BAILEYTON, Ala. – It seems Baileyton has had a bit of a “Grinch” problem throughout the holidays. Each year, the Town hosts a community Christmas party. COVID-19 already caused several obstacles as town leaders explored safe ways to give back to the community, especially the children. They settled on a drive-through Christmas party and, they said, when they went to retrieve the toys collected over the year, they were gone!
The Baileyton Community Center has traditionally been where many have gathered prior to Christmas for a meal provided by the Town. Each year, the children of Baileyton beamed as they waited for a visit and photo with Santa. Tables full of new toys, stuffed animals, blankets, clothes and other gifts would showcase the generosity of the businesses and members of the community and each child could choose what he or she would like to take home.
Giant teddy bears and other large stuffed animals were raffled, and the raffle became the most anticipated event at the close of each party. Toys left over from the party and other toys donated throughout the year would then be locked in a storage building in preparation for the next year’s party.
As organizers went to get the toys the day before the Dec. 12 Christmas party, they were shocked to find that all the toys for the children had vanished.
Mayor Windell Calloway said, “The toys and other stuff are now locked up in the mayor’s office in the new town hall and I am the only person who has a key to that. If they get stolen there, somebody is going to have to knock the locks off or whatever. They are in there and all the stuff (Councilman) Benny (Guthrie) got ordered for us is in there and I locked it up.”
One community member at Baileyton’s Monday night council meeting was upset that someone would steal from the children of Baileyton, saying, “I just want to make sure that we’ve got everything locked up and that our locks and keys have been changed out because that bothered me that somebody would steal toys from our children.”
Calloway assured her, “It bothered me greatly, too. If people hadn’t donated, again I want to thank all the people who donated, and if they hadn’t, we would have been in trouble. That is something that shouldn’t have happened.”
The building holding the toys still had a lock that was not tampered with and was still intact, the council said.
Despite the efforts to ruin Baileyton’s Christmas, generous donations from members of the council, community, Wal-Mart and other organizations came through and the party was seen as a success. Families were able to receive to-go meals, fruit to take home and toys for the kids.
The stolen toys weren’t the only strange occurrence. Calloway told the council, “Somebody cut all the wire on the 4-wheeler we use to drag the field with. It was locked up, but there is trash in the gas tank, and it ruined the fuel pump and other stuff.”
Councilman Roy Shedd added, “That thing was sabotaged from one end to the other. All of our equipment is torn up and all the wrenches are gone. We don’t have anything to work with. They were locked up in the shop and toys were locked up here.”
The Town of Baileyton is the process of bolstering security while replacing the equipment that has been vandalized or stolen.
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