So, at the end of covering all the events in the Birmingham Metro. I went to the top of a parking garage, and took some photos of the downtown landscape. I also stopped by and took a few photos of the Christmas tree at Lynn Park in Birmingham. Enjoy!
The City of Talladega did something very smart! They closed down three sides of the Talladega downtown square for three days, and turned the closed down areas into a Christmas wonderland event! One side had many vendors who were ready to sell their goods for a perfect Christmas gift. One side had a Santa’s workshop where kids could build things, and there were several food trucks available as well. And one side had Santa Claus visits, Christmas carols, a tubing slide, a giant Christmas tree, and more!
Let’s not forget the Ritz Theater who was playing classic Christmas movies throughout the event, and downtown businesses along the square who were open and ready to sell stuff as well. This was all a part of the first annual Talladega’s Christmas on the Square. I thought what Talladega did was brilliant! Events like this is what brings communities together! I hope other towns will do something similar to what Talladega did during the 2017 Christmas season.
Below, enjoy some pictures from this event. Hopefully it will be back for the 2017 Christmas season! Learn more at: http://christmasintalladega.com/
In Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham, if you enjoy the cold and Winter season, like I do, you can lace up some skates and enjoy the downtown high-rise buildings on an ice skating rink! That’s right, an ice skating rink! Birmingham has turned into Brrrmingham!
Open through January 16th, the 50′ x 70′ outdoor rink is located on Railroad Park’s 17th Street Plaza for all to enjoy. The rink is open seven days a week, including Christmas and New Years. The Boxcar is fully stocked with hot chocolate and other cold weather fare. Railroad Park is also hosting birthday parties, holiday parties, and corporate gatherings at the rink.
The park will also host different theme nights open to the public, including “Tacky Sweater Night,” “UAB Blazer Night,” “Neon Night,” etc. Tickets are $10 per person for a 2 hour session on the rink including the skate rental! Two hour sessions begin at 11 am on weekdays and 10 am on Friday and Saturday.
Here is a short video and pictures I took at the rink. No, I don’t know how to skate and will not risk falling over multiple times! Learn more at: http://railroadpark.org/iceskating.php
The last Christmas parade I covered for the 2016 season involves the parade in Heflin, Alabama. This parade featured the White Plains and Cleburne County marching bands, a ton of parade floats, and plenty of firefighters and horses, plus more! Enjoy the video and pictures below!
A week ago, an idiot came up to Friendship Santa and used a pipe to take out the legs of two of the wooden reindeer. Here is a reminder of what happened.
Now, the family has started a GoFundMe account to pay for the damage done and to upgrade to a good security system. Friendship Santa, Avery Robertson, built a 17 foot Rudolph, 9 feet tiny reindeer, a life-size sleigh, and 3 acres of Christmas decorations. He’s Santa to the community every night the weather is good from Dec. 1-23. He sits in his sleigh from 5:30-8:30 every night and welcomes everyone to come and have pictures with Santa for free.
They give out hot chocolate and brownies from Cici’s pizza (donated). They have local businesses that have sponsored goody bags to give out to the kids. They pay for the light bill, juices for kids, hot chocolate, supplies, and they work it every night in the hot and freezing weather. They are so thankful for family and friends that have helped them. They had 6,000 visitors last year and have already had 4,000 this year.
Last week after it was over, a man entered their yard around 9:50 pm and axed down one of our reindeer and tried doing the same thing to Rudolph. Their mom screamed and the vandal left. They are raising money to help pay for the damage done to their deer and a good security system. They do not ask or require money to see Santa or the decorations, but they’ve had many people ask them to set up an account to help pay for expenses. They love what they do and they love Christmas. They are heartbroken someone would try to damper the Christmas spirit and try to destroy their beloved Rudolph.
The family has set a goal of $1,000 and as of this post being published, $200 has been raised. If you want to learn more, share, or even donate to this GoFundMe, go to: https://www.gofundme.com/save-rudolphs-leg-and-friends
And of course, if anyone has any information, please contact the Oxford Police Department. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
