Excitement is lighting up the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg as plans come together for the 8th annual ERDC Under Lights holiday drive-thru event.

“Mark your calendars for December 5-6 from 6 until 8 p.m. when visitors will experience a celebration of community and holiday spirit,” event organizers said. “Entry will be through Gate 3, located just south of the ERDC Main Gate at 3909 Halls Ferry Road.”

While there is no cost of admission, non-perishable food items and toys will be accepted as donations to the local food pantry and Good Shepherd Community Center. In 2023, approximately 7,500 pounds of food were donated to Vicksburg’s Storehouse Community Food Pantry.

“We are thrilled for another opportunity to showcase the spirit of the season by bringing the community together,” said Sara Robinson, chief of the ERDC’s Protocol, Visitors and Events Office. “We are so thankful for those who participate in our event each year. We hope that this year will be even more successful than last.”

Guests will first be given the opportunity to drop off donations before embarking on a drive through ERDC’s 700-acre campus. The route will be adorned with holiday displays, leading visitors past the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, the ERDC Headquarters Building, Environmental Laboratory, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory and the Information Technology Laboratory, among many other landmarks on the historic research station. The tour concludes as traffic exits onto Porters Chapel Road.

As one of the most diverse engineering and scientific research organizations in the world, ERDC helps solve the nation’s most challenging problems in civil and military engineering, geospatial sciences, water resources and environmental sciences for the Army, Department of Defense, civilian agencies and the public. ERDC, headquartered in Vicksburg, operates seven laboratories in four states with more than 2,600 employees and a $2 billion annual research program.