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Fake snow & 175,000 Christmas lights that stretch nearly a mile help Macon ring in the holidays

One of Middle Georgia’s most elaborate drive-thru holiday-light displays will flash to life Thursday evening.

Stretching for nearly a mile, the electronic extravaganza with approximately 175,000 lights skirts the northern and western edges of Mercer University’s campus in Macon.

The array includes a canopy of lights strung across Montpelier Avenue in Mercer Village, just east of the Interstate 75 overpass.

There is also a walk-through archway near the school’s bookstore, where flakes of fake snow spew on passersby.

“People love the snow,” says Chuck Hammock, a mechanical engineer and volunteer who oversees the display.

The display is an annual fundraiser for the Macon Area Habitat for Humanity.

The display, in its fourth year, is set to officially open at 5:30 p.m. Thursday during a Mercer Village gathering that features free hot chocolate and photo opportunities with holiday characters. The display runs nightly through year’s end.

One of Middle Georgia’s most elaborate drive-thru holiday-light displays will flash to life Thursday evening. Stretching for nearly a mile, the electronic extravaganza with approximately 175,000 lights skirts the northern and western edges of Mercer University’s campus in Macon.
One of Middle Georgia’s most elaborate drive-thru holiday-light displays will flash to life Thursday evening. Stretching for nearly a mile, the electronic extravaganza with approximately 175,000 lights skirts the northern and western edges of Mercer University’s campus in Macon. / Jason Vorhees The Telegraph

This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 11:01 AM.

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Joe Kovac Jr.
The Telegraph
Joe Kovac Jr. writes about local news and features for The Telegraph, with an eye for human-interest stories. Joe is a Warner Robins native and graduate of Warner Robins High. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times and Atlanta Magazine. He has been a Livingston Award finalist and won numerous Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press awards.
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