Christmas parades, more holiday events in store this weekend
Published 5:30 am Thursday, December 2, 2021
A pair of parades and a chance to put away some tasty pancakes for a good cause — if it’s got anything to do with Christmas, it’s probably happening somewhere nearby this weekend in Cullman County.
On Friday, Dec. 3, the City of Cullman will host its annual Christmas in Cullman Parade and Tree Lighting, turning the evening streets of the First Avenue historic district into a festive holiday thoroughfare. The parade kicks off at 6 p.m. at the Busy Bee Café, heading north along First Avenue to its end point at Depot Park.
In addition to the parade itself, there’ll be the chance to make crafts in Santa’s workshop, plus the annual lighting of the city’s Christmas tree at Depot Park. Santa will also be on hand for pictures with the kids, while guests can pause to admire Cullman’s German heritage at the 30-foot high Weihnachtspyramide (Christmas pyramid), which the city has erected near the Col. Cullmann home for the third year in a row.
On Saturday, Dec. 4, the parade gets even bigger at Hanceville, where the 32nd annual Cullman County Christmas Parade will proceed down U.S. Highway 31.
Organizing at 11 a.m. and officially rolling out at noon, the parade starts in front of the Wallace State Community College campus and heads south toward its terminus in downtown Hanceville. Watch for a special, yet-to-be-announced local grand marshal, and be sure the kids catch a glimpse of Santa at the free-to-attend event.
Also on Saturday, the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department will host a pancake breakfast with Santa at the Berlin Community Center. The breakfast begins at 7 a.m. and serves plenty of pancakes until noon, with donations for each meal going toward the fire department’s Christmas gift fund for local children.
From now until the Saturday breakfast, the fire department is also holding a $1 per-ticket raffle for a big ol’ Christmas bear — a 7-foot tall stuffed animal straight from the FAO Schwarz toy store in New York City. Entrants can also snag a bundle of six tickets for only $5, with the drawing of the winner to be held at the community center at noon on Saturday, right as the pancake breakfast wraps up.
For more information or to buy tickets (or simply to make a donation to the fire department’s Christmas toy fund), contact Berlin Town Clerk Keirstyn Montgomery at the Berlin Town Hall (256-736-3138), or call/text 256-531-8585 or 256-798-6751.