`Holiday in the Park' exceeds expectations

Sounds of gospel music mixed with Christmas carols filled Winchester Park Saturday night as over 300 people attended the first annual "Holiday in the Park." Sponsored by Keep Chandler Beautiful, individuals and groups from most of the area churches put on a rousing songfest that kept the crowd clapping and singing along for over two hours.

The admission was free. Proceeds from the event will go towards the purchasing of seasonal and City banners that will be placed on the electric poles on Highway 31 and FM 315 in Chandler.

"Holiday in the Park exceeded all of our expectations, " said Rick Ford, incoming KCB president. "With this being the first year we weren't really sure what to expect, but everything went off without a hitch. There sure is a lot of talent here in our area. I heard several people comment that they hoped this turned into a yearly event."

Although a few raindrops were felt just before the start of the event, shortly after an opening prayer that included a request for good weather the skies cleared almost immediately as the singing got underway.

"We are so grateful to the churches that chose to participate as well as all of the businesses that made contributions, " Ford added.

"KCB would like to also thank Rick Daily for providing the sound and Stanley McCurley for cooking the chili. The biggest thanks go to Shirley Parmer and the girls at City Hall for coming up with and coordinating the event.

Thanks to everyone's generosity and hard work we can look forward to having some very nice banners for our city in the near future."

The City of Chandler and Keep Chandler Beautiful wish to thank the following Holiday in the Park sponsors:

Bailey Electric, Brookshire's, Chandler & Brownsboro Statesman, Chandler Drug, Citizens State Bank, Crestview Properties, Crist Development, Distant Land, Dr Pepper, Felix Exelbierd, DDS, Forget Me Not Flowers & Gifts, J&S Rentals, Kidd Jones, Pepsi, Sonic Drive In, Southside State Bank, Stan's Backhoe Service, Stone Brothers' Coffee, and Tyler Beverage.