EPB is celebrating eighty years of giving us the power to do more with a holiday tradition
When thinking of Chattanooga’s history, there are many companies that have been an integral part of making Chattanooga who we are, such as Krystal, Loveman’s, Double-Cola, MoonPie, and numerous others. However, we couldn’t have gotten close to where we are now without electric power, which is why EPB is also an important aspect of the city’s history.
If you’ve been downtown any time since November 27th, then you’ve likely seen EPB’s magical Holiday Windows display, featured in their office on West M.L.K. Boulevard. The theme for this year’s windows is also a bit of a celebration, marking 80 years of serving the Scenic City.
EPB’s official theme is “Celebrating 80 years of service in holiday fashion and giving our customers the power to do more”. Angela Love, Resource Planning Manager and Holiday Windows Project Lead, explained that EPB has been providing power to the city since 1939, which is why they decided to integrate their history into this year’s holiday windows.
“We more or less focused on our history, who we were back when we began and who we are now. If you observe the windows, you’ll notice on the Market Street side there is a rendition of the old EPB building and you’ve got some of the things or scenery that you would’ve seen back in that period,” Love explained.
“We have our storefront, and I think there’s a little paper boy that’s actually advertising the paper that came out January 31st of 1939, and it says ‘Hooray, it’s here,’ letting everyone know that electric power had come to the South.”
Not only has EPB been providing power to Chattanooga since 1939, they’ve also been putting their oliday windows on display since 1941. Love explained that one of the window scenes this year is actually a replica from the original windows in the early 1940s. This year, they hosted meet and greets with both Mr. and Mrs. Claus and Buddy the Elf when they unveiled their Holiday Windows on November 27th.
Constructing the Holiday Windows is essentially a labor of love from participants and volunteers, as the build itself takes about eight weeks which is why EPB begins work in early October. However, the planning period actually begins around June which gives EPB time to start collaborating with schools and businesses in the community.
This year also marks five years of working with the STEM School of Chattanooga. Eighteen students participated in a fabrication lab, which allowed them to create some of the signature pieces in the windows like the manhole cover that depicts EPB’s original logo.
Tyner Future Ready Academy students donated a robot they constructed, and other community partners donated their time and resources, such as the Tennessee Aquarium who helped inspire the idea of constructing a “Scuba Santa” at the Aquarium.
Other notable partners include the Chattanooga Girls Choir, Ringgold Powersports, The Chattanooga Public Library, Chattanooga State, Professional Sign Services, and The Window Tinting Company.
“Well, this is our annual, I guess, present to the community, and it was pretty cool for me this year to just kind of showcase some of the things that we’ve done for the year. You know, putting on the windows back in the early ‘40s, and we’re still doing that now, but also showcasing some of the things that we were offering in the early years of electricity,” Love said.
“And then today we’re doing solar power and we have our fiber optic service. We’re just so much more than an electric company. I’m just hoping that everyone who visits has a newfound appreciation for who we are and what we do in the community.”
The EPB Holiday Windows will be on display through the end of this year, and EPB invites you to visit their downtown office, at 10 West M.L.K. Blvd, to observe and celebrate EPB’s role in giving Chattanooga residents the power to do more since 1939.