By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Area residents will have a chance to get into the Christmas spirit in late November while helping to bring meals to children in need next summer during the annual Sowers of Seed Christmas Market.

The Alabaster-based Sowers of Seed has held the market for the past five years at Alabaster’s First United Methodist Church, but will be moving the event to a new venue this year, said charity Director Lynn Coleman.

This year’s Christmas Market will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, in the council chambers of Alabaster City Hall, which is on Municipal Drive off 11^th Avenue Southwest.

“We’ve moved to a new date and a new location this year, and the city has been great to work with,” Coleman said during an Oct. 21 interview. “This was (Alabaster City Manager) George Henry’s idea. We are really excited about it.”

Coleman said she is working to have between 25-30 vendors at the event, including a possible food vendor. Most of the vendors will be locally based, and will have a wide range of holiday-themed items and crafts for sale, Coleman said, noting vendors such as Pampered Chef and Damsels in Distress will be included in the lineup.

Sowers of Seed also will have a silent auction set up, and will offer a confectionary table with packages ranging from $2-$5. All proceeds from the silent auction, confectionary table and all vendor signup fees will be used to benefit the charity’s summer lunch program.

Through the program, which has been in place for several years, Sowers of Seed volunteers use the concession stand at Alabaster’s Buck Creek Park to prepare meals before delivering them to multiple serving sites in the city during the months children are out of school.

Larry Tidwell, a local Elvis Presley impersonator, will perform during the market, and hot chocolate and wassail will be available to all attendees.

The event is free to the public, and parking will be available in the City Hall and Alabaster Senior Center parking lots.

“We think the new venue is going to work out great,” Coleman said.