The Sights & Sounds of Christmas Foundation organized a smaller, one-day version of its annual event at the San Marcos Plaza Park.
Called Hometown Holidays, it was held on Dec. 14. The nonprofit previously paused the event in the summer due to its carnival vendor not operating this year but resumed planning weeks later with a scaled-down version. While some aspects of Sights & Sounds remained the same, such as the children’s performances and the nonprofit fundraising, others changed, such as the free entry and no gated fencing.
Elva Zdeb, Sights & Sounds president of the board of directors, said Hometown Holidays was not a permanent replacement for Sights & Sounds.
“I don’t want the perception throughout the community to be that there, that they have an option and what it is that we are going to deliver,” Zdeb said. “I don’t want next year for our community to say, ‘Oh… all we want is a one-day event,’ it doesn’t work like that.”
According to the Sights & Sounds website, volunteers started the nonprofit in 1987. They would run the small event at the Hays County Courthouse. Zdeb said due to San Marcos wanting to ensure Sights & Sounds continued to prosper as the community embraced it, the event was moved to the park.
“Not only [is the Sights & Sounds Foundation] doing something for our people here, but we’re bringing in people from near and far to come check out the city of San Marcos as well as this event,” Zdeb said.
Cari Gise, a San Marcos resident, said she did not mind Sights & Sounds being small and quaint, but her two children are sad because there were no rides.
“If they would put the carousel, I’d be solid,” Gise said. “That alone was a nice, little quaint thing that everybody could do. But if you’re gonna squish it all into one day, I feel the line would be miles long.”
Kristin Whiting, psychology alumna, made the trip to San Marcos from Houston because she had never been while attending Texas State. As she did not have previous experience to compare Sights & Sounds to, Whiting enjoyed hearing it and watching people have fun.
“I never got to come before, so I’m not sure what it was,” Whiting said. “I know before there were a bunch of days, so it’s nice to have one day, and you’re getting to do everything all during that one day.”
Zdeb said due to Hometown Holidays’ size, the set and build construction took place the Monday before instead of within the first week of November. The food products and the major decorations could not be brought into the park until Nov. 13.
As a nonprofit, the foundation consists of unpaid board members. Money from the event goes back into it instead of paying them. Zdeb said Sights & Sounds happens because of the dedicated work of the board who are passionate about the city and the event, and the foundation needs the support of people wanting to be a part of it.
“We need volunteers to come and work the event,” Zdeb said. “We need people that are willing to join our committees and be part of the different things that we do, because we do start planning in January, and many hands make light work.”
