Come Celebrate Christmas In The Valley

Bill Warren, Annette Trefzger and Mickey Howley examine some of the art they had just finished hanging for the opening Friday night of the Fifth Annual Holiday Miniature Art Show at Bozarts, part of Christmas in the Valley.

WATER VALLEY–Weather permitting, the Christmas season will get in high gear Friday night with Christmas in the Valley.
    Sponsored by the Water Valley Main Street Association and Chamber of Commerce, the event will be a fun, family holiday activity that boasts Christmas music, carriage rides, shopping and art show openings.
    The Christmas music gets underway at 5:30 with the youth choir from Spring Hill North Baptist Church. The Water Valley Community Band will perform from 6 to 6:45 p.m. and the children’s choir from First Baptist Church will take the stage at 7 p.m.
    There will also be horse and carriage rides up and down Main Street as an added attraction for the festive event.
    “Don’t forget our downtown businesses will be open late for extra shopping opportunities. This will be a great opportunity to shop local, keeping your money in Water Valley,” Chamber President Tyler Hill reported.
    Also during the event the Water Valley Junior Auxiliary will host Kids Christmas Depot in the meeting room at the Casey Jones Railroad Museum. For $10 the kids can get their pictures made with Santa on the caboose, enjoy games and other activities, and cocoa and cookies while their parents shop.
    The Junior Auxiliary will use the funds for help fund their “Project Santa.”

Art Show Opening
    Three art galleries will open their doors for openings during the big night–Yalo Studio, Bozarts and J.Claytons.
    At Yalo Studio, Coulter Fussell and Megan Kingery will host the opening of Moon Pies & RC Colas: Win-A-Trip-To-Chattanooga Sweepstakes. In this opening, scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m., Mike Howard returns for his second annual multiples show!
    It’s an art show, it’s a sweepstakes,” Fussell explains.
    Howard has painted 25 Moonpies and 25 RC Colas in oil on canvas to hang at the studio. He has numbered them on the front, in military stencil: 1 through 50.  Purchase a painting for $99 and the art doubles as your lottery ticket. At the close of the night, the gallery owners will spin a wheel to see whose lucky number is selected.
    The prize includes a two-night stay in Chattanooga, a new Thruster 700C Men’s Fixie Bike, a Radio Flyer Red Wagon, His and Hers Zebco 33 Spincast Combos, A Fraser Fir Christmas Tree from the B.T.C. Grocery, a keg of Yalobusha Brewing Company’s River Ale, a subscription to the Herald and others.
    At Bozarts, the opening of the Fifth Annual Holiday Miniature Art Show includes creative work by 38 artists, making it the gallery’s largest show of the year.
    The action at the gallery also includes live music and runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
    Across the street at J. Clayton’s Eclectic Art Studio, limited edition Bo Wallace prints by Ray Meifert will be offered.
    “Remember, an affordable, original piece of art makes an excellent gift,” reports Main Street Director Mickey Howley.
    Both Howley and Hill will be keeping a close eye on the weather as the Friday event nears. If inclement weather is too close for comfort, portions of the event may be rescheduled.

  Pre-activities of the annual Water Valley Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 7, will begin with Santa Claus arriving at ten o’clock in the morning. He will visit and have his picture made with the young children between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Santa Claus stated that he enjoyed last year’s visit on the Bandstand with all the young children and is looking forward to this year’s visit. Pictures of Santa Claus and each child will be made by Defining Moments Photography.
  The number one swinging holiday ensemble, “34th Street”, will perform on the Bandstand from 12 to 1 p.m., prior to the Christmas parade. The band’s motto is “Keepin’ Santa’s music real.”
    The band will play classic swinging Christmas songs from people like Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee, as well as more obscure, fun, off beat Christmas tunes from around the world. The 34th Street Band has a substantial number of original songs that they are quite proud of and are not afraid to re-purpose everyday music for Christmas use. For example, they play “Mustang Santa” to the tune of Wilson Pickett’s classic “Mustang Sally”, and “I’ve Been Good” to the tune of James Brown’s “I Feel Good”.
    The band features former “Yes Virginias” members, Kevin Guyer on guitar and vocals, Kerry O’ Donoghue on electric bass, Amy Fisher on keyboards, and William Gates on drums. Singer and trumpeter Melissa Ondrovcik completes the lineup.         Three of the five are from Water Valley and the other two are from Oxford.  
  Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the music prior to the parade.
  Raymond and Ora Lee Phillips have been selected as grand marshals of the 2013 Water Valley Christmas Parade. Raymond and Ora Lee are no strangers to Water Valley and the surrounding area. Through the years, the Phillips have been active members of organizations, clubs and their church, that have helped many people in the community and surrounding areas. They remain active ambassadors for the City of Water Valley and Yalobusha County. For their many years of service, love, and dedication to Yalobusha County, the City of Water Valley, and the surrounding community, the Tri-Lakes Fairground Association is proud to honor them as the Grand Marshals of the 2013 Water Valley Christmas Parade.
  On Saturday, December 7, beginning at 1 p.m. the grand marshals will lead the parade down Water Valley’s Main Street.
  Most of the entries from last year are returning, and in addition, there will be several new comers this year. The latest news update—Santa and Mrs. Claus will be flying in from the North Pole to be in the Christmas Parade on Saturday.
  The parade will be recorded and broadcast from the Downtown Bandstand and will be aired at a later date on the local channel. Broadcasting will be done by Master of Ceremonies Bobby Murphree. Recording the parade will be Morgan and Morgan of WO7BN-TV of Bruce.
    If you have not already entered the Christmas Parade line-up, but wish to have an entry, contact J. C. Womble at 473-3190 or email jcwomble53@yahoo.com or Bobby Murphree at 473-2501. We appreciate everyone who takes part in the parade. It’s never too late to enter and there’s NO entry fee.