Monday, October 7, 2024
The Optimist Club of Azle has been creating Christmas traditions for more than 30 years, including placing and decorating the Christmas tree in front of Azle Historical Museum.
Members of the Optimist Club of Azle came together on Nov. 26 to decorate this year’s Christmas tree outside of the museum.
Soon after the Optimist Club of Azle’s founding in 1979, Jackie Carpenter and other founding members of the organization began their quest to bring Christmas cheer and celebration to Main Street, Azle, Texas, USA. Taking on the task to acquire and decorate a town Christmas Tree fit perfectly with the primary purpose of the club, which is to promote and improve the lives of children.
Funds were short in the early days of the club and the largest cedar tree they could cut and remove from Carpenter's nearby property would have to do.
With the cooperation of the Azle Historical Society, it was decided that the area in front of the Azle Historical Museum would be the perfect place to put the tree. Carpenter and other members of the club — including Paul Worthen, Henson Dunn, Guy Harrell, David Gilley, Claude Conwell and others — did their best to maintain the tradition. For many years, the tradition continued with big trees, small trees, skinny trees, fat trees, thin trees, and, sometimes, the perfect tree.
Then in 1995, Helen Conwell Short, a longtime Azle resident and member of one of Azle’s founding families, took notice.
“That’s nice and all,” she said, “but we can do better. Let’s get a bigger tree. Let’s add a parade. Let’s invite all of Azle to help decorate and light the tree. Let’s have hot apple cider, hot chocolate, and cookies for all to enjoy. Let’s invite Santa!”
So began Short’s quest to engage the entire city in bringing Christmas to Main Street.
She joined the club and reached out to the club members and other friends and family for their support, and she got it. Short recruited the Azle Area Chamber of Commerce, the Azle Historical Society and the City of Azle to plan and coordinate Azle’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Parade that’s become an annual tradition in the City of Azle.
Families would come out to help decorate the tree, even adding ornaments with their family name and year on them to mark the passing years.
“We don’t have many families bringing ornaments these days,” said Paul Crabtree, treasurer of the Optimist Club of Azle. “A lot of these ornaments are 20-30 years old, and they look it. It’d be nice for that tradition to pick back up.”
On Nov. 26, members of the club, along with their children, came out to help decorate the tree — a cedar brought in from member Josh Reed’s property — while eating cookies and listening to Christmas music on an old boombox. This year, a new star adorns the top and a few ornaments with family names hang on the evergreen branches.
The lighting of the tree will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 4, kicking off the Christmas parade down Main Street after a long day of fun holiday activities, including the Optimist Club’s huge bike giveaway which brings smiles to more than a hundred kids every year..
Azle’s Christmas on Main Street is from noon to 5 p.m. on Dec. 4 and will feature vendor booths and indoor children’s activities, a classic car show hosted by the Azle Lions Club, and a 120-bike giveaway. This free event is hosted in partnership by the Azle Area Chamber of Commerce, Azle Optimist Club, Azle Lions Club and the Azle News.
