By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – It may not yet be Halloween, but Alabaster has already made plans to kick off the Christmas season with style.

Alabaster’s annual Christmas parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, according to the Alabaster Parks and Recreation Department. This year’s parade will follow the same route as last year’s, and will begin at the Ernest McCarty Ford dealership on U.S. 31 before turning right onto Second Place Northwest, traveling down First Street Southwest and ending at the stop sign in front of Southbrook Village.

During the parade, which is organized and sponsored by Alabaster city personnel and the Alabaster Beautification Board, the two southbound lanes of U.S. 31 will be closed, and northbound and southbound traffic will be diverted onto the two northbound lanes.

The theme of this year’s parade will be “A Hometown Christmas,” and attendees are encouraged to line up along the southbound side of U.S. 31 along the parade route. The city will hold the parade rain or shine “unless conditions become unsafe for parade participants and spectators.”

The city will set up a judging station in front of the former City Hall building on U.S. 31, and floats will have a chance to conduct 1-minute performances for the judges when they stop in front of the building.

After the parade, the judges will award winners in the following categories: Best Holiday Spirit, Best Use of Theme, Best Walking Entry, Most Creative and Most Entertaining.

No live Santa Claus characters will be allowed in the parade, as the city’s official Santa Claus will be riding on an Alabaster fire truck. No dirt bikes are allowed in the parade, according to information on the city’s website.

The city currently is accepting applications from those interested in participating in the parade. For registration instructions, visit Cityofalabaster.com/departments/parks-recreation.