The quiet little town of McAdenville, which lies along the South Fork River in Gaston County, N.C., comes alive in spectacular fashion each year as Christmas draws near.
The history of McAdenville Christmas Lights dates back to 1956, when the McAdenville Men's Club conceived the idea of using lights to decorate a few trees around the McAdenville Community Center. Nine trees were decorated the first year, and reaction to this early effort was so favorable that the number of trees increased each year until now more than 450,000 red, green and white bulbs on approximately 400 trees gave off a warm holiday glow to the town and surrounding area.
From the beginning, the management of Pharr Yarns (McAdenville's only industry) has been instrumental in the development of the program. The cooperation of the company officials and townspeople alike has continued to support the effort that makes McAdenville a unique place at a very special time of the year when almost every home and evergreen tree proclaims the birth of Jesus.
Trees decorated last year range in height from four feet to more than 80 feet. Only live trees are used. The number of lights on individual trees varies with the height, diameter and fullness of the trees. The number of lights on an individual tree range from 500 to 12,000.
One of the favorite spots for viewers is the lake which is situated near the heart of town. There are 75 trees, ranging in size from 15 to 30 feet, which circle the lake. A fountain located in the center of the lake jets water 75 feet into the air.
Credit for the idea of decorating the lake and for many other decorations that have been added through the years goes to Mrs. W. J. Pharr.
In the same tradition, her daughter, Mrs. Catherine Ann Carstarphen, has inspired many of the additions to Christmas Town including the newest scene - a 46 foot wide and 28 foot tall lighted image of Old Man Winter blowing snow flakes across the lake.
While much emphasis has been placed on the Christmas lights, this represents only a portion of the efforts that goes into the preparation for Christmas. A life-size nativity scene is located about midway through your tour of Christmas Town.
This year, 2005, marks the 50th anniversary of the light pageantry and tradition. Literally millions of people have taken advantage of the opportunity to view the light fantasy during the 49 years of existence.
With so many people attracted to a certain area, the news media cannot be far behind. Television stations from Charlotte converge on McAdenville on December 1 to broadcast as Christmas Town U.S.A. comes alive for another year. Lights glow nightly through December 26.
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