Christmas activities begin countywide
San Jacinto News- Times - December 2009

COLDSPRING – Beginning this week, San Jacinto County residents and visitors will have a wide range of Christmas activities in which to participate. All are open to the public and most at no charge.

DECEMBER 3 Members of the Coldspring Garden Club will meet Thursday, Dec. 3 at 11:30 a.m. at the Coldspring Community Center for the club’s Christmas luncheon. The luncheon will be a Christmas potluck and members are requested to bring a covered dish and enjoy a time of fun, fellowship and entertainment. Guests and potential new members are welcome.

DECEMBER 5-6 In Point Blank, the Point Blank Community Church Choir presents “Everlasting Light,” a Christmas Carol for a Dark World. The event will be held Saturday, Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 9 a.m., and is open to the public.

DECEMBER 5 In Shepherd, a lighted Christmas parade, music and a visit by Santa are all part of Shepherd’s annual Blue and White Christmas scheduled Saturday, Dec. 5. The parade will begin at 6 p.m. at the Shepherd Community Center. It will stop at the four-way stop for tree lighting and ends at Shepherd High School. Once at the four-way stop Christmas Carols will be presented by the Shepherd Community Christmas Choir before the parade continues to Shepherd High School. At the Shepherd High School gym a community musical celebration will be presented by school bands, primary and intermediate school youngsters and features a community singalong from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. Santa is scheduled to visit with children of all ages beginning at 8:30 p.m. Pictures with Santa will be available for purchase. Admission to the function is a non-perishable food item for donation to the local Helping Hands Food pantry.

DECEMBER 6 The 2009 San Jacinto County Women’s League Christmas Tour is scheduled for Dec. 6, from 1 – 4 p.m. The tour, which will take place in Cape Royale, features seven homes located throughout the Cape. The Cape Royale Clubhouse, the hospitality Room for the event, will be the fi rst stop on the tour. At the clubhouse, participants can purchase tickets ($8) and pick up a map for the tour. Each home on the tour features some unique characteristic that makes a visit there special. In addition to festive holiday decorations, those attending will see a dining room chandelier imported from Venice, a collection of scale trains, trucks and construction equipment, a stone house incorporating the look of an English/Scottish manor, a home featuring stained and waxed concrete fl oors, a collection of Indonesian antiques, an antique armoire imported from Europe as a gift to the homeowner, and a 1,500 square foot multi-level deck with wonderful views of the golf course. Funds earned by this and other San Jacinto County Women’s League fundraisers are used for scholarships and donations to civic and service entities in the community. For more information, call Patti Johnson at 653- 3536.

DECEMBER 12
The 27th annual Christmas on the Square begins at noon in Coldspring with continuous activities and performances until dark when the lighted parade begins. This year’s line-up provides top notch entertainment, anticipated to be the best yet and designed to please every age group and musical taste, country, gospel, rhythm and blues, Cloggers on the Move, students from various schools are included. Also included will be MASTERS VOICE, a gospel music group from Bristow, Oklahoma. The group was established in 1995 and consists of four young men who are dedicated to spreading the Gospel in work and song. The MASTERS VOICE will be featured at 3 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. on the main stage located at Hwy. 150 at Church Street under the blinking light. There is no admission charge. Christmas on the Square is made possible by Coldspring/ San Jacinto County Chamber of Commerce. Also performing is former Shepherd Country Music Artist Josh Ward. Festivities take place under the flashing light in downtown Coldspring. The Josh Ward Band will perform from 4 - 5 p.m. He will then leave to fulfill another previously scheduled appearance in Livingston. Born in Houston, Josh was raised on country music. Among his favorites were the late Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Jones and George Strait. Josh’s singing originated in church, old time hymns and Gospel Music greatly influenced his musical career. However, his love for Country Music and his quest to cross-over, over-shadowed. Josh Ward and his band have developed a unique style of traditional Honky Tonk mixed with Texas Attitude. Also on the program, beginning at noon is Houston-based Gold Rush Quartet, newcomer, Country Gospel Artist and Songwriter, Keith Caldwell. He will be singing his latest release, “It’s Your Duty to Pray”, dedicated to our Armed Forces. Tyler’s Gospel Music Queen, Martha Welch, will be singing and combining her talent as a comedienne to keep you laughing and enjoying the day, beginning at 1 p.m. Cloggers on the Move will perform at 1:30 p.m. A Children’s Christmas Play will be presented at 10 a.m. at the Coldspring United Methodist Church, followed by the Sweet Adeline’s at 11 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. The Coldspring United Methodist Church will also host a Gumbo Kitchen for your dinning enjoyment beginning at 11 a.m. At First Baptist Church, located at 100 E. Pine Avenue, Christmas on the Square Community Choir Concert will be highlighted beginning at 5 p.m. At the Senior Citizens Center of San Jacinto County, located at 60 Butler Street, a gospel music concert with Calvary News and others will be held. Refreshments will be served and the Senior Center Thrift Store will be open for shopping. Besides entertainment, vendors from all over the State of Texas will gather around the San Jacinto County Courthouse Square displaying and selling their arts, gifts and crafts. Texas styled treats will be available from food vendors or local restaurants for food, refreshments and snacks. Located across from the Chamber of Commerce a Children’s Christmas Village for children 12 and under will be available. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and includes games, rides and activities, including visits from Santa. There will be a $3 charge for a wrist band for entrance. The wrist band includes popcorn, archery, wild animal races, circus animals, balloon animals, clown toss, beat the enemy, bottle toss, tic tac toe and prizes. Santa Claus will be at the courthouse gazebo, in the Children’s Christmas Village and riding in the evening parade. “Christmas in the USA” is the theme for this year’s annual Christmas on the Square lighted parade. According to parade chairman Dona Felton, the annual lighted parade will begin at the San Jacinto County Fair Grounds and travel Hwy. 150, circle the courthouse and return to the fairgrounds. Parade participants are asked to line up at the fair grounds at 4 p.m. Judging is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Anyone interested in entering the parade or participating in Christmas on the Square are asked to visit the Coldspring/ San Jacinto County Chamber of Commerce office located at 31 N. Butler Street, contact the chamber at 936- 653-2184 or send an email to ccc@coldspringtexas.org.