As winter approaches, and the holiday season begins, Columbia starts this season off by putting up holiday lights. For the last four years Veterans United has been putting together a drive-thru light display for the community. 

The idea first came to be during the heart of the pandemic and they wanted to do something to uplift the spirits of the community. 

“We were all in the middle of a tough time and felt that doing something like this would be a nice gesture of support for people who needed some holiday cheer.” Chad Moller at Veterans United said, “Honestly, I don’t think we knew it would be as popular as it has been.” At the event in past years, there have been on average about 1,000 cars per night who came through the self-guided tour.

“The reaction we received that first year was so overwhelmingly positive that we decided to continue it the next year, and here we are four years later, and it’s becoming a fun Columbia tradition,” Moller said. 

The drive is about one mile in length through the VU campus. There are the equivalent of over one million light bulbs that go into the display. This year’s event is taking place at 550 Veterans United Drive, Columbia, Mo 65201