By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

Despite the cold, the annual Hayneville Christmas Parade drew an enthusiastic crowd and Santa came to town on the back of a giant red fire truck.

State Rep. David Colston served as grand marshal for the event and received the key to the city.

“It was a great turnout. We were hoping we would have a lot more participation, but because of the inclement weather, people were unsure whether we going to have the parade,” said Hayneville Mayor Kelvin J. Lawrence.

However, he said, “All in all, it was a great crowd.”

Lawrence said he did not want to postpone the parade because other cities had their parades lines up such as Fort Deposit, set for Dec. 14, and White Hall, set for Dec. 21.
He said the town also wanted to continue the tradition of holding the parade on the first Saturday of December.

Lawrence presented the key to the city to State Rep. David Colston of District 69, which includes Autauga, Dallas, Lowndes and Wilcox counties.

Lawrence said, “We wanted to show appreciation to all our local leaders who are doing all they can at the state level as far as helping Lowndes County, especially Hayneville, to do what we need to do.”

Colston thanked the mayor and council for the key to the city.
Colston said of the parade, “A lot of people came out in the Christmas spirit and everything turned out good.” He said he had a great time.

Big Union Christian Church provided the only float for the parade this year and took all of the awards for Most Creative, Most Spirited and Most Religious.”