By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – In honor of the Alabaster Fire Department Christmas Village’s 25^th anniversary, the popular attraction will feature some new sights and some updates on some old favorites.

Since October, the city’s firefighters have been working to update the existing props and decorations for the Christmas Village, which is set up each year in a field behind Fire Station No. 1 on First Avenue West near the Albert L. Scott Public Library.

In addition to updated classic favorites such as a replica of one of the city’s yellow and red fire trucks, a helicopter and gingerbread house, this year will also bring a new prop in the form of a replica of one of the fire department’s new Chevrolet Tahoe command vehicles.

Because many of the decorations had become dated from many years of use, the firefighters took it upon themselves to renovate and update the props during downtime between emergency calls, said Alabaster Fire Chief Jim Golden.

“I can’t say enough about our guys. They’ve done all the work themselves, and they’ve really taken ownership of it,” Golden said during a Dec. 1 phone interview. “It’s neat to see it come together, because the guys take such pride in it.”

After constructing the Christmas Village in the days leading up to the city’s Christmas parade on Dec. 5, the department will open the free attraction to the public immediately following the parade.

Beginning Dec. 5, the hours for the village will be from 4-8 p.m. from Mondays-Thursdays, from 4-9 p.m. on Fridays and from noon-9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

“The purpose of the village is to provide a family friendly atmosphere for our residents to enjoy,” Golden said. “It’s something we really enjoy doing.”