WMOK — Metropolis, IL — Do you decorate your house and yard for Christmas? Then it is time to shine!

The Massac County Christmas Light Trail is back, and sign-ups are now open to have your home featured on the 2026 Christmas Light Trail map. This is a county-wide celebration where local residents and businesses light up their homes and storefronts for all to enjoy — a wonderful way to experience the festive spirit from the warmth of your car, and to share your light with thousands of visitors who drive the route.

No display is too big or too small. Whether your yard is filled with lights from end to end, or you have one cheerful display in the window, organizers want you on the map.

Here is what you need to know:

The deadline to sign up is Thanksgiving Day — Thursday, November 26, 2026.

To sign up, fill out the form on the Massac County Christmas Light Trail Facebook page, or send the page a message. There is no official form needed beyond that — just reach out to the organizers to get your address on the map. Your address and location will be featured on the official Massac County Christmas Light Trail Facebook page, Google Maps, and all advertisements for the event.

If you want a yard sign, do not wait. The last day to order a Massac County Christmas Light Trail yard sign is Friday, November 13, 2026. Late sign-ups will not receive a sign unless extras remain.

Jennifer Johnson Travis, one of the event organizers, advised WMOK that preparations for the Christmas Light Trail are officially ramping up across the region, bringing community members, local decorators, and businesses together for the upcoming holiday season.

The trail is a month-long, county-wide celebration powered by your creativity, making an unforgettable memory for every family who drives the route. Think outside the box — and if you have a special event idea for your stop on the trail, such as Santa waving, a toy drive drop-off, or passing out candy or hot cocoa, list it when you sign up, and the organizers will reach out to coordinate a date and make sure it is announced.

Do not miss your chance to be part of Massac County’s favorite holiday tradition. Sign up by Thanksgiving Day, and help make this year the biggest and brightest ever.

November Days to Note — Thursday, November 12

November is Family Stories Month — a month for gathering the stories only your family can tell, and telling them while the folks who remember them best are still here to tell them.

Every family in Metropolis and Massac County has them: how Grandpa and Grandma met, the flood year, the first job, the house that got built, the recipe nobody ever wrote down. Family Stories Month is the reminder to ask the questions now — sit down at the kitchen table, turn on a recorder or just listen, and write the names and dates on the backs of those photographs while somebody still knows them.

Once a story is gone, it’s gone — but a story that’s told and written down can be handed down for generations.

Today in History — November 12

• 1911 — The morning after the Great Blue Norther: after a Saturday in the 70s, Massac County and the Paducah area woke up this morning 115 years ago to temperatures in the teens, a fall of roughly 60 to 65 degrees in 12 to 18 hours, per the National Weather Service in Paducah• 1927 — The Holland Tunnel opened under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, the first mechanically ventilated underwater tunnel for automobiles• 1954 — Ellis Island closed, 72 years ago today. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 million immigrants were processed at the station in New York Harbor — ancestors of a great many Massac County families passed through those doors• 1981 — Space Shuttle Columbia launched on STS-2, the first time a crewed spacecraft was flown into orbit a second time• 1990 — Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau at CERN first formally proposed the World Wide Web

Today’s Celebrations — November 12

• National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day — a day for comfort, encouragement, and the stories that lift people up — a fitting partner to Family Stories Month• National Happy Hour Day• National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day• National French Dip Day• World Pneumonia Day — raising awareness of pneumonia and lung health around the world• World Usability Day — making the things we use every day easier for everybody to use• World Quality Day• Fancy Rat and Mouse Day• Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day — the women’s rights leader was born on this day in 1815

WMOK – Metropolis, IL – The holiday season is officially around the corner, and the Massac Memorial Hospital Auxiliary is bringing back a seasonal favorite for local residents! Ticket sales are kicking off for a chance to win this year’s Holiday Sleigh—packed full of donated items, gift ideas, and goods provided by generous area businesses and community members.

Whether you’re tuning in from Metropolis, Brookport, Joppa, Unionville, or up on the bluff in New Columbia, here is how you can get in on the drawing and support our local hospital auxiliary:

• In-Person Ticket Sales at Big John Grocery:

  • Dates: Saturday, November 21st & Saturday, December 19th

  • Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

• Daily Ticket Purchases:

  • Location: Forget Me Not Gift Shop (Located inside the main lobby at Massac Memorial Hospital)

  • Hours: Monday through Friday | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

  • Other Options: Available through any Hospital Auxiliary board member, as well as select upcoming holiday bazaars.

• Ticket Pricing:

  • $5.00 per single ticket

  • 6 tickets for $20.00

• Grand Prize Drawing:

  • Date & Time: Sunday, December 20th at 2:00 PM

  • Details: One lucky winner will take home the entire Holiday Sleigh package!

Auxiliary members looking to sell tickets this season are encouraged to reach out and let leadership know.

• • Collection: Part of the Shawnee Library System, offering access to thousands of books, DVDs, and compact discs.
  • Dedicated Rooms: Features a specialized Genealogy Room alongside a separate section for Children and Young Adults.
  • Technology Lab: Includes a dedicated computer lab and classroom setup alongside public internet workstations and free Wi-Fi access. 

• Monday – Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Saturday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Sunday: Closed

WMOK – Metropolis, IL – When you spend a hundred dollars here in Metropolis, where does that money go next? That is the real story of Small Business Saturday, coming up Saturday, November 28.

According to studies cited by Civic Economics and the American Independent Business Alliance, about $68 of every $100 spent at a locally owned business stays in the local economy. Spend that same $100 at a chain, and only about $43 stays local. That is a $25 difference on a single hundred dollars, and it adds up fast across a whole shopping season.

Here is how it works in plain hometown terms. A dollar spent at a hometown shop does not just sit in the register. It helps pay the folks who work there, and those paychecks get spent again close to home. It helps the shop buy from other local suppliers when it can, pay for local services, and keep its doors open on our streets. One purchase turns into another, and another, right here in Massac County.

A dollar that leaves town works differently. Once it is gone to a distant headquarters, it is not paying a neighbor, stocking a local shelf, or helping keep a local storefront lit up at night.

None of this takes a big budget or a big trip. It can be one gift, one meal, one everyday errand you choose to do locally instead of somewhere else.

Shoppers across the country already show how powerful that choice can be. American Express estimated that shoppers spent $22 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2024 alone. Imagine even a small share of that kind of spending staying right here.

On November 28, your dollars do not have to travel far to do a lot of good. When the money stays home, Metropolis feels it.

Sources: American Express — Small Business Saturday 2024 spending estimate ($22 billion). Civic Economics / American Independent Business Alliance — local multiplier figures ($68 of $100 local vs. about $43 at a chain).