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Sulphur Springs Downtown Business Alliance
P O Box 1456
Sulphur Springs, TX 75483-1456
P O Box 1456
Sulphur Springs, TX 75483-1456
“What’s New Downtown?” - March 1, 2008
by Rita Edwards
Hey, Hey, I can’t believe my last article was in October, my how time flies when your having fun!!! Boy, have we been having fun with
everything that’s been going on. I don’t know where to begin and if I told you everything in this article it would take up several pages. So I
guess I’ll just fill you in a little at a time, you know spread it out over several articles. Okay where to begin, oh yeah, the Christmas Festival
was a huge success!! We had a great crowd for the lighting on Friday night and I hope you noticed the lights that outlined the buildings.
Wes Hampton got up on there and replaced burned out bulbs and fixed broken wires and secured the lights so they wouldn’t move. He
worked really hard and it looked awesome. We had a new addition to our decorations with the donation of an honest to goodness, real life,
sleigh. Ron & Linda Johnson donated it and it was great. Saturday we had live entertainment on stage all day hosted by Enola Gay and even
Elvis was “in the house”!! We had several vendors, our ever popular, Barrel Train rides and bed races. This year we had a new attraction
with the White Lions. Fun was had by all. I know you’ve heard by now that there will be a new twist on Christmas this year with the Lions
Club switching to the Nighttime Electric Light Parade. It’s going to be so much fun and really neat. We are so proud to be working with
them in conjunction with our Christmas Festival. The Lions Club, the Downtown Business Alliance, Chamber of Commerce and the City of
Sulphur Springs all working together to pull this off is just one more example of our community coming together to create something special.
The Downtown Business Alliance made out like bandits at the Annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet. We are very proud of the Vision
Award the Downtown Business Alliance received. What a great feeling to be recognized for our efforts by the Chamber and the community
we love so much. Several of our members received awards that night, too. Sandy Wallace owner of Plain N’ Fancy was named Small
Business of the Year, Jackie Thornton, Foundation Director for Hopkins County Hospital was named Ambassador of the Year, and, uh um, I
was named Woman of the Year !! That was a total surprise, but my word what an honor!!! All of the accolades we received are very
humbling but totally awesome !!!
Well, the Main Street project is off and running. The city completed the water/sewer line repairs in T-Bone Alley and on Main Street. They
will be back very soon to begin completely redoing Main Street. New sidewalks, new street, trees, landscaping, etc., and it’s going to be
beautiful. Just remember that while all that work is being done, the businesses along Main Street will still be open and will need your support
more than ever! So, don’t let a little construction keep you from shopping with them. Also, the red lights are gone at Main and Connally,
being replaced with four way stop signs. It’s amazing how much more open and clean it looks without those big metal poles and red lights.
Just one more step in the right direction toward the revitalization plan for the downtown.
Okay, I said I was going to spread the information out over several articles so I guess this is a good place to stop.
So until next time, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
by Rita Edwards
Hey, Hey, I can’t believe my last article was in October, my how time flies when your having fun!!! Boy, have we been having fun with
everything that’s been going on. I don’t know where to begin and if I told you everything in this article it would take up several pages. So I
guess I’ll just fill you in a little at a time, you know spread it out over several articles. Okay where to begin, oh yeah, the Christmas Festival
was a huge success!! We had a great crowd for the lighting on Friday night and I hope you noticed the lights that outlined the buildings.
Wes Hampton got up on there and replaced burned out bulbs and fixed broken wires and secured the lights so they wouldn’t move. He
worked really hard and it looked awesome. We had a new addition to our decorations with the donation of an honest to goodness, real life,
sleigh. Ron & Linda Johnson donated it and it was great. Saturday we had live entertainment on stage all day hosted by Enola Gay and even
Elvis was “in the house”!! We had several vendors, our ever popular, Barrel Train rides and bed races. This year we had a new attraction
with the White Lions. Fun was had by all. I know you’ve heard by now that there will be a new twist on Christmas this year with the Lions
Club switching to the Nighttime Electric Light Parade. It’s going to be so much fun and really neat. We are so proud to be working with
them in conjunction with our Christmas Festival. The Lions Club, the Downtown Business Alliance, Chamber of Commerce and the City of
Sulphur Springs all working together to pull this off is just one more example of our community coming together to create something special.
