Homewood Christmas Parade draws thousands to line the streets

Thousands lined the streets of downtown Homewood to watch over 70 floats and entrants wind their way to City Hall for the tree lighting ceremony. Standing as many as five or six rows deep in places, community members reached for candy and beads thrown from the floats.

Fire trucks from as far away as New York were part of one of the largest parades in recent memory according to Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer. A singing Elvis, the Grinch, dance groups, The Homewood High Marching Band and of course Santa Clause riding atop a Homewood Fire Truck brought the parade to a close.

Mayor McBrayer invited the children to join him on stage and count down for the lighting of the tree. A reading of the Christmas Story immediately followed as people made pictures in front of the newly lit tree.

“It was an awesome crowd with perfect weather,” McBrayer said.