DAPHNE, Ala.—At approximately 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Mayor Fred Small and a group of children from the W.J. Carroll Intermediate choir counted down together.
“Three! Two! One!”
Right before they shouted “Merry Christmas,” the tree …
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DAPHNE, Ala.—At approximately 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Mayor Fred Small and a group of children from the W.J. Carroll Intermediate choir counted down together.
“Three! Two! One!”
Right before they shouted “Merry Christmas,” the tree standing tall in front of City Hall was lit with colorful Christmas lights, and the city of Daphne knew the holiday season had officially arrived.
Following the lighting of the tree, the annual Christmas parade made its way down Main Street as participants thew beaded necklaces, candies and cups at county residents while Christmas music played in the background.
Daphne resident Angelica Smith has been coming to the event for around 14 years.
“It’s great for the kids,” she said.
April Hunter agreed, but said adults enjoy it too.
“It’s a nice, safe outing,” she said.
Even a non-Daphne resident complimented the Jubilee event.
“The Daphne parades in general are the best,” Jennifer Leatherwood, of Robertsdale, said. “We always make it a point to mark it on our calendar.”
The annual event is usually held on the first Friday in December, but it was moved forward one day because the Daphne High School Trojans football team reached the class 6A football state championship and will play in Auburn tonight against Hoover.
“Go Trojans! That’s what I was going to say instead of ‘Merry Christmas,’” Small said after the tree was lit.
Other city leaders think the accomplishment of the DHS football team justifies the parade date change.
“I think moving our parade one day back to facilitate the needs for our football team is an appropriate thing to say the least,” Councilman Derek Boulware said.
The parade involved participation from around 77 groups, and there was an open house at City Hall before the parade began.
There were also Santa Claus photos for kids and refreshments for the public.
Before the tree lighting, the W.J. Carroll Intermediate choir sang a medley of holiday favorites, including: “Deck The Halls,” “Christmas Tree Feud,” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”
Breakout information:
List of individuals and organizations participating in the parade:
