After the first weekend of Candyland 2015, it appears the event is doing exactly what it is designed to do.

“We had 600 partakers in the ice skating rink,” said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chrissie Duffy. “We talked to people from Pace, Fla., from Pensacola, from Spanish Fort, Monroeville, Greenville, Camden, Montgomery and Crestview. All of them came specifically for the event, she said.

“We are constantly getting social media messages from people planning to come some time during the season,” she said. “We are pleased that we really are accomplishing what we wanted to do, which is showcase our town.

“We had a great turnout, and I think this coming weekend, we’ll have even more people. We encourage people to invite their friends and family members to come and visit.”

Candyland resumes on Thursday, when the ice skating rink and holiday train will be open from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Springdale.

Friday’s schedule includes ice skating and train rides from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.; a movie on the lawn of Springdale at 7; the Candyland play village on the Square open from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. and a snow show spectacular at 6 p.m.

Duffy said the reaction to events has been fun.

“People come up to me all the time and tell me it is great, and thank me for this,” she said. “All I did was have a crazy idea. It is other people who made it actually happen.”

Christmas events kicked off the with parade this past Thursday.

“The parade when really well,” she said. “It think it is the best I’ve ever seen. I’d like to thank the businesses and organizations who put time and effort into making the beautiful floats for all to enjoy.

“I’d also like to thank the board members who helped line up our 118 parade entries, which is a lot harder than it sounds,” she said.