Even though Demopolis didn’t win the title of "Ultimate Small Town Christmas," at least the city placed in the top five. Out of 200 small towns across America, Demopolis placed fifth.

A video was sent to the A&E Cable Network so the Christmas on the River festival could be considered among holiday festivals across the country.

Kelly, Leverett, Alex Braswell, chairman of the 2003 Christmas on the River, and Kirk Brooker all played an important part in the making of this video. They all met at city hall in mid-November and started working on the tape to send to A&E.

The basic idea of the video showed Brooker, Braswell and Leverett talking about the history of the festival and what Christmas on the River means to the City of Demopolis as a whole. They also went out and talked to the local downtown merchants and people on the street.

They shot over 20 hours worth of film, and this is where Kelley’s talent shined. He took over 20 hours and turned it into a 30-minute highlight reel promoting COTR and why it deserved a chance to win this national title.

“The person who is really the one to thank for A&E coming to Demopolis is Kathy Leverett. I

really hate to see her leave,” Kelly said.