UPDATE! We have added more photos to the gallery.
Malia Riggs and Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
See photo gallery below!
The annual Prattville Christmas Parade brought a night of holiday wonder to the historic district of downtown Prattville with this year’s theme, “Stars Fell on Prattville.”
Attendees and float riders were bundled against the cold. Even some family pets joined in on the fun, with bright, warm sweaters.
Due to construction at Stanley-Jensen Stadium, the floats lined up in front of the Autauga County Courthouse, making their way down 4th Street through residential areas, then moving to Main Street through the heart of downtown. Once again, the Parks and Recreation Department and city staff did an amazing job illuminating the area.
The Prattville Police Department was ever-present, even using drones to watch over the crowd along the parade route. Prattville Chief Mark Thompson said there were no major incidents to report, and everything ran smoothly.
Traditionally, Santa and Mrs. Claus are at the end of the parade, but due to cold temperatures they made their appearance not far behind Grand Marshal Yee Yan Yankee” McKinnon. This was a way for families with small children to see the famous couple early, in case they needed to make an exit to warmer temperatures.
“This year’s theme is ‘Stars Fell on Prattville’ and honestly, I have no idea where I came up with that. We were just talking about themes and the discussion of stars came up and we went with it. We love that our parade is at night, so all the lights show up and make it even more festive. People are so excited about coming to a parade. Participation grows each year. Last year was the first time Parks and Recreation had a float so we actually got to see the participation along the route and it was amazing,” Prattville Parks and recreation Director Kellie Carter said.
This year the annual parade had 100 entries, Carter confirmed, and the Parks and Recreation Department also had a float this year. Carter stated that she and her staff were incredibly excited.
Next year the Stanley -Jensen stadium will be completed, and more entries will be possible as the waitlist was long this year, Carter stated.
“I love to see families get excited. Just last week while they were setting up the carousel so many people were driving by with huge smiles on their faces. I love to see the kids get so excited after we light the tree and at the parade when it “snows.” I love to see the pride my department takes in working so hard to bring our ideas to life. I love to see their creativity shine through and honestly, I just love seeing people post about how much they enjoy our sweet Hallmark town,” Carter said.
Thank you to all who participated in this parade. The EAN would like to wish all a very Merry Christmas. May peace and joy reign over us all.