The Downtown Business Alliance made out like bandits at the Annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet. We are very proud of the Vision
Award the Downtown Business Alliance received. What a great feeling to be recognized for our efforts by the Chamber and the community
we love so much. Several of our members received awards that night, too. Sandy Wallace owner of Plain N’ Fancy was named Small
Business of the Year, Jackie Thornton, Foundation Director for Hopkins County Hospital was named Ambassador of the Year, and, uh um, I
was named Woman of the Year !! That was a total surprise, but my word what an honor!!! All of the accolades we received are very
humbling but totally awesome !!!
Well, the Main Street project is off and running. The city completed the water/sewer line repairs in T-Bone Alley and on Main Street. They
will be back very soon to begin completely redoing Main Street. New sidewalks, new street, trees, landscaping, etc., and it’s going to be
beautiful. Just remember that while all that work is being done, the businesses along Main Street will still be open and will need your support
more than ever! So, don’t let a little construction keep you from shopping with them. Also, the red lights are gone at Main and Connally,
being replaced with four way stop signs. It’s amazing how much more open and clean it looks without those big metal poles and red lights.
Just one more step in the right direction toward the revitalization plan for the downtown.
Okay, I said I was going to spread the information out over several articles so I guess this is a good place to stop.
So until next time, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
“What’s New Downtown?” - May 21, 2008
by Rita Edwards
Hi all you Sulphur Spring-ites….someone asked me the other day if that’s what people from Sulphur Springs called themselves. I’ve been
thinking about that and the best I can tell we call each other “Neighbor” at least that’s what I hear more often than not. Have you ever
noticed people meeting and the first words they utter are “howdy neighbor”, even if they live in totally different parts of town. That’s what
makes Sulphur Springs so special. I really think that fits us like a glove, because neighbors help each other when times are bad whether we
know their name or not. That very special attitude will only enhance the success of the downtown revitalization. When we begin to see the
increase in out of town visitors and they discover the neighborly atmosphere we have, they won’t be able to keep from telling all their friends
about us. You know, it will be great to have nice restaurants, awesome retail stores, beautiful streets and square, the future Veterans
Memorial and, not to mention, the most beautiful Courthouse in Texas, but when you add in the laid back, friendly human equation we thrive
on here, why Sulphur Springs can’t help but be a major hit!!!
Speaking of downtown, Main Street is under construction, YEAH!! It began immediately after the official Ground Breaking Ceremony
Monday morning !! The plan is to be done by October. Everyone say a little prayer, cross your fingers, rub your rabbits foot ,or whatever
you do for good luck, that they finish early or at least on time. Ya’ll remember to visit the businesses along Main Street during this
construction process because they will certainly need your support more than ever. You will be absolutely amazed at how fantastic Main
Street will look when it’s done. Speaking of construction, City National Bank has started on their new addition and remodel. So changes are
already happening and we couldn’t be more excited.
We hosted our first Flea Market on the Square last Saturday with 103 vendors signed up and a tremendous turn out of shoppers !! We can
most certainly call it a huge success. A very large number of vendors have already reserved their spaces for the next one. We would like say
a great big “THANK YOU” to the City of Sulphur Springs for all their help and to Farm Country for donating the use of the Kubota RTV we
used to help our shoppers haul their purchases to their vehicles. We would also like to offer our heartfelt thanks to KSST and Enola Gay, Star
Country and Moose, Sulphur Springs News Telegram and The Millennium Shopper for all the great advertising exposure, it was just
awesome. All our members worked very hard to pull this off, but three members were instrumental in organizing this event and they are
Beckey Flippin, Billie Ruth Standbridge and Susan Jones. These ladies went the extra mile to make this first Flea Market a complete and total
success, and due to their efforts the Flea Market went off without a hitch!!
