Central Baldwin residents will have plenty of opportunity to get into the Christmas spirit beginning with the opening of the Wales West Arctic Express this weekend.

Arctic Express
Wales West RV Resort and Light Railway will host its annual Arctic Express beginning Nov. 24 through Christmas Eve at 13670 Smiley St. off County Road 9, Silverhill.
Ride an authentic steam train through a wonderland of lights and decorations to the North Pole. Children visit with Santa in the Winter-wonderland barn and receive a free wooden toy. Free refreshments served at the train station after the trip. Enjoy a ride on the mini-train, a sleigh/hay ride, and inflatables on the playground.

Hours are 4-9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 10 and nightly beginning Dec. 11 through Christmas Eve. Train rides are free with park admission, which is $15 per person, plus tax. Admission is free for children under 2.
For more information call 251-232-2322. Tickets can also be purchased online at waleswest.com/arctic.htm, “click here to order tickets online.”


Silverhill
The Town of Silverhill will kick things off with its annual Christmas parade beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1. The parade will line up at the Silverhill Community Center and follow the normal parade route on Highway 104.
Open house will be following the parade. For more information call town hall at 251-945-5198.

13th Annual Down Home Christmas will be from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Silverhill Covenant Church, 16094 Alabama 104, Silverhill.
Hand-made crafts will be sold by church members, including wreaths, jewelry, ornaments, crocheted items, quilted items, knitted items, T-shirts and stained glass. Swedish coffee breads will also be sold and Poinsettias will be available for purchase.
Lunch will be served featuring homemade soup and salad at a cost of $6.
For more information call the church, 251-945-5143.


Robertsdale

The St. Patrick’s Ladies Auxiliary will hold its annual Christmas bazaar beginning at 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday, Dec. 1-3 at the Church, 23035 Alabama 59, Robertsdasle.
The bazaar features approximately 130 gift baskets, unique hand crafted items, needlework, baked goods, and much more.
Items available for purchase include bird feeders, wooden spoons, Afghans, scarves and caps and other unique items. Proceeds from sales benefit community charities, St. Patrick’s church and school.
Call the church office, 251-947-5054 for more information.

Honeybee Festival
The annual Honeybee Festival, which was canceled Oct. 7 because of the threat of Hurricane Nate in the Gulf of Mexico, will be held Saturday, Dec. 2 at Honeybee Park.
The event kicks off with the Honeybee Festival 5K at 10 a.m., immediately followed by the 1-mile walk/run with awards presented.
More than 85 vendors signed up for the October event and all have been invited to participate in the rescheduled event, along with a full lineup of entertainment.
Several events, including the second annual Gulf Coast Jeep Show, a “Cornhole For Keaton” tournament, presented by “Team Tenley” to benefit Robertsdale High School student Keaton Krebs and his fight against Leukemia; and a firefighter challenge, hosted by the Robertsdale Volunteer Fire Department, were also canceled Oct. 7 and it is unclear whether any of those events will be part of the rescheduled festival.
For more information visit the Central Baldwin Education Foundation’s page on Facebook or visit cbef.org.

The City of Robertsdale will host its annual Christmas in the Park and Parade on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Parade lineup is at 4:30 p.m. at the RHS baseball complex and is set to roll at 6 p.m.
The parade will be followed by the annual photos in the park with Santa and Mrs. Claus in Honeybee Park.
The Robertsdale Rotary Club sponsors the parade, with the assistance of the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and City of Robertsdale.
For a parade application and for more information contact the chamber at 251-947-2626.

Polar Express
Derailed Diner will host its annual Polar Express beginning at 6 p.m. Dec. 8 inside the Oasis Travel Center, 27801 County Road 64 at the I-10 Wilcox Exit. The event will be staged during the weekends of Dec. 7-9 and Dec. 14-16.
For six magical nights Derailed Diner’s authentic dining car will be transformed into the train car from the children’s book “The Polar Express.” Participants receive a golden “Believe” ticket punched by the Polar Express train conductor as they enter the train car singing the “Hot Chocolate” song.
All attending will be served hot chocolate and cookies after the professional performance and sing-a-long from the book. Each child will be gifted a magic jingle bell to wish upon.
Admission is free for children ages 4 to 12. No adults will be allowed on the train, but can peek through the windows. Each child is asked to bring a canned good to donate to charity.
Reservations are required by calling 251-960-1152.

Walk Through Bethlehem postponed
Bethel Baptist Church will not be hosting its annual Walk Through Bethlehem this year, according to the church’s website.
“Walk Through Bethlehem has been a wonderful part of our church’s yearly calendar for many years,” reads a statement at bbcrobertsdale.com. “This year (2017), we are taking a break from putting on our presentation. Thank you for your patronage and feel free to join us for any other December activities.”
This live, interactive adventure follows the birth of Jesus Christ through with recreations of the shepherd’s fields, the town of Bethlehem, the manger where Jesus was born, complete with live animals. Scenes also depict Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection with the stone rolled away.
For more information on other events contact the church, 251-947-5145, email bethelbaptistrobertsdale@gmail.com or visit bbcrobertsdale.com.

Loxley
The Town of Loxley will have its annual parade and Christmas in the Park beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9.
The parade route will follow Highway 59 north from the Loxley Church of God to the Loxley Municipal Park. Following the parade there will be hot chocolate and cookies. Santa will be available for photos.
For parade and Christmas in the Park information, contact Tina Harris at the Civic Center, 251-964-7733.

Summerdale
The town of Summerdale’s annual Christmas parade will begin at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. The parade begins on Fourth Street and will travel west on Broadway to Northwest First Street, north to Jefferson, west to West Fourth Street, then south to Broadway, going east on Broadway back to Pioneer Park.
Visit with Santa in the park gazebo and enjoy refreshments after the parade. For more information call the Summerdale Town Hall, 251-989-6202.