2008 Woodie Awards
Festival on square brings light, friendly competition
Ryan Feuerhelm
Issue date: 11/26/08 Section: HOLIDAILY
Denton's annual Holiday Lighting Festival is this Thursday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the city's Courthouse Square lawn. There will be a toy drive, entertainment and much more.
"It's one of my favorite events," said Mary Pastorius, member of the Denton Holiday Festival Association's board of directors. "It kind of kicks off the holiday season for Denton. It's been a really well-supported event within the community."
The festival began the first Thursday after Thanksgiving in 1988 and has continued every year since then. The activities begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Denton Community Band and sing-along. At 5:45 p.m. the official tree lighting will take place. After that is two hours of a myriad of activities.
Activities include different forms of entertainment on stages, in the courthouse, historical landmarks, and in the Campus Theatre. There will be children's arts and crafts booths, as well as events requiring tickets such as Santa photos, carriage rides, and face painting. People will also be caroling around the square.
One of the traditions of the lighting is the wassail festival going on from 6 to 8 p.m. Wassail is a form of cider with several extra spices and ingredients. Stores and many other groups compete to see who has Denton's best wassail.
"It's kind of like a chili cook-off," Pastorius said. "You go around and try it, then you put in your vote for the best one and then they have judges that tally all that and decide the winner."
WFAA's Santa's Helper Toy Drive will also be at the event. Anyone wishing to donate can bring a new, unwrapped toy. Troy Dungan will also be making an appearance on behalf of the toy drive which has become a North Texas tradition. Donations can be made from the beginning of the festival to the end.
At 8 p.m., Denton's very own Brave Combo will perform until the festival ends at 9 p.m. The band has been a part of the Holiday on the Square Festival since its inception. Brave Combo has won two Grammy awards and appeared on an episode of The Simpsons in 2004, along with several other television and movie appearances.
Advancement officer Cathy Tedrick is the co-chair of the events committee, and has been a part of the DHFA for three years, and she said this is one of the better events of the year.
"I'm fond of it because I took my children there, so it's a great place to make childhood memories. It brings a lot of families out to the Square," Tedrick said. "It has a lot of standing tradition in Denton."
It's not too late to volunteer. Anyone wishing to find out more can contact Mary Pastorius at mpastorius@unt.edu.
"It's one of my favorite events," said Mary Pastorius, member of the Denton Holiday Festival Association's board of directors. "It kind of kicks off the holiday season for Denton. It's been a really well-supported event within the community."
The festival began the first Thursday after Thanksgiving in 1988 and has continued every year since then. The activities begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Denton Community Band and sing-along. At 5:45 p.m. the official tree lighting will take place. After that is two hours of a myriad of activities.
Activities include different forms of entertainment on stages, in the courthouse, historical landmarks, and in the Campus Theatre. There will be children's arts and crafts booths, as well as events requiring tickets such as Santa photos, carriage rides, and face painting. People will also be caroling around the square.
One of the traditions of the lighting is the wassail festival going on from 6 to 8 p.m. Wassail is a form of cider with several extra spices and ingredients. Stores and many other groups compete to see who has Denton's best wassail.
"It's kind of like a chili cook-off," Pastorius said. "You go around and try it, then you put in your vote for the best one and then they have judges that tally all that and decide the winner."
WFAA's Santa's Helper Toy Drive will also be at the event. Anyone wishing to donate can bring a new, unwrapped toy. Troy Dungan will also be making an appearance on behalf of the toy drive which has become a North Texas tradition. Donations can be made from the beginning of the festival to the end.
At 8 p.m., Denton's very own Brave Combo will perform until the festival ends at 9 p.m. The band has been a part of the Holiday on the Square Festival since its inception. Brave Combo has won two Grammy awards and appeared on an episode of The Simpsons in 2004, along with several other television and movie appearances.
Advancement officer Cathy Tedrick is the co-chair of the events committee, and has been a part of the DHFA for three years, and she said this is one of the better events of the year.
"I'm fond of it because I took my children there, so it's a great place to make childhood memories. It brings a lot of families out to the Square," Tedrick said. "It has a lot of standing tradition in Denton."
It's not too late to volunteer. Anyone wishing to find out more can contact Mary Pastorius at mpastorius@unt.edu.
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