The Headed to the Top Red Hat Society float won first place in the small business category of the annual Christmas Parade sponsored by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. More than 50 floats participated in the event making it the biggest parade in recent years. To see additional pictures in the photo gallery, click here!

The deadline to return the gifts to tree sites in the Christmas For All Angel Tree program is Friday, Dec. 11.  Distribution of items to those making application for assistance will be from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. See the Dec. 10 edition of the Optic-Herald for more details.

The Northeast Texas Shriner’s and Scottish Rites Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15 at the Western Sizzlin Restaurant in Mount Pleasant. Anyone interested in the organization is encouraged to attend the event. For more information see the Dec. 3 edition of the Optic-Herald.

Students at Mount Vernon Elementary and Intermediate School collected 1,300 cans of food to be donated to the Christmas For All program in Franklin County. For a list of the classes that collected the most cans, see the Dec. 3 edition of the Optic-Herald.