The Columbia County Christmas Light Fight is gearing up for its third year, and those interested in participating have until Friday, Nov. 3 to sign up.
The event was started as a way to encourage community members to get out and about – but safely – during COVID, said Cassidy Harris, public relations manager for Columbia County.
“We decided we were going to showcase homes in the communities that had light displays, Christmas decorations, anyone that was willing to volunteer for us to come out and do a little bit of an interview style portion,” Harris said.
The participants were asked questions about how long they’ve been decorating, what they’re favorite part is and more for a video that people would then vote on, Harris said. The first year there were eight families participating and the winner was the Smith family of the The Smith’s Wacky Tacky Light Show. The second year there were three families participating, and the winner was the Bennett Family.
This year there is a minimum requirement of six families, which has been reached, and a maximum of 10 families allowed to participate, Harris said. The deadline for those interested in participating in this Friday, Nov. 3.
“What we do is we go out between the last two weeks in November, and we get footage of these houses turning on their lights for the first time,” Harris said. “We’re going to do it a little bit different this year, not necessarily an interview on camera, but still gathering information about how much time goes into this, how many lights are out there, to give people information and background to the display.”
Online voting will begin Dec. 4 and be open for two weeks with the winner being announced on Dec. 20. Harris said the winner will get a winter basket and bragging rights.
For those who don’t want to participate in the Christmas Light Fight, but want to show off their Christmas decorations, they can get added to the Christmas Light tour the county has, Harris said. This is an interactive map that people can pull up so they can drive around Columbia County to look at the light displays. This is for Columbia County residents only.
To enter the light fight or be a part of the map, contact publicrelations@columbiacountyga.gov.
Stephanie Hill is the managing editor and covers Columbia County government for The Augusta Press. Reach her at stephanie@theaugustapress.com.
