Parade Is Saturday

— The Gravette High School Marching Band, the Color Guard, floats and other entries are readying for the annual pre-Christmas parade which will kick off at noon this Saturday, December 12.

Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the parade will attract a crowd of holiday revelers, especially children who will be waiting to greet Santa as he arrives during the parade.

He will be available afterwards to meet the children and hear their Christmas lists at the Bank of Gravett community room.

Patrick Hall, Chamberspokesperson, said there will be free cookies and hot chocolate to help warm cheeks and brighten the holiday spirit.

There will be prizes for the best entries in the parade, Hall said, and added there will be a special category to benefit the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. Contact Hall, 479-790-7296, on how you can participate in this special project.

Parade entries will line up shortly after 11 a.m. near the Civic Center, will travel west on Charlotte, north on Highway 59, then east on Main Street.

Bands’ Concert Tuesday

Gravette school bands will present their Christmas concert next Tuesday evening, December 15, at the GHS Performing Arts Center.

The program will start at 7 p.m. There is no admission.

According to Mike Johnson, band director, the Beginning Band and Junior High Band will perform from 7 to 8 p.m.

Their performances will be followed by the 43-member High School Band from 8 to 9 p.m. Also on the program will be selections by the 30-member Jazz Band.

The program will feature traditional Christmas and seasonal selections and the public is invited and encouraged to attend the entire performance.

Council Meet Was Changed; Will Meet This Thursday

The Gravette City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, which was scheduled for last Thursday night, was postponed.

The Committee will meet this Thursday, December 10, at 5:30 p.m. at the City Hall, to consider its previously announced agenda items and possibly others that may be added.

Love Lighting Tree Ceremony Scheduled

This Friday evening, December 11, at 7 p.m. a tree in Centennial Park will glow with red, white and blue Christmas lights during the traditional Love Lights a Tree ceremony.

This is the 14th annual lighting in this project to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

The public is invited to attend the brief ceremony when names of those recognized will be read.

New Columnist

The News Herald welcomes a new columnist this week. Marie Putman will be writing, we hope, at least every couple of weeks.

She and her husband, Jerry, formerly lived in the Gravette area. They now make their home in Rogers.We have published many of her columns which ran in the Rogers Hometown News weekly newspaper.

Read her first column this week. See how she remembers her days in Gravette. Welcome home, Marie.

News, Pages 1 on 12/09/2009