Saturday was Shepherd's Christmas event and parade. The weather was good with sunny skies and after a chilly early morning, it warmed up.
For those needing a hot “cuppa,” Friends of Shepherd Library served hot chocolate and other vendors served barbecue sandwiches and more, with Sweet Crumbs and Sweet Caprichos both selling delicious snacks, candies and cookies. There were two vendors selling crochet items and Marvin Green brought some of his goods from his store which is now closed.
The Hot Stepper Dance group performed a wonderful collection of routines. Thank you, ladies and leader Diane Clevenger.
Music was provided by DJ Jaccen Lee and Gregg Cones, who played throughout the day.
There were several campaigners for office: Dee Dee Bailey decorated her vehicle so well she won third prize in the Parade. Cynthia MacClure had a table with handouts. She is running against DeeDee Bailey. Katey Nelson had unusual giveaways, cups with packets of chocolate to mix when you were home and resting after the day was over. Katey is running for District Clerk. Judge Travis Kitchens joined her for a while.
Wrightway Plumbing Pros collected toys for children and will be doing that till Christmas. They donated the day's items to the Impact Center which has the same goal. Call in if you have toys to donate.
The parade went smoothly — thank you First Responders. The judges, Dendra Butler, Christie Andrews and Karl Carr, gave first place to the City of Shepherd. It was well-deserved. Second prize went to Eastex Towing for the third time, I think. It was a Winter Wonderland scene which was stunning. Third prize went to DeeDee Bailey as I mentioned, and Santa's Choice went to SMS Cheerleaders who were beautiful in their display.
So, this coming Saturday Coldspring Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Christmas Event and Parade. Music and all the fun and activities will make this a great day for the family. Call the Chamber for more information if you want to be a vendor.
•Coldspring Garden Club had their Christmas Party at the Senior Center last Thursday. Next month the guest speaker will be Phyllis Campbell who will talk on "Flying Colors — Attracting and Feeding Hummingbirds" The meeting starts at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2026, at the Community Center. Refreshments will be served.
•Here is another treat for Christmas. SJC Voices is a newly formed organization busy rehearsing for a concert for the community on Dec. 20. They had their first concert last year, which was a great success. The choir is busy rehearsing, and the performance is free to everyone. All are welcome.
Shelley Thompson, who is organizing the meetings, has gathered a wonderful group of people who are helping with this and they hope to produce more performances in the future.
•Dog lovers. You can adopt a dog at no cost on Dec. 13-14 at the SJC Animal Rescue. Of course, you can adopt a dog at any time, but this is a good time to take advantage of this offer.
Contact the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce at (210) 995-7420 or the Coldspring Chamber at (936) 653-2184.
Yvonne Cones is president of the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Coldspring Chamber of Commerce.
