Rotary club’s first Christmas Festival to feature shopping, Santa and more

Published 8:00 am Saturday, November 9, 2013

The Rotary Club of Chilton County will be spreading even more Christmas cheer this year.

The service organization known for sponsoring Clanton’s Christmas Parade is planning its first Christmas Festival.

The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8 at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center. The event will feature a variety of vendors, live music and entertainment, food, informational workshops and a chance for children to visit with Santa.

“We’ve put together a magical mixture of shopping, entertainment and learning experiences for our first-ever Christmas Festival,” Rotary club treasurer Denise Evans said. “The festival committee has been very careful to invite only the highest quality of vendors, and to make sure we have a wide variety of choices for men, women and children. Santa Claus will be present to hear Christmas wishes, the 2013 Peach Queens will teach girls how to make their dreams come true, and 12-year old sensation Magic Moe will enchant and mystify everyone with his own Magic of Christmas. A variety of experts will conduct workshops on wonderful tips and tricks to keep the sparkle alive during the holidays.

“We are thrilled with being able to share such an exciting experience with all our friends in Chilton County and surrounding areas, and look forward to this start of a new Christmas tradition.”

Admission will be $7 for adults, or $6 with a canned food item, which will be donated to the Chilton County Emergency Assistance Center’s food drive.

Children ages 7-12 will be admitted at half price, and children under 7 will get in free.

Tickets will be available at the door.

All proceeds from the festival will be given back to the people of Chilton County through causes supported by the Rotary, club President Gordon Swenson said.

“The Rotary Club of Chilton County is a part of Rotary International,” Swenson said. “Rotary International was founded in 1905 and today has 1.2 million members in 200-plus countries.

“Service is the foundation of Rotary International, and as part of that culture of giving, the Rotary Club of Chilton County is proud of its service to Chilton County that has included the Clanton Christmas Parade, scholarships to area high school students who have attended Rotary Youth Leadership training, presentation of dictionaries to all third graders at county schools, financial planning tools to Habitat for Humanity as well as numerous other awards to local charities.”

For more information about the festival, visit www.RotaryClubofChiltonCounty.org.

A limited number of vendor spaces are still available. Those interested should visit the website listed above, or call Evans at (205) 310-3799.