Santa shares a holiday hug during the Lighting of Main. Photo courtesy Monica Davis, City of Stevenson

For the past 8 years, the city of Stevenson has transformed downtown’s Main Street into a holiday showplace. Businesses stay open later than usual. Lights adorn windows all along Main Street, and Santa visits with youngsters in the Stevenson Public Library.

This year’s Lighting of Main celebration will be held on Tuesday, December 3, starting around 5 p.m.

Stevenson City Clerk Monica Davis says the Lighting of Main, hosted by the Stevenson Depot Board, is a time for people to enjoy a relaxed evening during the holiday season.

“It gives you a real Hallmark movie feel the way that everything is decorated and just the buzz and all the people just walking around and enjoying themselves,” Davis says.

The Stevenson Public Library provides refreshments and candy canes for the children. At the Michael Scott Learning Center, visitors can do arts and crafts. At Steele Park, free hot dogs, chili, cookies, and music will be available, Davis says.

The annual Lighting of Main transforms store windows into winter wonderlands. Photo courtesy Monica Davis, City of Stevenson

Jones-Light Furniture and Appliance often gives away a door prize, and a new downtown restaurant, 302 West, will be open for the event this year, Davis says. Those who want to just rest and take in a Christmas movie can do so at Down on Main Street, which will be showing them throughout the festivities.

New to this year’s event is The Yard, an alley next to the library that a teen volunteer group helped transform into an outdoor reading and games area.

It’s not unusual, Davis says, for people to arrive early for the Lighting of Main and then stay late for photos with Santa. And attendees are not just Stevenson residents.

“We do have a large group of people from Chattanooga that come every year,” she says.