From Staff Reports
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE —
In honor of the approaching 2nd Annual “Christmas on the Rails,” which will be held in conjunction with Picayune Main Street’s Shop by Candlelight and Greater Picayune Arts Council ArtWorks, City Manager Jim Luke announced Friday, December 7th, the Intermodal Transportation and Tourism Center will be designated as “South Pole.”
Picayune Memorial High School Campus Security will be there dressed as elves to hand out candy, as well as assist children who want to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus to relay their Christmas lists. In addition to visiting with Santa, children can mail lists through special mailboxes from that evening through Christmas Eve.
This year, the event will feature many new additions throughout an expanded footprint.
While at the “South Pole” visitors can tour the The Lower Pearl River Valley Train Museum, which has had many new additions over this past year. Marie Whitman’s Christmas Village will also be on display.
In addition, the Shay Engine area will be North Pole and have a lighted path for visitors to walk; West Canal will be Candy Cane Lane with special stops, featuring carolling and the annual ArtWorks sponsored by the Greater Picayune Arts Council (GPAC); and East Canal is Sugar Plum Lane. Shops will be open later hours for the event. They will have votive lit bags on the sidewalk to add to the ambience.
Luke said, “We have cut the hours for the ‘Christmas on the Rails’ this year to give people more time to roam the shops and take advantage of the holiday specials. It will begin at 5 p.m. as it did last year, but end at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m.”
For those not wanting to take the trek to the North Pole from the South Pole, there is the option of taking a carriage ride. We will have at least one carriage, in addition to the carts that will be decorated and shuttling visitors back and forth to shopping destinations.
City officials are confident they have exceeded the visitor experience of inaugural “Christmas on the Rails” of 2011.
