Will Hilton Head’s Shelter Cove mall have holiday lights after all? What we know
After immense community pushback, Hilton Head Island’s Shelter Cove Towne Centre confirmed Tuesday it will decorate the mid-island outdoor shopping mall with holiday lights this year.
The mall will wrap its palm trees and bushes with colorful lights and install bows on the light fixtures to get into the holiday spirit. Shelter Cove got heat last month when it told tenants it would not be decorating for the holidays due to COVID-19.
“We did not feel it was professionally responsible to encourage large gatherings at this time,” Shelter Cove spokesperson Roni Allbritton told The Island Packet in November, when the decision was announced.
The social media blowback on the decision was swift. In a year when so many traditions and expectations have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic, the shopping center’s darker-than-normal appearance was immediately noticed.
Michelle Meissen, who lives on the island, disagreed with Shelter Cove’s decision. She said a Christmas lights display doesn’t attract large crowds to the shopping center.
“It’s not an event. They’re lights,” she said. “They’re trying to use COVID as an excuse.”
Meissen and others wrote emails to Allbritton to express their displeasure with the decision.
Installation of the Christmas lights begins this week, and the mall will be lit throughout the month of December, Allbritton said.
Individual shops are holding holiday events. Among them:
- Dec. 8: The Women’s Association of Hilton Head’s “Shop Local and Dine About,” from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
- Dec. 11 through Dec. 13: The mall will hold a Holiday Sidewalk Sale
- Dec. 13: Chanukah Menorah parade and livestream Menorah lighting at 5 p.m.
- Dec. 28: Red Cross Blood Drive from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
If you’re hankering for some holiday cheer, the Coligny Plaza has hung Christmas lights and features nightly live music at The Sandbar and FISH Casual Coastal Restaurant. The plaza is also hosting socially distant Santa Claus visits on Saturdays from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.
You can also catch Christmas lights at Hilton Head Fire Station #3 on the north end. Located at 534 William Hilton Parkway, the fire station has decorated for the holiday season.
Cars can circle the building to see the entire display.
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
