Christmas on the Hooch is coming back to West Point on Dec. 5, and the admission price is still the one families tend to prefer: nothing.
Valley Times-News reporter Brandon Ussery reported that the free gathering for children and families runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET at the West Point Depot, 500 3rd Ave. Kesha Edwards-Coniglio, owner of the Burrow Warehouse and the event's organizer, said families can enjoy the day without spending money.
Crafts First, Bounce Houses Not Required
Edwards-Coniglio said the event emphasizes hands-on creative activities rather than inflatables. Cookie and ornament decoration stations are planned, along with activities children can complete to earn a ticket to the Polar Express. Snow is part of the day, and families are set to get goodie bags for crafts and other items.
Santa and Rudolph are scheduled to appear, pose for photos and take children's Christmas lists. Johnny's Pizza is providing free pizza for children. Vendors and food trucks will also be selling goods and services, so the commerce is there if anyone wants it. Getting through the door does not depend on it.
A Trail That Reaches Alabama
This edition includes the Twinkle Trail, set along a new trail that reaches the Alabama state line. Sponsors can fund a six-foot tree and receive recognition for it. Kia and the West Point Development Authority are sponsors, and local sponsors help pay for the event and support adding activities each year.
Indoor vendor spaces cost $150. Organizers also limit spaces by category so one kind of product does not take over the floor. A vendor signup link was published with the Valley Times-News report.
The Free-Event Promise, Three Years On
The hometown piece is not new to Edwards-Coniglio. In a 2023 Valley Times-News report, she was identified as Kesha Coniglio of the Burrow Warehouse and described as readily accepting a request to take over the event. She said then, "we hope that this is going to be a continuation every year for our community and will continue to be a free event for the family to enjoy."
That 2023 plan listed eight stations: cookie making, letters to Santa, hot cocoa, paper-candle making, a reindeer craft, ornament making, a Polar Express experience and playing in the snow. She now says bringing Greater Valley families together in her hometown is meaningful to her, and that seeing children laugh and enjoy themselves is among her favorite memories of past events.
What Last December Looked Like
A 2025 LaGrange News report said more than 300 children and family members had attended the previous year's free event, with organizers then expecting 400 to 500 children. An Eventeny listing scheduled the 2025 gathering for Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 500 3rd Avenue in West Point, Georgia.
That year's reported sponsors included Kia, the Downtown West Point Development Authority, the West Point Development Authority, the City of West Point, Valley Vision Center, Johnny's Pizza, PACK N'SHIP and Capital City Bank. Separately, Valley Times-News reported in 2025 that West Point City Council had approved a $5,000 sponsorship of Christmas on the Hooch.
For Dec. 5, the practical version is simpler than the sponsor roll: show up at the Depot between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the crafts, snow, pizza and photos do not come with a ticket price.
