Members of the Hanceville City Council, along with their families, greeted parade watchers and tossed candy from their float in the Cullman County Christmas Parade Saturday.

It literally rained on their Christmas parade Saturday, but it didn’t seem to matter: people lined the streets of Hanceville, Santa appeared, and everybody went home happy.

From downtown Hanceville north to the Wallace State campus, a swath of U.S. Highway 31 came to a standstill Saturday to make way for music, parade floats, and a noisy convoy of police and rescue vehicles.

The weather wasn’t cooperative, but that didn’t deter the guests or participants. Visitors came prepared with jackets, umbrellas and folding chairs, while parade participants themselves were good sports, taking the rain and the cold in stride.

Four year-old Betsy Smith was among hundreds of local kids who maintained a vigilant watch for candy thrown from floats throughout the parade. By the end, she’d amassed an enviable little collection of Blow Pops.

“It’s okay! You can have one of mine!” she told a younger child who kept finishing last in the mad scramble for candy.

Smith’s Christmas spirit was duplicated at another big holiday event Saturday — the Holly Market Arts & Crafts show at the Cullman Civic Center.

Formerly called the Cullman Christmas Arts and Crafts show, Holly Market packed the civic center through its two-day run, which ended Saturday. Hosted by Cullman Parks and Recreation, the show featured free admission, dozens of vendors and exhibits, and a near-constant lineup of local entertainment.

Rounding out the weekend’s busy holiday schedule is a Christmas Tour of Homes today, featuring six houses decorated for the season. The tour includes the homes of:

Ken and Diane Brown, 150 County Road 1405, Cullman (Cotton Row subdivision); Kevin and Angie Veal, 166 County Road 1310, Vinemont (Heatherbein subdivision); Jeff and Julie Wilhite, 149 County Road 1286, Vinemont; Rusty and Christy Turner, 741 County Road 1413, Cullman; James and Wendy Clements, 106 View Point Circle, Cullman (Terri Pines); and Libby Crider, 245 Fairway Drive, Cullman (Terri Pines).

The tour is 1-5 p.m. and tickets may be purchased for $15 at any home.

This weekend’s Christmas activities aren’t the last of the many holiday events on this year’s local calendar. For the latest information on everything happening to celebrate the season, keep your web browser trained on cullmantimes.com.

 

Benjamin Bullard may be contacted at 256-734-2131, ext. 145.