Alexandria kicked DeKalb County's holiday season off in style Sunday afternnon with its annual Christmas Parade. Alexandria Police Chief Mark Collins led Sheriff Patrick Ray, the DCHS Fighting Tiger Band, and an assortment of floats, vintage cars and trucks, tractors, horseback riders and horse-drawn wagons, city and county fire departments, EMS and Rescue Squad units, local veterans, State Senator Mae Beavers and State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver, with Santa and Mrs. Claus rolling in on a fire engine at the end of the procession.
A drawing was held in downtown Alexandria at the end of the parade, and several prizes donated by local businesses were given away.
In the float competition, Malone's Chapel Baptist Church took top honors with a "The Real Meaning of Christmas" theme.
West Main Baptist of Alexandria was awarded second place with their "The Greatest Gift God Ever Gave, Jesus" themed float.
The DeKalb Community Bank float took home the third-place award in the float competition.
In the vintage car contest, the 1956 Chevrolet owned by Dwain and Susan Young came out on top.
Danny and Wanda Cowan's 1969 Impala took second place, and the 1962 Nova of Jeff Youngblood was awarded third place. In vintage truck competition, Paul Johnson's 1966 Ford F100 won first place, and Chris Tramel's 1968 F100 took second. Kenny Rhody's 1972 Chevy "Cooters" Wrecker took third-place honors.
Chris Hale's meticulously restored 1952 John Deere MT won the tractor competition. Steven Cook's 1944 Farmall H was awarded second place, and Greg Carson's 1939 Allis Chalmers 2850 took third place.
The Alexandria parade was the first of the season in DeKalb County, with the Smithville parade set to leave Smithville Elementary School at 1 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 1, and the Liberty parade scheduled for the following day (Dec. 2) at 2 pm.