The 2020 Hartselle Christmas Parade is the latest event to fall victim to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers of the annual Hartselle Christmas Parade have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Hartselle Christmas Parade due to the complications of COVID-19.

“We were very much looking forward to celebrating a little bit of normalcy in 2020, and we looked at all kinds of ways to still hold the parade despite this year’s many challenges,” said Jennifer Williams, president of Hartselle Kiwanis, which organizes and staffs the annual event.

“We know the parade is a highlight for our entire community—we, as its organizers, always look forward to the joy it brings, and we had hoped for a way to make it happen.”

“As a club, we looked at various options, but unfortunately we have decided we must cancel this hallmark event,” she said, adding, “as you can imagine, it is extremely difficult to plan for a large-scale event during a global health crisis.”

Logistics involving the necessary volunteers, coupled with the recent, prolonged uptick in COVID cases in our area to today’s extension of the statewide mask order from Governor Kay Ivey, led to today’s decision, said Williams.

Holiday Parade of Homes

In lieu of the downtown parade, which brought hundreds of people to Main Street last year, Hartselle Kiwanis unveiled a “Christmas Parade of Homes/Decorating Contest,” in which homes decked out for the holidays can compete for prizes.

“The plan is to have people sign up to decorate the outside of their homes and agree to be included on our Decoration Trail,” said Williams. “Each house that signs up will be assigned a number and will receive a sign for their front yard. People can drive by the homes on the trail from Dec. 4-27 and ‘vote’ for their favorite online, in the form of a donation to Hartselle Kiwanis. The home that raises the most money will win the People’s Choice Award. Judges also will visit each site, and prizes will be awarded for the best decorated home/yard.”

Money raised through the Christmas Parade of Homes/Decorating Contest will benefit the mission of Hartselle Kiwanis.

“Each year, we raise money through our fundraising events to donate to community organizations that support children and their families, including the Shining Stars program and Habitat for Humanity,” said Williams. “We also are able to provide scholarships for Hartselle High School seniors each year. More details and signups for the Christmas Parade of Homes will be made available next week.