Layton Turner, winner of 2nd place prize
WCU Night at the 29th annual Dillsboro Lights and Luminaries was a great success. The town was filled with WCU faculty, staff and students last Friday night, Dec. 7, like it’s never before.
According to Lisa Potts, co-owner of Nancy Tut’s Christmas shop and co-president of the Dillsboro Merchants Association the night was very successful.
“Probably about 75% of our sales that evening were from WCU students and our sales were double over last year. There were more people in town than I had seen in years. We sold almost our entire stock of WCU ornaments and several students came back Saturday night as well and bought more,” Potts said.
WCU Night was designated to help kick off Dillsboro’s annual Lights and Luminaries event. It was promoted and organized by Public Relations students with the help of many others. Carroll Brown’s Hospitality and Tourism students helped illuminate the town with candles and decorations.
During WCU Night, all Catamounts got discounts in the shops. There were also various free Christmas activities for children (and students) such as a visit with Santa, ornament painting in Claymates, a horse-drawn carriage ride and more. After each purchase in the shops, WCU students got the chance to enter in a raffle drawing that included $750 worth of prizes donated from various Dillsboro merchants.
Caitlin Smith, a WCU freshman majoring in marketing, was the lucky winner from Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries WCU Night of over $500 in gift certificates. Smith is originally from Trinity, NC, and was in “disbelief” that she had won the prize. She has visited Dillsboro only once before while shopping with her mother. When asked what she was going to do with her prizes, she said, “I might just buy Christmas gifts with the certificates!”
Caitlin Smith, winner of 1st place prize
Layton Turner, winner of Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries 2nd place gift basket and freshman at WCU, was excited when he learned that he had won. This prize included $250 in gift certificates.
“I am going to do all my Christmas shopping in Dillsboro, and put the gift cards to good use because I am a broke college kid,” he said. Turner is a Business major with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. He is from Waxhaw, N.C.
“I have never seen so many WCU students in Dillsboro, and I’ve lived here all of my life. My favorite parts of WCU Night were the free snacks, student discounts and photos with Santa,” said WCU student Danielle Cansler.
Dillsboro Lights and Luminaries is scheduled to continue this Friday and Saturday night, Dec. 14 and 15, from dusk until 9:30 p.m.
