Saturday was a Perfect Day for Forney’s Hometown Christmas

Don Purdum
Post Editor

December 8, 2008

Saturday could not have been a more perfect day for Forney’s Hometown Christmas (FHTC). The weather was cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon, as thousands from Forney and the surrounding area came to downtown Forney to enjoy a parade, Christmas entertainment, food, and lots of fun.

Always popular, this year the parade returned and watchers gathered along Center Street and around Main Street to view holiday floats. Participants in this year’s parade included the Forney Police and Fire Departments, Girl Scouts dressed as presents, County dignitaries, and various non-profits and businesses dressed in seasonal attire.

Children were treated to a special moment when Santa Claus appeared on the last float with his elves. Santa exited the float to excited children waiting to meet him, and was escorted to the main stage by the Forney Boy Scouts and Mayor Pro-Tem James Hatley.

Moments later, the festivities kicked off when Mayor Pro-Tem Hatley gave the Key to the City to Santa Claus.

“I have the best job today,” said Hatley. “I get to welcome Santa Claus to our community.”

One of the most exciting events at FHTC over the last two years has been the Pie Eating Contest. Nineteen participants gathered on the main stage, including defending 2007 champion Bruno Ruest. Each participant had an opportunity to win a 42” plasma HDTV.

With fans screaming excitedly from the crowd for a parent, loved one, or friend, participants ate as much cherry pie as fast as they could, while not being able to use their hands in any capacity to aid them.

After several minutes of sloppily eating the pies, Bruno Ruest was once again crowned as the champion of FHTC Pie Eating Contest and awarded the 42” HDTV.

There were a lot of fun and interesting things for the entire family at FHTC, including live entertainment, games and bounce houses, bingo, and great food.

For the kids, there was a petting zoo full of rabbits, goats, and small farm animals. There were also pony rides, cowboy lasso games, rock climbing, and numerous bounce houses.

Of course, what would a day at FHTC be without Santa Claus? Kids, and some adults, one-by-one personally met with Santa at the County’s garden pavilion and shared what was on their hearts and minds for Christmas.

In addition to vendors who introduced lots of different items for sale, several non-profits were on-site to share with guests how they could help make a difference for a child or family in need during the holiday season.

Each year, the Forney Lions Club participates in the Angel Tree program, which helps provide toys and clothing at Christmas to children less fortunate in our community.

According to Darren Rozell, Lions Club member, “175 angels were adopted today in addition to the 35 angels that were previously adopted.”

In addition, Santa Cops is a new program to the Forney Police Department. With help from the Forney Rotary Club, the police department is gathering toys and clothing for families that need assistance during the holiday season.

On Saturday, toys were given to the Santa Cops program, along with $200 total in cash donations.

Before Christmas, police officers will be delivering the items to the families, along with a Christmas dinner.

At 4:00 p.m., another new event happened that helped both citizens and the Forney Police Department when the bicycle auction got underway.

Over the course of the last year, either lost or stolen bicycles have been collecting at the police department, with no owner to claim them.

The police department cleaned, repaired, and placed identification numbers on seventeen bicycles for the auction.

The Forney PD reports that total bids received were $794 dollars, and that several of the winning bidders donated the bicycles back to the Santa Cops program.

Closing the day, the City Council, Staff, and citizens gathered around the newly official Forney Christmas Tree in a lighting ceremony.

“This is a new tradition in the City of Forney, we hope,” said City Manager Brian Brooks.

Brooks stated, “The tree was a gift from the Forney Power and Light, and I’m very proud this is here this year. This is a 26’ tree with thousands of lights.”

Before lighting the Christmas Tree, Mayor Pro-Tem James Hatley said, “I do want to thank everyone for their hard work. The two co-chairs Denise and Susan, their committee, the chamber, the city staff. This has been an incredible event for the City of Forney.”

With that, Mayor Pro-Tem Hatley lit the beautiful tree, and the day came to an end.



The Forney Hometown Christmas Committee was made of Co-Chairs Denise Bell and Susan Seabolt, Event Coordinator Ryan Kile, and Parade Organizer Skip Weatherford.