By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The city will spread the Christmas cheer throughout the community this Saturday, as Alabaster is set to continue its Christmas parade tradition down U.S. 31.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, on U.S. 31 south, and will be themed “A Storybook Christmas” this year.

This year’s parade will follow the same route as previous years, 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.

To accommodate 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 beginning at 9:15 a.m., and northbound and southbound traffic will be diverted onto the two northbound lanes.

The city will hold the parade rain or shine “unless conditions become unsafe for parade participants and spectators.” Early weather forecasts call for a 50-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day with a high of about 65 degrees.

The city will set up a judging station in front of the Alabaster Police Department building on U.S. 31, and floats will have a chance to conduct one-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 at the back of the parade lineup.

In order to view all parade floats, the city is encouraging spectators to be south of the U.S. 31-Industrial Road intersection.