Dawn Wilson, local artist and owner of Creatively Yours in Fairhope, crafts a giant pocket watch, inspired by "The Polar Express." She has recreated several scenes from holiday movies that visitors to Bicentennial Park can walk through and take photos with.
Allison Marlow / Gulf Coast Media
By Allison Marlow
Christmas has arrived at Bicentennial Park.
County Archivist Felisha Anderson knew eight years ago that plans for the ever-expanding Bicentennial Park in Stockton needed to include a Christmas celebration.
This weekend, years of planning, dreaming and work come to life.
The park will host Christmas at Bicentennial tonight and Saturday night. The evening kicks off at 5 p.m. with a showing of “Home Alone.” There will be Christmas carolers, a reading of The Polar Express, hayrides, lights and various photo stops.
Local artist Dawn Wilson, owner of Creatively Yours, crafted scenes from Whoville, The Polar Express and other holiday favorites that families can pose in front of for photos.
Anderson worked with her department last year to fold the Christmas celebration into their strategic plan. The Baldwin County Commission approved the plan last January.
The two-day Christmas fest is a way to introduce more locals to what Anderson calls, “a diamond in the rough.”
“Bicentennial Park has long been hidden from the public,” she said. “This is an opportunity for the public to come and see what we offer.”
The park is a 367-acre site in north Baldwin County. Opened in 2009 during the county’s bicentennial celebration, it is now home to several historical buildings, many moved here from other parts of the county.
The Montpelier Methodist Church , built in 1895, calls the park home as do a general store, blacksmith shop and the Little Red Schoolhouse which was moved to the park in 2017. The Latham Post Office was moved from Stockton to the park earlier this year.
Anderson envisions the park as not just a place to preserve history, but as a touchstone for residents to visit and understand the past.
“Each of our sites represents a difference culture and time period in our history,” Anderson said.
Planners hope to incorporate a farm house next year with a working farm and animals as well as a working saw mill.
“People in our community are traveling to Montgomery but we have the ability to give them that historical perspective right here in Baldwin County and that’s our plan,” she said.
As the park grows, so will the Christmas celebration. Anderson said members of the parks department have been hanging lights, including wrapping more than 200 trees on the property, since September. Eventually she plans to illuminate the entire property “in a magical experience.”
“The Christmas spirit is in the air and our community is coming together with the spirit of the season,” Anderson said. “What better time to bring people to Bicentennial Park and show them what we have to offer.”
