Downtown Columbus streets filled with Christmas tunes
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas in Downtown Columbus.
A partnership among Main Street Columbus, The City of Columbus, Columbus Light and Water, and Southaven-based Wisdom Integrators is bringing the sounds of the season to the “Friendly City’s” streets to help people get in the Christmas Spirit.
The project officially went on the air, sending a playlist of Christmas music out to fill the air.
It runs on a schedule, so the music is playing during peak business hours, and is designed to shut off during the overnight and early morning hours.
Main Street and city officials hope it puts people in a holiday and buying mood.
“Really, a platform similar to community radio. There’s a computer sitting in the Columbus Light and Water building that runs a playlist and a schedule, and then that sends a wireless transmission out using technology similar to wi-fi down the street from the roof of Light and Water to access points that are down the street, so it’s entirely wireless, except for power,” said Wisdom Integrators Aaron Cozort.
“You can imagine when you’re walking downtown, and you hear the Christmas music playing, you know, hopefully it will make people want to spend more, and if they spend more, that’s more tax dollars for the city,” said Columbus Mayor Stephen Jones.
“It just gives it that ambience. You’ve heard that term; it’s a ‘Hallmark City’. It feels like a ‘Hallmark’ downtown. I’ve heard that several times. We had it on last night, just for a short time, and I had people calling me saying, ‘This is so cool. What is this?’ And, so, it just brings a new life to downtown, and that’s what we’re trying to do, is make our downtown a place that all of our community and visitors can enjoy,” said Executive Director of Main Street Columbus.
And, it’s not just for Christmas. Playlists can be programmed for other seasons or events. ARPA money distributed by the Mississippi Main Street Association paid for the project.
