Holiday spirit stirring round Wesson

Special to Wesson News

The spirit of the holidays has begun stirring in and around Wesson.

 Halloween-related celebrations at the end of October started it, and the annual Co-Lin community luncheon this month and the downtown Christmas parade at the beginning of December will gradually fuel it.

Lake Lincoln State Park hosted the centerpiece of the Wesson area Halloween festivities with an event on Halloween.  From 5 p.m. until dark, more than 100 costumed kids, brought there by parents, rambled through the park, enjoyed snacks and refreshments, played games and converged on a parking lot jammed with cars loaded with goodies to respond to trunk-or-treating.  Volunteers from the Friends of Park group were on hand to make sure order prevailed in the midst of the fun.   

More than 300 persons, including staff and employees from Co-Lin, the Town of Wesson, area businesses and not-for-profit organizations; members of social and civic groups, families and individuals, will enjoy a relaxing atmosphere, good food, and fellowship at a buffet luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Co-Lin's Thames Conference Center on Wednesday, November 12.

The conference center and college food service host the event, which started in 2002 as a marketing showcase for Co-Lin meeting facilities and evolved into the community meal it now is.  Co-Lin chef Chris McSweyn will prepare a traditional Thanksgiving lunch. The cost is $22 per person, including buffet meal, beverage, dessert, tax and gratuity.  Reservations for seatings at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. should be made by contacting Erin Johnson at Co-Lin.  Cash, check, or cards (with 3% processing fee) are accepted.

Bands playing holiday music, Santa Claus and others tossing candy to bystanders, including high school and college beauties and folk from organizations and businesses with decorated floats will help further start the holiday spirit among town folk on Friday, December 5 when Wesson’s annual Christmas parade rolls at 5 p.m.

Proceeding south to the Highway 51 stoplight from the old Sunflower building and Wesson Baptist Church, and reversing direction northward, trucks and vehicles from Copiah and Lincoln County volunteer fire departments and the Wesson Police and Copiah County Sheriff Departments will lead the parade with Santa Claus in the rear as the climax for whom everybody -- particularly the kids -- are waiting. 

In between are the Wesson High School and Co-Lin bands, interspersed with convertibles and other vehicles carrying, among others, the Founders Day Queen, members of Wesson High School and Co-Lin homecoming courts and beauties and beaus from kindergarten through college freshmen and sophomore classes chosen in pageants at Wesson Attendance Center and Co-Lin.  Floats decorated for the season by varied commercial, faith, civic, service and social organizations will carry their workers, volunteers and members, many with children from the community on board as well -- the little ones who are readily awed by Christmas magic.  The floats will be numerous, including those built by the American Legion, the Wesson Junior/High School Beta Club, Butterbeans Wesson Garden Club youth organization and government and business, among others.  Then there are the dancers who fire up the Christmas spirit of the spectators who line the sides of Highway 51: the Co-Lin Wolf mascot, cheer squad and Collette dancers and students from local studios.

Following the parade, Santa Claus will bring a bag of goodies to the Wesson Volunteer Fire Department, where he will meet children, and punch and cookies are served.  Friends of the Library will also host an open house at Wesson Public Library, where Mrs. Santa Claus will read stories to children.

Ken Carraway, as Chief of Wesson Volunteer Fire Department, which organizes the traditional parade, is the primary parade planner.