BAY MINETTE - Organizers of the 2010 Christmas Fest were given a challenge this year after they were told vendors could not set up around the courthouse as in years past because of two murder trials scheduled.  That challenge was met head on and the result  was an even better event.

Festival goers enjoyed a more streamlined setup, with vendors lining either side of First Avenue from Blackburn Park to Bay Minette City Hall.  Taking advantage of the move and space, the Bay Minette Kiwanis Club held its annual Pancakes with Santa at the civic center.  Next door, in the rotunda of City Hall, the inaugural Fine Arts Festival allowed visitors to view,  purchase or bid on artwork of various forms of media produced by a local artists.

Even the carnival sported a couple of new venues in the form of Hamster Ball Wars and a Spiderman challenge.  The hamster balls were a popular "ride," as children floated and rolled in an inflatable pool inside clear inflatable balls.  Children also enjoyed finding their way through a myriad of "webs," a series of rubber nets contained in a tall cylindrical structure.

"The weekend was a delight," Bay Minette Mayor Jamie Tillery said.