The city of Oxford celebrated its 174^th birthday with a grand party hosted by the Oxford Arts Council at Oxford City Hall on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

The celebration opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Girl Scout Troops 20127 and 20108, followed by a stirring rendition of the National Anthem by the Oxford High School choir, under the direction of Holly Luke. The choir also performed a medley of patriotic favorites before leading the crowd in a singing of “Happy Birthday, Oxford.”

“I tell people all the time when you come over the bridges coming into Oxford, and you look and see Cheaha Mountain, you know you’re home,” said Mayor Alton Craft. “We have the greatest people here on the planet. I love all of you. I love what you have done for our city -how you take care of it and how you take pride in it. You don’t hesitate to tell people this is your home.”

The city of Oxford then presented its inaugural “Oxford At Its Best” community service awards. The awards are part of the city’s “Alabama at Its Best” program, begun last year, and are designed to recognize those whose efforts and passions helped shape the city of Oxford into what it is today.

Mayor Craft presented the awards to the honorees.

The Citizen of the Year Award was presented to the Oxford Arts Council “for their continuing mission to better their city by turning their passion into work, and for being a living definition of ‘public service’ to their city and fellow citizens.”

The Business of the Year Award was presented to First Bank of Alabama “for its enthusiastic support for the growth of the city of Oxford in ways both seen and not seen; its actions to encourage the city’s economic development; its first-in-line ‘what do you need’ attitude; and its five-year run as the preeminent sponsor of the Festival of Lights.”

The Employee of the Year was posthumously presented to longtime city project manager Fred Denney noting  “the Oxford of today is a monument to the work and devotion for the city he loved and served so well.”

It was announced that the employee honors will in the future be called “The Fred Denney Leadership Award.”

There will be a nominating process announced later this year for Oxford citizens to nominate people/organizations, businesses, and city employees for the three “Oxford at Its Best” awards. Those nominations will be reviewed by a panel of fellow citizens who will choose the recipients.