By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

HARPERSVILLE—Bright sun and crisp fall air welcomed the many people that came out to celebrate Harpersville’s 200th birthday on Nov. 14. The special Bicentennial Harpersville Day event was filled with fun, food and festivities.

The day started at 8 a.m. as vendor booths filled the town park and antique cars pulled up for the vintage car show. At 10 a.m., the town kicked off its first parade.

“It has been wonderful,” Harpersville Mayor Theoangelo Perkins said, estimating thousands of people showed up to watch the parade as it wound its way from the Farmingdale subdivision to Russell Building Supply on Wheat Street.

Highlights of the parade included the Vincent Middle High School band and the Coosa Valley Academy dance team, both of which were a hit with the crowd, Perkins said.

The parade was led by actress Alex Datcher. Before she was cast in movies and television shows such as Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The Tracy Morgan Show and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Datcher spent many happy days as a child visiting her family in Harpersville.

“I have great memories of returning to Alabama,” Datcher said. “It’s been my home because all of my relatives were here.”

Datcher flew from her home in Pasadena, Calif., to Harpersville for the Nov. 14 celebration, and enjoyed the day with family and friends.

“It’s just so beautiful,” Datcher said of Harpersville. “The people here are my favorite. The people are just so warm and friendly.”

The festivities did not end with the parade. Live music filled the afternoon while attendees enjoyed food and browsed goods from numerous vendor booths. Children spent the day riding the miniature train and jumping in a bounce castle.

“The best thing about today is the fellowship and everyone coming together,” Perkins said.

Harpersville was officially incorporated 70 years ago, but the town’s history stretches back to 1815 when it was settled by the Harper and Kidd families. Bicentennial Harpersville Day was not just about fun, it was also about history. In the afternoon, the town recognized and honored local veterans and descendants of the original founders and town leaders.