Empty Stocking Fund
Donations are being accepted for the Empty Stocking Fund which provides clothing and a toy to local needy children. School officials are consulted to determine the recipients. Donations may be made at Friona InterBank or given to project co-chairs Holly Campbell or Jyl Grimsley.
Project Christmas Card
The Parmer County Hospital Auxiliary is accepting donations for the Project Christmas Card. The proceeds will be used to purchase medical equipment for Parmer Medical Center. Canisters/boxes are placed around town in various businesses for the collection of donations. The names of donors will be included in a special Christmas Greeting Card in the Friona Star newspaper. Please make sure you put your name with ALL donations. You can contact Connie Neeley (250-2542) or Donna Schueler (295-3585) for more information.
Adopt a Resident for Christmas
The Prairie Acres "Adopt a Resident this Christmas" program is underway. It's an opportunity to bring JOY to a resident at Prairie Acres. Please contact Elizabeth or Yvette at 806-250-3922 to help provide a Merry Christmas to a special member of our community.
Adopt a Tree
Thirteen more trees are available for adoption. Thirty-six trees were designated for businesses to adopt and donate an entire set of lights for that tree each year during the Christmas season. Differing colors of lights, i.e. blues, greens, reds, yellows and orange, are available. The Chamber of Commerce will put up, take down, and store the lights each year.
Ho! Ho! Home for the Holiday
The "Shop Friona" promotion began on November 12th. Each customer receives one ticket per visit at participating stores. The promotion ends on December 16th. There will be a drawing at each store from its tickets and that winner will receive $25 in Friona Bucks to be spent with that Merchant. Tickets from all of the stores will be combined for a final drawing. One lucky winner will receive $100 in Friona Bucks.
Give to the United Way
You can bring your donation to Friona Interbank at 1105 N. Cleveland or mail it to Friona Interbank, P.O. Box 549, Friona, Texas 79035.
Drive-bye Retirement — make sure you drive by the drive-bye retirement event for Rhonda Wilkins on Tuesday at Parmer Medical Center. Drive in, wish Rhonda the best, receive punch and cookies, drive away. You can do that!
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AAA Regional Championship Football Game — Abernathy and Lubbock Roosevelt will battle for the AAA Region 1 title Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Jones AT&T Stadium (Texas Tech) in Lubbock. The Antelopes (12-1) and Eagles (13-0) are both from District 4-AAA and Roosevelt won the first matchup 58-56 earlier in the year. Abernathy defeated the Chieftains in the first round of the playoffs.
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Christmas in the Park — the event will be bigger and better than ever this year. More lights, more food, more activities, and more fun. The City of Friona, Chamber of Commerce, Michael Bautista (Robertson Electric), and TW&M LLC have worked overtime to prepare Main Street and the park for the celebration on Monday.
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Save the Date — Christmas Band Concert at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 14th in the Junior High Auditorium. Sounds good to me.
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Football Wrap-up next week — next week's edition of the Friona Star will include a wrap-up of the football season including All-District selections and photos.
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Can you hear me now? — for some time the State of Texas has had a financial agreement with local communications companies to provide service for rural areas of the state. The costs of providing that service is reimbursed from a state-administered fund that collects fees from phone customers across the state. Because of changes in consumer habits, that fund has been steadily depleted and no action to replenish it has been taken by either the Governor of Texas or the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) which oversees it. A lawsuit is currently at the Third Court of Appeals. Loss of telephone service in rural areas is a possibility and that includes 911 service. Call your Texas congressmen.
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Cookie Day — The English word "cookie" is derived from the Dutch word koekie, meaning "little cake." Hard cookie-like wafers have existed for as long as baking has been documented. However, they were usually not sweet enough to be considered cookies by modern-day standards. The origin of the cookie appears to begin in Persia in the 7th century, soon after the use of sugar became common in the region. They then spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. Cookies were common at all levels of society throughout Europe by the 14th century, from the royal cuisine to the street vendors. Cookies arrived in America in the 17th century. Macaroons and gingerbread cookies were among the popular early American cookies.
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National Days
December 2:
Special Education Day
December 3:
Bartender Day
December 4:
Cookie Day
December 5:
Repeal Day
December 6:
Microwave Day
December 7:
Pearl Harbor Day
December 8:
Brownie Day
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You better watch out! No crying or pouting either! Why? Because Santa Claus is making a stop in Friona. The big guy wearing red is in the middle of his naughty & nice tour and sources say that he has been making a list and checking it twice. Santa will be in town to take photos with the kids and collect pre-orders for Christmas gifts. His expected arrival time is 4:00 p.m. next Monday.
Mayor Ricky White will provide a welcome and opening remarks at the 2021 Christmas in the Park event. The Mayor will then introduce Santa Claus as he arrives with Miss Friona Breanna Godinez and Little Miss Friona Nyah Cano. Next, Breanna, Nyah, and Elves will hand out candy canes. Santa will then move inside the Depot to give the anxious and/or apprehensive children a chance to tell him what they want for Christmas and maybe take a picture.
Other activities in the park will include: a Cookie Decorating Station with the cookies provided; a Wreath Decoration Station where you can bring your own or buy one to decorate; Food Trailers including Godfather's Pizza, Amigos, Taqueria Trejo, and more.
More activities include: Visiting and taking pictures with Santa; Christmas Carols sung by the FHS Choir; Pony Rides with Frio the Pony; Letter Writing to Santa Station; The Chieftain Tree, the first red and white Christmas Light Tree; Adopt a Tree by Local Businesses; and the Light Parade down Main Street and around the park!
The Christmas in the Park celebration will begin at 4:00 p.m. and will conclude around 7:00 p.m. Be there!!!
In the photo above — Kyle Lambert, chamber board member and Cargill employee, and his son John Wyatt watch as a big tree in the park gets "lit up".
