The lights are up on downtown Sackville streets, and just in time. Moonlight Madness is coming back to downtown. This Friday and Saturday night, downtown businesses will be open late and encouraging people to shop local.

Anthony Maddalena, the president of Mainstreet Redevelopment, says he hopes to see people out supporting local shops with their masks on, both inside and outside. The announcement yesterday that Sackville would be returning to orange phase restrictions shouldn’t set back the Moonlight Madness event, says Maddalena, though it may impact certain businesses.

“It’s certainly going to look a little bit different this year,” says Maddalena. To help compensate for restrictions on numbers of people allowed in stores, Mainstreet is running two Moonlight Madness events this year, one this weekend and one the weekend of December 11-12.

“Those lights that you see going up, that’s one of the ways that we’re partnering with the town of Sackville,” says Maddalena, “and trying to make the downtown a little more festive for the Moonlight Madness events.”

Mainstreet has also partnered with the town on a new addition to this year’s event, a holiday passport to reward people for shopping local.

The passport is modelled after one run by the town in late summer and fall, where shoppers collect stamps from local businesses, and can return the passport to the town to receive a t-shirt and a chance to win a $1000 local shopping spree.

The passport goes lives today and runs until December 21, says Maddalena, the deadline for returning completed passports to the town.

“We’re glad that the town was able to work with us on the holiday version of the passport, says Maddalena. “It’s a good way to help showcase and communicate to people what deals there are and what types of things they can purchase right here in the town of Sackville.”

Maddalena says that apart from downtown shopping, “you might catch a glimpse of Santa Claus,” during the event. “There will be some festive music and some lights.” He says he hopes many downtown businesses will participate in the Christmas Lights contest being held by Sackville Recreation and the Middle Sackville Baptist Church.

Moonlight Madness is “a pretty big event for local businesses,” says Maddalena. “Even more so this year, where there’s less tourism coming through town,” he says. “We’re definitely relying on locals to come out and do some shopping.”

Maddalena was elected to the Mainstreet Redevelopment board of directors at their AGM on July 15, 2020. He says so far there’s been a fair amount of “housekeeping” with a new board.

“Everyone’s kind of learning the new positions,” says Maddalena. “But we’re starting to really get the gears turning and there’s lots of enthusiasm from the new board members,” he says.

The focus for the coming year in on supporting and assisting businesses in the business improvement area, and also improving the advertising reach for the downtown.

Up to date news and info on Moonlight Madness events and deals are available at Mainstreet Redevelopment’s Facebook page.