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The quiet little town of
In 1956, the McAdenville
Men’s Club conceived the idea of using lights to decorate a few trees around the
Today, and for more than
twenty years, Mr. J. M. Carstarphen, Chief Executive Officer of Pharr Yarns, has been
instrumental in carrying on this tradition. His
support, along with the continuing cooperation of company management and townspeople
alike, has ensured that McAdenville will be a special place at a very special time of year
when almost every home and evergreen tree proclaim the birth of Jesus.
The more than 375 trees which
were decorated last year range in height from 6 feet to more than 90 feet. Only live trees are used. The number of lights
on individual trees varies with the height, diameter and fullness of the trees. As few as 500 lights and as many as 5,000 lights
may be used on one tree.
One of the favorite spots for
viewers is the lake which is situated near the heart of town. Here are 33 trees, ranging in size from 12 to 40
feet, which ring the lake. The reflection of
the lights in the water adds to the beauty of the scene.
A fountain, located in the center of the lake, jets water 75 feet into the
air. Lights shining on the fountain go through
a sequence of red, green, blue and amber about once every ten seconds. At the lake, a 46 foot wide lighted image of Old
Man Winter blows snowflakes into the air.
While much emphasis has
been placed on the lighting of trees, this represents only a portion
of the effort that goes into the preparation for Christmas.
The town residents play a big part as they decorate their doors in original
styles according to their own personal feelings. This
gives a special expression of “Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas” from the
townspeople to their visitors. A life-size
nativity scene and life-size figures of carolers, complete with music, add to the effect.
More than 200 wreaths adorn
lampposts throughout the town. Santa and his
reindeer, a display that is nine feet tall and seventy feet long, are featured as part of
the annual tradition. Spot and flood
lights are used in varying colors throughout the town to accent the scenes and to give
special effects to the trees and surrounding scenery.
Chrono-chime bells, mounted on a 30 foot structure
located at the Community Center, play Christmas carols during the Christmas season.
Although the look of McAdenville
will be different for the next several years due to work progressing on the development of several new
neighborhoods in town, McAdenville
and Pharr Yarns are dedicated to continuing the
* 2000, Cable Network "HGTV" gave world-wide coverage to McAdenville, Christmas Town USA in their Christmas special "Christmas Across America".
* 2002, Cable News Network "MSNBC" aired a news report about the lights in Christmas Town USA.
* 2003, ARD a TV network from Germany gave Christmas Town it's first International coverage. An ARD Correspondent and video crew arrived in McAdenville on December 1 for 3 days of video taping and interviews with local residents. The report was aired on the ARD network in German in mid-December. ARD is one of the largest TV station in Germany with a coverage of over 5,000,000 viewers.
* 2004, Cable Network "Turner South" featured McAdenville's Christmas Lights on their Blue Ribbon series.
* 2006, seen a larger than normal
request for information and photos and gave McAdenville even more National and
International coverage of the Christmas Light pageantry.
Nationally
US Airways magazine produced an article about McAdenville's Christmas Lights along with
many other out-of-state newspapers and magazines.
The Montel Williams Show requested interviews with McAdenville residents. A camera crew was dispatched to McAdenville and interviewed 8 residents. McAdenville was featured on Montel's show.
International
A German on-line magazine "bild. t-online.de" an on-line version of Europe's
largest daily Newspaper reported to their viewers with photos about
Christmas Town.
T-online, a major player in the European Internet Market averaging more than 2 million
hits (viewers per month) also reported on Christmas Town.
Another on-line request for information
and photos was received from an Austrian Newspaper "Osterreich". Million of
Austrian's had the opportunity to read about and see Christmas Town.
TF1 a French Television Network sent it's US Correspondent and Videographer to McAdenville
to report on a day in the life of an American Family living in Christmas Town USA. The
video production was aired in France in mid December. TF1 has more than 10 million viewers
every night.
