Drive-thru Christmas light show illuminates local state park
CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — Chickasaw State Park was proud to show off the first day of its annual Christmas lights drive-thru.
The drive-thru is called Christmas in the Park and it is a scenic drive through the park with Christmas lights on both sides of the road.
These lights will be available from December 9 to December 11 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“So we have roughly six miles of extension cords plugged up to lights around the park. So basically we have lights on every single road in the park. We have 700 candles lit each night,” said Scott Easely, a Park Ranger at Chickasaw State Park.
The process of setting up the lights takes almost an entire month. Park Ranger Lindsey Brown detailed her part in putting together the lights.
“We hang up a lot of the lights on the roof. So I got to climb up on the roof and nail them down to all of our roofs. And then the Christmas trees out front, they’re on poles. So we just stuck them in the ground, and then there’s a lot of other decorations that we just tie to trees or to light posts or anything like that,” Brown said.
During your travel through the park, you will see the candles illuminating the path on either side of the road. Each lantern is hand lit by a park employee, and this process takes them a few hours every night.
Also, during the ride there will be park employees stationed at the intersections guiding you where to go.
You will want to enter in through the east most entrance. This is the second entrance if you’re coming down the highway.
You want to enter in on that side because this is a one way trip through the park. It’ll come out towards the main entrance.
The road is illuminated by lanterns, which means you need to be slow and take your time because people are driving through with their headlights off.
So make sure you’re vigilant. While you’re enjoying all the beautiful sights and all these beautiful lights, make sure that you’re keeping your eyes on the road and on other vehicles on the path.
“So it is free. It’s a great way to just get out of the house and celebrate Christmas,”
If you appreciated the lights and feel like supporting the park, towards the exit you can find a tent set up where park staff is accepting donations.
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