Plans are in motion for the sixth annual ERDC Under the Lights drive-thru holiday celebration at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg.

The event, which is open to the public, will take place Dec. 8-9 from 6:30 until 8 p.m. Visitors will enter through Gate 3, just south of the Main Gate at 3909 Halls Ferry Road.

“We’re very excited to host ERDC Under the Lights again this year,” said Col. Christian Patterson, ERDC’s commander. “Our team’s dedication to planning and executing a stellar event is second to none.”

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 2021, approximately 7,000 pounds of food were donated to Vicksburg’s Storehouse Community Food Pantry.

In a new twist to the community event, ERDC is collaborating with schools and other local organizations to help decorate the route.

“We are honored to celebrate the holiday season with the Vicksburg/Warren County community and look forward to providing another substantial donation of canned goods to the local food pantry,” Patterson said.

After entering the station and dropping off any donations, visitors will drive through the 700-acre campus, past decorations at the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, Headquarters Building, Environmental Laboratory, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, Information Technology Laboratory, as well as many other research and development hangars and facilities. At the end of the display, traffic will exit onto the 1200 block of 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. Headquartered in Vicksburg, the organization operates seven laboratories in four states with more than 2,300 employees and a $1 billion annual research program.