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With Turkey Day having come and gone, most people now set their sights on the next holiday, obviously being Christmas. With no shortage of festivities this time of year, the Chamber of Commerce officially opened up this year’s Tinsel Trail with a lighting ceremony this past Saturday.

Chamber president Lauren Minor spoke with the Post-Searchlight about the lighting ceremony, as well as the trail in general. “We have 115 displays,” she said. “Some don’t have trees, some opt to donate their tree and they use their space for some sort of other display.”

The Saturday tree lighting ceremony featured live music performed by Micah Langdon, Kristie Whitaker and Katie Floyd, as well as fair snacks provided by SkateTowne, bounce houses for kids, as well as a visit by Santa and Mrs. Clause. “We really tried to make the tree-lighting ceremony just a big event for people to come to,” Minor said. “We flipped the switch at 6:00… and we had people here on the grounds, attending the event, walking through and looking at all the details on the tree before 6, but then as soon as the lights came on, it was just car after car backed up through here.”

Minor stated that during the first year of the Tinsel Trail, about 70,000 cars came through over the course of the event, “and we think that’s probably grown from year to year.” At Saturday’s lighting alone, Minor estimated 500 people attended. “I know we had a group that came up from Havana to see it, so we really think this display brings people here to Bainbridge, and that’s what’s so fun, that we can expose Bainbridge and bring awareness to the great things we’re doing here through a ton of Christmas trees.”

Various businesses, organizations and non-profits will be holding events on the trail during December, including the Compassionate Friends of Southwest Ga’s candlelight service, and the Bainbridge Service Club planning to hold their “Running Through the Glow” 5k run.

“Tinsel Trail was born in 2020 when we couldn’t hold the fair, and we couldn’t hold all our normal fundraisers,” Minor said. “Tinsel Trail’s become a fundraiser for us, to help us survive, and I just have to thank all of the sponsors who sponsor trees, the city of Bainbridge who does so much work to help us get it up and take it down. We also have the FFA that has helped us put trees out every year. We have tons of member volunteers as well.”

For future updates on the Tinsel Trail and events there, visit the Southwest Georgia Tinsel Trail Facebook page, or contact the Chamber of Commerce at 229-246-4774.