By Blake Deshazo

The Selma Times-Journal

The Christmas spirit will shine bright over Selma this weekend.

Selma is bringing in the holiday season this Saturday with the annual Christmas parade and tree lighting. The event will take place right after the parade ends in front of Selma City Hall.

For the seventh year in a row Mayor George Evans and his wife Jeannie will flip the switch and ignite the Christmas spirit for the season.

“It’s symbolic in terms of what Christmas means to all of the citizens,” said Mayor Evans. “It officially announces Christmas coming to Selma. “It’s a time to rejoice and give thanks and praise, and reflect on the past year and hopefully look forward to a brand new year.”

But there is more to the yearly ceremony than just seeing the Christmas tree come to life. It’s a way to bring spread joy and happiness to everyone in the community.

“It’s a time for bonding, networking, and giving thanks,” said Evans. “It’s just a time for people to enjoy. We’ll have the bands, the gospel groups and things like that.”

The Majestic Voices, a popular gospel group, will perform during the ceremony. They will sing Christmas carols to get people into the holiday spirit.

“The Majestic Voices will add a little extra Christmas cheer to the event,” said James Benderson, planning and development director. “Their performance will add some extra character to the lighting.”

In years past, the lighting of the tree has been held the day before the Christmas parade, but this year the city decided to change it up. It will be on the same day as the parade. Organizers think it will help bring more people to the event and make it a huge hit.

“It’s unity and the spirit of the community coming together to celebrate the holiday season,” said Sheryl Smedley, executive director of the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce.