KILGORE
Kilgore is that type of unique, special place that creates memories for years to come. Located in the lush piney woods of East Texas, Kilgore brings southern hospitality and big Texas energy together. The city’s rich oil boom heritage is present with the towering steel oil derrick monuments topped with stars that give us our namesake “The City of Stars”.
Fall and winter are particularly special times to visit. As the leaves turn, Kilgore celebrates the season with lively festivals and gatherings. Our downtown comes alive with the flavors and festivities of Oktoberfest, the lighting of our historic oil derricks, to the annual Christmas parade that brings joy to residents and visitors.
happening around town, be sure to go to VisitKilgore.com and follow us on social media @VisitKilgore for all the latest updates.
We can’t wait to welcome you to our beautiful town!
We would love for you to experience the magic of Kilgore this season! For more information on what’s
1108 N. Kilgore Street, Kilgore, Texas 75662 (903) 984-5022 www.kilgorechamber.com
815 N. Kilgore Street , Kilgore, TX 75662 (903) 988-4113 | (903) 218-6896 www.kilgoremainstreet.com www.visitkilgore.com
DANVILLE TREE FARMS
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
Kilgore Mercantile & Music
Downtown Kilgore 5-8 p.m.
Vendors, Kids Activities, Entertainment, Derrick lighting
Virginia Pine Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands
Dodson Auditorium, Kilgore
Forest Home Baptist Church, 15746 County Rd 173 N, Kilgore 6-9 p.m.
Free to the public
SMITTY’S FIREARMS
MAKE MEMORIES THIS SEASON!
As the nights grow longer and the weather cools down, Kilgore has so much waiting for you. Join in the fun of Oktoberfest or take a bike down BigHead Creek Mountain Bike Trail.
BIGHEAD CREEK MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL
BigHead Creek Mountain Bike Trail, offers a thrilling outdoor adventure for biking enthusiasts of all skill levels. This trail features a mix of challenging terrain, wooded paths, and open spaces. With well-maintained routes and beautiful fall views, it's a great spot for those looking to enjoy a day of active recreation in nature. Whether you're a seasoned biker or a beginner, BigHead Creek MTB Trail promises an exciting and invigorating experience in Kilgore.
OKTOBERFEST
Kilgore Oktoberfest is a lively annual celebration that brings the community together for a day of German-inspired fun. Held in Historic Downtown Kilgore, this festive event features a range of activities including music by The Royal Klobasneks, delicious German food, and a beer garden. Attendees can enjoy the live entertainment, shop local vendors, and even participate in a stein-holding competition. Kilgore Oktoberfest is a must-visit fall event that offers a perfect mix of culture, entertainment, and local flavor.
DANVILLE TREE FARMS
Danville Tree Farms located on the outskirts of Kilgore. They grow quality Virginia Pine for Christmas trees. The farm is opened to the public in late November around Thanksgiving each year and makes family fun and holiday memories top priority to everyone’s list. Hayrides will take you across the fields to pick and cut your own if you want or they will do it for you. Handmade wreaths, garland and other items can also be found.
Owned by James and Mary Robinson the tree farm has been in existence since 1986. Due to their popularity the trees sell fast. Be sure and watch their Facebook page where they post how many trees are left. For more information please call 903-520-8929 or visit them at 2000 Danville Rd., Kilgore, Tx.
Keeper of the LIGHTS
BY LUCAS STROUGH
Previously published in the Kilgore News Herald
It’s a sight as familiar as any in Kilgore: the blazing bright neon letters spelling out “Merry Xmas” and “Happy New Year” mounted high up on oil derricks at the World’s Richest Acre.
They are the focus of the annual Lighting of the Derricks, held each year in downtown Kilgore for decades.
According to Mayor Ronnie Spradlin and City Clerk Rachel Rowe, the city owns and maintains downtown lights on sidewalks and streets, but the lights and letters on the derricks are maintained by Kilgore Historical Preservation Foundation.
KHPF was chartered in January 1987 by organizing board members Mayor Mickey Smith, City Commissioner Rob Schleier and at-large member Ronnie Spradlin.
In February of that year, the first steel derrick was erected at the Acre and work continued on several more. When the holiday season rolled around, the derricks which had been built were decorated with Christmas lights, and KHPF, along with the Kilgore Improvement and Beautification Association, placed the first holiday banner on the derricks.
“It was the tradition back in the ‘30s,” KHPF board member Gem Meacham said of the Christmas decorations on the derricks.
“With the stars on top and ‘Merry Xmas’ and ‘Happy New Year,’ all of that was historical and all of that was recreating what was done.”
By the early 2000s, many more derricks had been built and Kilgore was really getting into the holiday spirit with a Trail of Lights, a fireworks show and downtown events. Soon after that came the much-beloved inclusion of Rangerettes and other dance and drill teams to add some dancing flair to the derrick lighting. Rangerette Director Deana Bolton Covin directed the event for several years after retiring from leading the team, and the Chamber of Commerce eventually assumed the leadership role of the derrick lighting and oversees it to this day.
KHPF is in charge of making sure the lights are maintained, repaired and, most importantly, flicker to life when the time is right.
Interest in reviving the holiday traditions and decorations of yesteryear came from an article describing the simple majesty of the derrick lights.
“When Gary Ford was working for Southern Living, he wrote a story about coming home at Thanksgiving and seeing lights on the stars,” Meacham said.
Ford, a native son, worked for the magazine for decades, and his article in the early 1990s sparked some of the original interest in restoring the
city’s historic skyline, a nod to its roots in the East Texas Oil Boom.
Additionally, KHPF selects a person each year to “throw the switch” at the derrick lighting, powering up the light fixtures on the derricks and ringing in the Christmas season Kilgore-style.
KHPF selects a person each year who has gone to extraordinary means, through volunteerism or investment, of supporting the foundation and its goals of historical preservation in the city.
Last year, Darryl Gilcoat was chosen to throw the switch in recognition of his many years as a chairman on the derrick board.
Meacham said KHPF relies on charitable contributions to keep up with the maintenance of the Christmas
CHARLES MILLER
lights and also make use of grants from the city from its Hotel Occupancy Tax fund, because the derrick lighting and other holiday attractions draw so many out-of-town visitors.
But whose job is it to actually scale up the towering derricks and replace a fizzled-out bulb or misaligned letter?
“It used to be volunteers. Ronnie Spradlin climbed it once and he said never again,” Meacham laughed.
“Charles Miller, he’s now deceased, but he was the man who put most of the derricks in the air, and he would climb the derricks every holiday season,” she said.
Now a local commercial firm, Longview Lights, handles the high-flying portions of the job.
“It takes a team of volunteers and the electrician and someone willing to actually climb up the towers,” she said, noting the derrick board has discussed plans to upgrade some of the current lights (some of which have been in use for over a decade) to LED bulbs, which are brighter.
Ximena Garcia, 2 (right) and Genesis Estrella, 8, watch Earl Lohr play the banjo during 'A Very Derrick Christmas' downtown in 2017. The annual derrick lighting ceremony is hosted by Kilgore Historical Preservation Foundation to kick-off the holidays.
The famous “Merry Xmas” and “Happy New Year” signs are stored by the city until it’s time to deck the halls, or the derricks in this case.
“It’s quite a deal to get them up!” Meacham said of the holiday decorations.
“The derrick committee works year round to get that up.”
