Photo by Jon Anderson.
Hundreds of people took part in the 2019 Bluff Park Christmas Parade on Dec. 7, 2019. Posing for a photo, from left, are Rosie Daniel and ZoeyPate.
The streets of Bluff Park likely will be filled with merriment on Dec. 2 as the community experiences the 2023 Bluff Park Christmas parade.
The parade is set to kick off at 10 a.m. at the Bluff Park Community Park next to the Shades Cliff pool, said Kristen Fountain, one of the organizers. It’s open to the entire community, not just Bluff Park.
The parade will proceed along Cloudland Drive (behind Bluff Park Elementary School), turn right onto Lester Lane, then turn south on Clearview Road (which turns into Maiden Lane), right onto Rockview Lane, right onto Cloudland Drive and end back at the park next to the Shades Cliff Pool.
Last year, the parade had an estimated 300-350 people in it, with 37 groups taking part, including churches, Scout troops, Bluff Park Elementary School, Simmons Middle School dance team and cheerleaders, businesses, the Hoover Belles, part of the Hoover High School marching band, Mayor Frank Brocato and groups of family members and friends.
Winning awards for best floats last year were the Simmons cheerleaders, the Seewald family, Simmons dance team, Hoover Public Library & Rickels family. The top floats again this year will receive gift cards to local restaurants or businesses, Fountain said.
The fee to be a part of the parade is $45. Registration starts Monday, Nov. 6, and there is supposed to be a link to register on the event’s Facebook page. Parade organizers also are selling sponsorships for $100 to help cover costs, such as liability insurance and assistance from Hoover police officers. That $100 includes a parade entry free. Money raised this year helps pay for next year’s parade. The parade will take place rain or shine, organizers say. Other organizers are Kristin Mathis, Alli Nations, Lauren Toth and Lori Redding.
Organizers ask people driving to Bluff Park to watch the parade to park at Shades Crest Baptist Church and Bluff Park Elementary School. The parade will go behind the school of Cloudland Drive but not by Shades Crest Baptist on Park Avenue.
