By Emily Williams
Witches of Homewood will reunite again this year on Oct. 27, taking flight through city streets to celebrate Halloween.
Hundreds of women decked out in witchy attire will take a two-mile bike ride through the streets of Homewood, throwing candy to children in specified zones. a
For the seventh year, event founder Janie Ford Mayer will mount her “broom” and ride in honor of her mother, who lost her life to lung cancer in early 2013.
Mayer’s mother, Paula Stringfellow Ford, loved any excuse to celebrate and was the life of the party.
Inspired by her mother’s annual Witches of South Walton event, Mayer started the Homewood Witches Ride in 2013 as a way to raise funds for the American Cancer Society while having fun.
“Every year everyone brings it even better than they did the year before,” she said. “I love seeing everyone’s creativity and how they embrace it and get so into it.”
The event has grown considerably over the years. The first ride included about 75 witches, while last year’s featured around 600.
This October, Mayer expects to see more even more participants joining in or attending the ride.
New this year, a number of decorated golf carts have been added to the parade for those who cannot ride a bike.
Pre-ride festivities will begin in Homewood Central Park at 2 p.m., with Homewood Parks and Recreation co-hosting a fall festival that will include games, inflatables and food trucks. A performance by Disco Amigos will begin at 4:45 p.m., and the witches will ride at 5:30 p.m.
Following the ride, an after party will be held for the witches at Little Donkey with free chips and salsa and a specialty drink toast.
For more information, visit homewoodwitchesride.com.
