Christmas spirit rolled down Highway 31 on Saturday in the form of two Christmas parades, in Jemison and Thorsby.

Jemison’s parade began first, at 2 p.m., beginning at Jemison High School and crawling to Jemison First Baptist Church.

Children and adults alike lined both sides of the highway waving at parade participants and gathering up candy that hit the road.

Some children at the Thorsby parade couldn’t wait until they got home to start enjoying the candy.

Thorsby’s parade began at 4:30 p.m. at the town’s old sewing factory.

The event, like Jemison’s, featured a marching band, pageant queens, rescue vehicles with lights blazing, politicians, children, flashy vehicles…and lots of candy.

The Jemison High School Blue Regiment Band performed during Jemison’s parade.

By Justin Averette

A cold rain ruined Christmas parades Saturday in Jemison and Thorsby, but the events have been rescheduled.
Thorsby’s parade will be this Saturday, Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. Jemison’s will follow later that same afternoon at 2 p.m.
Organizers had hoped to get the events in Dec. 12, but Mother Nature didn’t cooperate.
Early forecasts look a little more optimistic for this weekend. The high Saturday is expected to be around 50 degree under mostly cloudy skies.

By Scott Mims

Jemison’s Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 2 p.m.
The parade route is as follows: Lineup will be in front of Jemison High School at 1 p.m. From the high school, the parade will travel south on Highway 31 and turn right onto Church Street, cross the tracks, then turn left on Main Street, then left again onto Union Grove Road, and finally back to 31 and north to the school.
For more information about the Jemison Christmas Parade, contact Faye King at 688-2059 or City Hall at 688-4492.
Thorsby’s Christmas Parade is earlier that same day, Dec. 12. Participants are asked to line up no later than 10:30 a.m. in front of the old sewing factory, near the water tower on Alabama Avenue.
Thorsby’s parade will begin at 11 a.m., crossing over onto Highway 31 and moving south, then crossing the tracks over to Richard Wood Park, then back onto Alabama Avenue and north to the sewing factory.
For more information about Thorsby’s parade, call City Hall at 646-3575.