Pascagoula shines with Downtown for the Holidays

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - Downtown Pascagoula knows how to throw a party, and Friday was a great night for bright lights and Christmas magic during the annual Downtown for the Holidays.

Here, if you haven’t told Santa what’s on your list, it’s not too late. He’s still listening, and so is the Grinch - the nice one, of course.

It’s an atmosphere that keeps bringing people back every year.

“Cause it’s a great family gathering,” said Pascagoula resident Brandi Avery. “Our community comes together and it’s just fun to celebrate the holidays and be together.”

And there is a residual effect, like more business.

“Our community has local vendors set up and they get to come and see all the different shops and we’ve got a lot of downtown growth lately,” Avery said. “I would hope that the surrounding communities would come and see what Pascagoula’s all about.”

Of course, that excitement is passed down through the family.

“I like that we can get together,” said 8-year-old Vivian Avery. “And it’s kind of like a play day where we can go around, and we can shop and have fun.”

The downtown area was jammed with visitors and filled with entertainment for all ages. It also encourages people to wear their finest outfits.

“It’s got a good hometown feel,” said Pascagoula resident Mark Amos. “You can recognize a lot of people you know, and just get out and support the community. Carriage rides for the kids. We’ve got four kids, so they always enjoy it.”

The event is a chance for the city to showcase the best of itself.

“We just want people to know what a welcoming community we are,” said Katarina Scott, director of community relations for the city of Pascagoula. “We’re seeing such a true revitalization in our downtown area. So, it’s such a good opportunity for people who live here to see all of this new development that’s happening, but also for people who have never experienced Pascagoula to see what we’re all about.”

The event also featured a parade and fireworks show to end the night.

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