By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Del Rio, with a number of holiday events planned over the course of the next month.
Community Services Director Esme Meza told Del Rio City Council members about the planned events at the council’s most recent meeting.
The first event she announced, a 5k walk/run at the city’s dog park at Carranza Park, was postponed to Jan. 9 because of the rainy weather on Saturday.
The city’s holiday festivities kick off in December with the annual night Christmas parade scheduled for Friday, Dec. 3.
This year, Meza said, the parade will begin at 6:30 p.m.
“Usually we start at 6 p.m., but we have a lot of people racing to get to the parade, so we figured those extra 30 minutes might be helpful, and it is getting dark early, so we thought 30 minutes would be sufficient,” Meza said.
She said the parade, which begins at South Main and Ogden streets and winds its way south on South Main Street to South Main and Nicholson, is estimated to last about two hours.
“After the parade, we will have the lighting of the tree at Greenwood Park,” Meza said.
The fun continues with the city’s December “staycation” events.
“As part of our staycation series, we’ll be having some movies at the Paul Poag Theatre. It’s a little chilly to have them outside, so we decided to move indoors for December,” she said.
The first movie to be screened will be “Elf,” which will be shown at 7 p.m. on Dec. 22. Another movie is scheduled for Dec. 29. The second movie will be a “people’s choice” film, to be selected from recommendations on the city’s Facebook page. Voting for the movie can be cast between Monday and Dec. 3.
This year, the city is also bringing back its “Light Up Del Rio” holiday lighting contest, Meza announced.
“Several years ago, we started this event, where homes, businesses and others could decorate their buildings and compete against each other. The goal is just to spread the holiday spirit,” Meza said.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 14. Registration and voting will be done online, on the city’s web site, and there are different categories, including the Clark Griswold Award, the Merry and Bright Award, the North Pole Award, the Holiday Extravaganza Award, the High Tech Holiday Award, Best Lighting Display, Best Overall Theme, Best Storefront and Display, Best Use of Space and Best Use of Technology.
Meza also reviewed events being hosted by other organizations, but which will be held in city facilities, including the following:
- 7 p.m. Dec. 4 – Del Rio Chamber of Commerce Annual Wild Game Dinner
- 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Dec. 11 and 2 p.m. Dec. 12 – Annual Nutcracker Ballet/Paul Poag Theatre
- 3 p.m. Dec. 18 – Posada, Tamalada, Bailes Y Cantos/Casa De La Cultura
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
