Canceled. That word has become synonymous with 2020. From the disappointment of birthday parties and graduations that won’t be celebrated to time-honored events such as the Waterfowl Festival and the Holiday Parades that won’t be enjoyed, it almost feels like there is nothing left to look forward to this year.
Well, we’ve got some good news. Thanks to Andrew Bowers, who wants to bring joy to an otherwise very dreary year, you can dust off your smiles, put aside your COVID blues and enjoy visiting some holiday light displays known as the Talbot Tacky Lights Tour.
The concept is not new. In Richmond, where Bowers and his family had moved from, the Tacky Tour is a big deal. There, it is an annual tradition with tons of media coverage. Limo companies and buses host tours; kids look forward to it all year. There wasn’t anything like that in Talbot County, so to gauge interest, he posted on a couple of local Facebook community groups. “It did fairly well,” said Bowers, “it was positively received, and we ended up with nearly 60 locations throughout the County and around 800 hits on the website.”
Fast forward to this year, and Bowers realized, now more than ever, it needed to happen again, but this time he wanted to make it bigger and better. Luckily, this is something he knows how to make happen. As the owner of AB Media Service, Bowers is using his website knowledge, social media, and marketing experience to well… make it even bigger.
At the end of last month, he again introduced it on social media, but this time, referring them to a form on his website. Within a couple of days, he already had several submissions and is well on the way to beating last year’s numbers. Bowers said he’ll accept submissions and add new stops through December 26th. Of course, the only requirement is to have your lights up before submitting your home as a tour stop. It doesn’t even have to be ornate, just something that people would want to go to and look at. Bowers is in the process of creating a Google map, which will be available starting on 12/5 with the addresses of lights and decorations displays.
Here’s a fun part, and it’s totally optional, you can provide an appealing and creative nickname for your location. However, as he mentions on his website, “descriptions and name suggestions for the display are welcome but will be moderated to weed out any ‘Grinchyness’ and to ensure MAXIMUM JOLLYNESS.”
But besides creating a fun experience for the community, Bowers wondered if he could also help a local nonprofit. What he came up with is not only a great idea but might also be a great marketing tool for Talbot businesses. “I’m calling it a Branded Business Tour Stop,” said Bowers. “Say, for example, Bob’s Towing has a tow truck that they decorate and park out in front of their building, and they want to be added to the map. I can customize it with Bob’s business logo and add it as a larger icon to be more viewable on the map when you click on it. There’s a photograph at the top that is also customizable, and they can even add a text message saying ‘Happy Holidays from Bob’s Towing! or ‘Mention the Tacky Tour and get 10% off,’ something like that.”
Here’s the good part. The only thing Bowers wants is a $50.00 donation that will go to one of his favorite charities, the Neighborhood Service Center, which provides services for low-income families and the elderly in Talbot County. He hopes to make a nice contribution to the agency at the end of the season.
Wondering what you’ll see on the Talbot Tacky Tour? “Well, you can expect a large variety of different types of decorations,” Bowers said. “You’ll see crazy over the top things that are Christmas Vacation/Clark Griswold style, and then you get the very beautiful and awe-inspiring displays that are really well-designed. There will be very tasteful and refined ones that are color-themed or all pure white.” Then, of course, there are the downtown Easton, St. Michaels, Trappe, and the rest of Talbot County decorations, all of which will be on the tour map.
Does Bowers see this as a yearly event? “Since my wife and I moved up here about six years ago, we’ve been part of this community. We like it here, and it’s a great place to raise a family. There’s a lot of kids in Talbot County who have been stuck inside for months now. This whole year has been so stressful. And this is just a perfect event to keep people safe while still enjoying the holidays. So, I had to do it this year, and who knows where it’s going to go next year. But the response has been overwhelmingly positive. There’s been a hundred replies and comments, and people are very excited. Everybody needs this right now.”
To sign up to be on the tour stop or to get the 2020 Tour Map please go here
Theresa says
Hi, We live in the neighborhood of Hambleton Meadows off of Old Trappe Road, just outside of Trappe. Our “Hood” is lighting up!
Ed and Jackie Westerfield says
Hi we live neighborhood of Hawes Hill Rd.
Val Cavalheri says
Please reach out to Andrew Bowers, the Talbot Tacky Light coordinator here: https://www.abmediaservice.com/tackytour