Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The town of Pine Level made history Saturday morning with their first ever Independence Day parade and celebration off of County Road 107. The fun continues tonight at 8:30 p.m. when Boones Chapel Church will host a spectacular fireworks show.
“This is just an amazing day for the community. I’m so proud of the turnout. My son is a firefighter with Pine Level and I’m just so proud, everyone was so excited for this. People brought their families, dogs and they brought their hearts. “This is just a monumental moment,” long time Pine Level resident Linda Phillips said.
A crowd flocked to the county road where vendors, food trucks, bouncy houses and other patriotic festivities were in the parking lot of Spirit Walk Ministries. Parade goers dressed in red, white and blue and lined the county road in anticipation.
“One of our councilmen stopped counting at 400 cars. We were not expecting this great of a turnout. I’m really proud of the town and community for coming together to make this happen, and I just want to thank everyone for coming out and having fun with us here in the town of Pine Level,” Pine Level mayor Zachary Bigley said.
The parade had over 20 entries, where participants threw everything from delicious candy, 4th of July pinwheels, red white and blue popsicles, to strategically bagged produce from ZannaBella Farm.
Smiles and laughter were wide and loud as the parade rolled through, led by the first ever grand marshal for the town of Pine Level, Norma Cothran. Cothran was selected in honor of her late husband James Micheal Cothran, or Mickey as everyone knew him, who served briefly on the Pine Level City Council before his sudden passing in January.
Mickey was a huge advocate for the incorporation of the town of Pine Level and served on the Pine Level City Council. Norma stated that Mickey took his research and responsibility of being a councilman and an advocate for the incorporation seriously and to heart.
“I have the ‘Miss America wave’ down, and all I can say is it’s just absolutely awesome to represent our little community that I’ve been a part of for so long. But it also means that I have lost the love of my life. However, on the other side of this, I am just so honored that I get to represent Mickey,” Norma said.
As the parade rolled on to Spirit Walk Ministries, vendors, inflatable bounce houses and Top Notch BBQ, Woody’s Italian Ice, El Mariachi, Norris Concessions, River Region SNOBIZ and SUGA’S Lemonade carried the freedom party on well after the parade was finished.
