By By Adrienne McKenzie
The Christmas spirit spread throughout Atmore and Poarch during the weekend as both of the annual Christmas parades were held.
The Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Twilight Christmas Parade was held Saturday evening and executive director Emilie Mims said the event was a huge success.
"From all accounts, this year's Christmas parade was the best ever," Mims said. "People are raving about the quality of the floats, the number of floats and most importantly the number of people lined up to watch the parade."
There were 24 floats entered in this year's parade sponsored by Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union.
The judges chose for first place "Rock Around the Christmas Tree" and second place went to "Hard Candy Christmas," both of which were parades from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians' Christmas parade. Third place went to "The Polar Express," from Doug Snider Roofing. The "AHH Award" was awarded to Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and the "I" Award was given to Marvins.
But, the Christmas parade was not only about having pretty scenery for an hour, it is also a good opportunity for flourishment in Atmore.
"The Twilight Christmas Parade is certainly something the community can be very proud of," Mims said. "It's a great benefit to businesses in the community, but most especially restaurants. The Chamber is always happy to do something that promotes the city."
Mims said she would like to thank everyone who was involved in the parade this year.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians' parade was held Friday night.
" I think it went great," community relations specialist Gayle Johnson said.
There were approximately 14 floats in PCI's parade.
First place went to "Hard Candy Christmas" from Creek Indian Enterprises. "Rock Around the Christmas Tree" was second place. It was constructed by PCI Gaming and Gaming administration. Both floats placed in the Atmore parade. And, third place went to Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, constructed by Building 200.
First place winners in PCI's parade received eight hours off work, second place received six hours off work and third place received four hours off work.