Holiday Trail of Lights kickoff in Shreveport
By BRENDA BROWN knhedit@kilgorenewsherald.com

News Herald Photo by Brenda Brown A downtown panomarama, including Mt. Kilgore Snow Hill, were featured in Kilgore's presentation for the Holiday Trail of Lights.

SHREVEPORT, La. — The Holiday Trail of Light's partnership between two states and six cities is an idea truly ahead of its time and just the kind of tourism event state officials love to talk about.

Margo Richards, public relations director for the Texas Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism Division, said yesterday in a media event held to kick off publicity for the upcoming event, said 534,000 jobs in Texas are tied to tourism and Louisiana is a huge and important market for Texas tourism.

Likewise, the director of development and sales for the Louisiana Office of Tourism, Sharon Calcote praised the Trail of Lights developers for erasing state and city boundaries and paying attention to tourism.

"In the past couple of years, (her department's) focus has been on the regional — your organization is 16 years old. You're way ahead of us," Calcote said.

Kilgore Chamber of Commerce President Mike Coston emceed yesterday's media event, held at the American Rose Garden. Kilgore became involved in the Trail of Lights six years ago, and was the last city to join the holiday tour.

"The Trail is a time for family, fun and friends and making lifetime memories," Coston told the crowd of tour organizers and reporters.

He added it's all about pooling resources and bringing visitors to town.

Richards said the Holiday Trail of Lights is "the perfect place to kick off the Christmas season" and it is the only tour of its kind because of its two-state partnership.

She said more than half of Texas' out-of-state visitors arrive by car.

Calcote said the holiday tour has generated millions of dollars in tourism revenue and hundreds of thousands in sales taxes through the years. She praised the Trail's cooperative marketing effort between East Texas and Louisiana.

Trail officials presented handpainted ornaments to the two visiting state officials that were created by a Natchitoches, La., artist. Then the two ladies presented each other with early Christmas presents. Calcote gave Richards a book of Louisiana art and recipes; Richards presented her counterpart with a Texas-sized belt buckle.

Each city had the opportunity to decorate a presentation table. Kilgore's table included a miniature replica of Mt. Kilgore Snow Hill, an oil patch version of a ski hill complete with artificial snow. This year's snow hill, provided by the chamber, will be in town Dec. 12-13.

The city will be the first of the six to kick off its Trail of Lights celebration, with Christmas in the Oil Patch on Nov. 20. At that time, Kilgore's 75 startopped derricks and a giant Christmas tree will be officially lighted for the run of the holiday season.

Kilgore's Nighttime Christmas Parade is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2.

Marshall will light up its downtown Wonderland of Lights on Nov. 26, followed by Jefferson's citywide Christmas lighting ceremony on Nov. 28.

On the Louisiana side of the tour, Shreveport-Bossier City's lighting ceremony will be held on the Boardwalk on Nov. 24. Natchitoches will "Turn on the Holdays!" on Nov. 22.

Brochures detailing the events in each city are available at the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to Coston, Kilgore representatives to yesterday's media kickoff included Barbara Garrett, Carol Hinton, Winnie Nicks, Archie and Mildred Whitfield, Margie Hall, Pat Applewhite, Jean Robertson, Toni Ferguson, Theresa Ferguson, City Manager Jeff Howell and Kilgore Rangerettes Laura Viergever and Kara Robinson.