Now while the Flea Market was in full swing we were also hosting a seminar conducted by John Sellers on how to research historic homes
and/or buildings. We had a great turn out for it as well, and everyone said it was very informative and that John’s presentation was very
interesting and most enjoyable. The Genealogical Library was kind enough to allows us to use their facilities, which provided the ideal
setting and we would like to thank them for all their help. We would also like to thank Judy Gilreath of Judy’s Kitchen for the box lunch that
each attendee enjoyed. Two great events on one day and both hosted by the Sulphur Springs Downtown Business Alliance, how’s that for
multi- tasking??
We have lot’s more to come for the downtown, but I’ll talk about all that next time.
So until “next time”, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
by Rita Edwards
Hi all you Sulphur Spring-ites….someone asked me the other day if that’s what people from Sulphur Springs called themselves. I’ve been
thinking about that and the best I can tell we call each other “Neighbor” at least that’s what I hear more often than not. Have you ever
noticed people meeting and the first words they utter are “howdy neighbor”, even if they live in totally different parts of town. That’s what
makes Sulphur Springs so special. I really think that fits us like a glove, because neighbors help each other when times are bad whether we
know their name or not. That very special attitude will only enhance the success of the downtown revitalization. When we begin to see the
increase in out of town visitors and they discover the neighborly atmosphere we have, they won’t be able to keep from telling all their friends
about us. You know, it will be great to have nice restaurants, awesome retail stores, beautiful streets and square, the future Veterans
Memorial and, not to mention, the most beautiful Courthouse in Texas, but when you add in the laid back, friendly human equation we thrive
on here, why Sulphur Springs can’t help but be a major hit!!!
Speaking of downtown, Main Street is under construction, YEAH!! It began immediately after the official Ground Breaking Ceremony
Monday morning !! The plan is to be done by October. Everyone say a little prayer, cross your fingers, rub your rabbits foot ,or whatever
you do for good luck, that they finish early or at least on time. Ya’ll remember to visit the businesses along Main Street during this
construction process because they will certainly need your support more than ever. You will be absolutely amazed at how fantastic Main
Street will look when it’s done. Speaking of construction, City National Bank has started on their new addition and remodel. So changes are
already happening and we couldn’t be more excited.
We hosted our first Flea Market on the Square last Saturday with 103 vendors signed up and a tremendous turn out of shoppers !! We can
most certainly call it a huge success. A very large number of vendors have already reserved their spaces for the next one. We would like say
a great big “THANK YOU” to the City of Sulphur Springs for all their help and to Farm Country for donating the use of the Kubota RTV we
used to help our shoppers haul their purchases to their vehicles. We would also like to offer our heartfelt thanks to KSST and Enola Gay, Star
Country and Moose, Sulphur Springs News Telegram and The Millennium Shopper for all the great advertising exposure, it was just
awesome. All our members worked very hard to pull this off, but three members were instrumental in organizing this event and they are
Beckey Flippin, Billie Ruth Standbridge and Susan Jones. These ladies went the extra mile to make this first Flea Market a complete and total
success, and due to their efforts the Flea Market went off without a hitch!!
Now while the Flea Market was in full swing we were also hosting a seminar conducted by John Sellers on how to research historic homes
and/or buildings. We had a great turn out for it as well, and everyone said it was very informative and that John’s presentation was very
interesting and most enjoyable. The Genealogical Library was kind enough to allows us to use their facilities, which provided the ideal
setting and we would like to thank them for all their help. We would also like to thank Judy Gilreath of Judy’s Kitchen for the box lunch that
each attendee enjoyed. Two great events on one day and both hosted by the Sulphur Springs Downtown Business Alliance, how’s that for
multi- tasking??
We have lot’s more to come for the downtown, but I’ll talk about all that next time.
So until “next time”, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
2007 News letters - Click here
“What’s New Downtown?” September 19, 2008
by Rita Edwards
Are you as excited about how Main Street is looking as I am? It’s looking absolutely beautiful !!! Love the street lights, trees and
landscaping, it’s really fantastic. There’s even a water feature on the northwest corner of Main! The bricks are here and due to start going
down on the 15th of September and will take about two to three weeks to complete. I’ve seen a lot of folks walking up and down Main
Street at night since the street lights went up, and if you haven’t done so yet, you need to. Eugene and I went last Friday night for a stroll
down Main and it was so nice. I can’t wait for the rest of the streets and the square to be finished, it’s going to be just wonderful. You
know, when this all started I made Marc Maxwell promise me Main Street would be finished before the Car Show (Oct. 25th), and it looks
like he’s going to deliver! Way to go Marc!! Well, actually I guess I should be giving most of the acalades to the City employees that have
done all the work, so here’s a great big “THANK YOU” for all your hard work and a “JOB WELL DONE” for your dedication to getting it
done on time and in all kinds of weather.
