East Texas

By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

KILGORE — The lambs were growing restless in the chilled air. Their handlers, members of Kilgore High School’s Future Farmers of America, were dressed as shepherds. They grabbed the animals’ tethers tightly as they prepared for the feature performance: the grand finale of Kilgore’s Christmas in the Patch.

The event has taken place for 20 years, and this was the first time it featured a living nativity, replete with live animals and volunteers dressed as Mary, Joseph, wise men and angels.

The ceremony marks the lighting of Christmas stars atop the derricks on the World’s Richest Acre. The tradition harkens back to the late 1930s, when Liggett N. Crim had Knox Lamb string lights on one of Crim’s oil derricks near the downtown train depot. The tradition spread through town and, by 1966, the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce estimated more than 15,000 feet of wire were strung over derricks throughout town, twinkling in more than 8,000 bulbs.

The Christmas in the Patch celebration started in 1987 and, on the 20th anniversary, the Kilgore Historical Preservation Society pulled out all the stops. The program began at 6 p.m. with performances by the Kilgore College band, Rangerettes and twirlers. At 6:30, historical society founders Rob Schelier, Mickey Smith and Ronnie Spradlin flipped the switch to light the downtown oil derricks.

For Ginger Dean, a Kilgore native with generations of family who worked in the oil fields in the heyday of the boom, the ceremony reflected the town’s rich history.
“It’s crazy. We are knee-deep in Kilgore’s heritage,” she said.

Ms. Dean has attended the Christmas in the Patch ceremonies for many years, and each year is a little bit different.

“It seems like they always add something, and they always try to do something funny,” she said.

This year, husband and wife team Debbie Dane and John Whitehead performed classic Hollywood Christmas tunes originally sung by Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. Dr. Opal Stewart, a retired Kilgore College nursing instructor, warmed the crowd with her impression of “Hee-Haw’s” Minnie Pearl.

Ms. Dean’s daughter, 4-year-old Mikenzie, marveled at the Kilgore High School Hi-Steppers, who danced to “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.”

“She loves to dance,” Ms. Dean said.

Other children danced on the fringes of the lighted stage as the Lake Cherokee Line Dancers did a tambourine dance to “The Love Bug.” A number of soloists led the audience in Christmas carols, and high school and community dance teams performed holiday-themed routines.

A team of 10 volunteers served on the Christmas in the Patch Committee. The group worked year-round to organize the celebration, which will be featured in the December issue of Southern Living Magazine.

This was the third year Deana Bolton Covin served as the event’s producer, and the former Rangerette director wondered at the amount of work it took to pull the celebration off.

“When I was Rangerette director and I told someone to do something, they did it,” she said. “But now, when I would tell someone to do something, they told me how they would do it differently.”

The input from the Christmas in the Patch committee members paid off, Ms. Covin said.

“I had such good helpers and they all did their part so well,” she said.

Minutes after the last carol ended and the shepherds herded their flocks off to nearby travel trailers, Ms. Covin sighed with a mixture of relief and satisfaction.
“I am very, very pleased.”

TRADITION: Oil derricks in Kilgore decorated with Christmas lights were lit up Thursday night as part of the annual Christmas in the Patch.
((Staff Photo By Cindy Mallette))