Enjoy Christmas Saturday in Palestine
Dec. 3—Palestine will be abuzz this weekend with a lot of holiday-oriented events for everyone to enjoy.
Kicking things off at 7 a.m. is the YMCA's Freeze Your Buns Fun Run.
The event is a festive run or walk through historic Palestine, designed to get the whole family into the spirit of the season. Runners are encouraged to wear their favorite holiday costumes as they embark on a 5K route through historic downtown Palestine, past Reagan Park and through a neighborhood of beautiful historic Victorian homes. The event will begin and end at the Chamber of Commerce office located at 401 W. Main St. Course maps will be distributed during registration.
Five of the city's historic homes will open their doors to hundreds of visitors Saturday during the Holiday Home Tour. The annual tour is a fundraiser for the Palestine Area Chamber Commerce and allows curious guests to catch a rare glimpse of the homes' indoor settings.
Guests can purchase tickets in person at the Visitor Center, at one of the homes along the tour, or on the Chamber's website for $20 each at www.palestinechamber.org.
Dogwood Arts Council's Downtown Art Walk will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday. Enjoy walking downtown, visiting local shops, taking in beautiful sculptures, paintings and diverse art mediums. Meet the artist in various businesses on Main St., Oak St. and Crawford Street.
The featured artist for December is Geoffrey Stevenson, who will be instructing classes at Old Town Vintage and More located at 306 N. Sycamore Street.
Art Walk maps will be available at the Gallery at the Redlands.
The streets of historic Downtown Palestine will be aglow with colorful lights, beautiful floats and smiles all around during the Christmas Parade of Lights. The courthouse will be lit at 7 p.m. to start Palestine's only lighted parade, which will wind through downtown. After the parade join Santa at the Rotary Park Gazebo at 400 W. Main St. to tell him what you would like for Christmas.
Even more Christmas fun will follow the parade during the Christmas Movie in the Park. Scheduled to begin around 8:30 p.m., friends and family can gather in Rotary Park for a free screening of the Christmas classic "Elf." Moviegoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy a holiday movie, hot chocolate and popcorn.
Christmas revelers can round out their weekend with plenty of other activities around Palestine such as a Polar Express Train Ride at the Texas State Railroad, a Horse Drawn Carriage Ride beginning at the Redlands Hotel, a visit to the Grinch's Lair at the Texas Jailhouse and Live music from Band Reeves, sponsored by Coffee & Cream.
For more information see the Calendar of Events at www.visitpalestine.com.
