From the San Saba News & Star Archives
71 Years Ago
December 22, 1949
An oil cook stove in the process of being refueled caught fire Sunday morning at the county jail and the fire department was called out to bring the blaze under control. Some smoke damage resulted to the kitchen, and the stove was badly damaged.
Only one month after being discharged from the Gatesville reform school, a San Saba youth was returned to the institution recently for and unconditional term. He was charged with breaking into a box car on Dec. 2 and breaking into Cash Feed & Produce on Dec. 3. Some pecans were stolen from the produce house and later all were recovered.
Santa Claus and his four reindeer, accompanied by a fresh norther, the fire truck and the Armadillo Band, paraded along San Saba's crowded main street Wednesday morning and waved cheery greetings to onlookers while assistants tossed candy and chewing gum to the children. About 1,200 students in the San Saba schools were dismissed for the occasion, and an estimated 2,000 additional small children and grown ups packed a solid line on both sides of the route along which Santa passed in his sleigh. Santa's coming was heralded by Girl Scouts who sang carols from the courthouse steps, and the Armadillo Band which played a street concert and marched up and down the street.
Miss Doris Henniger of San Marcos college came home Friday for the Christmas holidays with her parents and other relatives.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas January and children, Sammy and John Paul, and Mrs. Milford Marley were shopping in Lampasas Tuesday. Sammy and John Paul went to see Santa while there.
The Pecan Grove home demonstration club had an enjoyable Christmas party at the school house Friday night.
Santa Claus as Americans know him is a naturalized American citizen, and as such is America's contribution to the Christmas legend. That's the opinion of Dr. Gustav O. Arlt of the department of Germanic languages on the Los Angeles campus of the University of California. "The Norwegians who settled early in America brought the first version of the modern Santa Claus, who in Europe had been known as St. Nicholas, but never adequately personally described," said Dr. Arlt. "When the American Clement Moore described the jolly, rotund gentleman in minute detail in his poem " 'Twas The Night Before Christmas," he assumed the proportion of living legend and thus became an integral part of Christian legend and folklore," the professor stated.
41 Years Ago
December 20, 1979
Mr. and Mrs. Trenton Hamrick recently returned from a six-day trip to Honolulu, Hawaii. The tour was sponsored by Massey Ferguson.
Texas hunters may have their best chance in years to bag a wild turkey for a holiday feast this hunting season.
The San Saba Junior High girls split a pair of games with Early here last week. The seventh grade Lady Dillos took a convincing 16-6 victory, while the eighth graders fell, 22-10. Cheray Isham with eight points and Blanca Esquivel with four headed the San Saba scoring, while Bridget Ellis and Debbie Watson each chipped in two.
Mrs. Mack (Joy) Brown of San Saba received her final citizenship papers at Travis County Courthouse on Wednesday, Dec. 19. She was accompanied to Austin by her daughter-in-law, Mrs. James Burton, of Kingsland. Mrs. Brown was born in Scotland and later moved to Canada. She was Miss Canada in 1938 and was awarded a trip to the U.S.A., then returned three years later to make this country her home.
Dear Editor, The Holiday Season is approaching and a certain amount of fireworks display seems to be inevitable, but at the same time, it is important that good judgment be displayed. Too many times, bodily harm results from careless fireworks display and certainly there is a danger--a big danger of needless fires started in the dry grass with dry weather being its main ally. With a little restraint, money can be spent for a better cause than fireworks, thereby eliminating the possibility of a burned body or a burned-down building and equipment. Think upon this and remember, too, in most instances, a law is violated when fireworks are displayed. Then let this not be a fiery Christmas but a merry Christmas instead.
T. N. Wood