Baileyton hosts 4th annual Christmas Drive-Thru 

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The man of the hour, Santa Claus, visits with a child in the backseat of a red truck before handing her a gift at the Town of Baileyton’s fourth annual Christmas Drive-Thru event on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Cayla Grace Murphy)

BAILEYTON, Ala. – Young residents of Baileyton enjoyed another festive event during the holiday season as hundreds of cars lined around the Baileyton Volunteer Fire Department for the fourth annual Christmas Drive-Thru, held Saturday evening, Dec. 9, 2023. The event was a team effort between the town council and the BVFD and began as a way to spread Christmas cheer when social distancing was necessary in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The celebration has become a Christmas tradition in the Baileyton community. 

Members of the Baileyton Volunteer Fire Department, co-hosts of the Town of Baileyton’s fourth annual Christmas Drive-Thru event are left to right, Hunter McKelvy, Toby Houser, Fire Chief Zack McGee, Jack McGee, Cassie Shehan, Rebecca King and Marc Shehan. (Cayla Grace Murphy) 

Mayor Windell Calloway shared that while this year’s event was not without challenges due to severe weather predictions, that didn’t stop the folks of Baileyton from coming out for a chance to chat with Santa, enjoy a grilled hamburger or hotdog and bring home a new toy.  

“We started early because of the weather, and we had people lining up. We just wanted to try to make sure everyone could get through and enjoy it,” he said. It was all hands on deck as nearly 400 children filed through the fire department, waving to Santa through backseat windows and pointing to toys under the tree that caught their eye.  

“We brought three truckloads of toys, and you can see what’s left!” laughed Calloway, pointing to a few toys left under the tree.  

Baileyton Town Clerk Nikki Fry chimed in, “It’s been lined up! This is our first break since it started,” laughing as she prepared grab-and-go bags of hamburgers, chips and cookies for residents still to come. 

To stay up to date on future events hosted in the Baileyton area, follow the Town of Baileyton on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thetownofbaileyton.  

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