Published: October 31, 2009 01:31 pm      

Festival to bring holiday cheer

It’s a combination that could be a big hit and possibly a new local tradition — helping Pauls Valley’s art and choir programs while also bringing the community together for some real holiday cheer.

That’s the idea behind the Dickens of a Christmas Festival planned for Nov. 21 in downtown Pauls Valley.

Described as a Victorian Christmas festival, the event will feature plenty of old fashioned holiday caroling for good reason — the junior high and high school choir program in Pauls Valley is one of the groups set to benefit from any proceeds raised.

Pauls Valley school Choir Director Kara Cloud, said it’s mainly a Christmas fundraiser for the choir and art programs. However, she’s hoping it can be much more as she envisions a festive atmosphere for the event.

“It’s a fundraiser for us, but it’s also to drum up interest in the community,” Cloud said.

“I’m hoping it will be just like an old fashioned Christmas event. It will be about the music, family time and the games,” she said. “It can be a reminder that Christmas doesn’t have to be too commercial but can still be about old traditional values.”

The last couple of years, including this past September, the big fundraiser was a bluegrass festival, which experienced limited success because there was a more specialized musical interest.

“This festival should be on a bigger scale because it’s focused more for the whole community,” Cloud said.

Working with the Pauls Valley Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Pauls Valley, the festival will be at the local Santa Fe Depot from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21. Festival craft vendors may set up earlier.

There will be such things as a Christmas choir concert, a Christmas quilt raffle, possibly bagpipe performers and a hayride throughout the downtown area.

A feature of the festival is Christmas caroling. It will involve downtown businesses getting the opportunity to schedule the singers for a series of 15-minute performances in front of their stores.

Any proceeds raised will be used to supplement the budget of each program, for things like new uniforms and competitions for the choir, while art students could use more museum trips or additional equipment.

“We’re also hoping to bring a little more acknowledgment to the art and choir programs,” she said. “We have some fantastic students in these programs.”

Cloud said businesses interested in scheduling time slots for the student carolers should contact her at kl.cloud@gmail.com.