Those in need for a Christmas tree, wreath or poinsettia will soon be in luck this weekend as the Parks Legado Town Center annual Christmas Tree Market returns.
The market will include sights, shopping, free visits with Santa Claus and more to celebrate the holiday season.
The event will take place over the span of three weekends beginning this Friday through Sunday, Nov. 25-27 and the weekend of Dec. 2-4. The Market will be located at the Parks Legado Town Center, 72060 State Highway 191.
Hours for the market will be 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays each weekend.
In addition, each Saturday’s events will include vendor markets from 5 to 9 p.m.
Over 80 local vendors will be on site in addition to the Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, poinsettias and other holiday décor.
Shoppers will also get to enjoy live music and performances as well as activities for children’s and free photos with Santa Claus. Santa photos will be available during the evening hours each day from 5 to 9 p.m.
“We’ll have a vendor market where we’ll have a lot of local vendors like boutiques and artists and baked goods that’ll come out those evenings and it’ll be from 5-9 p.m. those evenings,” Marketing Coordinator Elise Hutson said. “We’ll also have free visits from Santa. We’ll have free hot cocoa. We’ll be selling Christmas trees during that time. It’s just a fun thing that a lot of people come out to and kick off the Christmas season.”
The proceeds go directly to the Permian High School Band, which also staffs and helps coordinate the entire market.
“Our team is out there to make sure that the electricity and stuff like that doesn’t go out but they really do staff the whole thing,” Hutson said. “They’re always a huge help and make it a success each year.”
The Tree Market first started in 2018 and has grown larger year.
“The first year that we did it, it just started with the Permian band selling Christmas trees and they had about five vendors that would come out on the weekends,” Hutson said. “There was probably about a couple hundred guests that came out to the market. Last year, we had over 75 vendors and probably about 3,000-5,000 people that came out to the event. It’s really grown drastically. Each year we have to up how many trees we have to order.”
When Parks Legado started the market back in 2018, it was intentionally designed as a fundraising opportunity for a school or nonprofit. The event was presented to many schools and organizations, Hutson says the Permian band was the only one to take a chance on the event.
“The Permian band has been with us since then,” Hutson said. “We reached out to local nonprofits and the Permian band was the only one that wanted to do it. It’s grown every year. It keeps getting bigger and bigger each year.”
This year’s event will display a 40-foot community Christmas Tree, more lights and décor than before and hold Saturday vendor markets with over 75 local vendors.
“I think the main thing that people love is when you go out there, every person that you see has a smile on their face and having the best time ever,” Hutson said. “It’s kind of like a Hallmark movie. It’s a cool little tree market and then there is a vendor market. Everyone’s super happy. They’re surprised that something like that is out in West Texas.”
Hutson says each year the trees are brought in from Wisconsin while the reefs and garlands come in from North Carolina.
“They’re fresh cut, fraser fir trees and reefs,” Hutson said. “Those are the best that do well out here in West Texas with our climate. We get our poinsettias from local organizations in Odessa as well as a local nursery.”
For more information about the market, go to https://tinyurl.com/yc2t3kpt.
If you go:
>> What: Parks Legado Tree Market
>> When: 5-9 p.m. Nov. 18, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 19, 1-6 p.m. Nov. 20; 5-9 p.m. Nov. 25, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 26, 1-6 p.m. Nov. 27; 5-9 p.m. Dec. 2, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 3, 1-6 p.m. Dec. 4
>> Where: Parks Legado Town Center, 72060 State Highway 191.