Now when you go to look at Main Street, I hope you will also notice the new clothing store, “oneOeight” which opened last Saturday, the
30th. Amanda Mead and Crystal Barnhardt are the owners and are very excited about their new business. They have womens clothing,
such as dresses, jeans, tops, as well as handbags, jewelry and other accessories, so make sure you go by and welcome them to downtown.
Their hours are Monday through Friday 10am to 6pm and Saturday’s 9am to 5pm. Another piece of good news I can share is that work has
begun on Lou Viney’s and they will be open in November. I’ve also learned that we should start seeing some action pretty soon at the old
Knight’s Head Inn building, which will eventually be Cibo Vino Steaks. I’ve also heard it through the grapevine that there will be a sports
restaurant coming to Main Street, don’t have any facts or “for sure’s” about that just yet, so let’s keep our fingers crossed! Now wouldn’t
that be wonderful to have three new restaurants on Main Street, well actually four, because there is a Mexican food restaurant opening
where Judy’s Kitchen was! They should be open any day if they haven’t already.
I want to remind you about our next Movie Night on the Square, it’s September 26th, and in case you forgot and haven’t heard we will be
showing Secondhand Lions. It’s a great family movie. Hope to see you there.
I can’t end this article without mentioning this and I know I’m jumping the gun a little, but we are going to have a very special event on Main
Street for Christmas, December 5th, look for something including snow, and tubes!!!!!
So until “next time”, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
by Rita Edwards
Are you as excited about how Main Street is looking as I am? It’s looking absolutely beautiful !!! Love the street lights, trees and
landscaping, it’s really fantastic. There’s even a water feature on the northwest corner of Main! The bricks are here and due to start going
down on the 15th of September and will take about two to three weeks to complete. I’ve seen a lot of folks walking up and down Main
Street at night since the street lights went up, and if you haven’t done so yet, you need to. Eugene and I went last Friday night for a stroll
down Main and it was so nice. I can’t wait for the rest of the streets and the square to be finished, it’s going to be just wonderful. You
know, when this all started I made Marc Maxwell promise me Main Street would be finished before the Car Show (Oct. 25th), and it looks
like he’s going to deliver! Way to go Marc!! Well, actually I guess I should be giving most of the acalades to the City employees that have
done all the work, so here’s a great big “THANK YOU” for all your hard work and a “JOB WELL DONE” for your dedication to getting it
done on time and in all kinds of weather.
Now when you go to look at Main Street, I hope you will also notice the new clothing store, “oneOeight” which opened last Saturday, the
30th. Amanda Mead and Crystal Barnhardt are the owners and are very excited about their new business. They have womens clothing,
such as dresses, jeans, tops, as well as handbags, jewelry and other accessories, so make sure you go by and welcome them to downtown.
Their hours are Monday through Friday 10am to 6pm and Saturday’s 9am to 5pm. Another piece of good news I can share is that work has
begun on Lou Viney’s and they will be open in November. I’ve also learned that we should start seeing some action pretty soon at the old
Knight’s Head Inn building, which will eventually be Cibo Vino Steaks. I’ve also heard it through the grapevine that there will be a sports
restaurant coming to Main Street, don’t have any facts or “for sure’s” about that just yet, so let’s keep our fingers crossed! Now wouldn’t
that be wonderful to have three new restaurants on Main Street, well actually four, because there is a Mexican food restaurant opening
where Judy’s Kitchen was! They should be open any day if they haven’t already.
I want to remind you about our next Movie Night on the Square, it’s September 26th, and in case you forgot and haven’t heard we will be
showing Secondhand Lions. It’s a great family movie. Hope to see you there.
