Drizzling rain doesn't stop 2021 Hoover Hayride and Family Night

Drizzling rain didn’t stop the city of Hoover from pressing forward with its annual Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park Friday night.

Though the crowd was much smaller than usual, costumed children and adults still lined up for hayrides around the lake at the park off Valleydale Road and made their way through tents to collect candy and treats from Hoover area businesses and organizations.

Erin Colbaugh, events coordinator for the city of Hoover, said the city decided not to postpone the event due to the weather because it wasn’t raining hard and kids still were looking forward to dressing up in costumes, getting treats and taking the hayrides.

“Every kid is still going to have fun,” Colbaugh said.

The Public Works Department did cut back on the number of tractors used for the hayrides because the crowd was smaller.

Kenya Glover, a resident of the Element Hoover apartment complex off Rocky Ridge Road, was among attendees.

“We come every year,” Glover said. “I have never missed a year in 10 years. It’s a tradition for me and my family.”

She started coming when her oldest son was 7 years old and her youngest was in a baby stroller. Now, her oldest is a senior at Spain Park High School and her youngest is 10. As she was making the rounds through the business tents with her youngest son and 4-year-old niece, getting candy and treats, her youngest, Zailyn Glover, said he was looking forward to the hayride.

People also had a chance to sample food and drinks from a handful of food trucks, including Krazy Good BBQ, Pazzo Big Slice Pizza, Hyderabad Dum Zone (Indian street food), Urban Pops, Bluff Park Ice Cream Shoppe, Pints & Popsicles, Kona Ice and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee.

The Hoover Hayride & Family Night started in 2009 and has been held almost every year since.

Last year, the city originally changed the event to a Treat Night without hayrides at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, with plans for a more controlled flow of activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the city eventually canceled it last year due to continually evolving recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, specifically related to holiday celebrations.