Candlelight: 80s Rock Anthems in Sherman

The Candlelight series returns to Wynne Chapel at Austin College with a set built entirely from the 1980s. Expect the arena-sized singalongs of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," the synth drama of A-ha's "Take On Me," and the anthemic choruses of Europe's "The Final Countdown," all arranged for strings and played in a room lit by hundreds of candles. The effect is surreal in the best way: songs built for stadiums suddenly sound like chamber music, and the melodies carry the night without a single power chord.

The show starts at 8:45 PM at Wynne Chapel, 900 N. Grand Avenue on the Austin College campus. It shares the evening with the Christmas Classics Candlelight performance at 6:30 PM in the same chapel, so it is possible to catch both in one trip. Tickets run from about $25 and are sold exclusively through the Fever app and website.

An hour from Paris

Sherman sits about 55 to 60 minutes southwest of Paris on Highway 82 and US 75, roughly an hour from 3870 County Road 45080. For a December Saturday night, that is an easy drive for something genuinely different, a show that couples the nostalgia of the decade with the elegance of a candlelit chapel.

Why it matters for the area

The Candlelight series has quietly made Sherman a regular stop on a national cultural circuit, and that is a real asset for Northeast Texas. Alongside the region's strong country and community programming, it adds variety, a night out that looks and sounds nothing like the usual calendar. For anyone considering a move to the area, it is another data point that rural living here does not mean a blank cultural calendar.