I can’t end this article without mentioning this and I know I’m jumping the gun a little, but we are going to have a very special event on Main
Street for Christmas, December 5th, look for something including snow, and tubes!!!!!
So until “next time”, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
“What’s New Downtown?” October 15, 2008
by Rita Edwards
What’s next?? That’s the question I keep hearing everyday since Main Street opened. Perhaps you saw the picture of the “Farmers Market”
in the paper last week. If not, it’s a really interesting idea. It will be a covered, but open style area that can be used for muti- purposes. Most
days it will be a farmers market, but when we have special events on Main Street it can be used for those as well. The possibilities are
endless. It will be two story in height with a balcony that will allow for seating on the second level with a fantastic view of Main Street!! Pretty
neat, uh?
The next street scheduled for the “Main Street” treatment is Connally, but it will take a while for that to happen since it’s a State Highway. We
have to get it approved with TXDOT before anything can happen. But, don’t despair, it won’t be too awfully far in the future. There are also
plans in the works for new signage to prohibit big trucks from the square, unless they are making deliveries. There again TXDOT has to be
involved so that usually means less than expedient results. I’m not trying to knock TXDOT by any means, it’s just when the State is involved
nothing moves quickly. It’s just a fact of life.
What do you think about all the new parking spaces that have appeared since Main Street has been completed? I think it’s really awesome
how they created parking where there was none before. I bet you’re all wondering about the “back in parking” right as you come off the square
onto Gilmer Street by Main Street General Store, now aren’t you? Well, think about it…..it’s a great way to slow people down that seem to
have the impression that this particular point of the square is a starting line and they shower down and see just how fast they can leave the
square!!! I think it’s a pretty inventive idea. Kudo’s to Marc Maxwell and Johnny Vance for their visions.
Some good news to report is that two of the buildings on Main Street are very close, as in any day now, to being sold. Actually, one of them
probably closed yesterday. I can’t really tell you just yet which buildings and what types of businesses will be coming, but they will be of great
benefit to Main Street and the downtown. It’s so exciting to see the interest in the available buildings, which means great things are still yet to
come!!!
Mark your calendars and make plans to attend our Car Show on October 25th., on the square. It’s our third year to host the Heritage Square
Rod Run and look forward to a really good show. Last year we had 94 participants and I’m hoping for as many if not more this year. With the
economy it’s kind of a toss up right now, but the shows we’ve been too didn’t seem to be effected so I’m hoping our show won’t either. I know
for sure of several “Show Winners” that will be here, so come on and join us, look at some of the nicest cars and trucks you’ve ever seen.
Please remember, don’t touch, don’t let your kids stand on the running boards or jump up on the side of the car to look inside. These vehicles
have had several thousands of dollars spent on them and the owners will get very upset. They will be happy to talk to you all day long and
answer any questions you have and show you everything about their “pride and joy” but just don’t touch. The show starts at 8am with the
awards being announced at 3pm. Remember you can vote on your favorite vehicle, just go by the Registration tent and pick up a “People’s
Choice Ballot” and vote on your favorite car, return it to the Registration tent when your done and we’ll do the rest. Also, remember to visit the
stores while you’re downtown, they’ll be having special sales that you’ll want to take advantage of. The Courthouse will open for tours so if you’
ve never had a “tour” of the courthouse here’s your chance.
We look forward to seeing you on the 25th……
So until “next time”, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
by Rita Edwards
What’s next?? That’s the question I keep hearing everyday since Main Street opened. Perhaps you saw the picture of the “Farmers Market”
in the paper last week. If not, it’s a really interesting idea. It will be a covered, but open style area that can be used for muti- purposes. Most
days it will be a farmers market, but when we have special events on Main Street it can be used for those as well. The possibilities are
endless. It will be two story in height with a balcony that will allow for seating on the second level with a fantastic view of Main Street!! Pretty
neat, uh?
The next street scheduled for the “Main Street” treatment is Connally, but it will take a while for that to happen since it’s a State Highway. We
have to get it approved with TXDOT before anything can happen. But, don’t despair, it won’t be too awfully far in the future. There are also
plans in the works for new signage to prohibit big trucks from the square, unless they are making deliveries. There again TXDOT has to be
involved so that usually means less than expedient results. I’m not trying to knock TXDOT by any means, it’s just when the State is involved
nothing moves quickly. It’s just a fact of life.
