Despite this break, Chamber of Commerce’s tourism director Isabel Ramirez said that ticket sales for this weekend’s two days of concerts are going well.
“Last year and the year prior, we had the Holly Jolly Christmas on the same weekend,” she said. “This year, they opted to the change it to the weekend after.”
Winterfest is hosted by the Bee County Tourism Center and Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the City of Beeville.
The Holly Jolly Christmas event is hosted by Beeville Main Street.
Ramirez said that this means no vendor booths at the Expo Center during Winterfest.
But, there will be food and music.
“Project Graduation will be selling food at the concession stand, and they have a lot of goodies,” she said. “During the concert,there won’t be any other vendor booths.”
Ramirez said that there had been discussion of the change in date but nothing formal until recently.
“We found out by looking at an online newsletter,” she said. “We don’t know why it was changed or rescheduled.”
She speculated that the change could have been a result of Goliad’s Christmas celebration also being this weekend.
Michelle Wright, with Main Street, said that the decision to change the date was indeed because of the neighboring city’s event.
“I told them last year I wanted to see about moving it back to the second weekend of December,” Wright said. “We have so many of our community members with a long association of helping in Goliad... we needed to look at changing it. I don’t like to feel like we are competing with a sister city close to us.”
Christmas in Goliad kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday in its downtown area with its lighted parade.
Shops and restaurants there will be open for business and all buildings will be displaying their Christmas decorations. Entertainment will be provided before and after the parade.
The celebration continues Saturday with the square’s booths opening at 9 a.m.
This year will include an ice skating rink hosted by Goliad Main Street. Skates will be available for rent. The rink will be open Thursday night, Friday and Saturday but will be closed during the parade.
Ramirez said the nearby celebration doesn’t seem to have slowed ticket sales for the Beeville concerts.
“I think that we will have a really good turnout this year,” she said.
Ramirez said she has been fielding calls from Killeen, Houston and San Antonio asking about show times on Friday.
“They are calling from areas that are a lengthy drive from Beeville,” she said.
Ramirez added that she has worked with the hotels and motels to ensure that rooms are set aside for visitors coming to the area.
Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Executive Inn all have rooms saved for travelers coming in for the Winterfest celebration.
“When people call, they just need to use the code word Winterfest,” she said.
Friday ticket sales are going especially well. The reason — a pair of bands that are drawing in fans from throughout the area.
Both Siggno and Grupo Duelo will take the stage of the rodeo arena starting at 7 p.m. Friday.
Siggno
Siggno was formed in 2000 and, a year later, landed its first recording contract.
Since then, the group has recorded a total of six albums, received numerous accolades and, in doing so, have built a solid base of dedicated fans. Their critically acclaimed 2007 hit album, Capitulo 5, went on to be nominated in the best Norteño album category at the 8th annual Latin Grammy awards.
Siggno is led by lead vocalist, accordionist and songwriter Jesse Turner. Since the group’s inception, Turner has shared many of his personal experiences through his songs.
“My life is an open book for everyone to see and each album is just a chapter of my life. This is where I get the inspiration for my songs,” says Turner.
What does Siggno mean?
Although the English translation for Siggno is “signs,” the name has taken on a different meaning for fans.
Siggno stands for love and pain, two of the most powerful emotions that people possess, according to information provided by the band. Siggno, through its lyrics and melodies, express those feelings in a way that allows fans to identify themselves with the band.
Grupo Duelo
Duelo is a Tejano band from Roma with a Norteño style. Also known as Grupo Duelo and Duelo Norteño, they rose to prominence in the late 1990s and continue to remain popular. In 2009, their album Necesito Más de Tí debuted in the top slot on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart.
Saturday
The music continues on Saturday with the acclaimed Randy Rogers Band, Jon Wolfe and James Lann.
Tickets
Tickets are $10 and available at Scores Sports Bar & Grill, Bee County Expo Center, Affordable Insurance, Tobacco Shop, Pantry Convenience Stores and the chamber office.
Jason Collins is the editor at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 121, or at editor@mySouTex.com.
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