The &8220;City of the People&8221; came together and showed their true community stamina with the success of Christmas on the River events in the aftermath of a F1 tornado that destroyed parts of west Demopolis and left behind much structural devastation.

During the initial aftermath of the storm, the idea of hosting an event of celebration was a far stretch. It was first reported by some media outlets that COTR was cancelled. Community leaders and COTR event planners were determined in their efforts to assure this not to be the case.

Kelley Smith, director of the Demopolis Chamber of Commerce told The Times on Friday that without a doubt the events were on and would be held in their entirety. At utmost concern were the floats for the nautical parade and the destruction to the downtown area. Of the many floats that were decorated and prepared to set sail in the nautical parade, only one float survived destruction. A group of volunteers gathered together to restore and rewire floats that had been stored from previous years and the parade carried forth. The parade was smaller than originally was planned but was filled in with a fireworks showcase between each float.

The grand finale fireworks showcase also offered impressive entertainment for the crowd. The planning committee put forth much effort to have an &8216;over the top’ fireworks display this year and that is what they got.

It was fitting that the theme of this year’s COTR was &8216;Honoring America’s Military Forces,&8221; because this year’s COTR fought a battle itself and concurred.