Tallassee Now! - Christmas in Tallassee |

                Christmas in Tallassee is a wonderful and exciting time.  There are Christmas activities everywhere.  Every church has its own very busy season of celebration.  For example, at First United Methodist Church, where Dale Segrest attends, there is an annual “Hanging of the Green.”  All the choirs participate. The church is decorated for the season, including a Christmas Tree, where families hang special ornaments.  There are many other special events.  Similar programs, pageants, and celebrations occur in every church in Tallassee.

                The community comes together at Christmas.  On December 1st, the weather was perfect for the Christmas parade, led by Grand Marshall Liz Britt.  There were 65 entries in this year’s parade.  Both sides of the street were lined with people from beginning to end.  The parade again marched across the bridge almost 72 years after the parade that opened the bridge on December 10, 1940. The CDC conducted its final Tailgate event of the Season that day.

                There was a Holiday Market, with numerous vendors at Veterans’ park on the Friday before the parade.  Also in Veteran’s Park on Friday, beginning at 4:00 p.m., Christmas music was provided by Scott Hammonds, Susie Seal, Jan Davidson, and The McCraney-Cottle Singers.  Mayor Bobby Payne lit Tallassee’s Christmas Tree at 6:15 p.m. that afternoon.

The ACTS Ministry probably sees its busiest time of the year.  Volunteers work long, hard hours to make sure that the joy of Christmas is spread throughout the community.  The ministry is a purely local organization.  It works throughout the year, but especially hard at Christmas.  It provides food, toys, clothing, and special Christmas boxes to needy families.  Churches all over the community support this wonderful ministry. 

                The McCraney-Cottle Arts Council presented a program of Christmas music at First United Methodist Church.  The music provided by McCraney-Cottle Singers and the McCraney-Cottle Express under the leadership of Jerry Cunningham was fantastic.  Tallassee has talent!

                The VFW served lunch to over 60 veterans from the Tuskegee V.A. on Saturday.  This is an annual event, and one of the ways that the VFW makes the season special for veterans. 

                The Learning Tree is a residential facility here in Tallassee providing services for autistic children.  Churches and other groups in town support The Learning Tree to make sure that the very special children enrolled there have a joyous Christmas.

                Downtown merchants, including Heather Weldon, Suzie Wilson, and Laurie Rygiel, put together a great Christmas event in the City’s new downtown park.  The event included a play written by Jack Solomon, with many of the original cast.  There was music, horse & buggy rides,  and much more!  The group plans to offer other events to promote downtown.

               Christmas is a good time for Tallassee merchants.  Please remember our merchants during the Christmas season.  They are hometown folks, and employ hometown folks.  The best way for us to assure that everyone in Tallassee enjoys a happy Christmas is by shopping Tallassee first.  Remember our downtown area, the East Tallassee merchants, and the shopping centers.  Merry Christmas!

Information Source: Tallassee Community Development Corporation