Holiday Trail of Lights activities will fill December’s downtown Christmas schedule

News Herald photo by BILL WOODALL Ronnie Spradlin of East Texas Lumber and East Texas Hardware, and an unidentified helper, hoist the lighted “Merry Xmas” sign into the derricks at the World’s Richest Acre. The lighted sign, a replica of the banner that lit Kilgore’s skyline decades ago, was the last piece of Christmas decoration to go in place downtown. Judges will be looking for one extra special shining star Saturday night.

The Kilgore Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the Shining Star Contest for area children. The talent show will feature first, second and third place awards in the form of Month.

First place winning will take home $100; second place, $50; and third place, $25.

Applications are available at the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce. Registration will also be conducted Saturday night at the stage at the World’s Richest Acre. Entry fee is $10. Only 15 entrees will be allowed.

For more information, contact Suzanne Howard at (903)981-0021.

Also scheduled to entertain Saturday night are the MLMS Cheerleaders, City Manager Jeff Howell and the Kilgore Highsteppers.

Friday night will feature dance and cheer teams from Head Over Heels, the First Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir and the choir from the Church of the Nazarene.

Friday activities begin at 6:30 at the World’s Richest Acre. Saturday night’s entertainment begins at 6 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15 and 16, will feature the Snow Hill. Friday night the hill will open at 6 p.m. and on Saturday morning it will, if temperatures are low enough to preserve the snow, re-open at 11 a.m.

On Saturday, Dec. 17, beginning at 6 p.m. choirs and groups from the Highland Park Baptist Church will perform. These include Sweet Assurance/ Mighty Four 4 God, Circle of Friends/Mitzi Hartfiel, the Sanctuary Choir and children’s groups.

Wagon rides will be available both Friday nights.

The Kilgore Kiwanis Club will be selling hot chocolate and special glasses to view the lights. The glasses act as prisms and create a circle of angles, Christmas trees and other seasonal scenes around the light the viewing is watching.

Downtown businesses are scheduled to be open Friday and Saturday nights for the next two weeks.