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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor 

ALABASTER – Festive floats accompanied by costumed participants will throw candy to thousands of local residents during the return of the Alabaster Christmas Parade which is planned for Saturday, Dec. 7.

A long running tradition and one of the city’s many holiday festivities, the Alabaster Christmas Parade will see residents, local businesses and students representing a wide variety of class organizations all march together along Highway 31 south.

“It’s probably the event that our community looks forward to the most every year,” Alabaster Public Relations Manager Neal Wagner said.

The parade will begin this year at 10 a.m. and will feature the theme “An Old Fashioned Christmas.” The event will be organized and directed by Alabaster city personnel.

“It definitely takes a lot of organization and a lot of hard work by a lot of people with the city,” Wagner said. “And so, we appreciate all the work they do and we really appreciate everyone for showing up and making it a huge success every year.”

The Alabaster Christmas Parade will begin at Long Lewis Ford and proceed south toward the old Alabaster Police Station where the judges’ platform will be located. The parade will turn and go over the train tracks past Alabaster Auto and past the thrift store shopping center. The Christmas parade will end at the stop sign in front of Southbrook Village on First Street Southwest.

The city recommends that attendees wishing to view all of the parade entries should be located south of the Milo’s Hamburgers building across from the 1022 Tower. Candy will be thrown alongside the parade route and the city discourages attendees from entering Highway 31 to retrieve candy.

On the day of the parade, southbound traffic on Highway 31 will be rerouted to the northbound side at 9:15 a.m. Hwy 31 north will provide lanes for north and southbound traffic.

The city will be monitoring the weather and the parade will take place whether it’s rain or shine unless conditions become unsafe. In the event the parade is cancelled, it will not be made up.

A Santa Trophy will be provided to the winning floats of the following categories:

• Best Use of Theme
• Most Creative
• Most Entertaining
• Best Holiday Spirit
• Best Walking Entry

In addition to the Alabaster Christmas Parade, the city is also accepting new toy donations to help children who might otherwise receive no gifts during Christmas. The city is partnering with Shelby Emergency Assistance to distribute the donated toys through Alabaster with any extras set to go toward neighboring cities.

(It’s) another way for us to support the families in need during the holiday season,” Wagner said.