By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Atmore’s first “Snow Day,” an evening of fun designed to help kick off the holidays in fun fashion, was a huge success.
Kids of all ages — a crowd estimated at “around 300, maybe more” — enjoyed choral and musical performances from several groups, played in artificial snow, bounced on an inflatable gingerbread house and locomotive, sat on Santa’s lap for photos and otherwise enjoyed themselves. Many purchased gumbo and other delicacies from a nearby food truck.
The event, held last Saturday (December 7) at Boxcar Willie Park, not only included Santa, but also The Grinch (who was jokingly “arrested” by Police Chief Chuck Brooks for scaring a child) and Disney princesses Elsa (Frozen) and Asha (Wish) from Once Upon a Time Parties in Mobile.
Perhaps the biggest hit was the machine-produced snow flurries that cascaded down from two stations. There was a brief malfunction about halfway through the evening as the machines “rebooted,” then the flakes continued to float across the park, to the delight of parents and youngsters.
Christopher and Jessica Jay, who brought their daughter Laiklyn to the community party, said the encounter with the artificial snow was the youngster’s first such experience.
“We’re really having a good time,” Jessica said. “Laiklyn had never seen snow before, fake or real, and she loved it.”
The evening got under way with a performance by the Huxford Elementary School choir, which belted out several holiday tunes in fine harmony. Choir Director Amy Bedsole led the elementary ensemble, which consists of students in grades 3-6.
Later, Coastal Alabama Community College’s jazz band, show band and choir performed, with co-director Rebecca Berry taking center stage to sing three songs as Choir Director Dr. Patrick Jacobs looked on.
Snow Day was jointly sponsored by Atmore Main Street (AMS) and the City of Atmore. AMS Executive Director Shinora Redmond said she hopes the celebration — which included goody bags for the first 100 children into the park — will become an annual event, while City Clerk Becca Smith said indications from Saturday’s first attempt are that it will.
“This is our first one, and the turnout is great,” Smith said. “We ran out of goody bags in just a few minutes, so next year we’ll be better prepared. We want to thank the community for coming out and we want to extend a special thanks to United Bank for providing the snow.”