The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 23

I Saturday, November 24, 1973 TV schedules sports and outdoors menu interesting people, places and ihings Nafchfoches Usfterein-' Yue Season valued at over $100,000. Stringing the lights across the city takes about 10 weeks. They remain lit until the day after New Years. Fireworks were added to the festival in 1936. That first display cost about $300.

Today, the two displays of fireworks cost over $2,000. The "Christmas Belles" have been added to the festival to back up Miss Merry Christmas. The Belles were chosen as runners-up to Miss Merry Christmas in a contest earlier this year. Anne Emmons of Natchitoches was chosen Miss Merry Christmas this year. She is the daughter of Mr.

and Mrs. Johnnie Emmons, and a senior at Natchitoches Central High School. She represents the Natchitoches festival at other festivals throughout the state. Miss Emmons will entertain with the Natchitoches Central Pom-Pon Girls Saturday as a featured twirler. The Belles are Frances Camille Wright, Kimberly Hellar Spear, Kim-berly Jane Hall, and Dianne Foshee.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Gahagan Jr. are general co-chairmen of the festival.

begin. This is scheduled for 7 p.m. By the way, Santa will be in his house for conversation with the kids from 4-6 p.m. on the riverbank. An evening of entertainment will be provided by Jose' Feliciano in the Prather Coliseum on the NSU campus following the fireworks.

Tickets are $4 each and are available at NSU. A morning service by the chaper choir of the First Church of Dallas, Texas will be presented Sunday in the First Baptist Church of Natchitoches. A candlelight music program in the First United Methodist Church, a carol service presenting the prophecy of Christmas, will begin at 7 p.m. The theme of the festival was selected for the first time this year by a contest. Mrs.

W. H. Pierson was the winner with the suggestion "Twas the Night Before Christmas." The festival has grown from a simple city street lighting for the Christmas season in 1927 to over 38 miles of wiring covering 30 city blocks, the riverbank and bridges with 175,000 bulbs now The Fried Chicken Country Band picks up the beat at 11 45 a.m. for an hour, also on the Riverbank. At 12:30 a junior parade will make its way through downtown Natchitoches.

But stick around, there will be another parade that day. It is to follow the Marion Cole Air Show doing the civilians pilots answer to the Thunderbirds. The aircraft will be performing for crowds along the riverbank. The main parade will end about 4 p.m. Then there is more daredevil stunting on the river, this time with the Caddo Ski Bees water skiing team, a regular at the festival.

The Harmon Drew Band will be on the loudspeaker from 5 p.m. along the riverbank. Gary Moore and the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas Youth Choir will usher in the Christmas spirit with a concert as night falls over the riverbank setting. Highlight of the festival is the moment when the Christmas lights are turned on all over the city and the fireworks display By Ron Grant (Town Talk State Editor) Tradition is an easy thing to understand in the City of Natchitoches. It is the oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase and was a community a hundred years before that.

The Christmas Festival held each year on the first Saturday in December in Natchitoches has become a tradition. Not only Natchitochians but for thousands of others who enjoy bringing in the Christmas spirit this special way. Any of the uninitiated reading of this festival for the first time and wondering what it is all about will have to take our word that Natchitoches is the place to be when the 47th Annual Christmas Festival begins Dec. 1 on the banks of Cane River. Actually, things begin happening Friday and continue through Sunday.

A Christmas dance will be held at Northwestern State University beginning at 8 p.m. Friday. The big day begins at 9 a.m. Saturday with a flower show in the First Baptist Church. At the same time the James A.

Noe Invitation High School drill meet begins in Prather Coliseum on the NSU campus. On the riverbank, where the action is, things begin at 9:45 with Natchitoches Central Pom-Pon Girls performing. This is backed at 10: 15 with the Louisiana Fiddler's contest. There's Hope For Holidays In Monroe There will definitely be Hope for the holidays this season as Bob Hope, the "Modern King of Comedy" brings his bag of laughs and a "Thanks for the Memory" to the Monroe Civic Center Friday. Hope is the modern court jester who makes love to the world with barbs and needles.

He has ribbed six presidents, the Queen of England, the King and Queen of Thailand and other supreme heads of state and they have honored him. Peter Gray Terhune in association with the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and the Monroe Civic Center is presenting the performance to kick off the holiday season in the Twin Cities. Hope's polished performance which he brings to the Civic Center stage is the culmination of over 50 years of work in the entertainment world. Among his many references Jimmy Durante: "What this world needs is more Bob Hopes." Steve Allen adds his praise: "Hope is always in command." According to Danny Thomas, "My feelings about Bob Hope as a comedian are the same as my feelings about Hope as a man. He's the greatest." Index TV Movies 2 Hoople 2 Food, Restaurants Page 6 Movies 6 Ask TV Scout Page 8 It's Happening Here.

8 if -4l -tt 4 Aw left): Frances Camille Wright, Kim Hall, Anne Emmons (Miss Merry Christmas) and Dianne Foshee. (Town Talk Staff Photo) Miss Merry Christmas and the Merry Belles are part of the Annual Christmas Festival in Natchitoches Saturday December 1. The girls are shown here with some of the decorations along the banks of Cane River. They are (from.