Historic Downtown Nacogdoches was alive this past Saturday with the annual Holiday favorite Wassail Fest, in conjunction with Small Business Saturday. Merchants vied for the Wassail Trophy by brewing up their own versions of the holiday apple cider.

“Our merchants had a grand time participating in last weekend’s Wassail Fest,sponsored by Citizens 1st Bank. We had twelve merchants brewing up their best wassail,” said Main Street Manager Sarah O’Brien. "The judges had a very difficult task, basing their scoring criteria on taste, costuming and overall presentation."

This year’s grand prize winner was Glass Castles, 323 E. Main Street.
2nd Place went to the French Knot Quilt Shop,  409 E. Main.
3rd place went to first time participant G. Patterson’s Photographic Studio located at, 122 N. Mound.

“The judging sheets were tight, which means the competition was stiff. Congratulations to all of our winners,” said O’Brien.

Perhaps the most coveted trophy is the People’s Choice award. Over 500 ballots were turned in by individuals perusing the red brick streets, this year’s people choice winner was Heart of Texas, 110 S. Pecan Street.

“This is the third year in a row for Heart of Texas to win, the ballots were close and they pulled the win out by only 7 votes,’’ said O’Brien. Nacogdoches Main Street appreciates all of our participating merchants and most importantly our customers that join us every year for Wassail Fest. “We are already looking at ways to tweak the event next year,” said O’Brien.

For questions about historic downtown Nacogdoches, you can contact Main Street Manager, Sarah O’Brien at 936-559-2573 or email her at obriens@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us.