Kerrville Holiday Parade -- November, 1993

Kerrville Holiday Parade November 11-20-1993.
MANY more photos below.
Click on any image to enlarge.

If you were to bring me a series of photographs of a parade in Kerrville from the 1890s, or even the 1950s, I’d be pretty thrilled to study each image.

But what about parades which took place in the 1990s? Aren’t those images just as fascinating as much older images?

Like most people, I tend to discount “history” which has occurred during my adulthood.

And yet, Kerrville has really changed since the 1990s.

I recently scanned some negatives which were taken in November, 1993. I recognized some of those in the photographs, and think you might recognize some of them, too. (I expect you’ll do better than I.)

They are photographs of Kerrville’s 1993 Holiday Parade. In contrast with the current Holiday Lighted Parade, which travels through the heart of downtown Kerrville at night, the parade in 1993 was during the afternoon. It featured floats from various organizations, including H-E-B, several marching bands, and even Shriners driving those little cars which were a long-time feature of parades during that era.

From what I can tell, the parade went down Junction Highway, and turned onto Water Street. I have no memory of where it terminated – perhaps the Louise Hays Park.

Here are some things happening in our community at that time:

The City of Kerrville was involved in two big projects – bringing Emergency Medical Services into the Kerrville Fire Department, and also rebuilding the old downtown area, including placing the Heritage Star at the intersection of Water and Earl Garrett Streets.

Kerr County asked the voters to approve a bond to build a new sheriff’s office and county jail, and the bond measure passed. The new facility was built on Clearwater Paseo, right behind the Kerrville Public Utility Board’s offices. Today a new municipal structure is under construction in that area: the city’s Public Safety Building.

I hope you enjoy looking at these old photos – and I hope more than a few of you recognize some of the faces.

Until next week, all the best.

Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who held a familiar public office in city government back in 1993. This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead March 13, 2025.

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