and most likely the crowd’s Christmas “oohs” and “aahs” – are all synchronized. Tonight’s opening concert is at the intersection of First and Poplar streets with the ongoing light shows continuing along Poplar and up part of Third Street.

“Several things are back this year that we couldn’t do last year due to COVID,” said Bryan Nichols, the Macon businessman who imagined the extravaganza, hangs and programs the lights with help from a few friends and family, and is the driving force behind the holiday spectacle now in its fifth year.

Activities that are back include Santa on most weekends, some live reindeer showing up on occasion, snow machines and, for a nominal $5 for kids and $10 for adults, the very popular carriage rides under the lights from Raines Carriage Rides of Thomaston.

Carriage rides are Friday, Saturday and Sundays beginning at 6 p.m. and available first-come, first-served with no reservations taken.

As opposed to COVID’s scaled-down version last year, this year the Macon Pops will be in full force with their 40-piece orchestra playing along with local talents singing.

“Like every year, we have new songs to add to the program – this year six new songs,” said Steve Moretti, co-founder and president of Macon Pops.

“That makes more than 25 songs locally recorded and used for the Christmas season with many available on a CD the Pops produced.”

Moretti called being part of the annual concert “amazing” and something cherished by Pops members.

“Honestly, looking out over the synchronized lights as we play live is just crazy but then seeing people enjoying it so much, people from all walks of life coming together makes it one of the most meaningful things I know,” he said. “It has quite an impact on us and I’m sure on all who come and enjoy the music and lights throughout the season. I always look forward to it.”

Nichols is at work on the extravaganza on and off throughout the year but things get serious when he starts putting plans together in September and hanging lights in October right up until the last minute. He said after five years some things get easier but there are always problems to solve. He said this year, improvements and renovations to public areas on Poplar Street are have made the street better but the Poplar re-do has caused a lot of reconfiguring of lights and systems which have to be programmed, re-routed and re-strung.

But he said it’s all worth it, and not just from the economic boon to Macon hotels, businesses and restaurants from the hundreds of thousands of visitors, but also from the sense of community it provides downtown and the hundreds of individual and family stories that come of it.

And memories made.

“Once it starts, you remember why you’re doing all the hard work,” he said. “I remember the first year meeting someone whose family brought them in a wheelchair. They were in hospice care and throughout their life always had a tradition of seeing lights at Callaway Gardens. Obviously couldn’t get there then but did get to come here. They and their family got a final Christmas memory together. That means something to me. That type of stuff.”

Another year, Nichols spoke of a gentleman he saw coming every night he struck up a conversation with. Turns out the man’s spouse had died that year and he found his house too dark and lonely during the holidays. He came to be with people and the sparkling atmosphere downtown.

It helped.

Nichols said he’s delighted seeing people, kids and families, together from all economic, racial and other groupings making memories. He said he’s glad those who come from Macon to enjoy the display and those who come from miles around are get memories and good times they can lean on in years to come.

“It’s all important, every aspect of it, but the memory-making part is the biggest thing to me,” he said. “Families creating times together they’ll never forget.”

Again this year, the music will be broadcast on low-power FM radio at 89.3 for those who don’t want to leave their cars due to COVID, age or other reasons. This year, organizers encourage visitors to follow current health guidelines, largely consisting of people not vaccinated wearing a mask.

Emily Hopkins, NewTown Macon’s director of place and Main Street Macon Manager, has also been close to the Christmas lights from the beginning.

“I get calls through the year from communities asking, ‘How do you do it? How did it start? What does it take?,’” she said. “But I’m not sure it’s replicable. First off, other places don’t have Bryan Nichols. Or Steve Moretti and the Macon Pops. There’s really nothing quite like it being done the same way we are for free using public spaces with such great cooperation from county government and businesses. There are other lights, of course, but the way it’s happened here is so unique. For me, someone who works on Poplar, it’s magical seeing so many people downtown in public spaces enjoying the lights, the restaurants, the businesses and one another in the community. All Macon has to offer. I think it helps people rethink their town in really positive ways and lets others see Macon in an added, new light.”

Funding for the overall event comes not from government but initially came from a Downtown Challenge Grant. Now, and for the past several years, Zebulon Road’s Northway Church is presenting sponsor giving a bulk of funds for the extravaganza along with city block sponsors, song sponsors and other sponsors. The church also arranges for ambassador volunteers to be on hand to help with information, directions, taking pictures and other needs.

More information and details about the Main Street Christmas Light Extravaganza are at www.mainstreetmaconchristmas.org and www.maconpops.com. Though Raines Carriage Rides does not make reservations for downtown rides, they do offer year-round rides and services for events such as weddings, funerals and outings and can be reached at 706-741-5189.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.