Madisonville Christmas Events Attract Thousands To Downtown Madisonville

The lights will be coming down soon and planning is underway for a new year of projects and events for downtown Madisonville, but it's almost impossible to forget those magical December events that leave us wanting more.  These events deserve to be remembered, as do the many sponsors, volunteers and planners that make them so special.  Let's take a look back: 

Madisonville Lighting of the Square

Since 2021, this event has become the one that sparks our Christmas spirit.  As the community gathers together, all bundled up, sipping a warm drink each year, planners are behind the scenes with fingers crossed that all the lights come on when plugged in and everyone loves the entertainment!  The 2023 event did not disappoint!   Thanks to Monroe County, the Courthouse and the Christmas Tree was more beautiful than ever, and the addition of lights on the JP Kennedy Building made it even brighter.  The Downtown Madisonville Alliance added to the ambiance by lighting the rooflines of the two adjacent buildings, while Volunteer Federal Bank, the Presbyterian Church and Honeycombs Salon followed suit.  Downtown businesses and the City of Madisonville went all out this year with beautiful decorations everywhere you looked!  Everyone had such beautiful decor this year,  the Alliance has had a hard time choosing the winners of the Business Decorating Contest.  Those winners will be announced at the Annual Meeting on January 23rd.  This event could not happen without the help of sponsors, volunteers and community coming together to make the night special.  Thank you to Sweetwater Hospital Association for being the title sponsor of this event for the 3rd consecutive year!  Thank you to the planning committee members who came together to make sure everything was organized.  Thank you to all downtown merchants, property owners and leaders, who made sure downtown looked magical and added the little special touches like refreshments for sale, snow blowers and photo ops.  Thank you to the Madisonville Police Department who made sure everyone stayed safe during the event. Thank you to the volunteers who seated and welcomed guests, plugged in lights and did whatever needed to be done, and thank you to The Patio Italian Restaurant for feeding Radius, the amazing A Cappella group that provided entertainment for the night.  All of these efforts set the stage for a magical month in downtown Madisonville.  

Miss Merry Christmas Pageant

Unless you have a little girl who loves to play dress up, or once were one, you may miss this event each December, but for those who participate, it's one of the best days of the year!  As contestants from birth to teenage years compete for the title of Madisonville's Miss Merry Christmas, they are also helping the community with a canned food drive and supporting Downtown Madisonville Alliance with future downtown improvement projects.  This event flows flawlessly under the leadership of Blaina Best and Melanie Atkins, with the help of volunteers who help with registration, lineup and judging the event.  Congratulations to all of the 2023 Miss Merry Christmas winners and a huge thank you to everyone who works this event. 

Shop Small Saturday - Old Fashioned Candy Christmas

Downtown Madisonville Merchants go all out for one of the biggest shopping days of the year, giving back to the customers who support them by providing them with old fashioned Christmas treats, and photo opportunities with kids' favorite characters.  This year kids were welcomed by Santa, The Grinch, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang!   Thank you to our amazing small businesses who keep our downtown alive and all of the people who support them throughout the year.  

Madisonville Christmas Festival on the Square

Where do we even begin?  So much fun packed into such a short event day!  Thanks to the many sponsorships that pour in to make this event happen, 2023's festival was full of new and exciting attractions as well as old favorites.  Over 100 vendors lined the streets for holiday shopping and great food.  Activities this year included a carousel, rock climbing wall, pony rides, a petting zoo, inflatables and games for the kids, electrical animal rides, baby bumper rides, carousel rides and hay rides.  Attractions included pictures with the big man himself, Santa Claus, appearances by the Elf on the Shelf and the Grinch, entertainment on two stages throughout the day, the First Baptist Church Cookie Caper, the Santa Shop provided by Treasure's General Store, the new RGB Christmas Tree at City Hall, the many lights and photo ops making the night magical and street carolers who brought back the feel of a vintage small-town Christmas.  Special events this year included the always fun Rad Radio Ugly Sweater Contest, our first ever Holiday Princess Tea Party featuring several of Disney's favorite princesses, and of course the Madisonville Kiwanis night parade, which was an hour long and nothing short of amazing!  There are so many people to thank for this event:  first to all of committee chairs and members who put in hours of planning and organizing time, as well as time working the event, to the sponsors who made it all possible, to the Madisonville Police Department and City employees who helped keep the area clean and safe throughout the day, and to each and every person who came out to support downtown Madisonville.  Monroe County Tourism provided a report that shows nearly 7,000 people OVER the age of 18 were in downtown on festival day.  Residents and visitors alike have been able to enjoy the Christmas lights all month long, and just added during December, the new sound system around the Courthouse playing Christmas music each day and night, we believe, made the glow a little brighter.  We hope a little of that Christmas joy stays with you until we do again next year.