What do you think about all the new parking spaces that have appeared since Main Street has been completed? I think it’s really awesome
how they created parking where there was none before. I bet you’re all wondering about the “back in parking” right as you come off the square
onto Gilmer Street by Main Street General Store, now aren’t you? Well, think about it…..it’s a great way to slow people down that seem to
have the impression that this particular point of the square is a starting line and they shower down and see just how fast they can leave the
square!!! I think it’s a pretty inventive idea. Kudo’s to Marc Maxwell and Johnny Vance for their visions.
Some good news to report is that two of the buildings on Main Street are very close, as in any day now, to being sold. Actually, one of them
probably closed yesterday. I can’t really tell you just yet which buildings and what types of businesses will be coming, but they will be of great
benefit to Main Street and the downtown. It’s so exciting to see the interest in the available buildings, which means great things are still yet to
come!!!
Mark your calendars and make plans to attend our Car Show on October 25th., on the square. It’s our third year to host the Heritage Square
Rod Run and look forward to a really good show. Last year we had 94 participants and I’m hoping for as many if not more this year. With the
economy it’s kind of a toss up right now, but the shows we’ve been too didn’t seem to be effected so I’m hoping our show won’t either. I know
for sure of several “Show Winners” that will be here, so come on and join us, look at some of the nicest cars and trucks you’ve ever seen.
Please remember, don’t touch, don’t let your kids stand on the running boards or jump up on the side of the car to look inside. These vehicles
have had several thousands of dollars spent on them and the owners will get very upset. They will be happy to talk to you all day long and
answer any questions you have and show you everything about their “pride and joy” but just don’t touch. The show starts at 8am with the
awards being announced at 3pm. Remember you can vote on your favorite vehicle, just go by the Registration tent and pick up a “People’s
Choice Ballot” and vote on your favorite car, return it to the Registration tent when your done and we’ll do the rest. Also, remember to visit the
stores while you’re downtown, they’ll be having special sales that you’ll want to take advantage of. The Courthouse will open for tours so if you’
ve never had a “tour” of the courthouse here’s your chance.
We look forward to seeing you on the 25th……
So until “next time”, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
“What’s New Downtown?” - October 30, 2008
by Rita Edwards
Car Show – Successful? You bet !! Even though we were down on car count from last year due to several reasons, we had 66 this year, the
quality of entries was outstanding and just short of amazing. The Judges were ready to commit mutiny; it was so tough to single out the
winners. I can count six entries off the top of my head that have won at the Goodguy’s Show, which is one of the most prestigious show in the
country. So if you didn’t get up to the square on Saturday you really missed an awesome display of cars and trucks, and I have only one thing
to say to you, “Shame on You.”
Now, don’t let me have to say “Shame on You” again by missing the Flea Market November 8th from 8am to 4pm. So make plans to come by
and check out all the vendors that will be set up on the square and down Main Street. Of course you don’t want to forget about shopping in all
the stores, because they will be having some terrific sales for Christmas that you just can’t pass up. Want a spot for your own? Just call either
one of these numbers, 903-348-3014 or 903-439-0862 and we will fix you up. We have three different size spaces available at $10, $15 &
$20 bucks, what a deal!! The spaces are going fast, so if you are interested call now. Remember this money goes back into the downtown
one way or another.
We will begin decorating the square for Christmas in November. Since we are only able to get enough help together on Sunday afternoons,
we have to start early getting everything up. It’s a pet peeve of mine when people start putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving
(just a personal thing) and here I am doing the very same thing, but in this case it can’t be helped. There are so few of us to work and
scheduling a time has turned into a nightmare, so we don’t have any other choice. The City will put the new tree up on the weekend after
Thanksgiving and have Main Street all decorated and ready to go when we have our “lighting” December 6th. Speaking of Christmas, have
you got your spot picked out to watch the Christmas Parade from on Saturday night? Better yet, have you started building your float?
