Fourteen hundred holiday events will take place in Grapevine over 40 days around Christmas, and events will continue despite the tornado Tuesday, the city says. The National Weather Service was still conducting surveys of the outbreak Wednesday but said at least four tornadoes were confirmed in Tarrant County with winds of up to 112 miles an hour.
The city of Grapevine said 12 businesses were damaged, but the city's downtown core was not affected.
"Despite some of the damage that happened in Grapevine, we really want to continue to push out the fact we are still open for business and ready to welcome all of those in the DFW area and beyond," said the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau's Daniel Horsch.
The Texas Senate passed a proclamation in 2009 declaring Grapevine the "Christmas Capital of Texas."
"All the shops, the stores, everything is beautifully decorated from top to bottom," Horsch said. "It's truly an amazing experience, especially for those who get to visit at night. Everywhere you go, there are millions upon millions of twinkling lights."
Horsch said Mayor William D. Tate attended a luncheon with city council members and the board of directors with the visitors' bureau before the tornado earlier this week.
"No truer words had been spoken when he mentioned our community is about strength and perseverance despite anything that comes our way," Horsch said. "The things he said really rang true for a lot of reasons. We're here to lend a helping hand to all of our friends, and all of our partners all across the city who were impacted by the storm. The biggest thing is we're used to this, pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps, rolling our sleeves up, and getting to work."
North Pole Express is continuing as scheduled, but the train rides are sold out. Gaylord Texan's "ICE!" display runs through Jan. 1.
"They are doing extremely well, bringing in people from all over the world to see some of these sculptures," Horsch said. "This year, ICE! features The Polar Express. It's really just a sight to behold. The level of work and detail that go into this is just mind-blowing."
A complete list of Christmas events in Grapevine is available at https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/christmas-capital-of-texas/.
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