DEMOPOLIS – While area boat owners are still putting final touches on their floats for Christmas on the River, most residents have already completed their Holiday home d/cor in time to compete in the Southside Garden Club’s COTR Holiday Decorations Contest.

By November 28 the club had received 35 entries from local homes and businesses for the best window, outdoor, religious, traditional, whimsical, and front door decorations.

Thursday, four judges traveled the area to choose the winners based on a list of ten criteria.

“The judges were people who were newcomers to the area,” committee co-chairperson Sharon Laney said. “They just judged the houses based on the ten things on the list.”

“We took them around to all the houses,” committee co-chairperson Dora Kirkpatrick said. “It was a long night.”

And after a long night, judges had an even longer afternoon determining the victors, but the winners were finally announced Friday afternoon.

In the residential category, Bessie Adams at 408 W. Rembert St. won in the whimsical category. Karen and Dennis Davidson at 607 N. Main Ave. received first place for the religious category.

The traditional category winners were Gerald and Ann Parsons at 1200 Mayton Ave. and the best front door winners were Mike and Angela Hinson at 1401 Forest Brook Drive.

The top business decorators were the Mustard Seed at 101 W. Washington St. for best window and The Hair Hut for best outdoor.

The first place winners will receive fifty dollars courtesy of the Southside Garden Club and the Demopolis Chamber of Commerce.

The contest has been held for at least 12 years, but the exact starting year is unknown.

“We’ve been doing this for many years and it’s been a long time since the contest first started,” Kirkpatrick said. “But we appreciate the response from the people. We were so grateful for the number of entries this year.”