By Jason Morton / Staff Writer
The 44th annual West Alabama Christmas Parade is set for Dec. 13 and will begin in downtown Tuscaloosa at 6:30 p.m.
The grand marshals for next month’s West Alabama Christmas Parade will be the three co-chairs of the Tuscaloosa 200 Bicentennial Commission.
Former Tuscaloosa City Council President Harrison Taylor, Tim Parker Jr. of Parker Towing and Cathy Randall, a scholar, businesswoman and philanthropist, have been selected as the grand marshals for what is being considered The Official Bicentennial Parade.
Hosted by the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority, the 44th annual West Alabama Christmas Parade will be the final bicentennial event of the year.
It is set for Dec. 13 and will begin in downtown Tuscaloosa at 6:30 p.m.
The tree lighting ceremony will begin at 5:15 p.m. at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse.
A 12-year representative in the Alabama Legislature, Parker is a lifelong member of the Tuscaloosa community who now works as chairman of Parker Towing, a family owned business in Tuscaloosa since 1940.
Parker has served as chair of the Tuscaloosa Industrial Development Authority, the Alabama Port Authority, Tuscaloosa’s YMCA and the United Way of West Alabama.
He was selected as Tuscaloosa’s Citizen of the Year in 1980 and has served the University of Alabama as a member of the President’s Cabinet and as a vice president for the National Alumni Association.
Randall holds five degrees — including two doctorates — from the University of Alabama, and retired after working for 25 years as director of UA’s computer-based honors program. Today, that program is called the Randall Scholars Program in her honor.
She was selected as one of the UA’s top 31 graduates and as the recipient of the National Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumna Award and the Roger E. Sayers Distinguished Service Award.
As a business leader, she served as chairwoman of Randall Publishing Co. after her husband’s death.
Taylor, known as “The Mailman” for his career with the U.S. Postal Service, spent six terms on the Tuscaloosa City Council — the last three as council president — and is credited with improving race relations while representing District 2 on a majority-white council.
In 2018, city officials named the new Incident Command Post in his honor as a result of his leadership after the April 27, 2011, tornado.
The Harrison Taylor Splash Park in Palmore Park also is named for him. He is credited with obtaining funds for the water feature in what has become one of PARA’s largest and most frequently used parks.
Registration is now open for parade entries by visiting tcpara.org/westalchristmasparade or any PARA activity center.
Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.
