The star atop Roper Mountain has returned to its pedestal after nearly a year away for repairs and planned technology upgrades, including changes intended to end decades of staff having to flip it on and off by hand. Roper Mountain Science Center announced the star’s return on Tuesday, marking a milestone in restoration work that began when the landmark came down for repairs.
As WYFF reports, the center had been raising $130,000 to fully restore the star’s structure, wiring, and lighting system, and it thanked the generosity of several donors, including what it called a very special anonymous gift for the project. The center said it will announce the official date and details of the relighting soon. The proposed upgrades included energy-efficient LED technology and an automated timer, according to the Post and Courier, and were intended to eliminate the need for maintenance staff to drive up the mountain twice daily to turn the star on and off.
A Landmark and Holiday Tradition
After the annual Holiday Lights festival ended, the star remained lit every night until its November removal, according to the Greenville Journal, which noted the removal marked the first time the structure had gone dark for the holiday season. The star was built and placed atop the hill in 1995 as a birthday gift and ode to Buck Mickel, a Greenville philanthropist and successful businessman who, per the station’s report, helped shape the city’s future through his ideas. Mickel’s children said he adored Christmas, and the family noted that December 17, 2026, would have marked his 100th birthday.
Mickel led Daniel Construction Company and later served as president of Fluor Corporation, overseeing major industrial construction and urban redevelopment projects in Greenville, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported his death at age 72 in July 1998. His daughter was Minor Mickel Shaw.
From Holiday Lights to a Year-Round Fixture
The star once anchored a far bigger seasonal spectacle. The annual Roper Mountain Holiday Lights festival, launched in 1994, drew more than 70,000 visitors and as many as 18,000 vehicles each winter along its 1.5-mile drive before it ended in 2017, according to the Rotary Club of Greenville. When the science center ended that ongoing light show in 2017, the Greenville community banded together to keep the star itself lit, with Riddle noting that pilots used it as a wayfinder to navigate the area.
The star was a cherished holiday tradition. It sits on a 62-acre campus that Greenville County Schools acquired from the South Carolina State Park Service back in 1974 for just $5, under a deed covenant requiring the land be used exclusively for educational purposes, according to the Roper Mountain Science Center’s own history. The property had originally been slated for a state park before that deed transfer.
A Campus for Learning
Roper Mountain Science Center opened to students and the public in 1985 and now serves roughly 500 to 600 Greenville County students each day during the school year through hands-on learning labs. The 62-acre campus includes a planetarium, Symmes Hall, Harrison Hall of Science, and a Living History Farm.
The campus observatory also houses a telescope.
The star is back on its pedestal, and the science center is preparing to announce when the official relighting will take place.