Remember this year it’s at night and every entry has to be lighted, be it floats, cars, bicycles, horses or marching bands, whatever!! It’s going
to be really, really neat. Of course the payoff is even better with around $10,000.00 be given away as prize money. So why not enter??
Questions about entering? No problem, contact any Lions Club member or any member of the Downtown Business Alliance, we all have entry
forms with all the rules and information necessary. Don’t know any of the Lions Club members, then contact Matt Brown at Guaranty Bond
Bank, he’s President of the Lions Club and can certainly help you. I have much more to tell you about what’s happening for Christmas, but I’m
waiting to spring that on you closer to December……
In the meantime, thought I’d let you know that Rick Murray is quietly working on Cibo Vino Steaks (old Knightshead Inn on Main Street) and
that there are a couple of buildings that have sold for sure on Main Street that I mentioned in my last article. I still can’t tell you what’s going in
those two just yet, but as soon as I get the word you’ll be the first to know!! The other building is still in the selling process, but hopefully it will
take place in the very near future. Of course Lou Viney’s will be opening on November 4th, so make plans to go by and check them out. I
understand their food is just wonderful!! You know by this time next year we just “might” have at least three new restaurants on Main
Street……hint, hint….
So until “next time”, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”
by Rita Edwards
Car Show – Successful? You bet !! Even though we were down on car count from last year due to several reasons, we had 66 this year, the
quality of entries was outstanding and just short of amazing. The Judges were ready to commit mutiny; it was so tough to single out the
winners. I can count six entries off the top of my head that have won at the Goodguy’s Show, which is one of the most prestigious show in the
country. So if you didn’t get up to the square on Saturday you really missed an awesome display of cars and trucks, and I have only one thing
to say to you, “Shame on You.”
Now, don’t let me have to say “Shame on You” again by missing the Flea Market November 8th from 8am to 4pm. So make plans to come by
and check out all the vendors that will be set up on the square and down Main Street. Of course you don’t want to forget about shopping in all
the stores, because they will be having some terrific sales for Christmas that you just can’t pass up. Want a spot for your own? Just call either
one of these numbers, 903-348-3014 or 903-439-0862 and we will fix you up. We have three different size spaces available at $10, $15 &
$20 bucks, what a deal!! The spaces are going fast, so if you are interested call now. Remember this money goes back into the downtown
one way or another.
We will begin decorating the square for Christmas in November. Since we are only able to get enough help together on Sunday afternoons,
we have to start early getting everything up. It’s a pet peeve of mine when people start putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving
(just a personal thing) and here I am doing the very same thing, but in this case it can’t be helped. There are so few of us to work and
scheduling a time has turned into a nightmare, so we don’t have any other choice. The City will put the new tree up on the weekend after
Thanksgiving and have Main Street all decorated and ready to go when we have our “lighting” December 6th. Speaking of Christmas, have
you got your spot picked out to watch the Christmas Parade from on Saturday night? Better yet, have you started building your float?
Remember this year it’s at night and every entry has to be lighted, be it floats, cars, bicycles, horses or marching bands, whatever!! It’s going
to be really, really neat. Of course the payoff is even better with around $10,000.00 be given away as prize money. So why not enter??
Questions about entering? No problem, contact any Lions Club member or any member of the Downtown Business Alliance, we all have entry
forms with all the rules and information necessary. Don’t know any of the Lions Club members, then contact Matt Brown at Guaranty Bond
Bank, he’s President of the Lions Club and can certainly help you. I have much more to tell you about what’s happening for Christmas, but I’m
waiting to spring that on you closer to December……
In the meantime, thought I’d let you know that Rick Murray is quietly working on Cibo Vino Steaks (old Knightshead Inn on Main Street) and
that there are a couple of buildings that have sold for sure on Main Street that I mentioned in my last article. I still can’t tell you what’s going in
those two just yet, but as soon as I get the word you’ll be the first to know!! The other building is still in the selling process, but hopefully it will
take place in the very near future. Of course Lou Viney’s will be opening on November 4th, so make plans to go by and check them out. I
understand their food is just wonderful!! You know by this time next year we just “might” have at least three new restaurants on Main
Street……hint, hint….
So until “next time”, keep asking, “What’s new downtown?”