CITY OF KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News)—For decades, a glowing Christmas tree atop the Cardiff Rice Dryer served as a holiday beacon for travelers along Interstate 10. The tradition, which ended in 1999, returned Wednesday night when the lights were relit in a ceremony that drew an estimated 100 people to Katy's tallest structure at 5321 1st St.
Alby Cardiff tells the story of how her husband George set up a Christmas tree made of lights atop the dryer in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
"He mentioned it one time, and I thought, that's too dangerous," Cardiff said of George, who died in 2007. "But I didn't say anything. I knew that he'd probably go ahead if he found a way to do it. And every year I told him, I don't want to know when you're doing that, but I want to know when it's up, because I always worried about him getting up there."
The tree lights were last lit in 1999, 12 years after production ended at the rice dryer. Wednesday night's ceremony was organized by the Katy Heritage Society and Hadi "Andrew" Nurcahya, who now owns and is redeveloping The Dryer.
Spirits were warm despite the damp, cool weather and occasional drizzle.
Covering Katy photo by George Slaughter
Alby Cardiff sits in front of her extended family at The Dryer.
The dryer has deep roots in Katy history
J.V. Cardiff and his sons opened the rice dryer in 1943, according to the Katy Heritage Society. Katy incorporated as a city two years later, and the Cardiff family built a second dryer that year. The family hired a Kansas firm to design and build a third dryer in 1966, which stands 177 feet and was the tallest dryer in the nation.
The dryer served as a landmark for those driving along I-10 between Houston and San Antonio. Craig Cardiff, son of Alby and George Cardiff and grandson of J.V. Cardiff, said the dryer's beacon-like quality was one reason George wanted to put the lights atop the dryer.
"Everybody driving in from town, [if] they had too much holiday cheer, they had a beacon," Craig Cardiff said.
Redeveloping the dryer
The lights were removed and the dryer sat unused for decades and had several ownership changes. In 2021, Nurcahya purchased the dryer for redevelopment. In addition to the recently opened Katy Beer Garden, other attractions are in the works for the property. He's also educated himself on the dryer's historical importance to Katy. In April 2023, Nurcahya unveiled a sign on the building marking the family's ties to it.
Meanwhile, a longtime local resident approached Nurcahya with stories about the Christmas lights on the dryer.
"We just looked at what this building used to do, whether we should document it historically, create a museum, to educate people what it used to do," Nurcahya said. "This tree is something that I did not create. I just simply had to bring it back."
Lights were reinstalled, and the 40-foot "tree" stands atop the dryer. For Wednesday's ceremony, the guests gave a countdown, and Nurcahya pressed a button on his mobile phone to light the tree.
Phase 2 of the project is still in progress, Nurcahya said. It involves a marketplace and a train yard, where guests can ride a miniature train around the dryer building.
"We are still waiting for a few permits from the city," Nurcahya said. "Once we are done with that, then we can open up the Phase 2."
Start of Christmas season brings fond memories
In a sense, Wednesday's tree lighting marked the start of the Christmas season in Katy. Other local events are planned.
The City of Katy Christmas tree lighting is set for 5:45 p.m. Saturday Dec. 6, at City Hall, 901 Avenue C.
The Katy Heritage Society's Christmas at the Park is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Katy Heritage Park, 5990 George Bush Dr.
But for the Cardiff family, many of whom live in and around Katy, Wednesday's tree lighting brings back memories of George Cardiff, who began the tradition all those decades ago.
"I was thinking about him and what he would think of it now, with all of this," Alby Cardiff said. "He would really be surprised, I think. Probably when they stopped lighting the tree, he wasn't too concerned because there wasn't anything he could do about it. But yes, he'd be very happy now."
Craig Cardiff agreed.
"He'd be really happy with it," he said.