2008 Woodie Awards
Festival of Lights on mall:
Event features Brush with Arts, raffles, Santa Claus
Kara Deal
Issue date: 12/10/04 Section: Front Page
- Page 1 of 1
Students who attended the Festival of Lights Dec. 1 night were welcomed with a lighted Amarillo College mall full of holiday displays.
After the countdown to the lighting, Katie Eddins, Student Government Association treasurer, lead the crowd in a traditional rendition of "Silent Night."
The other activities took place in the upper section of the College Union Building and offered a chance to meet Santa and get your picture taken with him.
Sigma Kappa Delta, the English Honor Society, sold raffle tickets for $1 with a chance to win a Christmas basket.
The basket was full of goodies such as Yankee candles, honey-roasted peanuts and Starbucks coffee that had a total value of about $10.
Not everyone agreed on how to spend the money Sigma Kappa Delta raised from the raffle.
"My idea was to spend the money on cotton candy and soda pop, but everybody said no," said David Gonnering, an English and education major.
"So in all honesty, the proceeds will go to next year's pop culture convention in New Mexico. It takes money to get from here to there, so we'll probably spend it on that."
While children visited with Santa and others tried to claim their few minutes of fame while participating in karaoke, AC Engineering Society members were busy selling raffle tickets, too.
Their tickets were for math books that ranged from beginning to advanced math classes.
ACES also sold popcorn balls and apple cider for 50 cents each.
The proceeds from the ACES efforts will help with events next spring.
"Our biggest event is next spring, Engineering Day," said Laura Hampton, a chemistry major. "We invite high school juniors and seniors to come to the campus and learn about what our engineering program has available to them."
SGA had hay rides as an attraction at the Festival of Lights.
"We had committee meetings for programming for about four weeks, and Kassie Flemming did a whole lot of planning outside of those meetings," said John Atterbury, a general studies major and SGA member.
"The whole committee helps with everything before people show up. With decorations and stuff like that."
A different feature of the Festival of Lights was a Brush with Art display.
Participants chose from variously shaped ceramic ornaments, and there was an array of paint colors to choose from to put personal touches on the ornaments.
Seven tables filled up with children and adults creating ornaments.
Brush with Art is a paint-your-own-pottery studio in Wolflin Square.
Courtney Millison said she contacted Jeff Farris and his wife Lillie about setting up the booth at the Festival of Lights.
More options of painting ceramics are available at their store.
"We have platters, more traditional ceramic stuff like statues for kids and different styles and sizes of plates, cups and mugs," said Jeff Farris. "A lot of people are getting handprints, like newborn babies, on things like mugs and plates. It's a nice, personalized gift."
After the countdown to the lighting, Katie Eddins, Student Government Association treasurer, lead the crowd in a traditional rendition of "Silent Night."
The other activities took place in the upper section of the College Union Building and offered a chance to meet Santa and get your picture taken with him.
Sigma Kappa Delta, the English Honor Society, sold raffle tickets for $1 with a chance to win a Christmas basket.
The basket was full of goodies such as Yankee candles, honey-roasted peanuts and Starbucks coffee that had a total value of about $10.
Not everyone agreed on how to spend the money Sigma Kappa Delta raised from the raffle.
"My idea was to spend the money on cotton candy and soda pop, but everybody said no," said David Gonnering, an English and education major.
"So in all honesty, the proceeds will go to next year's pop culture convention in New Mexico. It takes money to get from here to there, so we'll probably spend it on that."
While children visited with Santa and others tried to claim their few minutes of fame while participating in karaoke, AC Engineering Society members were busy selling raffle tickets, too.
Their tickets were for math books that ranged from beginning to advanced math classes.
ACES also sold popcorn balls and apple cider for 50 cents each.
The proceeds from the ACES efforts will help with events next spring.
"Our biggest event is next spring, Engineering Day," said Laura Hampton, a chemistry major. "We invite high school juniors and seniors to come to the campus and learn about what our engineering program has available to them."
SGA had hay rides as an attraction at the Festival of Lights.
"We had committee meetings for programming for about four weeks, and Kassie Flemming did a whole lot of planning outside of those meetings," said John Atterbury, a general studies major and SGA member.
"The whole committee helps with everything before people show up. With decorations and stuff like that."
A different feature of the Festival of Lights was a Brush with Art display.
Participants chose from variously shaped ceramic ornaments, and there was an array of paint colors to choose from to put personal touches on the ornaments.
Seven tables filled up with children and adults creating ornaments.
Brush with Art is a paint-your-own-pottery studio in Wolflin Square.
Courtney Millison said she contacted Jeff Farris and his wife Lillie about setting up the booth at the Festival of Lights.
More options of painting ceramics are available at their store.
"We have platters, more traditional ceramic stuff like statues for kids and different styles and sizes of plates, cups and mugs," said Jeff Farris. "A lot of people are getting handprints, like newborn babies, on things like mugs and plates. It's a nice, personalized gift."