It’s parade time again in Bluff Park this weekend.
The ninth annual Bluff Park Christmas Parade is scheduled for this Saturday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m.
About 35 groups have registered to participate so far, including churches, Scout troops, the Hoover Belles service organization, Bluff Park Masonic Lodge, Simmons Middle School dance team, Bluff Park Women’s Rec League, Hoover Public Library, Hoover Parks and Recreation fitness staff, Realtors, Hoover Fire Department, Bluff Park Ice Cream Shoppe, other businesses and even Santa Claus, said Lori Redding one of the organizers of the parade.
The top float award last year went to the Bluff Park Women’s Rec League, followed by Alabama Lights in second place and Hammer & Stain in third place.
The parade is scheduled to start at the Bluff Park Community Park next to the Shades Cliff Pool, then proceed along Cloudland Drive (behind Bluff Park Elementary School), turn right onto Lester Lane, then turn south on Clearview Road (which turns into Maiden Lane), right onto Rockview Lane, right onto Cloudland Drive and end back at the park next to the Shades Cliff Pool.
The entire community, not just Bluff Park, is invited to come watch or participate in the parade. Registration for the parade is open until the night before, Redding said.
Registration costs $45 and can be done through the Bluff Park Christmas Parade Facebook page. Organizers are selling sponsorships for $100 to help cover costs, such as liability insurance and assistance from Hoover police officers. The $100 includes a parade entry fee. Money raised this year helps pay for next year’s parade.
The parade will take place rain or shine, though no rain was forecast as of Wednesday evening.
Organizers ask people driving to Bluff Park to watch the parade to park at Shades Crest Baptist Church and Bluff Park Elementary School. The parade will go behind the school on Cloudland Drive but not by Shades Crest Baptist on Park Avenue.
