Events will take place all weekend long in Greensboro, Marion, and Uniontown — caroling, fireworks,vendors, entertainment, food, and special guests aboud as towns pull out all the stops
Greensboro’s annual Christmas parade, always a beloved and well-attended annual event before the pandemic, will return this weekend with a full schedule of related events.
Christmas parades, markets, and other activities will abound in the Black Belt, and especially in Hale and Perry counties, this weekend.
Greensboro parade back in full force after pandemic
Greensboro’s Christmas Parade’s organizers are excited to celebrate the season. A full schedule of events is planned for the parade weekend.
On Friday, Dec. 9, beginning at 6:00 p.m., the festivities will kick off with the annual community choir concert, Christmas tree lighting, and fireworks show. Events that night will center on the Main Street and Beacon Street area, and will include free hot dogs.
Preparations for the parade will begin early the next afternoon, Saturday, Dec. 10, with sign-in starting and 1:00 p.m. and lineup at 1:30.
This year’s theme is “Joy to the World,” and the Grand Marshalls will be Brandon Lee, a Greensboro High School alumnus, and Hon. Timothy Evans, District Judge of Hale County.
The parade itself will begin at 2:30 p.m. The route it will take begins on Armory Street, followed by a left on College Street, a right on First Street, and then a turn onto Main Street. From there, the parade will turn left onto Tuscaloosa Streeet, then left onto State Street, ending at Tuscaloosa Street and South Street.
Organizers encourage all area businesses, churches, school organizations, social savings and civic clubs, and anyone else who is interested to participate. Antique cras, golf carts, ATV’s, motorcycles, and horses are welcome, but all vehicles must be decorated. The best float will be awarded a trophy. Organizers are expecting five to six marching bands to participate.
There will be vendor booths set up on Main Street throughout the day, with arts, crafts, and gifts available. Music, entertainment, and more is scheduled, as well. For more information on the parade, please contact Annetta Constant at 334-507-1076 or Ken Lewis at 205-764-3198.
The annual parade is only one in a number of special events happening in Greensboro over the weekend.
Special events at the Hale County Library
The Hale County Library will host a Pop Up Museum on Friday Dec 9, 10-4pm and Sunday Dec 11, 11-4pm. The museum will feature dolls through the ages. Everyone will enjoy the exhibit, so please bring the whole family. Cookies and punch will be provided.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Dec. 10, the Library will host writers and Hale County natives Norman McMillan and Julia McMillan Walker, who were both born in the early 1940s in the Mt. Hermon Community.
They will read from, discuss, and sign copies of their books from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
McMillan will discuss Gold-Plated Scarab & other stories, a collection of short stories about characers in the south written over a period of 50 years. It also includes a memoir selection entitled “Two Chairs,” which deals with his coming to terms with ownership of chairs made by an unknown enslaved person.
He will also discuss Distant Son: An Alabama Boyhood, his memoir of growing up in Alabama, and especially Hale County, in the 1940s and 1950s.
Walker will discuss Fireball, a biographical narrative she wrote with its subject Hazel Lindsey, whom the book’s subtitle describes as “a Tennessee plowgirl who survived poverty, abuse, and eleven husbands.”
Christmas Open House at Magnolia Grove
The Friends of Magnolia Grove invite all members of the community to join them for a Christmas Open House and Holiday Market on Sunday, December 11, from 11 am to 4 pm. This free event will feature beautiful live greenery and decorations by the Greensboro Garden Club. In addition to the museum, the front grounds will transform into a festive marketplace featuring local and regional crafters and artists including Greensboro’s own Aaron Sanders Head and Jesse Lavon. Abadir’s, Greensboro’s popular Egyptian-Southern restaurant, will be selling refreshments such as their popular tahini cookies and talami breads.
In conjunction with the museum’s open house and marketplace, the Partridge Berry will also be open for your last minute gifts and The Stable will be open serving lunch, wine, and beer.
Friends of Magnolia Grove is a 501C(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to operate and maintain the circa 1840 Magnolia Grove house, outbuildings, and grounds in partnership with the Alabama Historic Commission. For more information, please call 334-624-8618. Regular tours are available Friday and Saturday for $7 per person.
‘Christmas on the Square’ parade set for Saturday in Marion
The City of Marion plans a night parade to celebrate the Christmas season on Saturday, Dec. 10. The city has extended an open invitation to anyone who would like to participate, including floats, cars, trucks, ATVs, and more.
The theme of the evening is, “A Christmas on the Square,” and the parade events will center on the town’s historic Courthouse Square downtown.
Parade lineup begins at 4:30 p.m., with the parade to start at 5:00 p.m. For more information or to sign up, contact Marion City Hall at 334-683-6545.
Uniontown plans full day of fun with ‘Christmas in the Prairie’ Saturday
Also on Saturday, the City of Uniontown will host its own morning parade for Christmas. This year’s theme is, “Christmas in the Prairie,” and a full day of events is planned following the parade. Line-up will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Uniontown Ballpark, and the parade will follow at 10:00 a.m. in downtown Uniontown.
Following the parade, downtown will host a toy drive and “Eat and Be Merry,” beginning at 11:00 a.m. Storytelling at Uniontown Public Library will follow from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Christmas carolers will spread cheer throughout Uniontown beginning at 4:30 that afternoon, all leading up to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 6:00 p.m. The tree will be located in front of Uniontown City Hall at 100 Front Street.
