Downtown Conway was merry and eventually bright with the annual Illuminate tree-lighting
event.
Hosted by the Conway Chamber of Commerce and Chick-fil-a on Prince Street, among other local sponsors, Illuminate is a kick-off to the Christmas season celebration where the large city Christmas tree downtown gets lit and businesses and vendors come to promote their services and spread holiday cheer.
“We’ve been doing this for about 7 years and it’s really just a way to allow the city to come together and enjoy the Christmas spirit,” said the Chamber of Commerce’s director of Toad Suck Days and Events, Mary Margaret Satterfield.
Satterfield, who spearheaded the event, said the process of planning this annual celebration starts right after the previous Christmas season ends.
“There are some things right after this year is done that we will go back through and decide ‘Oh we really liked that’ or ‘Lets do something different here’, but it really ramps up about two to three months out from the event,” Satterfield said.
Several sponsors of the event spoke to the crowd around the Christmas tree including people from Chris Crain Hyundai and Genesis of Conway, Re/MAX Elite: The Emily Walter Team, HD Roofing, and Snap-On Equipment.
Mayor Bart Castleberry also spoke to the crowd and quoted a verse from the chapter of Isaiah in the Bible before he did the honor of lighting the tree.
“That’s what we’re here celebrating tonight. Thank you all for being here,” Mayor Castleberry said.
The mayor led a countdown from 10, and at the end of the countdown, Rogers Plaza was bright with the light of the Conway Christmas Tree.
Illuminate takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving each year. This day is also known as Small Business Saturday.
Part of Oak Street was shut down in the early afternoon to allow vendors to set up and offer space for crowds to come and enjoy the Christmas celebration.
“Being able to spend the day where you come out, shop in downtown Conway and then also come out and have some fun around the tree is always a great weekend activity,” Satterfield said.
Small businesses set up booths along the sidewalks for the event, there was a hot chocolate station, funnel cake truck, mini ferris wheel, carousel, a spot to meet Santa and drop off a letter to him among many other activities.
Conway resident Haley Winebernner said she and her family look forward to coming to the event every holiday season.
“Its a tradition, the kids love it. We’ve been doing it for three years,” Winebernner said.
As Chick-fil-a on Prince Street is the main sponsor of the event, employees of the location were at the event hosting a giveaway and offering Chick-fil-a rewards.
“We are giving rewards for our app members, we have a drawing to win free Chick-fil-a for a year, as well as cards we are giving out to various app signature members for free rides,” said Chick-fil-a employee Andrew Wood.
While Illuminate and the initial lighting of the tree was only a one-day event, the celebration will continue at Rogers Plaza in Downtown Conway all December long.
Satterfield said, “The tree stays up, we’ll have rides here in the Plaza during the month of December, we do a holiday decorating and lighting contest for houses, we do letters to Santa so kids can drop their letters in Santa’s mailbox here. So just a lot of different activities to let people kind of come together as a community and enjoy Christmas.”
Article by UCA Journalism major, Ashlyn Taylor.