By BRIANA HARRIS / Staff Writer

PELHAM – Pelham Church of God is hosting a lock-in on Thanksgiving night to give parents a chance to go Christmas shopping without their children in tow.

Lock-in coordinator Jeff Tidmore said the goal is to help parents take advantage of Black Friday sales.

The lock-in, for children 6-18 years old, costs $5 per child and covers food, drinks, snacks, movies and games throughout the night. The church is located at 2100 Shelby County 52 East.

Parents can drop-off children beginning at 5 p.m. Thanksgiving evening, Nov. 24, and children can be picked up until 10 p.m. No drops offs or pick ups will be allowed after 10 p.m. Parents can pick up their children on the next morning between 7-8 a.m.

Tidmore said parents will be required to fill out a form listing an emergency contact and the names of those who are allowed to pick up their child.

“To help ensure safety, we will be checking IDs before any child is released to anyone,” Tidmore said.

As an added safety precaution, Tidmore said there will be one volunteer for every six children and volunteers will be awake throughout the night to make sure no one tries to enter or exit the building.