Christmas cheer lines Maplesville street
Published 1:10 pm Monday, December 3, 2018
Megan Burnett and Katlyn Terry enjoy a photo opportunity at Maplesville’s Old Fashioned Christmas.
Cheryl Holmes portrayed Mary, reflecting on Jesus and His time on earth.
Lora Lee Hollis hands out cookies and candy at Maplesville's Old Fashioned Christmas.
Kamylia and Kolby enjoy making candy cane ornaments during Maplesville’s Old Fashioned Christmas.
Alyssa, Candis and Adalyn Pate work on candy can ornaments at the Miss United States Agriculture booth.
Santa arrives.
Face painting was one of the many activities for children.
Cahaba Medical Center employees hand out caramel apple cider.
Attendees enjoy making sand art snowmen.
A number of photo opportunities were enjoyed at the event.
A number of photo opportunities were enjoyed at the event.
Friendship Baptist was handing out snowflake ornaments during the event.
Hillcrest Baptist Church sings during Maplesville’s Old Fashioned Christmas.
Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church during Maplesville’s Old Fashioned Christmas.
Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church during Maplesville’s Old Fashioned Christmas.
University Highway Church of God performed during Maplesville’s Old Fashioned Christmas.
By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer
Maplesville’s Old Fashioned Christmas brought a festive spirit of holiday cheer to Main Street on Dec. 2.
Participation by community businesses increased in this second year for the event.
One of the organizers Cheryl Holmes said the Christmas photo opportunities were also expanded this year and an inflatable bouncy house was added.
“We got more people involved in the planning of it this year and working together making sure that we include a lot of different people and just improved on some things,” Holmes said.
Wendy Dale said attending the event made her feel like she was in the movie “Sweet Home Alabama.”
A comment that excited Holmes since the organizing committee really hoped to create a Hallmark town feel.
Dale said she enjoyed that it was a small setting but still had a variety of activities bringing in the Christmas spirit.
Several churches participated providing music throughout the event and handing out Christmas treats.
“We just felt like this was something God led us to be a part of,” Deborah Jones of Friendship Baptist Church said. “This is our first time to help. We were asked, and we immediately said yes.”
The church was giving out snowflake ornaments, pencils and bookmarks. Jones said she had wanted to give attendees something they could keep.
She said she enjoyed seeing people she knew in the community and spending time with fellow church members while running the booth.
Lora Lee Hollis of University Highway Church of God said she enjoyed seeing the turn out for the event. The church was handing out candy and cookies.
While music filled the air, children enjoyed crafts and face painting. The adults enjoyed talking to other community members and sampling the hot chocolate, doughnuts, apple cider, tacos, popcorn, nachos and other edible goodies being handed out at various booths.
Josey Smitherman said she was especially looking forward to the Mexican food being given out by Valle Grande Mexican Grill.
McKayla Abbott said she enjoyed everyone coming together.
“Everyone is so nice and generous and everyone just has a good time,” Abbott said.
She said she also enjoyed the music.
“It’s just a small town, but we have a lot of fun,” Abbott said.
Tammy Seay said she had also attended last year’s event.
“I found out it was the very first one they had,” Seay said. “It was interesting to find that out because it was so put together I actually thought it was something that had been annually done.”
She said her church Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church was participating this year. The church sang two songs as a part of the musical presentations.
Seay said she enjoyed seeing the unity of everyone coming together.
“I like the fact that pretty much everybody from town is out here,” April Rhodes said.
She said her son really enjoyed the Christmas crafts.
Candis Pate said she also enjoyed seeing everyone from the community at the event.
Games and a cake walk were enjoyed by attendees of all ages.
Santa arrived for the festivities in a horse drawn carriage and stayed to listen to children’s Christmas wishes.
