With Christmas just over a month away, thousands of Newton County residents got in the holiday spirit for the 2024 Lighting of the Square on Thursday.

The annual event kicked off at 6 p.m. with music from an assortment of ensembles. Performances from the Washington Street Community and Arts Association of Newton County choirs sang many holiday-themed tunes to keep the crowd entertained.

At a brisk 50 degrees, patrons looking to stay warm took to the many businesses on the Square that stayed open late. Additionally, Newton Federal provided free s’mores, which were a big hit among the crowd.

Once the music wrapped up the tree was lit at approximately 6:55 p.m. with roaring applause. A few minutes later, an eight-minute firework show by Robert Foxworth and the Friends of Covington Fireworks nonprofit lit up the skies for the crowd to enjoy.

But perhaps the most significant takeaway of Thursday’s event is that there were no significant incidents. City officials have been meeting for months, discussing how they could increase public safety after incidents marred the July 4 celebration and Halloween (which was not a city sponsored event on the Square).

There was a visible increased police presence at this year’s event, with vehicles pinned at each corner of the Square and many walking through the crowd on patrol. Police chief with the city of Covington Philip Bradford said that the Covington Police Department and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office each supplied “around 30” deputies for the event.

Bradford said that this has been something in the works for some time now in order to keep citizens safe.

“Sheriff Brown and I have been working together and we’re building a stronger relationship between the city and county law enforcement,” Bradford said. “The sheriff’s been committed to doing this. We’ve been talking about this.”

With months of preparation and planning, Bradford believed the plan that the city had in place was a solid one.

“Honestly we didn’t change much except for the number [of deputies],” Bradford said. “We have an operation plan for everything. We try to think of anything that can happen and we have a plan for it.”

While approximate numbers were not available as of press time, anywhere from 10-15,000 could be estimated walking through the Square area at any given point. Many of those citizens were pleased with the outcome of the event, despite the uncertainty involving safety concerns.

In a poll on The Covington News Facebook page, preliminary numbers show that roughly 85 percent of attendees say they had a “great” time at the event.

“I thought it was a great event,” said Shannon PeeBee. “The police presence was obvious and made us feel safe. Christmas fireworks are the best!”

“Perfect,” said Rhiannon Townley. “Thank you [to the] City of Covington and for all of the officers on duty!”

Merchants were also widely satisfied with the outcome of the event. Riley Ralston, an employee at @Local Coffee House and Study Lounge thought that the event was a success.

“I’ve worked on [the] square since I was 16, so for 8 years now. The lighting is always fun,” Ralston said. “I made a few hundred coffees and drinks yesterday for Local Coffee House & Study Lounge and I loved it! Lots of beautiful people and smiling faces!”

Owner of the Mystic Grill and Mystic Mercantile, Angi Beszborn, was vocal about her experience on Halloween night after many scared patrons came into her business seeking safety. But this time, Beszborn said her Lighting of the Square experience was totally different.

“Great event!. Thanks to everyone putting on this Christmas event,” Beszborn said. “City and County officers were everywhere and fire dept teams on every corner in case of medical emergency. Well run and safe event.”

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