Red Bay prepares for Christmas fun
The City of Red Bay is trying to bring extra cheer to the end of the year with its annual Christmas celebration.
Festivities will begin Nov. 19 with the Christmas Bazaar at Hotel Red Bay and will end Dec. 7 with the annual Christmas Parade.
“It is a great way to stimulate tax dollars and bring everyone together,” said Red Bay assistant Jennifer Garrett. “We love this time of year in Red Bay.”
The holiday season will kick off with several chances to shop local. The Christmas Bazaar at Hotel Red Bay will be Nov. 19-22 with several vendors and arts and crafts.
The final night of the Christmas Bazaar, Nov. 22, will also be the grand re-opening of the Hotel Red Bay at 2 p.m.
Moonlight Madness will be Nov. 20, with various stores in Red Bay offering different deals and activities throughout the night.
City revenue officer Tracie Clark said decorations for fall will be up throughout these events to give people a final chance to enjoy the fall décor before moving to Christmas decorations for the Christmas Open House.
Red Bay will have its Christmas Open House Dec. 6 from 1-4:30 p.m., providing another opportunity for people to enjoy local holiday shopping.
Clark said events like these are very important to Red Bay and Franklin County because they focus on shopping local and bringing money back to the community.
“Red Bay is a small community, but we have a lot of areas surrounding us,” Clark said. “It brings a lot of people over to shop and to see specials.”
Clark said the events will typically bring people in from across Franklin County, as well as two neighboring counties in Mississippi.
The second annual Red Bay Tree Lighting will be Dec. 6 beginning at 5 p.m. in Bay Tree Park. The event will include performances from local choirs and the Red Bay band.
Garrett said last year several hundred people packed Bay Tree Park for the first annual tree lighting, and the city anticipates a similar turnout this year.
“We had a great response to that last year, and we hope to see just as many people come out for it this year,” Garrett said.
The final event of the season will be Dec. 7 beginning at 6 p.m. as Red Bay hosts its annual Christmas Parade in downtown.
The theme for this year is “Celebrate Joy.” Garrett said typically around 40 groups participate in the parade each year, and it is a favorite throughout Red Bay.
“We are just looking forward to everything we have going on,” Garrett said. “We hope everyone will come out and help us kick off the holidays in Red Bay.”
