The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 51, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 21, 1983 Page: 1 of 24
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Mercedes Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.
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The Merce
Enterprise
Mercedes, Texas 78570 Wednesday, December 21, 1983
Volume 71
Number 51
Price 20-
A Visit From
St. Nicholas
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would
be there.
SANTA VISITED at Immanuel Lutheran School...
...STUDENTS ENTERTAINED at reception...
...CHURCH CHOIRS prepared for programs...
Community churches offer
special holiday services
People across the Mercedes com-
munity will observe Christmas this
weekend, with the following services
reported by local church pastors to The
Enterprise:
EL BUEN PASTOR METHODIST
CHURCH -- Special numbers from the
church choir will highlight a 7 p.m.
I service Friday, with both the 10 a.m.
Sunday School and the 11 a.m. worship
service to feature special holiday
messages and music on December 25.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH --
A joint candlelight service with members
s of the La Feria congregation will take
- place at the La Feria First Presbyterian
Church, beginning at 7:30 p.m.,
December 24, with Mercedes church
members to be in charge of ushering and
providing refreshments for the reception
I that will follow. The service will be
* highlighted by the singing of Christmas
I carols, the reading of Christmas
I scripture and brief meditation.
... It will culminate with the darkening
of the sanctuary and the lighting of the
I “Christ Candle,” to symbolize, in the
I words of Rev. Casey Jones, church
I pastor, “that Jesus Christ, the light of
I the world, has come. All other candles in
I the sanctuary will then be lit from the
| Christ Candle.”
Sunday School begins at 10 a.m.,
with the 11:10 a.m. morning worship to
I include special selections from the choir
i (with Miss Merielle Herold as soloist)
I and Stan Kendall playing the organ prior
I to the worship service. Those attending
1 are asked to bring non-perishable food
featuring scripture, carols and com-
munion will start at 7 p.m., December
24. On December 25, instead of church
school, a session of fellowship (including
refreshments and singing) will take place
in the church fellowship hall. Christmas
worship will begin at 11 a.m.
SACRED HEART CATHOLIC
CHURCH -- Children’s mass in English
will begin at 5 p.m., December 24, with
a midnight mass (bilingual) also
scheduled. Christmas morning masses
will feature special music and Christmas
messages at 9 a.m. (in Spanish) and at
11 a.m. (in English). Confessions are
scheduled to be heard from 7 p.m. to
7:30 p.m. on Thursday, from 7:30 p.m.
to 8:30 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m.
to 11 a.m. on Saturday.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH - A
Christmas Carol Service will take place
at 6 p.m. December 25. The Sunday
morning worship will also feature
appropriate music and messages. It
begins at 11 a.m.
FIRST MEXICAN BAPTIST
CHURCH -- A Christmas program will
begin at 7 p.m., December 25, with a
Christmas message to be brought by
Rev. Guillermo Fuentes. Miss Rachel
Avila will direct a cantata by the choir,
with Mr. and Mrs. Mike Gonzalez to
direct the participation of youth in the
program.
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH --
Schedules will change for Sunday
worship services on both December 25
and January 1, with Sunday School and
evening worship cancelled both weeks.
In their places will be special 9:30 a.m.
items wrapped in white paper for worship services, featuring appropriate
distribution to local needy, and canned
milk to be distributed in Mexico through
“Puentes de Cristo.”
OUR LADY OF MERCY CATHOLIC
CHURCH - Christmas observance will
begin with an 8 p.m. mass (in Spanish)
on Saturday, with a musical program and
| Christmas mass (in English) to begin at
[ 11 a.m., running through the midnight
| hour. Sunday masses (in English) will
1 begin at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Confessions
will be heard from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on
Thursday and on Saturday from 4 p.m.
I to 6 p.m.
IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH
■ -- Sunday School students will direct a
I special Christmas Eve Service, beginning
1 at 7 p.m., December 24, with the Sunday
morning worship, starting at 10:15 a.m.,
• to feature Christmas music and a
Christmas message.
EL PRINCIPE DE PAZ PRESBY-
messages and musical selections.
Christmas changes
office schedules
Hours of operation for various offices
across Mercedes will be changed by the
week-end holiday.
City Hall will be closed all day Friday
and Monday (see Page 4 for garbage
pick-up schedule), with local banking
institutions to be closed Monday, and no
services offered on Saturday.
Operation of the Post Office will be
on normal schedules, except there will
be no delivery of mail on Monday.
The Enterprise office will be closed
all day Thursday and Friday.
000000
200 00
The children were nestled all snug in
their beds,
While
visions of
sugar-plums
danced in
their heads;
And mamma
in her 'kerchief, L
and I in my cap, Had
just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there rose
such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter,
run? Away to the window I flew like a flash,
) Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
• The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below, When, what <
to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver,
so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
. "Now, Dasher!
