Van Banner (Van, Tex.), Vol. 18, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 5, 2013 Page: 1 of 18
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Van Banner
© 2013 van Zandt Newspapers, l.l.c. Serving Van, Edom, Ben Wheeler, Redland, Midway &Colfax - Northeast Texas Press Association Award Winner www.VanBanner.com
VOLUME 18 NUMBER 19 2 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES, WITH INSERTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013 PHONE: 903-567-4000 750
Christmas Spirit coming to Van Saturday
From staff reporters
In lieu of a Christmas
parade, The Van Cham-
ber of Commerce will be
hosting the annual Spirit
of Christmas from 6 to
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec.
7, at The Garden on
Main Street.
The Chamber will be
giving away two turkeys
and two hams in a raffle.
A ticket for the raffle
will be given to every
person who attends the
event. Free hot choco-
late, children’s gifts and
candy canes will be
given away for free also.
Santa and Mrs. Claus
will make an appear-
ance. Children are wel-
come to come and visit
with Santa and have their
pictures taken, officials
said.
The Chamber will also
be sponsoring a Christ-
mas lighting contest
which is open to all the
area businesses. Offi-
cials said that the lights
will be judged Friday,
Dec. 6.
Local entertainers
along with the Vandal
Band and Vandal High
School Choir and the
Van Junior High Hon-
ors Choir are scheduled
to appear. The Vandal
Band will play Christ-
mas songs and the
choirs will sing carols
throughout the night.
The senior twirling
group the Leopardette
Legends will also per-
form.
The raffle drawing for
the turkeys and hams
will be held at 7 p.m.
and everyone is invited
to come take part,
Chamber Member
LeAnn Sellers said.
“This year, we hope
we see more residents
attend the event. Of
course, everything is to-
tally free. Last year, we
were not able to block
off Main Street, but
this year we were
granted permission by
the city council to do
so. There will be no pa-
rade, but this will take
place of the parade,”
she said. “We have
many activities sched-
uled and there will be a
lot going on. We will be
giving away lots of free
stuff, so I hope every-
one can come out and
support the Chamber.”
Residents share
holiday traditions
By Britne Reeves
Staff Writer
With the holidays fast approaching, many
people are planning parties, buying gifts and
decorating , but some have traditions that bring
back memories from past Christmases and are
deemed worthy to pass on from generation to
generations.
Several Van residents recently talked about
their favorite holiday traditions.
Helen Hester
Angel Hands Embroidery, located at 238
VZCR 1502 in Van, has a new attraction this
year. After 15 years of collecting small, deco-
rative houses Helen has upgraded from a vil-
lage to a town, with close to 100 pieces on
display. The collection started in Helen’s home
and it has grown every year. According to her
See TRADITIONS, 4A
Above
Courtesy phote
Helen Hester adjusts a piece of her lighted
village collection at her daughter’s shop,
Angel Hands Embroidery.
Helen Hester has over
100 pieces that make
up her lighted Christ-
mas Village.
Photo by Britne Reeves
Local homes on view during Parade of Homes
a.m.”
Inside
Classifieds............3-5B
Events.....................8A
Obituaries................9A
Sports...................1-2B
Van Banner - Three
Time Northeast Texas
Press Association
Award Winner; Texas
Press Association
Award Winner
www.VanZandtNewspapers.com
By Britne Reeves
Staff Writer
The Van High School
Project Graduation will
host a Christmas Parade
of Homes from 5 to 9
p.m. Dec. 14.
Five homes in Van
will be featured along
with a home in Mineola
owned by Van theater
teachers Larry and Sue
Wisdom.
According to Project
Coordinator Sherry
Allen, Project Gradua-
tion is a program of-
fered by many high
schools in the United
States, in which orga-
nized, adult-supervised
and alcohol-free activi-
ties are offered as part
of a post-graduation
party, in lieu of student-
run events with alcohol
or drugs. Events often
last through the night
and are held in hotels or
community centers.
Students are checked
for illicit substances be-
fore entry and are care-
fully monitored. Par-
ticipation graduates will
be able to go to Celebra-
tion Station in Mes-
quite, free of charge this
year, Allen said.
Allen noted that there
will be 152 graduates
this year from Van and
hopes to see at least 100
graduates attend the
event. Participation by
the graduates in the pro-
gram is on a mandatory
basis.
According to Allen,
“Van graduation will be
held at Wise Auditorium
in Tyler on May 30, and
after graduation and re-
ception, Van ISD will
provide a tour bus to
transport the graduates
from Wise Auditorium
in Tyler to Celebration
Station in Mesquite.
The graduates will be
counted and locked into
the building until 6
Fundraising efforts
have been underway the
whole year, with the
Project Graduation
group trying to raise
funds at the Van Oil
Fest, Ben Wheeler Hog
Festival, Holly Berry
Bazaar and tailgating at
Vandal football games.
But, it is not enough,
Allen says.
“We need volunteers;
we need more donations
to ensure the safety of
our seniors this year. We
make this a year-round
effort and I think it is
worth the trouble that
we go to. The graduates
cannot leave the build-
ing (Celebration Sta-
tion) and are in a drug
and alcohol free envi-
ronment the whole
time. It ensures their
safety, and that creates
peace of mind for the
parents involved. We re-
ally need all the help
that we can get.”
More fundraisers are
expected to draw in the
needed amount to pro-
vide graduates with a
safe night. Allen said
there are a number of
ways to be involved.
“A little goes a long
See HOMES, 4A
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Fisher, Donnita. Van Banner (Van, Tex.), Vol. 18, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 5, 2013, newspaper, December 5, 2013; Wills Point, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth832473/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Van Zandt County Library.