Star light, star bright:

Throwing the switch, above, to light the Christmas stars atop the downtown derricks Saturday night were James Vermillion of the St. Luke’s Praise Team, Billy Bob Crim, Judy Hale, Terry Booker and (almost hidden at the rear) Joe White. Looking on at left is Dr. Bill Holda.At right, Master of Ceremonies Mark Fried led the crowd of about 250 in singing “God Bless America” at the conclusion of the Derrick Lighting ceremonies Saturday at the World’s Richest Acre park. The kick-off of the holiday season here Saturday had a distinctly oil-field flavor.

Hosted by Kilgore Historical Preservation Foundation at the World’s Richest acre, the derrick lighting festivities celebrated anniversaries of the East Texas oil field – 75 years, the East Texas Oil Museum – 25 years, Kilgore College – 70 years, Kilgore College Rangerettes – 65 years and — the baby of the group — the 20th anniversary of the Texas Shakespeare Festival.

About 250 people were on hand to open Christmas in the Oil Patch.

Among the speakers at the event was Judy Hale, the first captain of the Rangerettes.

Hale said she was asked to be a Rangerette by Gussie Nell Davis, founder of the world’s first precision dance and drill team. “I didn’t have to try out; nobody tried out back then. We were just asked to be a member. It was the beginning of a wonderful time.”

News Herald photos by LESTER MURRAY Dr. Bill Holda, president of Kilgore College, recounted the history of the school and talked about its relationship with the community. Joe White, curator and director of the oil museum, also talked about the history of the museum and reminded the crowd that Lone Star Steel recently moved the Chief Roughneck Hall of Fame from Washington D.C. to the museum. Terry Booker, dean of the college’s Fine Arts department, talked about the history of the Shakespeare Festival.

On hand to “throw” the switch lighting the derricks were members of the Lou Della Crim family. Crim’s well, the second of the East Texas field’s discovery well, demonstrated that the field extended to Kilgore.

Lined up at the switch were Billy Bob Crim, Mrs. Crim’s grandson; Trey Crim, her great-great-grandson; Nick Hearne, her great-grandson, and John Robert (Bobby) Florence, Jr., great-grandson.

Florence, a great-grandson of Crim, said the ceremony keeps the “memories of early Kilgore alive for a lot of us that remember the original derricks.”

World’s Richest Acre Park on Commerce Street includes the only standing derrick that remains from a time when almost 1200 oil derricks crowded Kilgore. The legs of that remaining derricks are lighted. All the restored derricks along Commerce Street and many scattered throughout Kilgore are crowned by lighted 10-foot stars as they were during the oil field’s boom.

The lighted derricks — the first of the restored derricks got a star in 1988 — continue a tradition that began when a star was placed atop a working derrick in 1938.

The Stars on the derricks will remain lighted through January 2.

Mark Fried served as master of ceremonies. The evening included performances by the St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Praise Team, Charles Woolridge, the KC Ranger band and twirlers, the Rangerettes, Fried and Austin Clark.