By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

PELHAM—Although the Golden Jubilee just ended, Pelham’s Executive Administrative Assistant Paula Holly is already thinking about next year’s celebration.

“We’re really looking forward to next year,” Holly said, noting she has already been approached by potential sponsors for next year’s event. “This event would not have been possible without our sponsors Mobley Development, Coca-Cola, Alabama Power, Trash Taxi and Renasant Bank.”

As Pelham’s 50th birthday party, the Golden Jubilee was an expansion of last year’s Pelhambration. Spanning two days rather than one, the event was complete with birthday cake, music, ice-skating, food and retail vendors at the Pelham Civic Center and Ice Arena, and closed with a free concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheater. The Pelham Police Department estimated 3,500 people attended the event on July 11 and 12.

“I was very pleased with the turnout and support of the community,” Holly said. “Every time I walked through, there were people. There was a steady stream of people both days.”

Not only was Holly pleased by the public turnout, she was also impressed by vendor turnout for the Golden Jubilee.

“There were 114 vendors, we were completely full,” Holly said. “We even had a waiting list of 25 vendors. I was very pleased with everyone wanting to participate.”

So far all of the responses Holly has received have been positive, she said, adding the police and EMTs at the event confirmed there were “no issues.”

Holly said she will sit down with the Beautification Board in “two weeks to go over the Golden Jubilee and start thinking about what we want to do next year.”

Holly said she hopes to see Pelhambration and the Golden Jubilee grow and turn into a city tradition similar to Alabaster’s CityFest and Helena’s Buck Creek Festival.

“I would love to do the Friday night again,” Holly said. “We just need to evaluate what were the pluses and what we need to tweak going forward.”