Priceville ushers in holidays
From The Hartselle Enquirer
by Clif Knight
Priceville residents turned out by the hundreds Saturday afternoon to get a sneak peek at a new Christmas season thanks to the 19th annual Priceville Christmas Parade.
The colorful event brought out shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of onlookers on both sides of a circular, mile-long route that included Bethel Road, Greenfield and Skidmore Streets and Faye Drive. For nearly an hour, they watched and listened as more than 50 parade units passed by.
“The weather is ideal for this time of year and we have more units in the parade than I can remember,” said Priceville Mayor Melvin Durand. “We’re especially pleased to have the high school band and the combined JROTC units from Priceville and Brewer High schools participating.”
A feature of the parade was amateur float competition. There were a dozen entries.
A float consisting of a red Santa’s sled filled with adults and children won first place. It was sponsored by Nunnelley Storage. Winning second place was a float sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 275. A float that featured a decorated Christmas tree, a Santa and a fireplace with hung stockings was judged third. It was sponsored by the Morgan County Art Guild. All of the winners received cash prizes.
One of the floats, which was entered by the American Legion, left onlookers reflecting on the sacrifices made by military personnel serving overseas. It featured a simple Christmas tree, an Army uniform and had a sign that read “Not Everyone Is Home for Christmas.”
Many of the riders in the parade units stayed busy waving to the crowd and distributing candy to kids along the parade route.
Santa also garnered a big share of attention as he rode on the back of the town’s No. #1 fire engine and threw candy to kids who were standing by.
Bringing up the parade’s rear were about 30 horses and riders.