Countywide Christmas celebrations scheduled

The annual Christmas in Tyler County celebration , with the lighting of the town square and courthouse, will take place on Friday, Dec. 1, and yes, there will be an appearance from Santa Claus, himself! TCB file photo by Jim Powers

By Chris Edwards
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

No sooner than the last of the leftover turkey is put toward tasty sandwiches, Christmas planning becomes the order of the day.

As tradition has it, the countywide Christmas in Tyler County celebration will take place the next weekend after Thanksgiving, and this year’s celebration, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2, will be full of family friendly fun.

Several noteworthy Christmas celebrations take place this week, including the annual Twilight Tour at Heritage Village, the Woodville Rotary Club’s Breakfast with Santa and the Chamber of Commerce’s countywide celebration.

For the Chamber’s Christmas offerings, it is presenting a Mistletoe Market on Friday, Dec. 1, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., during the lighting of the downtown Woodville square and courthouse celebration, and the next day, Saturday, Dec. 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are still vendor spots available, and those forms, and pertinent information, can be accessed via the Chamber’s website, www.tylercountycoc.com.

The Chamber is also hosting a tree contest that is open to all businesses in Tyler County. According to Chamber director Holly Wells, the incentive for participants is to “Get creative.”

“It can be a real tree, an artificial one, or not even a tree at all,” Wells said. Participants must submit photos of their entries by Monday, Dec. 11. Voting begins on Tuesday, Dec. 12. There is a $10 entry fee, and the winners will be announced on Dec. 20.

Also during the events next weekend, the Chamber is hosting a Santa’s Workshop event for Chamber business members to provide a craft, or some sort of activity, for the kids, while providing a way to promote businesses, according to Wells.

During Saturday’s events, the Chamber is hosting a car show and toy drive from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The entry free is an unwrapped new toy, which will go to the Tyler County Child Welfare Board’s Angel Tree program.

Wells said the theme is for participants to decorate their car, truck motorcycle in Christmas themes, and the public will vote for their favorite.

The Chamber’s Jolly Jeep Jingle will take place at the same time, and the entry fee is $25. Awards will be given in three categories for the Jeep Jingle: Best Christmas Decorated; People’s Choice and Chamber’s Choice.

There is also a separate contest, with a $10 entry fee for “Superb Sound and Custom System,” for Jeep owners to show off what their sound systems can do.

The Rotary Club of Woodville will host its tasty annual Christmas fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., “Breakfast with Santa.”

Pancake and sausage breakfast plates will be available for $5 for children and $6 for adults at the St. Paul’s Episcopal fellowship hall.
Also slated for Saturday is the annual “Twilight Tour” celebration at Heritage Village, which lasts from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free. In addition to a decked-out Village, attendees to this event also have the opportunity to visit the Clyde Gray House Museum, which will be decorated for Christmas.

Boat parade cancelled

Ivanhoe’s annual Christmas boat parade has been cancelled due to the extended period of dry weather.

According to the city offices, Lake Charmaine is low and some residents are unable to get their boats out of the boathouse, which has resulted in the decision to not have the lighted boat parade this year, which is traditionally the first Saturday in December.

However, the community will host “Christmas with Santa,” in the Community Center on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 9. That event will include photo opportunities with Santa.