7) now,Dancer!
now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet!
on Cupid!
on, Donner
and Blitzen!
To the top
of the porch!
to the top of the wall!
Now dash away ! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet
with an obstacle, mount to the sky, So up to the house-top the
coursers flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then,
in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each
little hoof. As I drew in my head,
and was turning around,
Down the
chimney
St. Nicholas
came with
abound. -
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his
...AND MUSICAL CELEBRATIONS abounded...
...AS MERCEDES FOLKS
PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS
Among the many holiday festivities
taking place across Mercedes are
those shown, including, from top,
Immanuel Lutheran School students
as they visit with Mr. Claus,
elementary students entertaining
public school faculties at a
district-wide reception, Our Lady of
Mercy Catholic Church’s choir in
practice for special services, Taylor
Elementary students entertaining
classmates with Christmas music,
and at left, Ramiro Robles, Taylor
School teacher, as he distributes fruit
grown on campus to members of his
class. [Mercedes Enterprise Photos.]
TERIAN CHURCH - Youth of the
church and the junior choir will present a
special Christmas play Saturday at 7
p.m., with holiday services to take place
at the 11 a.m. worship. Sunday school
begins at 9:45 a.m.
FIRST UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH -- A candlelight service
Can receive
tax discount
Local school and city taxpayers are
reminded by Ismael Luna, tax collector,
that a one-percent discount on the lax
payments will remain in effect through
the end of the month, and that taxes
I must be paid by December 31 in order to
be itemized as a deduction from 1983
income taxes.
During January, taxes will be neither
discounted nor penalized, while in
I February, penalties and interest begin to
I accrue, with a. seven percent total to be
added to the bill during the first month.
The official says his office will be
closed all day, both December 23 and 26,
for the Christmas holiday.
To consider
condemnation
City officials have called a public
hearing for January 9 that may
determine the fate of the two-story white
building located on Business 83 near its
intersection with Indiana Avenue.
Operating under a newly adopted city
ordinance that strengthens officials’
authority to condemn unsafe or unsound
structures, the city’s Condemnation
Hearing Board will conduct the hearing,
after which the building “may be
ordered repaired or removed,” according
to Board Chairman Mario Gracia.
The building is apparently occupied,
despite being cited by City Inspector
Hector Casas for “numerous violations
of minimum standards.” He, along
with City Planner Armando Lopez,
inspected the structure November 30,
filing a report on the deficiencies with
appropriate authorities.
Copies of both the report and the
ordinance under which the city is acting
are available from the city planner’s
office.
The hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m.
in the City Hall conference room.
Commission denies request
City commissioners Tuesday denied a
rate increase request from Magic Valley
Electric Cooperative, accepted an audit
of the city-school joint tax office and
re-appointed one member to the
Community Development Advisory
Board.
After a public hearing on the matter,
the officials gave emergency approval to
an ordinance denying an overall 5.38
percent increase in rates requested by
the rural electric cooperative. Denial by
cities of the request will initiate a rate
study by the Public Utilities Commission
to determine what increase, if any,
would be justified.
The tax office audit showed the local
tax collection staff had underspent its
budget for the year, due substantially to
the retirement of one employee.
The city spent $2,130 per month to
support the tax office, which had a total
budget of $59,443.
Arturo Olivarez was re-appointed to
serve on the city’s Community
Development Advisory Board, after it
was explained that his term of office was
to expire and that the citizen had
achieved perfect attendance at board
meetings over his three years of service.
Approved on final readings were
ordinances authorizing zone changes that
would allow operation of a flea market at
. Wes-Mer Drive-in Theater, a game room
in Melton Park Number Two and
building of apartments in Queen City
Annex.
foot, And his clothes were all tarnished
with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he
had flung on his back, And he looked
like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
N His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
y His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as
> the snow. The stump of a pipe he
. held tight in his teeth, And the smoke
it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a round little belly
That shook, when he laughed,
y likea bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right
* jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw
him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and
twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
; so9-
He spoke not a word,
And filled all the
And laying his
And giving a
he rose;
sleigh, to his
0 800009
but went straight to his work,
\ stockings; then turned with a jerk,
A finger aside of his nose,
nod, up the chimney
He sprang to his
team gave awhistle,
And away they all flew like the down on a thistle. But I heard him •
exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, O
Happy
’ Christmas y
to all
and to all
a good night!"
—Clement C. Moore
4 —With illustrations by Mercedes school students Brenda Belcher, :
I Cimarron Lacy, Raul Ocanas, Celia Maldonado, Leonel Gutierrez, Maryland 1
st: Cavazos, Delia Davila, Gilberto Flores, Arturo Castaneda, Chris Alvarado, .
4k Nathaniel Echols, Marcelino Estrada, Jessica Salinas and Marcos Izaguirre. :
SWWRS
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 51, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 21, 1983, newspaper, December 21, 1983; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1632035/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.